by design | Apr 16, 2018 | Columnist, Ferguson
By Dr. Jim Ferguson A rare disease has touched our family three times, though it would be years before we connected all the dots. First, an adopted daughter couldn’t move her arms. Then, there was a bride who didn’t smile. And most recently a sister in law...
by design | Apr 9, 2018 | Columnist, Ferguson
By Dr. Jim Ferguson Sometimes, it’s hard for me to remember whether I’ve written about something or just thought about it. As a result, I have a new project putting my previous five hundred and thirteen Focus essays in a computer file which I can then easily search....
by design | Apr 2, 2018 | Columnist, Ferguson
By Dr. Jim Ferguson These days, a lot of things mystify me. An old example is dead possums on the road. I realize possums are nocturnal creatures and don’t understand roadway etiquette. However, you would think natural selection would serve as a disincentive to...
by design | Mar 26, 2018 | Columnist, Ferguson
By Dr. Jim Ferguson I recently learned that all languages have a word for the soul – not to be confused with the music of Motown. Materialism is a philosophy of objectivity, so a materialist might argue the soul does not exist because it cannot be measured....
by design | Mar 19, 2018 | Columnist, Ferguson
By Dr. Jim Ferguson Historians were intrigued to learn that on July 4th 1776, King George wrote in his diary that “Not much happened today.” I’ll cut the King some slack because there was no internet, nor phones or even telegraph in the 18th century. It would be...
by design | Mar 12, 2018 | Columnist, Ferguson
By Dr. Jim Ferguson These days, the prospect of spring is tantalizing. This time every year I’m glad to see February exit and begin to embrace the promise of winter’s end. Knoxville is fortunate to have four seasons. About the time we are sick of the heat of summer we...
