Essays


I've put a fair amount of time and effort into searching for answers to certain big-picture questions. I was lucky enough to discover early on that, thanks to great artists and writers among our forebears, many of the answers sit in our museums and libraries just waiting for us to find them. Of course, it turns out that what's even more difficult than finding the answers is figuring out how to apply them and transmit them to others. These Essays constitute an attempt to share whatever I'd figured out as of 2000.

I tried to write in a way that will be readily understandable even to people with no familiarity with the matters discussed. So I hope the experts out there will give me a break if my formulations seem overly simplistic – but please don't hesitate to send any corrections or comments to me at carolyn(a)c-cyte.com. Beyond that, I can only apologize for the sadly unscholarly nature of these Essays, and add that they were written in time spared from a lot of other efforts.

Except as may be otherwise noted, most of the text of these essays was written in 2000, and all internet addresses referred to are as of approximately 2000, although I updated a few URL's in January, 2004.


Cells and Systems
Entities, life processes, repression within
individuals or groups, diversity, efficiency, justice,
founding principles

The Arts and Literature

What Can We Know?

What Do We Mean by “Meaning”?

The Meaning of Life

How Can We Define Good and Bad?

Governmental and Economic Systems
Free markets, dictatorships, transparency and
accountability, checks and balances, corporate
structure, the media, and other matters

Miscellaneous Other Systemic Issues
Tort reform, work hours, child care, various
fundamental rights, capital punishment, cloning
and abortion, and other matters