Monthly Archives: June 2025

Stories, Archetypes, Morality

Posted on Monday 30 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Does anyone take Jung or Freud seriously any more? OnlySky’s Bruce Ledewitz on the contemporary idea of “evil”; Robert Reich on “the worst bill in history” and fact-checking claims about tax cuts; How local communities fight back against ICE; Republicans … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Stories, Archetypes, Morality

Can You Hear Me?

Posted on Sunday 29 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Robert Reich reminds us of the three branches of American government, and how, in plain site, Trump is attacking two of them; How Donald Trump doesn’t align with William McKinley so much as William Jennings Bryan. Bruce Springsteen’s “Outlaw Pete”. … Continue reading →

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Morality Is Relative; Reality Is Not

Posted on Saturday 28 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

An undistorted map of the world; Jesse Being on “commonsense”; How morality is circumstantial, e.g. in Margaret Atwood’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE, which I just reread this week; Website matters involving drop-down menu bars, here and on sfadb.com; Short items about … Continue reading →

Posted in Morality, Politics, Psychology, reality, Website Issues | Comments Off on Morality Is Relative; Reality Is Not

Progress, and the Forces Against It

Posted on Friday 27 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

We have been here before: comparing 1940 to 2025; Steven Novella assesses whether skepticism has made any progress in recent decades; The irony of MAGA being outraged by a Muslim candidate for New York City’s mayor; Conservative presumption and arrogance … Continue reading →

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This Is What Will Be

Posted on Thursday 26 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

How right-wing violence has become normalized; How perhaps “totalitarianism” is better than “authoritarianism” for what is going on; How Republicans trying to roll back same-sex marriage are fighting a losing battle, cf. that Stephen Prothero book; A psychiatrist explains how … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Music, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on This Is What Will Be

Paths Away From and To Reality

Posted on Wednesday 25 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

“Doing your own research” mostly leads to false conclusions, unless you’ve done your “homework” — i.e. have an education in the subject matter; Example of a claim about Sodom and Gomorrah and an asteroid or comet airburst; How simpletons think … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Social Progress | Comments Off on Paths Away From and To Reality

Is Religion Simply a Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Game?

Posted on Tuesday 24 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Since it’s obviously not about objective reality. Lance Wallnau says Trump’s strike on Iran is setting the stage for the Antichrist; With thoughts about what humanity is “for”; Trump confuses supercells with sleeper cells; Vox on how Trump’s actions aren’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Progress, Lunacy, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Is Religion Simply a Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Game?

Like Living in Someone Else’s Fantasy Novel

Posted on Monday 23 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Heather Cox Richardson summarizes the past few days and puts events into context; (With asides about having read Fail-Safe and watched the movie, this past week; and a Facebook meme about Emperor Hirohito bombing Pearl Harbor and then expecting peace); … Continue reading →

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Locus Awards and Being Busy

Posted on Sunday 22 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Locus Awards; publisher prospects; recent reading. \ It’s a truism that the busier one is, the less time one has to jot notes in one’s journal, or write posts on one’s blog. The past few days have been busy, but … Continue reading →

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No Shades of Gray

Posted on Friday 20 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Trump wants national parks to reflect only patriotic history; Trump thinks if you’re not on his side then you “hate America”; Yet another example: Beware “common sense”; Short items: Atheists in prison; Trump officials reverse ICE guidelines, again and again; … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, History, Psychology | Comments Off on No Shades of Gray