Monthly Archives: September 2022

Kasner & Newman, MATHEMATICS AND THE IMAGINATION

Posted on Friday 30 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Here is another older book out of my library, one to set alongside George Gamow’s One Two Three… Infinity, which I reviewed back in August. This book is even older. Published in 1940, this is Mathematics and the Imagination, by … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Mathematics | Comments Off

Parameters of Abortion

Posted on Thursday 29 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items about abortion today, one from Richard Dawkins about the illogical premise of the anti-abortionists; another about continued Republican efforts to criminalize abortion to the point of executions of women.

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, Religion | Comments Off

Memes and Dreams, Obsessions and Abuse

Posted on Wednesday 28 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Do people really not want to work? Why do people have anxiety dreams about school long after graduating? Plus items and politics and religion.

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off

Commitment to America and Zombie Economics

Posted on Tuesday 27 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Washington Post, Eugene Robinson, 26 Sep 2022: The only agenda that unifies the Republican Party is revenge

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics | Comments Off

Which Books to Read, Dumb Politicians, Politics as a Joke

Posted on Monday 26 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

How do I choose which books to buy, or read? A case example. Also: about dumb politicians, and about politics as a joke. A few times here I’ve discussed my methods and thought processes to identify which books to read, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Comments Off

Maureen F. McHugh, “The Cost to Be Wise”

Posted on Sunday 25 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

This week’s Sunday novella is “The Cost to be Wise” by Maureen F. McHugh. It was first published in the anthology Starlight 1, published in 1996. Subsequently it’s been published, aside from these Dozois anthologies, in the author’s collection Mothers … Continue reading →

Posted in science fiction, Short Fiction | Comments Off

The Consilience of Science Fiction

Posted on Saturday 24 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Let’s do something different today. What is this blog about, and what am I trying to support, or promote? It’s about the idea that science fiction is a key way of thinking about the world, maybe the best way.

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Math, Existential Security, and Lots of Links

Posted on Friday 23 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Abstract matters NYT, Alec Wilkinson guest essay, 18 Sep 2022: Math Is the Great Secret This is by the man who wrote a book, published earlier this year, A Divine Language: Learning Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus at the Edge of … Continue reading →

Posted in Links & Comments | Comments Off

Prognostic Myopia: More about Justin Gregg

Posted on Thursday 22 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Picking up from where I left off yesterday. My basic summary of this book is: humans are not “stupid”; the issue is that human intelligence has both good and bad consequences, and apparently we can’t have the good without the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Evolution, Morality | Comments Off

Justin Gregg: IF NIETZSCHE WERE A NARWHAL (2022)

Posted on Wednesday 21 September 2022 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a recent nonfiction book with a provocative thesis and some interesting points which nevertheless I give a mixed review of. Perhaps helpful to consider scoring the book along several independent parameters, like on some of those cooking shows, e.g. … Continue reading →