Monthly Archives: July 2024

Doing Your Own Research; Body Doubles; Intellectual Laziness

Posted on 31 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How “doing your own research” results in absurd conspiracies about Biden body doubles; Hemant Mehta tries to parse Candace Owens’ vast conspiracy theories; And how objections to the Olympics opening ceremony are all about intellectual laziness. The problem is, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Lunacy | Comments Off on Doing Your Own Research; Body Doubles; Intellectual Laziness

Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 8

Posted on 31 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

This time: Gender. Are there innate differences between the sexes, or not? What does denial of the Blank Slate say about gender policies? And about rape. Earlier posts about this book: post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4, post … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, MInd, Steven Pinker | Comments Off on Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 8

Nostalgia, Weird Ideas, Joy vs Grimness, Prayers

Posted on 30 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Tom Nichols on how nostalgia for the past tells us lies; More on JD Vance’s tribal morality and short-term thinking; Robert Reich on Kamala’s joy and Donald’s grimness; And the meaning of why Trump rallies open with Christian prayers. —— … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal history, Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Nostalgia, Weird Ideas, Joy vs Grimness, Prayers

Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 7

Posted on 30 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Today: Violence. Are humans inherently violent? Is war inevitable? Or is violence learned behavior? This chapter, of course, anticipates Pinker’s later book, THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE, which documents how violence has *declined* throughout human history, though that’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, MInd, Steven Pinker | Comments Off on Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 7

Today’s Post About How Politics Illustrates Human Nature, For Better or Worse, Mostly Worse

Posted on 29 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How Republicans cheer mass deportation; How JD Vance’s comments reflect conservative values that prioritize children over adults; Two pieces about how Republican values have been abandoned their traditional core values, in the service of a tyrant; Items about the deliberate … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, MInd, Politics | Comments Off on Today’s Post About How Politics Illustrates Human Nature, For Better or Worse, Mostly Worse

Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 6

Posted on 29 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

The final section of the book is about various “Hot Button” topics: politics, violence, gender, children, and the arts. These chapters show how the doctrines of the blank slate, the noble savage, and the ghost in the machine have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, MInd, Morality, Steven Pinker | Comments Off on Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 6

The Need for a Fantasy Past

Posted on 28 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

There are two problems with MAGA. First, it’s regressive in that it’s trying to reimpose primitive tribal values onto a complex, global world. Second, more practically, it’s simply not possible to return to conditions of the past. Today’s items: Why … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Economics, Human Nature | Comments Off on The Need for a Fantasy Past

The Resurgence of Tribal Human Nature

Posted on 27 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Again, one theme of this blog is the resurgence of tribal human nature and morality, at the expense of the achievements of the Enlightenment: Science and Democracy; With examples today beginning with “childless cat ladies” from the right; How Trump … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Human Nature, Morality | Comments Off on The Resurgence of Tribal Human Nature

Tribal Human Nature Fights Back

Posted on 26 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Thomas L. Friedman asks Trump and Vance: What is wrong with you people? Republican attacks against Kamala Harris as being childless reveal base tribal motivations for how society ought to be run; And who’s brainwashing whom? Do children ‘belong’ to … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Tribal Human Nature Fights Back

Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 5

Posted on 24 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

After being distracted by Texas affairs, politics, Riven, and reading Brian Greene and others, let’s get back to this book and try to finish summarizing it and capturing key points. This and one more post. Earlier posts about this book: … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, MInd, Morality, Science, Steven Pinker | Comments Off on Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 5