Author Archives: Mark R. Kelly

Humanity and Heartbreak?

Posted on Monday 4 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

A new version of Lord of the Flies, which I think I might watch; The idea of peer review, and my professional background; Cory on Rebecca; What religious tribalists mean by “going against the grain”. – – – I’ve read … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, Science | Comments Off on Humanity and Heartbreak?

What Education Is For; the End of Rational Discourse

Posted on Sunday 3 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The obvious reason conservatives are under-represented in universities; Adam Kirsch on Jürgen Habermas and the weightlessness of online existence; Conservatives’ double standard on speech about Trump and speech about everyone else; Short items on the popularity of “true-crime,” how Trump’s … Continue reading →

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Michael Shermer: TRUTH

Posted on Sunday 3 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled “What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters” (John Hopkins University Press, Jan. 2026, 370pp, including 50pp of acknowledgments, notes, and index) The title of this latest book by Michael Shermer, following CONSPIRACY (2022) (reviewed … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, reality, Science | Comments Off on Michael Shermer: TRUTH

Anthropology as another perspective on the world

Posted on Saturday 2 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

How anthropology informs an understanding of the world; Short items on Trump’s latest science purge, defenses of white supremacy, Trump’s lie about the some YMCA, and Trump’s sons getting rich off government contracts – – – Well, to the degree … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Anthropology as another perspective on the world

Is Islam the Best Alternative to Modernity?

Posted on Friday 1 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

What Trump’s latest attempted assassin reveals about modern American life; How right-wing influencers are now praising Islam, as an alternative to liberal modernity; – – – Trying to get a handle on the latest would-be presidential assassin. Slate, Luke Winkie, … Continue reading →

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The Law vs. Tribal Priorities

Posted on Thursday 30 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The Supremes eviscerate the Voting Rights Act, and the partisan flexibility of the law; King Charles visits while Trump claims America is not an idea but an inherited Anglo-Saxon culture; Heather Cox Richardson on the same point; Brief items about … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Lunacy, Politics, Tribalism | Comments Off on The Law vs. Tribal Priorities

Dead Scientists, Fine-Tuning, and the Vacuum of Space

Posted on Wednesday 29 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

PolitiFact on the mystery of the missing scientists; AMV on the fine-tuning argument and the limitations of academic credentials; Idiotic arguments from Facebook folks who think the Artemis mission was faked. – – – A couple follow-up items today. This … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Lunacy, reality, Religion, Space | Comments Off on Dead Scientists, Fine-Tuning, and the Vacuum of Space

Twilight of the Gods?

Posted on Tuesday 28 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Pondering how to live in a era without religious assumptions; A related theme in Arthur C. Clarke’s The Songs of Distant Earth; Timothy Snyder on superpower suicide; distrust of the current administration; confused thoughts about racism from the right; And … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthur C. Clarke, Culture, Music, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Twilight of the Gods?

Will Humanity’s Cognitive Limitations Lead to the End of Human Civilization?

Posted on Monday 27 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Belief in unfounded health care claims about solar energy; how so many people believe unproven claims about raw milk and vaccines; How the Trump administration is ending the EPA and paying to cancel wind farms; Chris Barkley on Trump’s 7-step … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Decline, Human Nature, Movies, Music | Comments Off on Will Humanity’s Cognitive Limitations Lead to the End of Human Civilization?

Is Reality a Hoax or a Conspiracy? No.

Posted on Sunday 26 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Many items about the apparent assassination attempt last night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and how many people on social media detected signs of a staged attack; Why posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms doesn’t work, as conservatives think … Continue reading →

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