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Welcome to my views!



My name is Clarence Arthur Williams, nickname Sonny, an aspiring author marketing my first novel. Personal details are revealed at the end of this home page, but to learn who I really am, you'll need to click on Personal Principles to the left, or download an Adobe pdf version by clicking here.

Now that you know the core beliefs framing my behavior, I’m anxious to introduce more of my work. Before doing so, please note this is not a blog, although many of my writings are intended for social persuasion.  I'm unwilling to simply "talk off the top of my head," as a blog seems to demand (although I do so in emails and discussion groups).  I need time to carefully compose my thoughts, even sometimes discovering they are not as cogent as I'd imagined.  Numerous revisions are the secret to good writing, especially when intended to persuade.  Don’t hesitate to email me at sonny@clarencewilliams.net if you have questions, comments or complaints.

Recent changes:

June 6, 2007: I updated my essay, "Sex Differences: Applying the Naturalist Pardigm," to incorporate recent research debunking the "gender myth."  Sexual dimorphism is complex behavior is largely innate, and recognizing this natural truth will improve the welfare of women.

April 20, 2007: I posted my essay, "The Essence of Capitalism."

February 12, 2007: I posted a revised essay on Morality, which illustrates why I eschew blogs.  In the course of researching the evolution of religions, I felt it necessary to revise my views on morality, and you can read them in this essay (scroll down or click on "Morality" to the left).  This also necessitated a revision in my personal principles, and that new essay is now available.

February 5, 2007: I posted yet another revision of "Human Behavior," including more recent research and a revision of my simple explanation of natural selection (by quoting Denise Cummins, whose words published in 1996 proved perfect for my purposes).

February 2, 2007: I've revised my essay on morality, more properly titling it, "Savage Morality," and clarifying the evolution of moral values.  I've submitted to a magazine publisher so cannot post it here... yet.  Please visit again soon for an update.

January 27, 2007:  I revised and renamed my essay on morality, "Morality as Cooperative Toleration."  The title change better reflects the natural derivation of moral behavior, and the essay contains updated research on complex social cooperation.

January 21, 2007: My essay, "Human Behavior," has been revised to include research updates and other changes.

January 8, 2007: New research into the sexual dimorphism of complex behavior called for a revision of my essay, "Sex Differences."

August 28, 2006: My essay, "Sex Differences," was added (see the discussion on the Home page, then use the buttons on the left to read the essay).


My Novel - Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
My first work, Will The Circle Be Unbroken? is commercial fiction of 138,000 words and 22 chapters (a medium-sized novel), which has been professionally edited and copyrighted. It appeals to a wide audience because it's enjoyed on two levels: as a fast-paced, provocative mystery, and a complex allegory, rich with symbolism and cryptic clues. Will The Circle Be Unbroken? is unique in supporting different opinions about the source of human nature, and soliciting heated arguments. One reader, perhaps smug in his conclusion, will point to clear evidence, only to have another reader excitedly turn to conflicting clues.

Here's a flyleaf I'd recommend to the eventual publisher:

Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
     A haunting phone call lures Carlton Richards to eastern Colorado, where he finds a body and launches a search for answers. Strange goings on immediately confound the simple mystery of identifying the dead woman and determining their connection. During the investigation, both lives are exposed through dreams and flashbacks, while Carlton’s personality dramatically changes. What’s happening? Is Carlton simply experiencing a mid-life crisis? Can Victoria Goodsen’s initially confusing, incredible story be true, or is something sinister afoot? Moreover, what molds human character, genes, nurture or perhaps something spiritual?
Twice-divorced, Carlton is crude, hard-driven and lascivious, making some readers uncomfortable. Are these inherited traits or reflections of childhood scars? Strangely, demons now populate his dreams, suggesting Satan’s work. In the end, Carlton is a paragon, tending to children who are victims of alcoholics, and he’s about to become a father again.
     Victoria is a Child of The Circle, a cosmic spirit who altered a human’s genes and emerged in virgin birth, to be raised by an Elder called Granny, a woman who is the sole source of Victoria’s knowledge of herself and The Circle. Victoria’s mission is to reach perfection in body and soul and then find her anonymous Chosen One, surreptitiously enticing a union (in a sometimes disturbingly frank portrayal, she’s daringly sensual). Their children will raise mankind to a higher plane, as other Children have done since life emerged on earth.
     Carlton constructs an earthy and darker version of her story (you have even more clues to other possibilities), but a shocking, last-minute discovery changes his mind.
There are enigmatic clues throughout, some more difficult to decipher, but you have the final say in deciding Victoria’s real story and understanding Carlton. But will friends agree with your conclusions, or perhaps point to contrary clues and demand a debate on the source of man’s, Carlton’s and Victoria’s character?

Use the “Novel” button to the left or click here to download an Adobe® file containing the first four chapters… then email me and tell me what you think!

Other Work

My non-fiction book, “The… Real History of American Religious Freedom,” is completed, but I’m revising the last section on the legal status of American religious freedom.

I also peddle ideas via essay and short stories. For a lighthearted treatment of important scientific research, go to the buttons on the left and find, “Neuron 208,” or download an Adobe® file by clicking here.

Other, more serious issues also engage my attention, and I hope you’ll take time to read them. There are two reasons to eschew a personal blog and, instead, carefully compose my thoughts and commit them to essay. First, if my opinion is only weakly supported, or formed in a fragmented manner, an essay will reveal to me the need for more research or a more persuasive approach. Why expose you to ill-conceived thoughts? I like blogs, but I’ve found that my best opinions take time to compose—although being human, a crude form instantly springs to mind. The second reason for carefully crafted compositions is this: I want memorable pieces to affect social transformations. Of course, I’m not so presumptuous as to think my ideas could yield such grand fruit, or could they? I’ll let you decide. Again, find the appropriate button on the left or click on the title to download an Adobe® file.

Church. “America: Christian Origins, Secular Future”  In this essay, I discuss the separation of church and state, a bitter issue misunderstood by most Americans. Here, I review the… real history of the First Amendment’s Religion Clauses, thereby fracturing the view that the U.S. Constitution never intended a “wall of separation between church and state.” It did, and it’s important to understand how that came about.

No Pledge. “I Do Not Pledge Allegiance”  This essay sprang from my first, distasteful experience with Colorado’s law requiring all schools to conduct a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. This pledge law, even though it contains a voluntary excusal provision, is unconstitutional, and here you’ll discover why. I need everyone’s help in spreading the message concerning the 1954-revised Pledge of Allegiance, which violates the First Amendment, so if you click here you’ll download an Adobe® file suitable for use as a brochure. Spread it far and wide!

Free Will. “Free Will and Responsibility”  This brief treatment of a complex, philosophical discussion sprang from conversations over the internet. Too many people disassociate the subject of free will from a scientific understanding, and here you’ll get a brief glimpse into how and why free will should be considered illusory.

Conservative. “Conservative”  I am not aligned with any political party, but more frequently find myself in agreement with political conservatives than with libertarians or liberals. This statement needs immediate clarification, so please read this short essay on what it means to be a conservative before you enter the bitter divide that now poison’s America’s political process. I call myself a conservative for the sake of explanatory expediency and out of necessity. One must “be” either a libertarian, liberal (progressive) or conservative; we only have three choices in America.

SoNeT. “SoNeT: Social Needs Tax System”  In an effort to improve conservative policy regarding social needs, I formulated the “social needs tax system,” or SoNeT, and I urge you to give it serious consideration. Help me reformulate it, and begin its implementation! Conservatives are as distressed as anyone over the current state of the world’s social welfare. Too many people are hungry, unsheltered, uneducated and unhealthy, and this threatens us all—a fact, regardless of why you think these people are impoverished. We should not look to governments for solutions, only the collective efforts of individuals will solve the world’s social problems without creating even worse problems (as governments are prone to do).

Morality. "Savage Morality"  Here I discuss the meaning of morals, concluding that the term should be expunged from our vocabularies as a relic of our savage past.  I discuss the ancient origins of moral behavior, and in the process reveal how religions evolved.

Human Behavior. "Human Behavior"  My professional specialty is human behavior, and I devote myself to keeping up with the latest scientific research. These are exciting times for behaviorists, with the recent sequencing of the human genome and advanced instruments like functional magnetic resonance imaging exponentially expanding our knowledge of human behavior. My early training was in the standard social sciences, following men like B.F. Skinner, and much of what I had been taught was wrong. In this lengthy essay, I introduce you to the latest research on human behavior.

Sex Differences. "Sex Differences"  Men and women are born to exhibit different behavior, and these differences in complex behavior (outside of reproduction) should be recognized in our social conventions and institutions.  Instead, we cling to the popular misconception that cultural bias accounts for the obvious differences between how men and women behave, which leads to social institutions seeking to erase all differences between men and women (outside of reproduction).  This is a controversial issue, but in this essay I introduce the latest biological evidence, which should put to rest the sociologist's mistaken belief in environmental determinism.  The path to equality between the sexes, to a society that has successfully ended male domination, must begin with an admission of fact: men and women are born to behave differently, and they are unlikely to change.

Capitalism. "The Essence of Capitalism"  Capitalism is the greatest socioeconomic system devised by humans, but is under growing threat as the world's natural resources become more scarce and wealth disparities reach unconscionable levels.  Much of the criticism results from misunderstanding capitalism, and this brief essay addresses the three most common mischaracterizations, namely, that capitalism is individualism, that labor is an antagonist, and that markets are not fair.  As you'll discover when reading this essay, both capitalists and non-capitalists alike share these essential misunderstandings, especially the social debt incurred by capitalists.

More Personal Details
Now, back to those personal details; it’s only fair you know more about me if you’re interested in my work. I’m retired now, after 30 years in the business world, the last ten as a consultant in organizational behavior. I have an MBA in that specialty, and understanding human behavior still figures prominently in my life. You’ll see this reflected in much of my writing, and you’ll also detect my continuing education in the subject. One should die while still learning—new research reveals that adults do grow new neurons! Rest assured, when I pen a piece on, say, free will, it incorporates the latest scientific findings. I’m not afraid to change my opinion if new evidence comes to light.

A naturalist and nativist, I believe truth is revealed by science, and humans are the product of natural causes including evolution, but are endowed with unique intellect, one of many cognitive properties that are genetically specified and largely—but not entirely—resistant to environmental influence. Both genetic and environmental determinism are wrong. The interaction between the two, especially during development, is what determines each individual’s unique phenotype. I reject tenets taken on faith. The idea of "revealed truth" is innane, especially if it was revealed to some ancient shaman, prophet or avatar, then passed down to common mortals like you and me via a text that must be interpreted by "spiritual leaders" of various sorts. Despite this disdain for supernatural belief systems, I pursue practical, humanitarian policies intended to benefit all mankind, and these often coincide with the aims of "people of faith" (most of whom are wonderful human beings sharing my moral values). Politically, I tend to be more of a moderate, secular conservative than a progressive, at least as far as these classifications are commonly defined today. Why conservative? Because lessons from the past are too easily lost if one progresses too fast, and incremental change is usually better than wholesale varieties. (See my essay, "Conservative," for more details.)

I’m middle-aged now, and finally have enough experience to realize that intellectual exercise is stimulating. It is my first love. For physical exercise, I play golf when Colorado weather permits (180 rounds last year). A winter respite from this cruel mistress is not altogether unwelcome, excepting the increased waistline, of course. Using the written word to share the intimate secrets passing between me and my first love is sure to keep me young (if not also single). It is, however, a difficult labor, this writing. I’m familiar with the physical “rush” of releasing pent-up creative juices, but angst and I are also close friends. I often sing the “wordsmith blues,” cries about the pain of thinking you have masterful language skills only to find you must pound away at imperfections day in and day out, week after week, year after year. Some day, perhaps Beale Street will welcome my dirge, but then I would need to bear the agony of refining that music as well. I bet I would be good at it, those mournful sounds of B. B. King and Hank Williams, revealing a guarded story.

Such is the life of the purveyor of ideas. Take me as I am, imperfect prose and all.