Category Archives: Human Nature

The Conservative Resistance to Changing One’s Mind

Posted on Tuesday 27 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Why can conservatives not admit they might have been wrong? Trump never admits to being wrong; he never apologizes; And yet the administration is softening its accusations against the people killed by ICE in Minneapolis; Trump contradicts the 2nd amendment; … Continue reading →

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Pulling Bolts Out of the Ferris Wheel

Posted on Monday 26 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Train Dreams Republicans on the need to carry guns; How the truth in Minneapolis is whatever Trump says it is; And how the administration altered images and made false posts; Heather Cox Richardson on KQED Forum this morning; Brief items … Continue reading →

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Conservative v. Progressive Projects, the Arc of History, and Autism

Posted on Tuesday 20 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Recent thoughts. Inchoate conclusions. Provisional ideas. Things that have occurred to me. Promoting further explorations. Taking a day off from the news. No pics. \ About human nature and the arc of history. First, broadly, the conservative project is to … Continue reading →

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The Latest About Mad King Donald

Posted on Monday 19 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Trump’s letter to Norway, about threatening a hostile takeover of Greenland because he didn’t win a Nobel Prize, written as if by a petulant 12-year-old child; With big picture comments by Tom Nichols; While Trump voters think he’s doing a … Continue reading →

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Trying to Understand How Modern Life Makes Sense in Larger Contexts

Posted on Sunday 18 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

I like to think that this blog isn’t about politics, per se, but about following current events and trying to make sense of them in larger contexts, especially the broad contexts both of history and of what science fiction explores. … Continue reading →

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Trek and Woke, Perception and Reality, Art and Truth

Posted on Saturday 17 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Stephen Miller accuses the new Trek series of being woke, with my comments on how the original Trek series was extremely woke, especially for its era; An interview with Anil Seth about deep reality and whether it’s built by human … Continue reading →

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Friday the 16th

Posted on Friday 16 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Candace Owens thinks Charlie Kirk was a time traveler, or Charlie Kirk thought that, or both; Christian nationalist pastor Jack Hibbs doesn’t want any contact with Democrats; How the world is adjusting to an unreliable United States; A reporter who … Continue reading →

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Further Evidence

Posted on Wednesday 14 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Another busy day; no time for a big think piece. Short pieces then. Every day there’s more evidence of my running themes. * ICE are the terrorists. The Telegraph, 14 Jan 2026: Moment ICE agents drag ‘disabled woman’ from car … Continue reading →

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The Political Divide

Posted on Tuesday 13 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Eric Levitz at Vox on the “fiction” of the Left/Right divide, and how core principles nevertheless do divide the parties; Brief items about ICE recruiting and the right presuming the worst about everyone; Noting the death of Erich von Däniken, … Continue reading →

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Their Core Priority: Make Money

Posted on Monday 12 January 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Busy day so a quick post for now and no time to dress up yesterday’s post. Today I have a couple long items that will have to wait until tomorrow. \\ There may be a tie in all this to … Continue reading →

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