Author Archives: N.S. Palmer

About N.S. Palmer

N.S. Palmer is an American mathematician.

Healthy Societies Are Efficient

Posted on September 28, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

Efficiency isn’t everything, but healthy societies and people need it. If you want the deep explanation of why that’s true, read about Charles Darwin’s observations of birds (finches) on the Galapagos Islands off the coast of South America. Each island … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Bible, China, Communication, Evolution, Group solidarity, In-Group, Poetry, Political Science, Shared culture, Social cohesion, Solidarity | Leave a comment

Always To Be Blessed

Posted on September 10, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

It’s seldom that a two-line passage from a poem can explain so much that’s wrong with the world. But Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man (1732) has just such a passage: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast, Man never is, … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged Alexander Pope, Command economy, Desire, Economics, Essay on Man, Free market, Greedy desire, Serenity, Social Peace, Wisdom | 1 Comment

You Can’t Idiot-Proof the World

Posted on August 31, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

There’s no way to make the world safe for idiots. No matter what you do, it can go wrong somehow. And then it won’t be safe, for idiots or anyone else. I thought of that while watching “Love Crossed,” a … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Authoritarian, Courage, Risk, Safety, Safetyism, Timidity, Totalitarianism | Leave a comment

The Basic Truths Are The Same

Posted on August 8, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

My mentor Brand Blanshard, a philosophy professor at Yale, said that “the basic truths of life are the same for every honest mind, whether atheist or devotee.” My grandfather, a Methodist minister, said that “Every person you meet knows something … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy | Tagged Blanshard, Freedom, Meaning of life, Rationality, Serenity, Tolerance, Truth, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Is Racism a Useful Concept?

Posted on July 2, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

I recently participated in an academic discussion about whether or not “racism” is a useful concept. Amazingly, the discussion was cordial and rational except for the moderator and one participant who was a graduate student in some version of victims’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Psychology | Tagged Kendi, Lysenko, Race relations, Racism, Self-reliance | 2 Comments

Three Tales from Amtrak

Posted on April 14, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

In the early 2000s, I worked for a year as an IT contractor at Amtrak’s headquarters in Washington DC. My experience there showed one of America’s greatest problems, as well as its solution. The U.S. federal government created Amtrak in … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology, Society | Tagged Affirmative Action, Amtrak, Communication, Cultural difference, Diversity, H1-Bs, India, Merit, Productivity, Quota hiring, Replacement, Unemployment | 2 Comments

Good Advice from George Washington

Posted on March 29, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

Until quite recently, U.S. President George Washington was considered the ideal American: honest, brave, wise, and patriotic. None of that has changed. Washington offered some good advice about how to have a healthy society and a just government: “We must … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Political Science | Tagged Community, Evolution, George Washington, In-Group, Kin Selection, Out-Group, Social Conflict, Social trust | Leave a comment

Celebrating Pi Day

Posted on March 14, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

Today, March 14, is “Pi Day.” The date matches the first three digits of pi, 3.14. On the Nerd Calendar, Pi Day is even more important than Festivus or G.H. Hardy‘s birthday. Pi is the ratio between a circle’s circumference … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy, Science | Tagged Ancient Egypt, Ancient mathematics, Geometry, Irrational numbers, Pi, Pi Day, Pythagoreans, Rhind Papyrus | Leave a comment

Why The News Is So Bad

Posted on February 27, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

Why is the news so bad? I’m not talking about biased news. Yes, there’s bias, and it’s getting worse. But that’s not the issue here. I’m also not talking about why the news is full of so many evil and … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Accuracy, Corporate media, Corporate politician, Incompetence, Joseph Pulitzer, Journalism, News, News Media | Leave a comment

Drug Policy: Good Is Better Than Perfect

Posted on February 23, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

American laws about recreational drug use are a mess. Americans rot in prison for using or selling marijuana, which is relatively harmless. They rot in prison for selling cocaine and heroin, which aren’t harmless but harm mainly heavy users, and … Continue reading →