Category Archives: Politics

Links and Comments: Tribal Loyalty and Values v. Reality

Posted on 23 June 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

NY Times: The 15 Best-Educated Congressional Districts in the U.S.. All but two of which, including the just contested Georgia district north of Atlanta, are solidly Democratic. Hmm. \\ Also: Trump’s Lies, a comprehensive, up-to-date list. It’s not surprising that … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, Science | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Tribal Loyalty and Values v. Reality

Links and Comments: Tribal Epistemology

Posted on 8 June 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

Out of all the links compiled for my previous links post, this is the most substantial, the one I have enough comments on to put in a separate post. 19 May: Vox, David Roberts: Donald Trump and the rise of … Continue reading →

Posted in MInd, Politics | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Tribal Epistemology

Link and Comment: Modern Conservatism

Posted on 17 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

From a review in Sunday’s NYT Book Review, by Damon Linker, of a book about the famous conservative intellectual William F. Buckley, and his relationships to various presidents of the United States. The review is titled “William F. Buckley and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Link and Comment: Modern Conservatism

Stuart Brand Quote: The Only News

Posted on 11 March 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

A thought against the daily onslaught of political news (never mind the weather, local crime, and traffic accidents that comprise the everyday local TV news) — in the big picture of human history (and progress), almost none of that matters; … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Radiohead; Originalism; Principia; Trump brain rot; Homeschooling; Art v Religion

Posted on 7 March 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

Catching up on links saved over the past week or so. Vox: Radiohead and sadness: a data analysis. Fascinating. \\\ Vox: Judicial originalism as myth It’s always struck me that Judicial originalism — the idea that nothing can be inferred … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Music, Politics, Science | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Radiohead; Originalism; Principia; Trump brain rot; Homeschooling; Art v Religion

Fake News, Alternative Facts, and Fundamentalist Christianity

Posted on 3 March 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

Some ten weeks ago, and about a month after the election, I made the observation (in this post) that many, perhaps most people live in a kind of “post-fact” or “alternative fact” (that term came later) reality, by virtue of … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics | Comments Off on Fake News, Alternative Facts, and Fundamentalist Christianity

Freedom of Media and Partisan Divide

Posted on 21 February 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

From the opening essay in the March issue of Harper’s, Tyranny of the Minority by Rebecca Solnit. It’s about Repubican efforts to disenfranchise people unlikely to vote Republican, with this interesting aside: In 1987, for example, Republican appointees eliminated the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics | Comments Off on Freedom of Media and Partisan Divide

Our New Post-Fact World

Posted on 13 December 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

Again, I’m having trouble getting back up to speed on this blog, partly a matter of resuming a routine that was interrupted by our big European trip in October, but mostly a matter of the election results and the bizarre, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Provisional Conclusions | Comments Off on Our New Post-Fact World

The Election

Posted on 9 November 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

I have a huge backlog of links to link and comment upon, considering I haven’t done so in over a month, but for tonight I will confine myself to the two best essay reactions to the election of Donald Trump … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on The Election

Links and Comments: Academia, Creationists, Christians and Trump, Plait on the GOP, Evil, Victims

Posted on 5 July 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

From Slate, more on the theme of Why Are There So Few Conservatives in Academia? There are three big reasons that conservatives are hard to find in university faculties: intellectual consistency, anti-science trends by conservatives, and social pressure. On the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Morality, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Academia, Creationists, Christians and Trump, Plait on the GOP, Evil, Victims