Category Archives: Science

Those Who Do, Those Who Can’t

Posted on Friday 10 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

As I begin this post the Artemis II mission, named Integrity, while the spacecraft itself is called Orion (if I’m following this correctly), is about 20 minutes from splashdown. Here’s an essay on the chasm between those who understand and … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Human Progress, Religion, Science, Space | Leave a comment

Can I? Must I?

Posted on Wednesday 25 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

RFK Jr. illustrates the hypocritical standards of conservative motivated thinking: “Can I believe it?” (one example is fine) vs. “Must I believe it?” (no amount of evidence will do); David Brin ridicules NASA’s new plan to build a Lunar base; … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Psychology, Science, science fiction | Comments Off on Can I? Must I?

Bobby Azarian: THE ROMANCE OF REALITY

Posted on Tuesday 24 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: How the universe organizes itself to create life, consciousness, and cosmic complexity. (BenBella Books, June 2022, 306pp, including 26pp of acknowledgements, notes, and index) This is the third of three books I read this past January, all with vaguely … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Cosmology, Epistemology, Science | Comments Off on Bobby Azarian: THE ROMANCE OF REALITY

Misconceptions about Science and Predictions

Posted on Friday 20 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

How Jeffrey Epstein, obsessed with eugenics, was wrong; How Paul Ehrlich was not a villain, even though his predictions failed; John Pavlovitz wonders why anyone still supports Trump; I have another idea; Tom Nichols on no Plan B; the disappearing … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Lunacy, Music, Politics, Science | Comments Off on Misconceptions about Science and Predictions

Whiteson & Warner, DO ALIENS SPEAK PHYSICS?

Posted on Thursday 12 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitle: “And other questions about science and the nature of reality” (Norton, 2025, 254pp, including 12pp of bibliography and index) Here’s a book that’s remarkable in an unusual way: I didn’t hear about it from anywhere, not in a review, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Mathematics, Science | Comments Off on Whiteson & Warner, DO ALIENS SPEAK PHYSICS?

Leaving the US, Shalom, Worrying the Mind-Body Problem, the Latest Drake Equation analysis

Posted on Sunday 8 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

About Trump’s misguided “Christian” war, as more and more people are literally leaving the US; Peter Wehner on a word for our trouble times: shalom; Alan Lightman wonders, rhetorically, if our minds transcend the corporeal form (an issue long-since settled); … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Morality, Science | Comments Off on Leaving the US, Shalom, Worrying the Mind-Body Problem, the Latest Drake Equation analysis

Morality, War, Science, Persecution

Posted on Saturday 7 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Robert Reich on the moral basis of civilization, and how Trump is destroying it; And Reich on how Trump is paying for the war, and giving the rich a huge tax cut; More about the undermining of America’s scientific expertise; … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Morality, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Morality, War, Science, Persecution

Peace President Trump’s New War

Posted on Saturday 28 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Zack Beauchamp on how Trump’s Iran war makes no sense; Wondering how election interference would actually be done; How Trump repeatedly predicted Obama would attack Iran; Why some say the dropping birthrate is a good thing; An example from Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in authoritarianism, History, Politics, Science | Comments Off on Peace President Trump’s New War

Visually Stunning

Posted on Monday 16 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

More about conservative comments about San Francisco; Paul Krugman wonders why MAGA hates the planet; How conservatives prioritize big families: quantity over quality; Connecting dots between mentions of Tom Holland and his book DOMINION; The MAGA attitude of contempt for … Continue reading →

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Renouncing Reality, Yet Again, to Make Money

Posted on Thursday 12 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The Trump administration denies climate change, in favor of big business; Trump is best on cashing in; Paul Krugman explains why deportation don’t create jobs and will lead to more deaths of native-born Americans; Brief items about conservatives and small … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Lunacy, reality, Science | Comments Off on Renouncing Reality, Yet Again, to Make Money