Category Archives: Science

Chemophobia

Posted on 30 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking Silent Spring led to fixing the environment, but also led to an irrational fear of “chemicals” and then the anti-vax movement; Short items about Vance and Wallnau, Trump’s threats of a violent purge of society, how … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunacy, Politics, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Chemophobia

Changing Minds

Posted on 29 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Today’s theme: a couple items that illustrate when and how people have changed their minds. Erwin Chemerinsky, and Malcolm Gladwell. First, another piece about the new book by Erwin Chemerinsky (last discussed on 31 Aug), this time a review by … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, Politics, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Changing Minds

Today’s New Insight

Posted on 22 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

What ‘woke’ means, to different people; How the ancients overcame biases in understanding the world, in order to discover and navigate the world; How moderns have tried to overcome cognitive biases through constitutions and “political correctness” and being “woke,” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Science, Social Progress | Comments Off on Today’s New Insight

Admitted Liars; Presumptions of the Ancients

Posted on 21 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Republicans repeatedly are admitting they lie; How Republicans voters trust Trump as a source of election information; Reading Timothy Ferris, revisiting the ancient astronomers and their presumptions about the universe — not unlike the modern discovery of psychology biases. Increasingly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, conservatives, Lunacy, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Admitted Liars; Presumptions of the Ancients

Distrust of Science and of Public Schools

Posted on 15 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Thomas B. Edsall on the roots of MAGA’s distrust of science; Hemant Mehta on evangelicals and public schools. NY Times, guest essay by Thomas B. Edsall, 11 Sep 2024: MAGA vs. Science Is No Contest [Gift Link] I’ve mentioned before … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Education, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Distrust of Science and of Public Schools

Regression Toward the Tribal

Posted on 14 September 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Let’s see now. Here we are in the 21st century. In the past 500 years humankind has shown remarkable progress on two parallel fronts. Along governance: no longer was the divine right of kings (or tribal leaders) recognized; rather, principles … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Epistemology, History, Human Progress, Politics, Science | Comments Off on Regression Toward the Tribal

Infrastructure, the Constitution, Changing Minds, and Fringe Items

Posted on 31 August 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How expanding America’s highways doesn’t solve their congestion; Ten ways the heat is changing us, including impacts on the infrastructure; Another perspective on issues with the US Constitution; Changing minds, appeals to fear, or persuasion; Fringe items about a fake … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Lunacy, Morality, Science, Technology | Comments Off on Infrastructure, the Constitution, Changing Minds, and Fringe Items

About Expanding the Human Population

Posted on 26 August 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items today on this topic, first an essay in NY Times, then a letters column today responding to it. I addressed a similar piece Saturday. Here’s the NYT essay. NY Times, Victor Kumar, a philosophy professor at Boston University, … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Culture, Science | Comments Off on About Expanding the Human Population

Deutsch Infinity, Ch 1

Posted on 25 August 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

The next big science tome I’ve begun reading is THE BEGINNING OF INFINITY, by David Deutsch, his only other book following THE FABRIC OF REALITY in 1997, which I reviewed here. This second book was published in 2011. (There’s no … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Philosophy, Science | Comments Off on Deutsch Infinity, Ch 1

Preferred Relativism

Posted on 16 August 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A story about the right’s “50-year-plot” to wreck democracy, and attendant thoughts about how conservatives reject one kind of relativism, and embrace another; The credulousness of conservatives; Notes from the fringe: vaccines; rationalizing Hannibal Lecter; Democrats are wolves; wives afraid … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Morality, Science | Comments Off on Preferred Relativism