Author Archives: Mark R. Kelly

Motivated Reasoning, and Vigilantism

Posted on Wednesday 17 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two themes today. A prime example of motivated reasoning, from today’s NY Times font page (as if on cue from yesterday’s post), about conservative opposition to transgenders And several examples of the increasing Republican approval of vigilantism NY Times, 16 … Continue reading →

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Skepticism, Beliefs, and Cognitive Biases

Posted on Tuesday 16 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Familiar topics, but worth another look, especially since if they were broadly understood it would make so many of America’s partisan controversies go away. (But conservatives will never allow concepts like skeptical thinking to be taught in schools, for precisely … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Psychology | Comments Off on Skepticism, Beliefs, and Cognitive Biases

Fear and Guns, Fear of Diversity, and Conservative Misogyny

Posted on Monday 15 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

For today, current events items about How gun buyers are motivated by fear How Republican politicians are motivated by fear of change, and fear of the other How Trump and his fans expose conservative misogyny For later, I need to … Continue reading →

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Red Herrings, and AI’s effect on Capitalism

Posted on Sunday 14 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items today How Big Oil uses “red herring” issues to deflect attention away from the big issue Ted Chiang on the potential corrosive effect of AI on capitalism Plus, a brief reflection on the SF writers who’ve had things … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology, Technology | Comments Off on Red Herrings, and AI’s effect on Capitalism

The Upside-Down World of Conservative Values

Posted on Saturday 13 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

They’re for discrimination against some (gays and lesbians) against discrimination against others (religious conscientious objectors) Their ideas of freedom involve the freedom to discriminate against people they don’t like (even if that infringes on *their* freedom) Their belief in capitalism … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Morality, Personal history | Comments Off on The Upside-Down World of Conservative Values

False Ideas of Human Nature

Posted on Friday 12 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Just one topic for today. Salon, Chauncey DeVega, 12 May 2023: It’s bigger than guns: Why the right does little to stop violence, subtitled “Conservatives have cultivated a negative and hyper-individualistic view of human nature”

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Evolution | Comments Off on False Ideas of Human Nature

The Town Hall, and the Core Issue

Posted on Thursday 11 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The political news today is about the “Town Hall” on CNN last night that gave Donald Trump a full hour to spew his usual shtick of lies and insults, before an audience of his fans, and the commentary in the … Continue reading →

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Biblical Ignorance and Climate Change

Posted on Wednesday 10 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

One of my emerging themes on this blog is my gradual, belated, realization of how many people believe so many things that simply aren’t true. Here’s an example in a religious vein: Bible believers who misunderstand their Bible, with potentially … Continue reading →

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A Slow American Civil War?

Posted on Tuesday 9 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Items today about The debt ceiling crisis and the deficit scolds This Modern World on teacher bots and the debt ceiling, among other things How the latest mass shooting suggests an American ‘slow civil war’

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Mental Illness, Gun Violence, and Lying

Posted on Monday 8 May 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s hard to get through a week without more incidents of gun violence in the US, and Republican claims that they’re all due to mental illness. So why is the US an extreme outlier in gun violence? Why would more … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Personal history, Politics | Comments Off on Mental Illness, Gun Violence, and Lying