Mark R. Kelly
» Founder in 1997 and site-runner for 20 years of Locus Online (Hugo Award winner in 2002). Founder in 2012 and still site-runner of sfadb.com (Science Fiction Awards Database). Retired in 2012 after 30 years as a software engineer for a certain rocket engine factory.
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Meta
Category Archives: Morality
Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 5
After being distracted by Texas affairs, politics, Riven, and reading Brian Greene and others, let’s get back to this book and try to finish summarizing it and capturing key points. This and one more post. Earlier posts about this book: … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, MInd, Morality, Science, Steven Pinker
Comments Off on Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 5
Two New Ideas
Or at least, first sightings by me of a couple ideas that have apparently been floating around for a year or two: Moral ambition, and progressive realism. There are new ideas in the world. Because experience and knowledge accumulate. Big … Continue reading
Once You See It
How issues in politics 100 years ago resemble those of today; How Republicans and Democrats live in radically different universes; What the “genius” of the American Founders were thinking; Zbigniew Preisner’s film score for Damage Once you see it, or … Continue reading
Posted in Human Nature, Morality, Music, Politics, Religion
Comments Off on Once You See It
Loyalty vs. Principles
Three threads today, all related. Considering whistle-blowing as an example of wrestling loyalty vs. principles, and how this applies to Trump and his followers; Related items about how Trump supporters vow to “lie, cheat, and steal”; how Donald Trump knows … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Evolution, Morality
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The Ten Commandments as the Distillation of Tribal Morality
What to make of the continued efforts by the religious conservatives to impose the Ten Commandments onto schoolchildren and passerby in America’s courtrooms? Which part of the First Amendment don’t they understand? Some part presumption and some part ignorance and … Continue reading
Change Control
How even modest measures to ameliorate problems in NYC face resistance; How religious certitudes from Alito and others will not end well. Still under the weather, but let’s try a couple items from today’s NYT, about perhaps the broadest issue … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Evolution, Morality, Social Progress
Comments Off on Change Control
Politics as Fantasy, as Competing Stories
Three topics for today. The Hunter Biden verdict this morning, and how conservatives explain it to fit their conspiracy theories; Religious dimwittery about installing the Ten Commandments into schools; and Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito’s presumptuous allegiance to Christian godliness … Continue reading
Liberalism and Its Discontents
David Brooks on how authoritarians have momentum, because liberalism doesn’t appeal to people’s needs for a higher metaphysical meaning; Biden and Trump: appearance and reality; Double standards at Fox News about Butker and James; Republicans about Trump: loyalty vs. principles; … Continue reading
Expressions of Tribal Morality
NFL player Harrison Butker’s expression of tribal morality, and responses; Mike Johnson wants to boycott Target because of his fear being caught there when the Rapture comes; Moron Jesse Watters; a GOP Rep’s claim of proof, but lack of proof, … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Morality
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Stupid Lies
Trump’s stupid lies; How conservatives do not trust people to make their own decisions; Heather Cox Richardson on how we got here; A Republican who boasts about cheating homeless people; On a positive note: Ali Velshi on NPR this morning. … Continue reading
Posted in conservatives, Epistemology, Morality, Politics
Comments Off on Stupid Lies
