Category Archives: Science

Categories, Scales, a Public Health Triumph, and How the So-Called Experts Have Been Right

Posted on Wednesday 13 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

A post from Facebook. I don’t know the poster, but I like his point. \ It reminded me of this post that I saw yesterday, which illustrates the same idea. LGBTQNation, Daniel Villarreal, yesterday: Conservative pastor knows what turns men … Continue reading →

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Dan Barker, CONTRADUCTION

Posted on Wednesday 13 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

(UK: Hypathia Press, 2024, 111pp, including References but no index) Dan Barker (Wikipedia) is an atheist writer who was once an evangelical Christian pastor. I read one of his earlier books, LIFE DRIVEN PURPOSE (review here), which challenged Rick Warren’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Philosophy, Psychology, Science | Leave a comment

New Ideas in the World

Posted on Tuesday 12 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a long, interactive (in an irritating way) piece destined for next weekend’s NYT Magazine, apparently. NY Times, Avraham Z. Cooper, 11 May 2026: The Human Body’s Hidden Pathways You have to scroll down to see the images change and … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Racism, Science | Leave a comment

UFOs, Consciousness, Being Savvy

Posted on Saturday 9 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Adam Frank on the new UFO data; Thoughts about being savvy, and reality-literacy, and the lack of evidence for both UFOs and God; Carlo Rovelli denies there is a “hard problem” of consciousness. – – – One more about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Religion, Science | Leave a comment

Sean Carroll on Science and Religion, and Templeton

Posted on Thursday 7 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Sean Carroll on science and religion, and why he doesn’t take money from the Templeton Foundation; Short items on how the Trump administration cutting funding to study the hantavirus, the one now loose on that cruise ship; more blaming Satan … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Religion, Science | Leave a comment

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Paul Krugman, Jesse Bering

Posted on Wednesday 6 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Neil deGrasse Tyson on aliens, and his new book; Paul Krugman explains how MAGA will kill many Americans; Jesse Bering on karma; And short items about Trump’s health, aliens, the ballroom, the upcoming cage match, and “low T”. – – … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Human Nature, Science | Leave a comment

Humanity and Heartbreak?

Posted on Monday 4 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

A new version of Lord of the Flies, which I think I might watch; The idea of peer review, and my professional background; Cory on Rebecca; What religious tribalists mean by “going against the grain”. – – – I’ve read … Continue reading →

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Michael Shermer: TRUTH

Posted on Sunday 3 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled “What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters” (John Hopkins University Press, Jan. 2026, 370pp, including 50pp of acknowledgments, notes, and index) The title of this latest book by Michael Shermer, following CONSPIRACY (2022) (reviewed … Continue reading →

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Anthropology as another perspective on the world

Posted on Saturday 2 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

How anthropology informs an understanding of the world; Short items on Trump’s latest science purge, defenses of white supremacy, Trump’s lie about the some YMCA, and Trump’s sons getting rich off government contracts – – – Well, to the degree … Continue reading →

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Change For the Better, vs. Sunk Cost

Posted on Friday 24 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

John McWhorter: Don’t pronounce the T in ‘often’; How an American living abroad realizes the problems with America; Why we’re stuck with a religious calendar. – – – My favorite pet peeve. NY Times, John McWhorter, yesterday: What’s Better Left … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Change For the Better, vs. Sunk Cost