Category Archives: Culture

About Immigration

Posted on Saturday 15 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

My own ancestors were immigrants, of course, in the 1800s, just like most of the US population; and recalling “Irish Need Not Apply”; NYT’s David Leonhardt about the global immigration backlash, without wondering why these migrations are happening; Paul Krugman … Continue reading →

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Consciousness and Choices

Posted on Thursday 13 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The problem of consciousness, and the resolution to a 25-year-old debate, via Vox and NYT’s Carl Zimmer; The paradox of choice, in supermarkets and everywhere else, in our abundant, materialistic world. Vox, Oshan Jarow, 30 Jun 2023: Why scientists haven’t … Continue reading →

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Human History and World History: Two Perspectives

Posted on Sunday 2 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Carl Sagan on human history as “a slowly dawning awareness that we are members of a larger group” and how conservatives counter this; Peter Turchin about his theory of world history and how he identifies the US as a plutocracy. … Continue reading →

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Conceptions of Aging, and of Traveling

Posted on Wednesday 28 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The South Korean tradition of aging is giving way to the tradition of the rest of the world; The many ways traveling is problematic; And the idea of virtual traveling. Here’s a fascinating example of how different cultures think differently … Continue reading →

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Small-town values vs. Big-city values, and a Conservative Notion of the “Common Good”

Posted on Tuesday 13 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

How big-city values, not small-town values, are better suited for governing the nation; Recalling Robert Reich’s take on urban vs. rural; Heather Cox Richardson on the potential end of a long Republican era; A review of a book by an … Continue reading →

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Ted Chiang, Carl Sagan, Peter Singer

Posted on Monday 5 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Ten Chiang characterizes the current examples of “artificial intelligence” as “applied statistics”; How Carl Sagan was wrong about the “reptilian brain”, in The Dragons of Eden; And an interview with Peter Singer, the controversial philosopher, author of The Expanding Circle … Continue reading →

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The Holocene and Other Calendars

Posted on Sunday 4 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a concept I’ve heard of, fascinating and beneficial in ways, problematic in others. Wikipedia: Holocene Calendar

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Lessons in Media Literacy

Posted on Saturday 20 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

How stories about the border are designed to scare you, one way or the other; How right-wing sites promoted a false story about immigrants displacing veterans from New York City hotels; Heather Cox Richardson on the debt crisis and how … Continue reading →

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Skepticism, Beliefs, and Cognitive Biases

Posted on Tuesday 16 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Familiar topics, but worth another look, especially since if they were broadly understood it would make so many of America’s partisan controversies go away. (But conservatives will never allow concepts like skeptical thinking to be taught in schools, for precisely … Continue reading →

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Fear and Guns, Fear of Diversity, and Conservative Misogyny

Posted on Monday 15 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

For today, current events items about How gun buyers are motivated by fear How Republican politicians are motivated by fear of change, and fear of the other How Trump and his fans expose conservative misogyny For later, I need to … Continue reading →

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