Category Archives: Psychology

Late Afternoon and the House is Warm

Posted on Monday 22 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Another storm blowing through the Bay Area today. Jets are flying into SFO from the north, a rare circumstance. (I can see them from our balcony.) Our three kitties lie near me in my living room office, to be near … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Politics, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Late Afternoon and the House is Warm

Tribal Psychology and Racism

Posted on Sunday 21 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

What evolutionary psychology reveals about American politics — nothing new here, except to note that these ideas have reached the mainstream press; A former Republican speechwriter summarizes Trump’s vile racist remarks; Short items about Trump’s confusion of Nikki Haley with … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Music, Politics, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Tribal Psychology and Racism

Killers and EvoPsych

Posted on Saturday 20 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Quick post. We spent all afternoon watching Killers of the Flower Moon — a very good film, worth the 3 1/2 hours — so I only have a moment to post something before dinner. \ Washington Post, Joel Achenbach, 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Psychology | Comments Off on Killers and EvoPsych

Readings: Carl Sagan; Maggie Jackson

Posted on Sunday 14 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A 1987 Carl Sagan lecture, just published in 2022, about the protocols of science and government and the need to acknowledge uncertainty; A NYT opinion piece by Maggie Jackson about uncertainty and how to manage it; R.E.M.’s “Leave” Quillette, Steven … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Politics, Psychology, Science, Technology | Comments Off on Readings: Carl Sagan; Maggie Jackson

Watching Movies in Theaters; UBI; Reality; Why Everyone Thinks They’re Losing; and Epistemology

Posted on Thursday 4 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Items today: How watching movies in certain theaters (AMC) is a bloated experience; Why UBI studies are not making traction into political policy; A New Yorker graphic essay about how reality might exist only because we’re observing it; E.J. Dionne … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Movies, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Watching Movies in Theaters; UBI; Reality; Why Everyone Thinks They’re Losing; and Epistemology

The Defiance of Conspiracy Theorists

Posted on Tuesday 26 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Quick item from Facebook today. From Adam-Troy Castro, a science fiction writer seemingly better known for his Facebook posts than for his fiction. This is about Flat-Earthers, conspiracy theorists, psychology, and the argument from personal incredulity. I’ll quote the whole … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology | Comments Off on The Defiance of Conspiracy Theorists

Whether Economics is a Science, and other topics

Posted on Tuesday 19 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Paul Krugman on economists who won’t admit they are wrong; How science journalism is theatened, not to mention basic scientific literacy; Disinformation and journalists challenging interviewees on air; How Uganda’s anti-gay laws, inspired by American Christians, is hurting its economy; … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Economics, Lunacy, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Whether Economics is a Science, and other topics

A Way to Talk Around the Problem

Posted on Monday 18 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The “same color” illusion — an example of how we cannot trust our senses; How Rudy Giuliani descended into MAGA, and whether we’re all equally susceptible; How right-wingers are triggered by tap-dancing in the White House to The Nutcracker; Brief … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Personal history, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on A Way to Talk Around the Problem

Latest from the Impending Dictatorship Watch

Posted on Tuesday 5 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Recalling the “Good Germans” who didn’t pay attention to Hitler’s rise; Salon’s Chauncey DeVega on how Americans are sleepwalking into a Trump dictatorship; The Atlantic‘s Jeffrey Goldberg on the danger of a second Trump term; Steve Bannon’s promise to prosecute … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Latest from the Impending Dictatorship Watch

Choice, Binary Matters, and Projection

Posted on Sunday 3 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Another cool, mostly overcast, party sunny day. This is winter in the Bay Area: lows in the 40s, highs in the 50s. We walked the Montclair Railroad Trail, and checked various shops in the village for Christmas lights. One of … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Choice, Binary Matters, and Projection