Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

On a rainy morning, Alexa stared out her kitchen window, haunted by a memory: her mother leaving her on Grandma Rose’s porch at five years old, claiming her new husband didn’t want kids. That was the day Alexa started filling a shoebox with crayon drawings—small, desperate tokens of love for a mother who never looked…

Ever looked at a tree and spotted a face in the bark? That’s pareidolia—our brain’s instinct to find patterns, especially faces, in random shapes. A striking tree illusion artwork plays with this effect, revealing multiple human profiles hidden in its branches and leaves. Our minds evolved to detect faces quickly, even in nature. Artists use…

I was just about to toss my breakfast when I saw something unusual in the pan—but what I learned afterward changed my mind entirely. It all started after a regular grocery trip to our local supermarket. It’s a store we trust: everything’s fresh, the prices are fair, and we’ve never had any real complaints. We…

Ozzy Osbourne, who passed on July 21, 2025, made it clear he didn’t want a somber funeral. True to his humor and spirit, the “Prince of Darkness” hoped for laughter, Beatles songs, and even coffin pranks. In a 2011 interview, he joked he’d be fine with a medley of Justin Bieber or Susan Boyle —…

Sweet Syndrome, also known as acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis, is a rare inflammatory skin disorder with systemic manifestations.Although uncommon, it is critical for primary care physicians to recognize its clinical signs and consider it during differential diagnosis—especially when symptoms rapidly follow medication changes. This article outlines a documented clinical case and offers a comprehensive review…

A woman shared how her life changed after marrying a wealthy man who generously helped her family—paying off her sister’s debt, giving gifts to her parents, and finding her brother a good job. Despite his generosity, he cheated on her—first after the birth of their daughter, Kelly. Feeling vulnerable, she stayed, blaming herself. Years later,……

On a freezing winter night, a homeless man named Jack found a tiny, shivering kitten behind a dumpster. Without hesitation, he wrapped her in his jacket to keep her warm. Naming her Hope, Jack cared for her with the little he had—sharing scraps of food and rainwater—slowly nursing her back to health. As Hope regained…

A Backyard Encounter with a Lone Star Tick A few weeks ago, while mowing the lawn with my old, barely-working mower, I noticed my golden retriever, Mochi, lounging peacefully under our oak tree. That’s when I felt a strange tickle on my ankle. Expecting a mosquito, I glanced down—only to find a tiny black dot…

It was a typical Tuesday until I got a call that shattered my sense of normal. My 5-year-old daughter, Alice, was on the line—her voice trembling. “Daddy? Mommy left. She took her suitcase and told me to wait for you.” My heart dropped. I raced home to find Laurel gone and Alice curled up on…

This puzzle isn’t just about counting squares; it’s about how you approach the problem and how that might reveal aspects of your personality. Why It Triggers Overconfidence: Narcissists often have an overconfidence bias—they trust their initial judgments without second-guessing them. So, when asked to count the squares, someone with narcissistic tendencies may rush to a…