Richard J. Severson

Richard J. Severson

Welcome to my website! I am a retired academic librarian with a passion for writing about things that matter to me. I studied biology in college and later earned my PhD in religion and ethics from the University of Iowa. My first book—Time, Death, and Eternity (1995)—was a revision of my dissertation, in which I compared St. Augustine’s ancient psychological theory of time-consciousness with Martin Heidegger’s modern version of it. I have been obsessed about the role of time in human cognitive evolution ever since. I grew up on the windswept plains of South Dakota, and currently live in Oregon.

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Featured blog posts:

The Human Experiment: Biology + Culture
Biology alone cannot explain human evolution. The complex interactions between culture and biology are primordial. By “culture” I mean the intentional, or consciously invented, practices of large groups of humans, and by “biology” I mean the natural givenness of who and what we are regardless of our own intentions or inventiveness. Language is aContinue reading “The Human Experiment: Biology + Culture”
The Kihansi Spray Toad
Recently, I read a fascinating book by conservation biologist William Newmark titled The Kihansi Spray Toad: Crisis Biology in the 21st Century (Springer, 2025). It tells the story of a tiny toad that only exists in the spray zones that surround a few water falls on the Kihansi River in the Eastern Arc Mountains ofContinue reading “The Kihansi Spray Toad”
Mythology, Time, and Cognitive Evolution
I In essentials, the cognitive evolution of Homo sapiens necessitated a reckoning with time. Consider our Great Ape ancestors as a starting point. According to Merlin Donald, the Great Apes have stood at the pinnacle of episodic culture for millions of years.1 They are especially adept at understanding complex social events, such as hierarchical groomingContinue reading “Mythology, Time, and Cognitive Evolution”
Paying Division I Student-Athletes Like Employees
As we await U.S. District Judge Wilkens’s decision regarding the House v. NCAA settlement, I cannot help but feel that the dreadfully long and winding (litigious) NCAA road that has gotten us here is a dead-ender. Sure, recent lawsuits have delivered on the issue of whether student-athletes should be paid or not. Big deal. ThereContinue reading “Paying Division I Student-Athletes Like Employees”
The Essential Kindness of Medicine
I remember visiting my maternal grandfather in the hospital the day before he died from heart failure. He pulled the sheet aside and pointed at his ankles, which were swollen with fluids that his heart could no longer circulate. “Look what’s happening to me,” he said. Then he made me promise to spend the nightContinue reading “The Essential Kindness of Medicine”
Guy goes into a bar
Bartender says, “Did you hear about the famous actress who got stabbed?” “No!” the guy says, aghast. “Who was it?” The bartender tilts his head, trying to remember. “Hmm. Reese?” “Witherspoon?” the guy interjects, helpfully. “No, she was stabbed with a knife.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dumb.
The Approbation of Life
I want to stand aside at times To stop the merry-go-round To end this matter of caring about everything that comes given As if it were all sacred blessing, everlasting To draw breath and trudge along (Numbed by indecencies of unsavored events) To journey’s end Without a whimper, complaint or fathom Of the belittling circumstancesContinue reading “The Approbation of Life”
The Dawn of Everything
In The Dawn of Everything (2021), David Graeber and David Wengrow eviscerate the standard “march of progress” version of world history that belittles Stone Age foragers while amplifying the significance of the “agricultural revolution” and the crowning achievements of urban societies. They challenge this ubiquitous triumphal narrative by marshaling a profusion of new evidence fromContinue reading “The Dawn of Everything”
The Big Picture
What is the Big Picture? Every human society that ever existed has wrestled with that question. As self-aware creatures who thrive upon the creation of meaningful projects, we need a Big Picture in order to make sense of our own existence. What is our place in the universe? In a nutshell, that’s what the BigContinue reading “The Big Picture”
America, the Beautiful (A tale of Medical Heroism, and two Essays)
Transcendentalism was one of the most notable intellectual movements in American history, and Ralph Waldo Emerson—its chief architect—one of our nation’s most authentic apologists. His essay on self-reliance still resonates as a manifesto of the American spirit.1 Trust your own minds, he admonished his New England neighbors, and live according to your own solitary intuitionsContinue reading “America, the Beautiful (A tale of Medical Heroism, and two Essays)”
Morning Ritual
I get up at 4:30 am most every morning. I have no need for an alarm clock; instead, Ray gives me a gentle nudge with his long dog nose at the appointed time. That’s when we take our first walk of the day together. It’s still dark outside, and often raining now that we areContinue reading “Morning Ritual”