Category Archives: Human Nature

Changing Minds

Posted on Saturday 18 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

A couple non-political items today. The Atlantic, Rogé Karma, 16 Apr 2026: A Pillar of the Economics Establishment Admits That It Was Wrong, subtitled “In a new report, the World Bank thinks better of its old free-market absolutism.” For anyone … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, Psychology | Leave a comment

Magicians and Evangelicals and Traditionalists

Posted on Friday 17 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Penn & Teller advise the Supreme Court about junk science, and the significance of how magicians are less easily fooled than lawyers, politicians, and even scientists; How most Americans think Trump isn’t religious, how MAGA doesn’t care, and the idea … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature, Religion, Science, Supernatural | Leave a comment

An Optimistic Big View

Posted on Wednesday 15 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Peter Leyden on how the arc of human history is toward cooperation; Once again, evidence shows that same-sex marriage is a “win for children and society”, and I suggest why this may be so; While Stephen Miller resorts to bigotry … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Human Nature, Human Progress, The Gays, Tribalism | Leave a comment

The Slow Motion American Train Wreck

Posted on Monday 13 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Rebecca Solnit on how the US is destroying itself; The significance of Victor Orbán’s loss; How Trump thinks religion is about power, not morality; Trump’s grotesque AI image depicting himself as a Jesus figure. – – – I’ve gradually become … Continue reading →

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TACO and Cognitive Surrender

Posted on Tuesday 7 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The world worries about presidential insanity and nuclear war until Trump backs down, yet again; AI and “cognitive surrender”; With some perspective about electronic calculators and other forms of new technology over the millennia; And how the surrender of critical … Continue reading →

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Psychics and Literacy

Posted on Friday 3 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

If psychics are real, why hasn’t even one shown up to find Nancy Guthrie? Pete Hegseth keeps blocking military promotions for blacks and females; And he’s holding a Protestants-only Good Friday service; Big Think on the persistence of intuitive superstitious … Continue reading →

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Yuval Noah Harari: NEXUS

Posted on Friday 3 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Random House, Sept. 2024, xxxii + 492pp, including 88pp of acknowledgements, notes, and index; but no bibliography) This is Harari’s fourth big book, following SAPIENS, HOMO DEUS, … Continue reading →

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American Priorities under MAGA

Posted on Thursday 2 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Reactions to Trump’s speech last night about Iran; And how his cult defends him no matter what he does; They imagine outlawing the Democrats; The oxymoronic Trump library; How Trump’s case against the 14th amendment did not go well before … Continue reading →

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David Brin, THE TRANSPARENT SOCIETY

Posted on Saturday 28 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Privacy and Freedom? (Addison Wesley, April 1998, 378pp, including 42pp of notes, follow-up, acknowledgements, index, and about the author.) Here is a book that has sat my shelves for over a quarter … Continue reading →

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Again, No Kings

Posted on Saturday 28 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Noting the rallies held today, bigger than those last time; Pieces today about how MAGA is entering the ‘acceptance’ stage of death, and how there’s no way to redeem Trump’s dismal second presidency; Who are the 100 million people Bovino … Continue reading →

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