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Category Archives: Science
Fortunes of War
In the United States, November 11 is Veterans Day, first celebrated in 1919. Back in 1919 it was called Armistice Day, commemorating the 1918 armistice that ended what Americans originally called the European War. When the European War started, Americans … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Political Science, Psychology, Science
Tagged Aggression, Human Nature, Peace, Veterans Day, War, War profiteering
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We Are All Pythagoreans Now
“We are all Keynesians now.”— U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, 1971 If you took geometry in school, then you probably know the Pythagorean theorem: “in a right triangle, the square of the longest side equals the sum of the squares … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Psychology, Science
Tagged Courage, Justice, Morality, Positive attitude, Wisdom
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Publication Day for Why Sane People Believe Crazy Things!
Today is publication day for the second edition of my book Why Sane People Believe Crazy Things: How Belief Can Help or Hurt Social Peace! The new edition adds a chapter about the foundations of morality, as well as various … Continue reading
Celebrating Pi Day
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
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Drug Policy: Good Is Better Than Perfect
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
Posted in Political Science, Psychology, Science, Society
Tagged Addiction, Cocaine, Corruption, DEA, Drug policy, Heroin, Marijuana, Perfectionism
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Don’t “Other” Other People
Most people aren’t familiar with the idea of “othering,” but they are familiar with what it is. They’ve seen it. They’ve done it to other people, and they’ve had it done to them. To “other” a group of people is … Continue reading
Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Science
Tagged Evolution, Group bias, In-Group, Kin Selection, Othering, Out-Group, Partisanship, Social Conflict
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You Have Been Deceived
You have been deceived. There’s no shame in that. You might even take it as an indirect compliment. Fake psychics love to have scientists “test” their powers because scientists are easy to fool. Scientists work with observable facts, so they … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Political Science, Psychology, Science, Society
Tagged COVID-19, Fear, Mass Hysteria, Panic, Propaganda, SARS-CoV-2
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Things to Know and See
In the famous words of Emil Faber, “knowledge is good.” That’s because it helps us to live successfully and happily. It’s no guarantee. And it’s not always what we want to hear. But in general, it’s better to know the truth … Continue reading
The Costs of Forbidden Thoughts
“Truth has nothing to fear from open discussion and debate: in fact, they are its closest allies.” Continue reading
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
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The Thousand-Year View 