Category Archives: Psychology

Subjective Worlds

Posted on Sunday 21 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

First of all, I updated yesterday’s post to include the initial list of falsehoods in Trump’s RNC acceptance speech as compiled by CNN, and read off on TV by its fact-checker in the minutes after the speech ended. For today, … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Politics, Psychology, The Gays | Comments Off on Subjective Worlds

On This July 4th

Posted on Thursday 4 July 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s worth paying attention from time to time what conservatives really want, and more importantly, their rationales. NY Times, Ruth Graham, 4 Jul 2024: Why a New Conservative Brain Trust Is Resettling Across America, subtitled “Pro-Trump professionals aren’t just talking … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Psychology, Religion, Social Progress | Comments Off on On This July 4th

Narrative Drives, Reality, and Nothingburgers

Posted on Wednesday 12 June 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

More conservative reactions to Hunter Biden’s conviction, and how they are examples of humanity’s drive to fit any new evidence into pre-existing narrative; Heather Cox Richardson on how reality defies Trump’s narrative; How the extreme conservative worldview includes stoning gays … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Narrative Drives, Reality, and Nothingburgers

Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 2

Posted on Wednesday 5 June 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

(Advisory: I’m traveling to Austin TX tomorrow through Sunday, and so will not be posting here until next Monday, likely.) A key point about this book is that Pinker shows how the facts (the science) of human nature undermine both … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, MInd, Psychology, Steven Pinker | Comments Off on Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 2

Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 1

Posted on Tuesday 4 June 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: “The Modern Denial of Human Nature” (Viking, Oct. 2002, 509pp, including 75pp appendix, notes, references, and index) This is an enormous, thorough book on a topic already covered to some extent by several of the other major books I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, MInd, Psychology, science fiction, Steven Pinker | Comments Off on Steven Pinker: THE BLANK SLATE, post 1

Incoherence, Lies, Getting Even, and an Apology

Posted on Monday 3 June 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Back to items about conservative politics from the last few days. Trump’s incoherent press conference speech, following his New York City conviction; His lie about never saying “Lock her up” and Fox News’ casuistic excuse; The priority of Republicans to … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Incoherence, Lies, Getting Even, and an Apology

When They Tell You Who They Are, Believe Them

Posted on Saturday 1 June 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Actually it was Maya Angelou who said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time,”, which I looked up after typing the title above. Today’s post is another summary of political items, in this case about … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on When They Tell You Who They Are, Believe Them

Guilty Guilty Guilty; Over and Over and Over

Posted on Thursday 30 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Trump found guilty today on 34 charges; we oldsters remember the Doonsbury cartoon about Nixon: “Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!”, which is apropos here; With a comment from David Brin, who has been saying the same things about Republicans, over and over … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Lunacy, Music, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Guilty Guilty Guilty; Over and Over and Over

Jonathan Gottschall, THE STORY PARADOX

Posted on Monday 27 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a nonfiction book from 2021 that I read just a couple weeks ago. It’s similar in heft to the two books just discussed, in terms of length and conceptual depth, perhaps somewhere in the middle below Wilson and above … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Narrative, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Jonathan Gottschall, THE STORY PARADOX

Woo-Kyoung Ahn, THINKING 101

Posted on Sunday 26 May 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: “How to Reason Better and Live Better” (Flatiron Books, Sept 2022, 276pp, including 21p of acknowledgements, notes, and index) Here’s another short book, read the same month as yesterday’s Robert Charles Wilson book though it was published a year … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Psychology | Comments Off on Woo-Kyoung Ahn, THINKING 101