Category Archives: Psychology

Steven Pinker, Right-Wing Threats of Violence, and Ligeti’s Atmospheres

Posted on Sunday 28 September 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Steven Pinker’s new book, and how he applies its ideas to understand the Charlie Kirk matter; Right-wing The Daily Caller explicitly calls for violence; Trump seems to believe in “medbeds,” a science-fictional idea born of MAGA fantasies; And rumors about … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Steven Pinker, Right-Wing Threats of Violence, and Ligeti’s Atmospheres

What Astonishes Me

Posted on Thursday 25 September 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

A UK journalist’s characterization of Trump, and America; Why voters keep shrugging off the corruption of Trump and his staff; Robert Reich’s characterization of the current occupant of the Oval Office; And how what astonishes me is how so many … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on What Astonishes Me

Most Beliefs Aren’t About What’s Real, They’re About Conforming to Tribal Mythology

Posted on Monday 22 September 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Three more core principles today, illustrated by an essay by a “former creationist” and how she found “following the science” clashed with her culture — and how this conflict is born of ancient biology; How universities would like to teach … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Psychology, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Most Beliefs Aren’t About What’s Real, They’re About Conforming to Tribal Mythology

How Transgenders Trigger Conservatives

Posted on Friday 19 September 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Two truths of Trumpists: nothing is ever their fault, their obsession with contamination; Heritage wants to designate trans people as terrorists; Republicans seem to have no principles except protecting the tribe: once they defended free speech, now, not so much; … Continue reading →

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MAGA and the Charlie Kirk Cult

Posted on Wednesday 17 September 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Apparently “leftist” means not demonizing gays and transgender people, as Christians do; How Charlie Kirk’s discourse favored conflict, not informed debate; Some MAGA guy wants to perhaps kill 500,000 people in response to Charlie Kirk’s murder; And Karoline Leavitt thinks … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Human Nature, Lunacy, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on MAGA and the Charlie Kirk Cult

Jesse Bering, THE BELIEF INSTINCT

Posted on Saturday 6 September 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: “The Psychology of Souls, Destiny, and the Meaning of Life” (Norton, hardcover, 2011, 252pp, including 47pp notes, additional reading, and index.) (UK title The God Instinct: The Psychology of Souls, Destiny and the Meaning of Life, also 2011) I … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Jesse Bering, THE BELIEF INSTINCT

The Disappearance of Linus

Posted on Wednesday 27 August 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Distracted the past couple days by the disappearance of Linus. I mentioned this on Facebook last night. Maybe he’ll come back. Click for much larger image. I posted this on Facebook, yesterday the 26th. Our beloved Linus, who appeared exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in authoritarianism, Human Nature, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on The Disappearance of Linus

Conservative Motivations and Magical Thinking

Posted on Monday 25 August 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Recalling how conservative motivations echo Hutson’s 7 laws of magical thinking; Examples of banning flag burning, removing the rainbow crosswalk in Orland, and French Gallic culture; Hemant Mehta examines why the Jehovah’s Witnesses have relaxed their prohibition against higher education; … Continue reading →

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Everything Old and Simple; Conservatives, the Conceptual Ceiling, and Cognitive Dissonance

Posted on Thursday 21 August 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Conceptual ceiling and conservatives; Thoughts about how humanity might survive, via deliberate cognitive dissonance: “One mindset to maintain the tribe and ensure near-term survival; another to solve problems that threaten long-term survival.” Which one is right? Both are, in different … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Everything Old and Simple; Conservatives, the Conceptual Ceiling, and Cognitive Dissonance

Liberal and Conservative Goals

Posted on Wednesday 20 August 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Why conservatives inculcate young thinkers, and liberals don’t (need to); Christian pastors in Kentucky want to shield children from LGBTQ books; why not shield them from the Bible? Which influence is worse? It depends on your goals, which are driven … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Liberal and Conservative Goals