Category Archives: Science

Ted Chiang, Carl Sagan, Peter Singer

Posted on 5 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Ten Chiang characterizes the current examples of “artificial intelligence” as “applied statistics”; How Carl Sagan was wrong about the “reptilian brain”, in The Dragons of Eden; And an interview with Peter Singer, the controversial philosopher, author of The Expanding Circle … Continue reading →

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The Holocene and Other Calendars

Posted on 4 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a concept I’ve heard of, fascinating and beneficial in ways, problematic in others. Wikipedia: Holocene Calendar

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Climate Change, Founding Fathers, UFOs and Scientific Literacy

Posted on 3 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Topics today: Insurance companies, whose business depends on understanding risks, are taking steps to acknowledge climate change and its threats, even if many ordinary people still don’t “believe” in climate change; How the “founding fathers” were woke, compared to the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Music, Science | Leave a comment

Last Questions and Possible Answers, 2

Posted on 2 June 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

This is a sequel to a post I did back in March, Last Questions and Possible Answers, 1, in which I considered the John Brockman book The Last Unknowns, in which he gathers deep unanswered questions about “the universe, the … Continue reading →

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Three from SciAm

Posted on 24 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Scientific American is a magazine I’ve read intermittently for 50 years. A new take on the difference between liberals and conservatives; How most Americans think they are better than most people, but people in Asian countries do not; How there … Continue reading →

Posted in Mathematics, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Three from SciAm

Fox News Admits They Were Wrong; Reviews by Michael Dirda

Posted on 23 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

First, a follow up to my Media Literacy post three days ago. Stop the Presses! Something amazing has happened! Salon, Amanda Marcotte, 23 May 2023: Fox News falls for another hoax, as the Dominion defamation settlement pays off, subtitled “The … Continue reading →

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Social Pressures that Subvert Objective Knowledge

Posted on 4 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items today: How conservatives are steering education to the classics of the ancient Greeks, as if only ancient “knowledge” is valid How some modern institutions prioritize identity and D.E.I. over objective science NY Times, Lulu Garcia-Navarro, 4 May 2023: … Continue reading →

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Conservative Ideology Over Evidence: The Abortion Pills

Posted on 13 April 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Several links today to articles on the same topic.

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Jerry Coyne on Deepak Chopra, Alex Ross on Max Richter, and others

Posted on 12 April 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Jerry Coyne on Deepak Chopra And on the latest argument for the compatibility of science and faith A misleading article on the recent “paradigm” shift in the understanding of human evolution Reviews of new books by Sarah Bakewell and Sarah … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Lunacy, Mathematics, Music, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Jerry Coyne on Deepak Chopra, Alex Ross on Max Richter, and others

Theory of Mind, UFOs, and Music

Posted on 6 April 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Three items today. Do Chatbots have a “theory of mind”? Probably not. Why fascination about UFOs has lingered; my own brief fascination with them when I was 13; and David Brin’s current take on them; How music does not “mean” … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Science, Technology | Comments Off on Theory of Mind, UFOs, and Music