Category Archives: Human Nature

Kindergarten Anthropology, and Ordering Things Into Existence

Posted on Friday 19 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

A Facebook response to the question of where morality comes from; Franklin Graham admits that God is a God of War; Trump thinks he can order nuclear fusion into existence, and order a Moon landing in 2028. – – – … Continue reading →

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Documenting My Reading; Holiday Shopping; and Tr*mp

Posted on Thursday 18 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Infrastructure note: I’ve updated all the pages under the “Nonfiction Books” tab in the menu above. I set up those pages a year ago, in December 2024, and updated a few of them in May 2025, and now have updated … Continue reading →

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Narcissists and Simpletons

Posted on Monday 15 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Trump’s vile comments about the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, and wondering what kind of people still support him; How the MAGA right succumbs to the bias of believing in an ideal past; Short takes on Ron Johnson; … Continue reading →

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Moon Status; Dormant Bigotry

Posted on Monday 15 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Think piece for today. Slate, Joel Achenbach, 9 Dec 2025: Moondoggle, subtitled “Officially, America is supposed to land on the moon again in 2027—and Mars thereafter. Ask anyone inside NASA under Trump, and you will hear a far different story.” … Continue reading →

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Rituals and Routines, and Fonts

Posted on Friday 12 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Personal health updates; Big Think on the need for everyday rituals; Boing Boing on the origins of Calibri and Times New Roman, and stupidity; Short takes on approval ratings, European leadership, earning more, and Trump’s image. – – – It’s … Continue reading →

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Marriage, and Women

Posted on Thursday 11 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Adam Lee on whether marriage can survive the continued emancipation of women; Thought of the day about who’s making progress and who are against it; Short takes on a Republican loonie; on a Christian who advises calling gay men a … Continue reading →

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Human Happiness, and Fonts

Posted on Wednesday 10 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Sean Illing and Brad DeLong wonder why, with all humanity’s progress, aren’t we happier? An eternal question; Paul Krugman on how Trump thinks people aren’t properly grateful for his perfect economy; Marco Rubio defeats a woke font; Heather Cox Richardson … Continue reading →

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Most People Are Nice; Scientific Truths

Posted on Tuesday 9 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Hannah Seo at Vox: people are nicer than you think; Ethan Siegel at Big Think: 10 scientific truths that became unpopular in 2025; Briefly noted: the Texas governor wants to install Turning Point USA chapters in every high school; Trump’s … Continue reading →

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Steven Pinker, THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE, post 7

Posted on Friday 5 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled “Why Violence Has Declined” (Viking, Oct. 2011, xxvii + 802pp, including 106pp of notes, references, and index.) Summary: Chapter 9 concerns four ways in which humanity’s “better angels” turn people away from violence and toward cooperation and altruism. These … Continue reading →

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The Limitations of Human Cognition

Posted on Monday 1 December 2025 by Mark R. Kelly

Anti-Vaxxers and how it’s not about evidence; Paul Krugman on Trump’s incoherent war on drugs; Short takes on how Trump is elevating Sen. Mark Kelly; how Maga’s idea of Christianity implies a “cold-hearted Jesus”; and why a Bible-based essay on … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Human Nature, Psychology | Comments Off on The Limitations of Human Cognition