Life is short, and every moment is precious.

Medical ethics is a fascinating discipline, as it deals with issues replete with complex philosophical, moral, and ethical considerations that are rarely black or white.

Our African ancestors were the first to engage in breathing. By that logic, I think by breathing today, we are engaging in cultural appropriation of the first Homo sapiens. And so the only way I will ask you to stop being racist is to suffocate - to stop breathing.

The seven deadly sins should be updated. We should add an eighth sin: Cowardice.

The Ferrari is exactly the same in the human context as the peacock's tail is on the peacock.

Empires implode from within due to their own excesses.

In the public realm, secularism should not concede a single inch to religious intrusions. To argue otherwise is to violate the meaning of secularism.

Marketing is fundamental to what makes us human. Marketing is not solely about selling chewing gum, cars, cellphones, and tourist packages. Everything in life involves the process of marketing something to someone.

The great majority of men are attracted to feminine women who do not possess the body type of Michael Phelps. Beyonce is desired not because of her 'diabolical femininity,' but simply because of her femininity.

Freedom of religion does not entitle your religion to have a privileged position within the public sphere.

Memorable people do memorable things. Followers are seldom remembered. The herd mentality is the killer of innovation. When appropriate, be bold in your undertakings.

Great leaders are not proverbial fence sitters. They judge. They opine. They challenge. They fight for their vision.

Animals use a broad range of strategies to advertise themselves in the mating market. In some instances, visual cues highlight a morphological feature - for example, the peacock's tail.

One of the ways by which astrology tricks human brains is via the Barnum effect, which is the process by which individuals take general and vague statements that could apply to anyone and anywhere, and find personal meaning in them.

University students should rightly be exposed to a plurality of viewpoints as part of their intellectual growth, rather attending the 'flock of sheep association of like-minded individuals.'

A successful marriage requires commitment to teamwork.

In the public realm, secularism should not concede a single inch to religious intrusions.

Secularism and pluralism are two of the defining ethos of Western societies. The former decouples religion from governmental institutions whilst the latter seeks to protect the rights of all citizens to freely practice their creed.

For humans, gift giving is a universal ritual laden with evolutionary implications.

Nearly everything that defines much of our daily experiences is consummatory in nature. Yes, we consume products and services. But we also consume life experiences, religious narratives, art, literature, and ideas.

In many instances, mate choice is a compensatory process. In other words, both men and women choose prospective mates by combining their scores on several key attributes.

Trigger warnings are an instantiation of the West's zeitgeist of perpetual offense and victimhood that defines much of public discourse.

Let us stop pathologizing masculinity. Instead, let us appreciate the endless ways by which men and women are similar to one another, as well as the important ways in which the two sexes differ.

At the basis of a country's immigration policy is the recognition that a country has the right to pursue its interests first, and whenever it wishes to be altruistic and humane, this is instantiated without ever risking the danger of its citizens and/or its cultural values.

When a political party denies scientific facts, then by all means, they should be called out on their anti-science stance.

My purity manifests itself in countless ways, including an utter inability to sit idly when exposed to attacks on truth, reason, logic, and/or individual dignity.

As someone who escaped religious persecution in Lebanon and whose parents were kidnapped in Beirut, I fully support the protection of all individuals from institutional discrimination. That said, I am weary of the ethos of victimhood that has parasitized our culture.

Casting judgments is an integral feature of what makes us human.

There is a natural rhythm to parent-child interactions, including the fact that some parental insights prove poignant and veridical decades after they were first shared with us.

There are many benefits to having interesting friends on Facebook. In my case, given that fellow academics constitute a sizable portion of my online friends, I am at times privy to shared studies that I might otherwise miss (or perhaps only identify at some future date).

My personal growth stems from the humility with which I navigate the world, namely with a reverence for all of the knowledge that I've yet to learn but that is out there available to me.

It is perfectly acceptable in a free and liberal society to criticize, debate, mock, and reject any ideology.

Consumer behaviour is a powerful realm from which to explore our biological heritage.

World history is shaped both positively and negatively by people who judge.

Notwithstanding the supposed egalitarian ethos of some hunter-gatherer societies, humans are a hierarchical social species. We care greatly about where we stand in comparison to some relevant reference group.

In some instances, a gender imbalance is indeed a manifestation of sexism. In others, it is not.

My family and I were welcomed to Canada more than 40 years ago. We sought and obtained refuge in a liberal, modern, and secular society, and put the ugliness of genocidal religious hate and associated tribalism behind us - or so we thought.

In the game of life, survival is only part of the battle.

There is no gospel of atheism. Atheists don't pray at the altar of a Richard Dawkins poster.

Across disparate cultures that require physical risk-taking as a rite of passage, it is always the men who engage in such pursuits.

While it is true that all individuals are equal under the law, this hardly implies that they are created equal.

To study consumer behavior is to explore human nature at its most fundamental level using the modern world as its backdrop.

To rightly recognize that men and women are equal under the law is perfectly removed from the fact that men and women are distinguishable beings that have been shaped by sex-specific evolutionary challenges. Accordingly, there is no reason to assume or expect that there should be equal representation of the two sexes across all contexts.

Early in my doctoral training at Cornell University, I became immersed in the behavioral decision theory paradigm.

There is nothing morally objectionable in stating that a country has the inalienable right to decide on the exact number of immigrants and the exact type of immigrants that it wishes to let into its borders. As part of that calculus, it is perfectly rational to exhibit preferential treatment to immigrants who share one's cultural values.

Offending someone's religious sensibilities can never justify a violent response. There are no 'but' qualifiers, and the sooner that this lesson is internalized, the rosier our future will be.

One of the hallmarks of the American justice system is that it should be blind to individuals' idiosyncratic descriptors, including biological sex, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or physical attributes.

I contend that the ethos of perpetual non-judgment is intellectually dishonest if not outright cowardly.

Social etiquette dictates that when in mixed company, one should avoid discussing politics and religion. As someone who is quite active on various social portals, I can attest to the visceral emotions that are triggered when these topics are broached!

If you are of sound mind and body, many exciting and challenging adventures are within your reach irrespective of your age.