Check out my latest book!
Why I wrote the book (3 mins)
Death & compassion (4 mins)
Three Kraters Podcast (2 hrs)
-
Most Recent Views
Posts I Liked
Blogroll
News and Comment
Category Archives: Political Science
Why Beliefs Divide Us
Why do beliefs divide us? This will sound like a joke, but it’s the truth: Beliefs divide us because it’s part of their job. We usually think of beliefs simply as being about facts: Two plus two equals four. Flowers … Continue reading
Why People Are Not Things
Is it ever justified to treat people unequally? Before you try to answer, notice something about the question: It’s not a factual question. It doesn’t ask what is, but what ought to be. We might include facts in our answer, but … Continue reading
How Easily We Are Stampeded
Today, we lurch drunkenly from one moral panic to another. Last month, it was Covid Cooties. This month, it’s Killer Kops. Next month, it might be something else, just as alliterative and just as loosely connected to reality: whatever will … Continue reading
Posted in Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged Democracy, Elites, Meritocracy, Moral panic, Propaganda, Public opinion
Leave a comment
Chumps ’R Us
I did something really stupid on Saturday evening. Our city government had imposed an 8pm curfew to discourage rioting and looting. But I’d had a busy day and I didn’t start my evening jog until 7:30pm. So when the appointed … Continue reading
Posted in Political Science, Psychology
Tagged Injustice, Law, Middle class, Obedience to law, Ordinary Americans, Protests, Racism, Social harmony, Unequal treatment
2 Comments
Peter Strzok on Racial Protest
Disgraced former FBI agent Peter Strzok is despised by most people who live between the gilded coasts, though possibly not as much as he despises them. However, knowing “who hates whom” tells us little about the merits of almost any … Continue reading
Posted in Political Science, Society
Tagged Black Lives Matter, Plutocracy, Race riots, Racial protests, Strzok, White House protest
Leave a comment
The Costs of Forbidden Thoughts
“Truth has nothing to fear from open discussion and debate: in fact, they are its closest allies.” Continue reading
Lockdown Imitates Art as “They Live”
“We are living in an artificially-induced state of consciousness … They have created a repressive society, and we are their unwitting accomplices.” — Scientist in “They Live” As countries around the world struggle to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, and … Continue reading
Posted in Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged COVID-19, Fear, Freedom, Learned helplessness, Lockdown, Public policy, Risk, SARS-CoV-2, The American Spectator, They Live
4 Comments
Free Yourself and Live
“You have at least nine months. Perhaps as much as eighteen.” “The first doctor gave me from one to two years.” “I hope he’s right. What are you going to do?” “Well, I have no family. I haven’t taken a … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Science, Society
Tagged COVID-19, Fear, Freedom, Golden Age of Radio, Golden Age of Television, Lockdown, Overcoming fear, SARS-CoV-2
7 Comments
What I Think Happened with Covid-19
After over a month of lockdown in most American states, people are starting to ask questions about it. Why did this happen? How did it happen? Was it really necessary? Here’s how the situation looks to me. This is not … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Political Science, Psychology, Science
Tagged Coronavirus, COVID-19, Lockdown, Pandemic, Panic, SARS-CoV-2
4 Comments
