Monthly Archives: April 2022

LQCs: Creativity, Education, Reactionaries

Posted on 21 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Today, another counter-intuitive premise. Before reading the article, I reflect that most people admire celebrity artists, but wouldn’t want their child to try to be one. Other items follow.

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LQCs: Imaginary Problems, Critical Thinking, 11-Point Plans, and Prophets

Posted on 20 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Latest in a recurring theme about how Republicans not only aren’t trying to solve real problems, or even fighting the culture wars, they’re fighting *imaginary* problems to rile up their white working class base. NYT, Paul Krugman, 18 April 2022: … Continue reading →

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Richard Dawkins: THE BLIND WATCHMAKER (1986)

Posted on 19 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

This now 35-year-old book was Dawkins’ third, following the famous The Selfish Gene (summary here) and the less-famous sequel The Extended Phenotype (which I still have not read). If the first two were relatively straightforward explanations of evolution and natural … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Evolution, Personal history | Leave a comment

LQCs: Jonathan Haidt on the Corrosive Effects of Social Media

Posted on 18 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

The Atlantic website has a long essay (some 5000 words at an estimate) by Jonathan Haidt, to appear in the May 2022 print edition. The Atlantic, Jonathan Haidt, 11 April 2022: Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Social Progress | Leave a comment

More on Bookstores

Posted on 17 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Quick post for today. Here’s an item in today’s paper about Barnes & Noble, which makes some points similar to my discussion here on the 11th. NYT, Elizabeth A. Harris, posted 15 April 2022, in print today: How Barnes & … Continue reading →

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LQCs: Next Steps on Climate Change

Posted on 16 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Two or three major items to cover, from this past week, but for today just this one, apropos my review of the David Wallace-Wells book.

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LQCs: Stories of Religion and History and Why We Tell Them

Posted on 15 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly
Posted in Narrative, Politics, Psychology, Religion | Leave a comment

LQCs: Fox and CNN, War Against Teachers and Gays, Whether Information Will Out

Posted on 14 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

A few political links today.

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David Wallace-Wells, THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH, post 2

Posted on 13 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Resuming my summary outline from yesterday’s post.

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David Wallace-Wells, THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH, post 1

Posted on 12 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Opening lines: It is worse, much worse, than you think. The slowness of climate change is a fairy tale, perhaps as pernicious as the one that says it isn’t happening at all, and comes to us bundled with several others … Continue reading →

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