Category Archives: Psychology

About Dreams

Posted on Friday 3 July 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Keying off the previous post, I was fascinated by Gottschall’s comments about dreams, how they often focus on important or threatening things in life. I’ve noticed certain themes in my own dreams, in that they invariably involve some problem, a … Continue reading →

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About Motivated Reasoning

Posted on Saturday 27 June 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

(rev. 8jul20) This isn’t so much a Notes for the Book post, as a refinement of a portion of my Principles page, which compiles what I think are crucial guidelines for understanding the world, in particular how to evaluate claims … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Visual Illusions and Perception of Reality; Trumpian Gnostic Madness

Posted on Tuesday 23 June 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Vox: Brian Resnick: “Reality” is constructed by your brain. Here’s what that means, and why it matters. Subtitled, What the science of visual illusions can teach us about our polarized world. A long, thorough survey of various topics on one … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunacy, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Visual Illusions and Perception of Reality; Trumpian Gnostic Madness

Comments and Quotes: Good People vs. Mob-Hysteria

Posted on Tuesday 23 June 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a curious convergence of ideas — a coincidence. A few days ago I made the comment that individuals don’t think clearly in crowds; crowds can be become mobs, and even peaceful gatherings can lead to group-think in which individuals … Continue reading →

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Link and Comments: Ezra Klein on the Psychology of Coronavirus Response

Posted on Saturday 23 May 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Vox: Why are liberals more afraid of the coronavirus than conservatives?: Covid-19 and the complex politics of fear. By Ezra Klein, co-founder and editor-at-large of Vox (and whose recent book, WHY WE’RE POLARIZED, I’ve just begun reading). Good question. You’d … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Conspiracies! Conspiracies!

Posted on Wednesday 20 May 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Over the past several weeks there’s been an outbreak of stories and articles in the various legitimate media (New York Times, NPR, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, et al) about conspiracy theories related to the coronavirus pandemic. So many articles! … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Socialism, Conspiracy Theories, Religion, Rationality, Liberalism, William Barr, Republicans

Posted on Friday 20 March 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

First, a David Brooks column from back in December: I Was Once a Socialist. Then I Saw How It Worked. I was a socialist in college. I read magazines like The Nation and old issues of The New Masses. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Humanism, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Socialism, Conspiracy Theories, Religion, Rationality, Liberalism, William Barr, Republicans

Intuitive Theories about Intuitive Theories

Posted on Friday 24 January 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

I’m about to read a book (by Andrew Shutlman) about “intuitive theories” and before I do I’m going to write down my take on intuitive theories, since the idea of them has been an occasional theme in these posts, and … Continue reading →

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Link and Comments: School Debates and Motivated Reasoning

Posted on Monday 11 November 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

From last month: NYT, Are School Debate Competitions Bad for Our Political Discourse? subtitled, They can be a good credential for aspiring leaders, but they favor a closed-minded and partisan style of argument. By Jonathan Ellis and Francesca Hovagimian, at … Continue reading →

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Link and Comment: Krugman on Terrorism

Posted on Friday 9 August 2019 by Mark R. Kelly

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman regularly criticizes President Trump and the entire Republican party for engaging in fantasy economics– the kind of economics, which actually has never worked, that says cutting taxes on the wealthy will spur business and … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Human Progress, Lunacy, Psychology | Comments Off on Link and Comment: Krugman on Terrorism