Category Archives: Meaning

I Don’t Know. Not Everything has Meaning. And Nihilism. Not What You Think.

Posted on 27 November 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Essay by Anne Lamott about what she’s learned at age 69; NYT’s Brad Stulberg about traumatic experiences and finding, or not, new meaning; A summary of my recent thinking about the narrative bias, metaphor, and “meaning”; Considering what “nihilism” is … Continue reading →

Posted in Meaning, Philosophy | Leave a comment

How “Meaning” is just another example of the Narrative Bias

Posted on 28 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Three pieces from Big Think. How history is told by story-tellers, and cannot be taken literally; How philosophy advances science by asking forbidden questions; How questions about the “meaning of life” reveal the narrative bias. —— Three sciency links, all … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Meaning, Narrative, Philosophy, Science | Comments Off on How “Meaning” is just another example of the Narrative Bias

Odds and Ends from Recent Weeks

Posted on 11 September 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Today I’m catching up on numerous items from recent weeks that I want to note even though I haven’t had time to thoroughly read or comment about them. A couple of them, at least, I will revisit, because I need … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Meaning, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Odds and Ends from Recent Weeks

A New Book About Humanity’s Future, and Meaning

Posted on 28 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Cautiously considering the new book by Marcelo Gleiser, which seeks meaning where I think none exists; Items about Mike Pence’s Biblical cherry-picking, how Tennessee is the “worst state for voting rights,” and two takes on Vivek Ramaswamy: “spouting nonsense” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Lunacy, Meaning, Politics, Science | Comments Off on A New Book About Humanity’s Future, and Meaning

The Lies that Bind

Posted on 31 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

How the Christian curriculum ACE lies about science; How some people are happy to submit to tyranny; Wondering if it matters children are lied to about reality, and concluding that it doesn’t, given certain purposes of life; And reflecting again … Continue reading →

Posted in Meaning, Morality, Music, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on The Lies that Bind

Quote of the Day: Recovering from Madness

Posted on 12 November 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Charles Mackay was a Scottish poet who lived from 1818 to 1889. He was the author of the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, in 1841.

Posted in Meaning, Philosophy | Comments Off on Quote of the Day: Recovering from Madness

Denying the Denialists? and Bros

Posted on 20 October 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Just time for one Reading today, then some comments about seeing a movie in a movie theater for the first time in nearly 3 years.

Posted in Meaning, Movies, Politics | Comments Off on Denying the Denialists? and Bros

Two Essays About Current Events: by Connie Willis and Heather Cox Richardson

Posted on 11 August 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Connie Willis is one of the most beloved science fiction writers of the past 40 years. As a writer she’s won many awards, for works often humorous but at times tragic, at times building human stories based on the weirdness … Continue reading →

Posted in Meaning, Politics | Comments Off on Two Essays About Current Events: by Connie Willis and Heather Cox Richardson

Ls&Cs: Meaning and Happiness

Posted on 25 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Kant’s take on happiness; Arthur C. Brooks’ three bite-sized dimensions to the meaning of life; Thomas B. Edsall on whether conservatives are happier than liberals.

Posted in Meaning, Psychology, Reviews | Comments Off on Ls&Cs: Meaning and Happiness

Links and Comments: Conspiracies! Conspiracies!

Posted on 20 May 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Over the past several weeks there’s been an outbreak of stories and articles in the various legitimate media (New York Times, NPR, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, et al) about conspiracy theories related to the coronavirus pandemic. So many articles! … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunacy, Meaning, MInd, Psychology | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Conspiracies! Conspiracies!