Pedro Lilienfeld

For many years, on and off, I have pondered about what I think is an unresolved question which I will pose in what follows. Considering the normally slow pace of Darwinian evolution we must assume that Homo sapiens, say 100,000 years ago, had fully evolved into what he/she is today, both physically and mentally. If…

In light of the current state of affairs in the U.S. I find it relevant to reflect on the the cast of characters occupying the reins of government in Washington. Two authoritative polemicists, separated by a mere twenty four centuries, have warned us about what we are enduring. I find it worth citing their thoughts.…

In watching a documentary on Nazi Operation 1005 I reflected on Hannah Arendt’s oft cited phrase with which I’m entitling this essay. Sonderaktion 1005, as described under it’sWikipedia entry, was a top-secret operation conducted by the Nazis from June 1942 to late 1944. The goal of the project was to hide or destroy any evidence of the…

In doing some research on Baruch Spinoza (1632 – 1677) I became aware of a remarkable constellation of rationalistic thinkers who flourished during the 17th century in and around Amsterdam. Some preceded, others were contemporaneous and some followed that influential philosopher of Portuguese-Sephardic origin, who was born in the Dutch Republic. The roster of intellectuals whose common…

Second Edition (2026) Background At least 35 years ago I started to speculate about the idea that our universe, the one we know about and to which we belong, is only one of many. I was driven to that concept by the extant growing consensus about the Big Bang genesis of the universe. It meant…

Recently I came across the following quote by the famous German physicist Werner Heisenberg: “We have to remember that what we observe is not nature in itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning”. This statement provokedmy thinking because I found it quite profound and all-encompassing and yet, potentially subject itself, to questioning. First…

The current immigration upheavals in the U.S. has gotten me thinking about the image that Latin America presents to a large fraction of the population of our country. That view is being distorted by the relentless focus on illegal immigration, ICE roundups, Venezuela’s oil exploitation issues, Cuba’s travails, El Salvador hellish dictatorship, Mexicos’ and Colombia’s…

I have a problem with Islam, actually, several problems. It would appear that these are predominantly associated and caused by the total dependence on religious dominance of all Muslim societal facets. I became aware of this pervasive influence during our (my spouse and I) travels thorough several Muslim countries: Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan. I will…

Once upon a time, half a century ago, I had a colleague, a collaborator, with whom I had the pleasure of working on various interesting projects. He was very bright and knowledgable. He had a physics PhD from one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Our interactions were very constructive and rewarding.…

My early reading years were spent in Quito, the capital of Ecuador on the northwest of South America. I devoured books, all of them in Spanish, starting at age 9. Four authors predominated thereafter during my adolescence: Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo and Karl May. The former three, French, and the latter, German. All…