Author Archives: dianesilver

Protected: Embracing Contradictions: Prayer for Non-believers

Posted on January 23, 2014 by dianesilver

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Posted in Uncategorized | Enter your password to view comments.

Cheap Forgiveness vs. Real Forgiveness

Posted on November 15, 2011 by dianesilver

I’ve been exploring new resources on goodness, and just discovered an amazing film called Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate, which was broadcast by PBS in April. I’ve only had time to watch one 23-minute clip … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

The Incredible, Vanishing Diane

Posted on November 15, 2011 by dianesilver

I’m back. Did ya’ miss me? I’ve been away from this blog for two months, and I wish I could say that I was in hot pursuit of goodness, but in fact, I was working overtime to finish a couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Diane's Life, housekeeping | Leave a comment

Time magazine takes note of moral injury

Posted on September 2, 2011 by dianesilver

Mark Thompson on Time’s Battleground blog has a nice blurb up today about my Miller-McCune story on moral injury. I think the issue of moral injury needs to be discussed far more than it is today, so I’m pleased to … Continue reading →

Posted in psychology, Publications from the Quest | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Wounded Souls and Moral Injury

Posted on September 1, 2011 by dianesilver

My story about moral injury is finally out in Miller-McCune magazine. This is one of several articles to come out of my work on the Goodness Project.

Posted in Articles and Essays, psychology, Publications from the Quest | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Trust and The Golden Rule

Posted on July 28, 2011 by dianesilver

I did a fantastic job following the Golden Rule yesterday, largely because the only people I saw were my eightysomething mother and the twentysomething barista at the coffee bar. And, yes, I was able to be nice to both of … Continue reading →

Posted in Practicing Goodness, psychology | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Day 1 of Being Good

Posted on July 27, 2011 by dianesilver

Uh oh. What have I gotten myself into? How does a soul be good? The best I can think of right now is to start simple. Let’s start with The Golden Rule: I shall treat others as I want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Practicing Goodness, The Quest | 6 Comments

Seeking Goodness In a New Way

Posted on July 26, 2011 by dianesilver

I spent 365 days attempting to answer the question: What is goodness? Since I completed that quest on June 1, I’ve been bumbling around trying to figure out what to do next. My year-long journey was wonderful. Challenging, fun, intellectually … Continue reading →

Posted in Practicing Goodness | 4 Comments

Shameless Self Promotion

Posted on July 26, 2011 by dianesilver

The August issue of The Progressive Magazine is out now, and it includes my essay, “Was My Father Evil?” My essay  is not available online, so go forth and purchase an old-fashioned hard copy of the thing. Tell them Diane … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles and Essays, Diane's Life, good vs. evil, Publications from the Quest | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Marc Hauser Resigns from Harvard

Posted on July 21, 2011 by dianesilver

This blog doesn’t usually keep track of news, but I did want to note that Psychology Professor Marc Hauser has resigned from Harvard. Hauser is the morality researcher who has been accused of scientific misconduct, and I covered the investigation … Continue reading →

Posted in psychology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Are We Good, or Just Lucky?

Posted on July 13, 2011 by dianesilver

I’ve spent the past year seeking to understand the true heart of good human beings. I’ve asked everybody I could to answer the question: What is goodness? Imagine my surprise when I interviewed MacArthur Fellow Jonathan Shay last week and … Continue reading →

Posted in Practicing Goodness | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Falling Off the Empathy Cliff Into Evil

Posted on June 15, 2011 by dianesilver

Simon Baron-Cohen argues that evil should be defined as the absence of empathy. In his new book, The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty, the University of Cambridge professor of developmental psychology proposes replacing the “unscientific … Continue reading →

Posted in good vs. evil, Practicing Goodness, psychology | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Anti-Sam Harris Points Us To A Real Moral Operating System

Posted on June 15, 2011 by dianesilver

Google Engineering Director Damon Horowitz tackles the idea of using numbers and science to make ethical decisions and comes up with a delightfully different answer than Sam Harris did in The Moral Landscape. Watching Horowitz’ TED talk, I’m energized and … Continue reading →

Posted in morality, philosophy, Practicing Goodness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cool Stuff Ahead

Posted on June 15, 2011 by dianesilver

So, just when I decide to take a breather from all this goodness work, I stumble into some fascinating items online that must be shared. Stay tuned!

Posted in housekeeping | Leave a comment

The Progressive and the Goodness Project

Posted on June 13, 2011 by dianesilver

I’m pleased to report that The Progressive will be publishing an updated version of my essay, “Was My Father Evil?” The essay is set to run in the August issue.

Posted in Publications from the Quest | 3 Comments