Category Archives: Life

Some Comforting Thoughts

Posted on May 31, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Life can be troubling, especially during periods of heated social conflict. Politicians and the media are no help. Most now devote themselves to fomenting hatred and division. Schools are no help. Most now devote themselves to replacing knowledge with superstition. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Life, Psychology | Tagged Adages, Courage, Optimism, Perseverance, Serenity, Stoicism, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Tolerance or Violence?

Posted on May 29, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

A friend and I recently had a rational debate about abortion. Yes, rational debate is possible, even about touchy subjects. Neither of us convinced the other, but we understand each other better. Perhaps even more important, we confirmed that disagreement … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged Abortion, Base-10, Base-3, Coercion, Constitution, Definitional arguments, Definitions, Federalism, Fetus, Freedom of choice, Live and let live, Ternary, Tolerance, Violence | 3 Comments

X Marks the Spot

Posted on May 28, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

“Latinx?” What the heck is that? I see the word a lot lately. I finally figured out why media people have started using it. A Latino is a male Hispanic. A Latina is a female Hispanic. The words look like … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged English language, Gender ideology, Hebrew language, Language, Latinx, Newspeak, Political correctness, Spanish language | 4 Comments

War is the Second-Worst Thing

Posted on May 26, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

“Give peace a chance” was what they said back in the Vietnam War era of the 1960s. And what reasonable person could argue with it? War is something to avoid — unless the alternative is even worse. Those thoughts are … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Political Science, Psychology | Tagged Courage, Martial virtues, Memorial Day, Military service, Negotiation, Patriotism, Peace, Perseverance, Persistence, Veterans, War, West Point | 2 Comments

What’s at Issue in the Abortion Debate

Posted on May 17, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Abortion isn’t exactly a “third rail” of American politics, since people yell about it all the time. But it is a third rail of rational discussion. Many people have dogmatic beliefs about it and they react with blind rage to … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Abortion, Alabama, Autonomy, Dogmatism, Fetus, Georgia, Heartbeat law, Heresy, Infanticide, Pro-choice, Pro-life, Rational debate, Right to life, State religion | 2 Comments

Follow Courage and Good Sense

Posted on May 16, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

I’m an optimistic kind of guy. I can usually find the “half full” in any glass, no matter how empty it is. But even I get discouraged sometimes. Most often, it’s because of human irrationality. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Bertrand Russell, Courage, Existential courage, Gloom, Irrationality, Optimism, Social decline, Winston Churchill | Leave a comment

Three Ways to Live

Posted on May 14, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

There are three basic ways to deal with any situation: Method 1: Complain about it and be unhappy. Method 2: Accept it and be happy. Method 3: Try to change it, and then apply Method 1 or 2 to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology | Tagged Acceptance, Complaining, Happiness, Life, Making decisions, Practical wisdom, Self-confidence, Serenity, Solving problems, Stoicism, Wisdom | 4 Comments

Thinking Sideways

Posted on May 7, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

There are three kinds of people I like most in the world. First, the ones who tell me how incredibly good-looking I am. Even though I worked on Capitol Hill, I still haven’t met anyone who’s able to lie that … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Creativity, Dimensions of morality, Incomensurable, Incommensurability, Jonathan Haidt, Modes of thinking, Moral dimensions, Moral foundations, Moral intuitions, Moral Psychology, Multiple intelligences, Mysticism, Pragmatism, The Righteous Mind, Thinking, Tolerance, Viewpoints | 2 Comments

My Two Transgender Encounters

Posted on May 5, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

I’ve known a couple of people who these days would be called “transgender,” though I’m not sure if they themselves would embrace the term. Using the grammatical term ”gender” as not-quite-a-synonym for “sex” creates an anti-concept that confuses any discussion in … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Anti-concept, Eccentricities, Feminism, Gender, Political correctness, Sophistry, Transgender, Transsexual, Women’s sports | Leave a comment

Is Our Technology Sustainable?

Posted on May 3, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

According to aspiring Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, automation will soon eliminate countless millions of jobs. It will leave few opportunities for workers who are displaced. There’s no doubt that automation is eliminating jobs. At the grocery store, you can … Continue reading →