Category Archives: Science

What Is America Thinking?

Posted on Monday 7 July 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Will scientific advances by the US continue? Do most Americans care? My take on the big picture of the cultural change in the US, and other societies; Heather Cox Richardson, and Nitish Pahwa at Slate, summarize what’s to blame for … Continue reading →

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This Is What Will Be

Posted on Thursday 26 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

How right-wing violence has become normalized; How perhaps “totalitarianism” is better word than “authoritarianism” for what is going on; How Republicans trying to roll back same-sex marriage are fighting a losing battle, cf. that Stephen Prothero book; A psychiatrist explains … Continue reading →

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Dr. Christopher Evans, CULTS OF UNREASON

Posted on Thursday 12 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

No subtitle (they didn’t do them so often fifty years ago). (UK, 1973; US: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1974, 258pp, including 5pp index.) Like Nicholas Humphrey’s LEAPS OF FAITH, discussed a couple weeks ago, this is a book I read … Continue reading →

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Harvey Milk, DEI, Lysenko, Jesus

Posted on Wednesday 4 June 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Pete Hegseth orders removal of Harvey Milk’s name from an oil tanker as part of reestablishing “the warrior culture”; Trump fires head of the National Portrait Gallery, because ridding the government of DEI is about “the mere presence of nonwhites … Continue reading →

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Education, Religion, Policies that Don’t Work, the Revolt Against Expertise

Posted on Sunday 25 May 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Heather Cox Richard on the history of government suppression of education, especially as inspired by religion; The GOP keeps promoting policies that history has shown don’t work; The revolt against expertise, yet again. – – – Heather Cox Richardson reviews … Continue reading →

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J. Bronowksi: THE ASCENT OF MAN

Posted on Saturday 10 May 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

(Little, Brown, 1973, 448pp, including 9pp (in tiny print) of bibliography and index) This is a substantial book that was popular in its time but is probably not really recommendable now, simply because it’s 50 years out of date in … Continue reading →

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Academic Freedom, Good Citizens, and Moving Forward

Posted on Tuesday 6 May 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Alan Lightman on academic freedom; Alan Lightman and Martin Rees on how scientists can be good citizens; Rewatching Conclave, and recalling two key quotes, about certainty, and moving forward. – – – The very idea of academic freedom, of freedom … Continue reading →

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The Clueless Conservative War on Reality

Posted on Saturday 3 May 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

MAGA’s war science: Ignorance is Strength!; Trump doesn’t understand the separation of church and state; Trump doesn’t understand how trade deficits worth; Trump thinks Veterans Day should be only about veterans who won wars; Trump doesn’t understand even the Declaration … Continue reading →

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Timothy Ferris, COMING OF AGE IN THE MILKY WAY

Posted on Thursday 1 May 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

(Morrow, 1988, 495pp, including 107pp of appendices (a glossary and a timeline history of the universe), notes, bibliography, and index) This is the first big substantial nonfiction book I’ve read in a while, especially one specifically about science. Ferris is … Continue reading →

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Edward O. Wilson: LETTERS TO A YOUNG SCIENTIST

Posted on Wednesday 30 April 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

(Liveright, 2013, 244pp, including 4pp of acknowledgements and photo credits) This is one of Wilson’s later, perhaps lesser books, compared to his earlier tomes like ON HUMAN NATURE and CONSILIENCE. It’s more like THE ORIGINS OF CREATIVITY and GENESIS (both … Continue reading →

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