Search Results for: how the mind works

Trek vs Wars

Posted on Wednesday 14 May 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

A long Facebook post by David Gerrold a few days ago captures my own feelings about Star Trek vs Star Wars, and since I can’t figure out how to link it, I’ll quote it below, and hope he doesn’t mind. … Continue reading →

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And only another unknown horseman; there are some things I just will not eat

Posted on Thursday 17 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Posting Thursday evening: Saturday evening we are going to a performance by the LA Philharmonic of Philip Glass’ 1984 music for ‘the CIVIL warS’. It’s one of my favorite Glass pieces — along with Symphony #5, the early operas Satyagraha … Continue reading →

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From Bible Stories to Science Fiction

Posted on Saturday 8 March 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Following up Thursday’s post, San Francisco Chronicle’s Mark Morford (via Alternet) explains the motivations behind the latest Christian movie, Son of God. There is tremendous money to be made endlessly reinforcing what the masses have already been told to believe, … Continue reading →

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Hitchens and the Speculative End of Religion

Posted on Wednesday 18 December 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

There have been several online articles in recent days about Christopher Hitchens, author of god is not great [lower cases intentional], who died just two years ago. Jerry Coyne checks in on rival takes on Christopher Hitchens, both on Salon, … Continue reading →

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Thoughts of a Thursday Afternoon: After the Apocalypse

Posted on Saturday 28 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Every human being starts from scratch: he or she comes equipped with a mind honed by evolution for survival, prone to superstitious, self-interested thinking for the same reason, but ill-equipped to accurately perceive reality, the reality that can be deduced … Continue reading →

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Motivated Reasoning and Religion

Posted on Saturday 28 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Applying motivated reasoning [or confirmation bias] to religion… http://www.salon.com/2013/09/27/why_are_so_many_christians_so_un_christian_partner/ As much as liberals would often wish it otherwise—and no matter how much conservative Christians may claim their beliefs all come from the Bible—the truth of the matter is there’s no … Continue reading →

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Plinks: Adam Frank, PZ Myers, Hendrik Hertzberg

Posted on Thursday 22 August 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Just after yesterday’s post about Donald Prothero, on “The Serious Consequences of Science Illiteracy”, comes this op-ed by scientist Adam Frank in the New York Times, which says pretty much the same thing…. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/opinion/welcome-to-the-age-of-denial.html The triumph of Western science led … Continue reading →

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Notes on Daniel Dennett, 1

Posted on Wednesday 24 July 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

I plan to post various kinds of responses to books I’ve read or am reading; some will be reviews, some will be notes with comments. This entry is one of the latter. (Note this only covers the first 60 pages … Continue reading →

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