Category Archives: Science

Sagan & Druyan: Propensities and Predispositions

Posted on Friday 4 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

A couple hours ago I finished that Carl Sagan/Ann Druyan book I mentioned a couple days ago, SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS, and it’s remarkable how its conclusions resemble my own recent observations about how certain forms of human morality align … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Conservative Resistance, Evolution, Human Progress, Quote at Length, Science | Comments Off on Sagan & Druyan: Propensities and Predispositions

More on the Latest Indictment

Posted on Thursday 3 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Goofy Republican responses to the latest indictment, about Federal employees, and to the teaching of psychology; The spectacle goes on and on, as the US experiences what some are saying is the most important legal indictment in its history: John … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on More on the Latest Indictment

My Uninterest in UFOs

Posted on Saturday 29 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

No, I don’t mean disinterest. I’ve mentioned before that people who are unfamiliar with science fiction, or with science fiction writers and fans, tend to assume that SF folks are credulous along the lines of “believing” in UFOs, where “believing” … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology, Science | Comments Off on My Uninterest in UFOs

Horror and Exasperation

Posted on Wednesday 26 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

How young people are progressive, a problem for the GOP; Thomas Edsall on Republican and Democratic attitudes about masculinity; Climate experts express “horror and exasperation as global predictions play out”. Sometimes you have to wonder what conservatives are conserving. On … Continue reading →

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Gays, Small Towns, Climate Change Backlash

Posted on Monday 24 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The increased visibility of L.G.B.T.Q. people as a sign of progress in a multicultural global society; Versus the sentiments of a country song called “Try That in a Small Town”; And global backlash against climate change policies as an indictment … Continue reading →

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Three Philosophical/Scientific Matters

Posted on Sunday 23 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

I’m spending most of today’s blog hour doing some housekeeping on the blog itself. For today’s post, just one item, sorta deep, sorta light. Big Think, Scotty Hendricks, 18 Jul 2023: 3 advances in philosophy that made science better, subtitled … Continue reading →

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Scientific Reality and Ideological Imagination

Posted on Friday 21 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Reality check about warp drives; Reality perspective about the Kardashev ladder; My evolving ideas about traditional vs. honest science fiction; How the latest conservative panic appears in the new film Sound of Freedom; How House Republicans are openly discriminating against … Continue reading →

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Conservative Politics and the Flaws of Human Nature

Posted on Wednesday 19 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

How linguistic anthropology and narrative psychology explain the appeal of Trump and other right-wing authoritarians; Why that everyone, not just conservatives, is pessimistic about the world, despite the evidence, is more evidence of how human nature, shaped in humanity’s ancestral … Continue reading →

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They’re Telling Us Who They Are, and What They Will Do

Posted on Monday 17 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Maya Angelou: “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” (source and source) How Trump and his acolytes are openly planning to set up an authoritarian government, should he rewin the Presidency; Similarly, Republicans in Ohio … Continue reading →

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The Current State of the World

Posted on Sunday 16 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items about the current state of the world: the economy is good; climate change is getting worse, and how conservatives won’t believe either; How Big Oil is more concerned with profits than with long-term consequences; How the Mission: Impossible … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics, Science, TV Sci Fi | Comments Off on The Current State of the World