Category Archives: Morality

Stupid vs. Evil

Posted on Thursday 12 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Robert Reich’s take on what the two US political parties think of each other, and my interpretation of conservative thinking; About Pete Hegseth and how he sees moral purpose in war as a weakness; Another item about parental rights, concerning … Continue reading →

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Certainty is the Enemy

Posted on Tuesday 10 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

And Trump is certain about his own moral authority; And how the long-anticipated End Times have yet to appear; Paul Krugman on how Pete Hegseth is being deliberately dumb; Short items about Erika Kirk, Hegseth’s Bible reading, money spent on … Continue reading →

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Leaving the US, Shalom, Worrying the Mind-Body Problem, the Latest Drake Equation analysis

Posted on Sunday 8 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

About Trump’s misguided “Christian” war, as more and more people are literally leaving the US; Peter Wehner on a word for our trouble times: shalom; Alan Lightman wonders, rhetorically, if our minds transcend the corporeal form (an issue long-since settled); … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Morality, Science | Comments Off on Leaving the US, Shalom, Worrying the Mind-Body Problem, the Latest Drake Equation analysis

Morality, War, Science, Persecution

Posted on Saturday 7 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Robert Reich on the moral basis of civilization, and how Trump is destroying it; And Reich on how Trump is paying for the war, and giving the rich a huge tax cut; More about the undermining of America’s scientific expertise; … Continue reading →

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Does Human Morality Progress, or Not?

Posted on Saturday 10 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Apropos of nothing else in this post, but anyone following social media will understand. \\\ The big story of the week, which I’m not quite letting go. This could be a growing story that actually has consequences. Unlike so many … Continue reading →

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Return from Holiday Trip

Posted on Tuesday 30 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

We were in SoCal the past few days, beginning Christmas Day, visiting Sue and Steve, Michael and Honey, Gary and Lynne, Funyun and family, Alan and Ian, Suzanne and extended family; chatting with Vivien and Barry, Alex and Francis, many … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Meaning, Morality, Travel | Comments Off on Return from Holiday Trip

Kindergarten Anthropology, and Ordering Things Into Existence

Posted on Friday 19 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

A Facebook response to the question of where morality comes from; Franklin Graham admits that God is a God of War; Trump thinks he can order nuclear fusion into existence, and order a Moon landing in 2028. – – – … Continue reading →

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Nominalism, and Some Cool Maps

Posted on Saturday 13 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

The idea of nominalism, from a 77-year-old book, that seems to have inspired MAGA’s arrested moral development; Apocalyptic speculation in science fiction and in speculative maps; Brief items about Trump’s whitewashing of American history, teaching students how to think, and … Continue reading →

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Steven Pinker, THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE, post 7

Posted on Friday 5 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled “Why Violence Has Declined” (Viking, Oct. 2011, xxvii + 802pp, including 106pp of notes, references, and index.) Summary: Chapter 9 concerns four ways in which humanity’s “better angels” turn people away from violence and toward cooperation and altruism. These … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Human Nature, Morality, Science, Steven Pinker | Comments Off on Steven Pinker, THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE, post 7

Principles vs. Loyalty

Posted on Tuesday 25 November 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

More about the ad that advised soldiers they don’t need to carry out illegal orders, with threats against Senator Mark Kelly; The demise of DOGE, which accomplished nothing; Tom Nichols suggests the Sen. Mark Kelly should be secretary of defense; … Continue reading →

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