Category Archives: Psychology

Children, Adults Who Think Like Children, and Adults Who Don’t

Posted on Saturday 21 December 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Trump doesn’t need to keep his promises because he’ll just claim that he has, and blame his enemies when it’s obvious he has not; How the threat of government shutdown reveals the Republicans as the party of “no”, recalling William … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, Psychology, Religion | Leave a comment

So Are We to Live in an Authoritarian Oligarchy?

Posted on Friday 20 December 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

The un-elected Elon Musk seems to be running the country this week; How the Drone Panic reveals a need to believe, in *something*. So not only is our incipient administration authoritarian, it’s authoritarian and being run by an oligarch! NY … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Supernatural | Leave a comment

Psychological Underpinnings

Posted on Thursday 19 December 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

The drone panic is about human psychology; So is the fear of vaccines. – – –   Once again, the drone panic is not about drones. NY Times, Zeynep Tufekci, 19 Dec 2024: How to Make the Drone Panic So … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Leave a comment

Tim Urban, Out of Left Field

Posted on Wednesday 18 December 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

About a writer I’d never heard of, Tim Urban, and his book, and their connection to Luigi Mangione; The psychological motivations of the drone alarmists. – – – NY Times, David Wallace-Wells, 18 Dec 2024: Can Anyone Make Sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Psychology, Social Progress | Leave a comment

Politics as Aspects of Human Nature

Posted on Wednesday 4 December 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

An early post on this blog quoted Robert Reich about how most progressives live in cities and on the coasts, and most regressives live in rural areas far removed from ports and cities. It’s a widely noted pattern. “Our problem … Continue reading →

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People Would Rather Believe Than Know

Posted on Monday 2 December 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How conservatives distrust science because it does not accommodate “moral and religious values”, thus missing the point of science; Mark Lilla on the allure of ignorance; Dinesh D’Souza admits 2000 Mules was flawed; Heather Cox Richardson on how government institutions … Continue reading →

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Perspectives on the World

Posted on Saturday 30 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How Republicans are suddenly optimistic about the economy; David Brooks on how Trumpism reflects shifts in America’s basic morality; How Americans believe things about the rival party, especially Democrats, that simply aren’t true; Robert Reich’s personal sources of truth; And … Continue reading →

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Political Extremes and Instability

Posted on Sunday 24 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Perhaps the problem is that claims of “mandates” create political instability, and that’s what makes voters cynical about government; Especially when mandate claimers promise things they can’t possibly deliver, like Musk promising to slash the budget by $2 trillion; How … Continue reading →

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The Anticipation of Unintended Consequences

Posted on Friday 22 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Many are predicting that the new administration’s plans, especially concerning deportations and tariffs, will backfire and wreck the economy, or at least raise prices in ways they apparently cannot anticipate. But one guesses that the Republicans will not admit it … Continue reading →

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Politics and Psychology

Posted on Friday 15 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Politics is as much about human psychology as about policy or ideology. Politics succeeds via simple sound-bites, “feels,” not policies or facts; It’s all about perception; How what has led evangelical Christians to follow Trump is rooted in racism; And … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Politics and Psychology