Vinay Kumaran

I am not patriotic. I don't think 'my' country is the best country in the world. I don't even think it's useful to think of any country as the best in the world. I'm not even completely on board with the idea of countries. The idea that you can draw an imaginary line on a map and that people on one side of the line are somehow different from people on the other side seems strange to me. There are good things everywhere and there are problems everywhere. Wherever we find ourselves, there are things we can do to make life better for everyone, or worse. That's the only choice that makes sense. When I finished my fellowship, I returned to India because that's where I had skills that were needed. Now, after working in India for 12 years, I find that the skills I acquired there are more useful in the US where they're scarce so I find myself back in the US.  There are serious problems in both countries, beginning with the leaders they have elected. Those a...

I must admit I have trouble understanding the appeal of religions. When I was a child, I was told the tales of Hindu religion. The stories were enormously entertaining.  Hindu Gods were like the Avengers or the X-Men. Different Gods had different superpowers. Ram and Arjun were great shots with the bow and arrow. Bhim was like ' The Thing' from the Fantastic Four, immensely strong but not very intelligent.  Hanuman was like Superman, he could fly and lift mountains and swallow the sun accidentally. However, it soon became evident that the world of the Gods was a fantasy world. In the real world, people were good or bad on a spectrum and there were not necessarily consequences to either being good or being bad. Good people and even children not yet old enough to decide whether to be good or bad could suffer and die. Bad people could prosper and enjoy the fruits of their evil through long luxurious lives and nothing supernatural ever happened. Prayer, no matter how sincere, (a...