Category Archives: Society

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

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

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 →

Posted in Political Science, Psychology, Science, Society | Tagged Addiction, Cocaine, Corruption, DEA, Drug policy, Heroin, Marijuana, Perfectionism | 6 Comments

Don’t Live Thoughtlessly

Posted on February 19, 2021 by N.S. Palmer

The American philosopher John Dewey argued that for most people, most of the time, thinking is a last resort. They only think when a problem or obstacle blocks their path. And he wasn’t wrong. Most of the time, we live … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Conformity, Cruelty, Customs, Groupthink, Herd behavior, Independent thought | Leave a comment

Hope and History

Posted on December 12, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

A review of Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story, by Wilfred M. McClay Originally published on May 25, 2019 here. What is the purpose of history? Is it merely a record of facts—of dates and kings, … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Science, Society | Tagged American ideals, Constitution, History, History textbook, McClay, United States, US Constitution | 2 Comments

Get Happier: Read The Bee

Posted on August 21, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

If you’re not reading The Babylon Bee, you should be. Along the same lines as my July 28th blog post “Normies Don’t Care About Ideology” (but funny), The Bee today published this article: “Get A Load Of This Ignorant Moron Who … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Life, Society | Tagged Babyon Bee, Common sense, Humor, News parody, Optimism, Parody, Parody site, Religion, Satire | Leave a comment

The Declaration’s Missing Word

Posted on August 20, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Many recent social conflicts might have been avoided if the American Declaration of Independence had added one simple word. The Declaration’s second paragraph states the political ideals on which it was based: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged Declaration of Independence, Egalitarianism, Equality, Human Dignity, Human Rights, Inequality, Rule of law | Leave a comment

You Have Been Deceived

Posted on August 16, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

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 →