Category Archives: Culture

Slouching

Posted on 14 April 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Fascinating piece about a new book Slouch, about the curious preoccupation with posture, at least in America; Short items about Trump’s dumb attorneys; Christian rallies against the LGBTQs; why Trump’s “Christian Visibility Day” illustrates Christians’ persecution complex; and that traffic … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Personal history | Comments Off on Slouching

Yuval Noah Harari, UNSTOPPABLE US, Vol. 2

Posted on 4 April 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: “Why the World Isn’t Fair.” (Bright Matter Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House; March 2024. xv + 189pp. With copious illustrations by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz.) This is the second volume in … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Culture, History, Morality | Comments Off on Yuval Noah Harari, UNSTOPPABLE US, Vol. 2

It’s Time for Another Round of… Stupid? Or Cynical?

Posted on 2 April 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Stupid or Cynical: Republican/Christian conservatives respond to the coincidence of Easter and Trans Recognition Day; Some MAGA claims are just delusional, example from Steve Bannon; Robert Reich on Trump’s 5-step fascist plan; And how conservatives reject the idea of lab-grown … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Morality, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on It’s Time for Another Round of… Stupid? Or Cynical?

How Humans Live by Stories, and Myths

Posted on 25 March 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A NYT essay that wonders if, given how political persuasions are aligned with community, we actually ever think for ourselves; An example from the fringe about a Republican who wants to outlaw “chemtrails”; A review of a book about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, Narrative, Psychology | Comments Off on How Humans Live by Stories, and Myths

EO Wilson, CONSILIENCE, 7

Posted on 14 March 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Chapter 8, The Fitness of Human Nature This is perhaps the core chapter of the book, in that it brings together ideas about the mind, genes, and culture from the previous two chapters, and sets up a basis for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Culture, Human Progress, MInd, Science, science fiction | Comments Off on EO Wilson, CONSILIENCE, 7

More Dispatches from Alternative Realities

Posted on 13 March 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How Katie Britt, like other clueless Republicans, claims victimhood, and pleads for cash; Robert Wright on how the Trump-Biden choice won’t solve anything; Short items about Trump’s obsession with Hitler; how violent crime is down but you wouldn’t know it … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Culture, MInd, Politics | Comments Off on More Dispatches from Alternative Realities

Alternative Realities? Or The Twilight Zone?

Posted on 12 March 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Political links as views into an alternative reality, or perhaps the Twilight Zone; Michelle Goldberg about Mark Robinson; Peter Wehner about how Christians support a morally depraved ex-president; hypocrisy in Alabama; two pieces about Christian nationalist Matt Schaefer; Short items … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Alternative Realities? Or The Twilight Zone?

Two Perspectives on the Current Situation

Posted on 3 March 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

The Atlantic‘s Peter Wehner on how evangelicals don’t actually follow Jesus’ teachings; With an aside about my own attempts to cross the political divide; Robert Reich on his history with the New Left and how Trump arose out of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics | Comments Off on Two Perspectives on the Current Situation

The Flaw of Math, or Perhaps Just the Limits of Human Cognition

Posted on 2 March 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Veritasium on math’s fatal flaw, or perhaps just a limitation on the extent humans can understand reality; Considering why cars are built to be able to break the law; A cartoon about religious folks who believe the Bible was written … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Mathematics, Religion, Technology | Comments Off on The Flaw of Math, or Perhaps Just the Limits of Human Cognition

Agents of Chaos

Posted on 24 February 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A piece in The Atlantic about people who embrace chaos and nihilism — and spread conspiracy theories just to alleviate boredom, or burn it all down; And an example of this: Washington Post on Libs of Tik Tok; And recalling … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Culture, science fiction | Comments Off on Agents of Chaos