Category Archives: Psychology

Ls&Cs: The Irrationality of Politics

Posted on Wednesday 3 November 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

The results of yesterday’s elections demonstrate several truisms about politics. My favorite take about the current elections is this: Slate, Ben Mathis-Lilley, 3 Nov 21: American Politics Are Controlled by Voters With the Memory of a Golden Retriever

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Ls&Cs: Facebook Feeds

Posted on Monday 1 November 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a NYT piece from almost a year ago, which I neglected to post at the time but which has stayed in my mind sufficiently that I tracked it down to finally post and comment about now. It’s about how … Continue reading →

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Ls&Cs: Foundation, Dune, and Long-Term Projects

Posted on Wednesday 27 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

I haven’t seen the new Dune movie and am not sure I will, in part because my partner just doesn’t care about that kind of movie (and I could never do anything like going to see a movie by myself), … Continue reading →

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Ls&Cs: Meaning and Happiness

Posted on Monday 25 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Kant’s take on happiness; Arthur C. Brooks’ three bite-sized dimensions to the meaning of life; Thomas B. Edsall on whether conservatives are happier than liberals.

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L&Cs: Christakis on COVID and Altruism

Posted on Saturday 23 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

A Big Picture item: what does our COVID response say about humanity’s capacity for altruism?

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Ls&Cs: Prayer Breakfasts, Social Bubbles, and Talking Too Much

Posted on Friday 22 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Why is there a National Prayer Breakfast? Why do some Christians think death is such a good thing? Is COVID to blame on Maine lobsters? Is the answer to misinformation tighter social bubbles, or simply to stop talking so much?

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Ls&Cs: Problem-Solving, Ethics, Out-Group Prejudice, and Padding Bestseller Lists

Posted on Monday 11 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Several links that I collected on April 20th, the day I went to the hospital for what led to my heart transplant.

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Science Ls&Cs: Time for Critical Blue Ozone Fitness

Posted on Sunday 3 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

The unfittedness of the universe for life; languages that do or don’t have a word for the color blue; telescopes as time machines; how scientists solved the ozone layer; critical thinking.

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Shankar Vedantam: USEFUL DELUSIONS (2021)

Posted on Thursday 23 September 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a book I read recently, just a week or so after returning from the hospital in late June, and which I’ve skimmed again in the past week to take notes and write up this summary. It’s one of two … Continue reading →

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Ls&Cs: Training, Education, Belief

Posted on Friday 17 September 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items today. The first is a post by Jerry Coyne about an article from Inside Higher Ed about the difference between training and education. Here’s his post: Training versus education.

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