Category Archives: Psychology

LQCs: Symmetry and Simplicity

Posted on Sunday 3 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a science item from the New York Times a couple weeks ago that presents what seems to be a mystery or conundrum about nature (and evolution) that turns out to have a simple answer that, once pointed out, seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology, Science | Comments Off on LQCs: Symmetry and Simplicity

LQCs: Doomism

Posted on Saturday 2 April 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

OnlySky, Adam Lee, 4 March 2022: Against doomism, subtitled, “Don’t confuse ‘more dramatic’ for ‘more likely’”

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on LQCs: Doomism

Rolf Dobelli, STOP READING THE NEWS

Posted on Friday 25 March 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Published in German, 2019, in English, 2020, by Sceptre. This is a short book on an idea that seems counter-intuitive. But I love counter-intuitive ideas, those that challenge my provisional conclusions about the world, especially if a book on such … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Music, Psychology | Comments Off on Rolf Dobelli, STOP READING THE NEWS

LQC: Sharpest Tools; My Tracking Spreadsheets

Posted on Wednesday 23 March 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Salon, Chauncey DeVega, 23 March 2022: New research on Trump voters: They’re not the sharpest tools in the box, subtitled, “Now there’s proof: Trump’s voters lack ‘cognitive sophistication,’ often believe Bible is literal word of God”

Posted in Personal history, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on LQC: Sharpest Tools; My Tracking Spreadsheets

LQCs: The Self-Righteousness of “Authentic” Americans

Posted on Tuesday 22 March 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

And: Republican victim-hood and their desire to discriminate against people they don’t like. And why the Supreme courts keeps discovering “new” rights.

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on LQCs: The Self-Righteousness of “Authentic” Americans

LQCs: Contrarians, Conspiracy Theories, and Talking Points

Posted on Saturday 19 March 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

The Atlantic, David French, 18 March 2022: What the Russia Invasion Teaches Us About the Right, subtitled, “Contrarians aren’t critical thinkers. They’re gullible reactionaries, vulnerable to conspiracy theories.”

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on LQCs: Contrarians, Conspiracy Theories, and Talking Points

LQ&Cs: Russia, Putin, gas prices, the open society

Posted on Monday 14 March 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Russia and fake news, how current gas prices reflect actions untaken and short-term memories, Paul Krugman on Putin vs. the open society, and where Republicans might go with Ukraine conspiracy theories.

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on LQ&Cs: Russia, Putin, gas prices, the open society

LQCs: Existential Problems

Posted on Wednesday 9 March 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

There are real, existential problems that humanity needs to worry about.

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, Psychology, Science, Species Reset | Comments Off on LQCs: Existential Problems

L&Cs: The Limits of Human Intelligence; Disinformation and the Media

Posted on Tuesday 8 March 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Is there a limitation to human intelligence and understanding of reality, bound by our tendency to believe magical things for the sake of tribal unity? And how do people understand reality when governments seeking to maintain power are in control … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Education, Evolution, Psychology, The Gays | Comments Off on L&Cs: The Limits of Human Intelligence; Disinformation and the Media

LQCs: Narratives and Reality, about San Francisco, Convoluted Conspiracy Theories, and the Invasion of Ukraine

Posted on Sunday 6 March 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

How narratives overtake reality.

Posted in Links & Comments, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on LQCs: Narratives and Reality, about San Francisco, Convoluted Conspiracy Theories, and the Invasion of Ukraine