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Category Archives: Psychology
Turn Strangers into Friends
How can strangers quickly become friends? Or at least avoid being enemies? On my way back from vacation, I passed through Miami International Airport. It’s an enormous place, so I spent a half hour walking from one terminal to another. … Continue reading
Christakis’s Blueprint for Sanity
I’ve started reading Yale sociologist Nicholas Christakis’s book Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society. Christakis is something of a hero not only of free speech, but of sanity itself. His wife Erika, also on the faculty, was denounced … Continue reading
Posted in Human Relations, Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged Blueprint, Christakis, Mob hysteria, Nicholas Christakis, Protesters, Psychology, Yale
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When Smart People Get Stupid Ideas
If you want to hear stupid ideas, talk to a stupid person. But if you want to hear incredibly, mind-bogglingly stupid ideas, talk to a smart person. It’s not a new insight. Political pundit William F. Buckley once said that … Continue reading
Grokking Our Disagreements
I finally got around to reading Robert Heinlein’s science fiction novel Starship Troopers. When I was growing up, I read two or three science fiction novels a week. How I missed Starship Troopers, I don’t know. And one of my … Continue reading
Life is a Judgment Call
The bar patron asked the bartender, “Is life worth living?” The bartender replied, “It depends on the liver.”1 In other words, it’s a judgment call. Most of us crave simple patterns to explain life. We crave simple rules to guide … Continue reading
Posted in Human Relations, Life, Psychology
Tagged Driving, Duties, Judgment call, Moral judgment, Moral responsibilities, Risk, Roundabout, Traffic, Traffic accident, Traffic circle
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The Lowered Expectations Dating Service
Utopian schemes try to create a perfect society. They usually cause more suffering than they cure. It’s a bad bargain. Moreover, people seldom agree on what a perfect society would be like. No matter how good it is or in … Continue reading
