Category Archives: progress

Good News, Two Ways

Posted on Wednesday 24 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Progress, and Christmas songs. First, let’s note this. Vox, Bryan Walsh, 22 Dec 2025: 2025 felt like a disaster — but the numbers tell a very different story, subtitled “From a CRISPR baby to a closing ozone hole, 5 actually … Continue reading →

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Human Happiness, and Fonts

Posted on Wednesday 10 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Sean Illing and Brad DeLong wonder why, with all humanity’s progress, aren’t we happier? An eternal question; Paul Krugman on how Trump thinks people aren’t properly grateful for his perfect economy; Marco Rubio defeats a woke font; Heather Cox Richardson … Continue reading →

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And the Moon Rose Over an Open Field

Posted on Friday 5 September 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Paul Krugman, with graphs, wonders why the right rejects progress; Robert Reich on why we don’t trust Donald Trump — because he disregards the truth; Hemant Mehta on how the “nones” aren’t exactly “godless”; How Trump is a Russian asset; … Continue reading →

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No Necessary Nations

Posted on Saturday 12 July 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Stephan Marche on how there are no necessary nations, and no permanent global order; Judges, appointed both by Republicans and Democrats, speak out against the Trump administration; Heather Cox Richardson identifies one key failure in the Texas floods, the result … Continue reading →

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David Brooks on Alasdair MacIntyre and How We Got to Where We Are

Posted on Tuesday 8 July 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

One item today. A long piece from David Brooks, trying to understand how we got here, given history. The Atlantic, David Books, 8 Jul 2025: Why Do So Many People Think That Trump Is Good?, subtitled “The work of the moral … Continue reading →

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Academic Freedom, Good Citizens, and Moving Forward

Posted on Tuesday 6 May 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Alan Lightman on academic freedom; Alan Lightman and Martin Rees on how scientists can be good citizens; Rewatching Conclave, and recalling two key quotes, about certainty, and moving forward. – – – The very idea of academic freedom, of freedom … Continue reading →

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Human Rights, and Those Who Would Restrict Them

Posted on Wednesday 11 December 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s been 76 years since the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in America, conservatives prevent or keep trying to reverse many of those rights; Example of their latest bugaboo: transgenders; How Trump’s cabinet picks would please Putin, whose … Continue reading →

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There Is Always Long Term Progress and Short Term Retreat

Posted on Thursday 14 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

An essay that proposes that the idea of progress is a myth; I disagree; Quick takes on politics, and crackpots. OK, I can’t help but follow the political news, but for today’s post I’m sinking links about that to the … Continue reading →

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Lessons and Narratives

Posted on Friday 8 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Everyone has theories and lessons to be drawn from the election results; Robert Reich rejects several and offers his own; The focus on the current economy is just another example of short-term thinking, at the expense of bigger issues; Disinformation … Continue reading →

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Appropriate Terminology

Posted on Tuesday 29 October 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Several good items published today. We’re stuck in the Trump Loop because we can’t accept that sociopaths exist; Steven Pinker with data that says the country is *not* ‘dying’; Another piece about psychological “blind spots” and how to counter them; … Continue reading →

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