Category Archives: Psychology

What Is American Exceptionalism, Really?

Posted on Thursday 26 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Lydia Polgreen on how the problem isn’t Trump, it’s America; David French wonders if America is so rich, why are Americans so miserable? Faith that climate change isn’t real; Short items: that classic poll against Arabic numerals; how people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunacy, Music, Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on What Is American Exceptionalism, Really?

Can I? Must I?

Posted on Wednesday 25 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

RFK Jr. illustrates the hypocritical standards of conservative motivated thinking: “Can I believe it?” (one example is fine) vs. “Must I believe it?” (no amount of evidence will do); David Brin ridicules NASA’s new plan to build a Lunar base; … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Psychology, Science, science fiction | Comments Off on Can I? Must I?

What It Means to Think That God Is On Your Side

Posted on Saturday 21 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Concerning Hegseth, Trump, and Rubio; Also, how do religious sects decide when to reinterpret their scriptures? Items about 100% approval, teleportation, church/state separation, and uncounted COVID deaths; FBers compare reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death to Trump’s reaction to Robert Mueller’s … Continue reading →

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Increasing Willful Ignorance and Intolerance

Posted on Thursday 19 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

How energy independence, which even Fox News once thought could avoid the quandary we now face in the Strait or Hormuz, is now regarded as a scam by the likes of JD Vance; How Trump and MAGA are all for … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Psychology | Comments Off on Increasing Willful Ignorance and Intolerance

Malcolm Gladwell, THE TIPPING POINT

Posted on Tuesday 10 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: “How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” (Little, Brown, March 2000, 279pp, including 20pp endnotes, acknowledgements, and index) This was a popular and well-received book when published back in 2000, and launched Gladwell‘s book career. Most of his books … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology | Comments Off on Malcolm Gladwell, THE TIPPING POINT

Everything Will Be Better in Two Weeks

Posted on Friday 6 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Ten rationales for Trump’s war on Iran; While some insist it’s not a “war”; Promoting the war with movie clips and video games; Cuba is next, they’re now saying, as predicted; Who is Hegseth to declare the US as a … Continue reading →

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Does ICE need to come and track you down?

Posted on Tuesday 24 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Why Trump fears “woke,” why he loves the poorly-educated, and how advances in American history were due to “woke”; How he cares about discrimination only if it’s against Jews or whites; How his creepy emails work on the MAGA faithful; … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Human Nature, Human Progress, Psychology | Comments Off on Does ICE need to come and track you down?

Religious Motivations

Posted on Tuesday 17 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Jerry Coyne challenges claims of a religious revival in America; Review of a book called “Why I Am Not an Atheist” by Christopher Beha; And a NYT essay by author Christopher Beha. – – – A couple items about religion … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Religious Motivations

Christian Hypocrisy: The Beatitudes, vs. the Reality in Minneapolis

Posted on Tuesday 3 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Bulk sales for the Melania movie; an example of natural selection among aggressive religions; another prophecy that will not come true; The Onion suggests conservatives might boycott all forms of entertainment, since they’re all liberally biased (because that’s how art … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Christian Hypocrisy: The Beatitudes, vs. the Reality in Minneapolis

Which Part of Science Do Science Deniers Dispute?

Posted on Sunday 1 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Trump closes the Kennedy Center to deflect from all the artists cancelling there; A great SNL sketch about a woman who changes her mind about Donald Trump; Steven Novella asks which parts of science do skeptics actually disagree with; Andy … Continue reading →

Posted in Changing One's Mind, Politics, Psychology, reality, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Which Part of Science Do Science Deniers Dispute?