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Category Archives: Society
How Captain Marvel Got Mary-Sued
How did blonde Hollywood actress Brie Larson end up getting cast as Captain Marvel? And why do so many movie fans seem to hate her? I hold no brief for or against Ms. Larson. I don’t know her. I’ve never … Continue reading
Posted in Society
Tagged 1941, Actresses, Captain Marvel, Heroes, Movie serials, Movies, Popular culture, Virtues
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Normies Don’t Care About Ideology
Politically-aware people of all stripes often think about how to talk to “normies:” that is, normal people who don’t pay much attention to politics or other social issues. Normies don’t read The New York Times or Breitbart. They don’t spend … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Psychology, Society
Tagged Civic virtue, Families, Healthy society, Ideology, Morality, Normal people
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Utopia’s Biggest Problem
Blogger Marcus Ampe has written a thoughtful essay about utopianism. But he’s realistic about the impossibility of creating a perfect society. He wants, instead, to think about ways we can make society better. That’s a practical goal for which we … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Political Science, Society
Tagged Goals, Happiness, History, Humility, Morality, Philosophy, Social Change, Social harmony, Social Peace, Tolerance, Utopianism
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America Will Be (More) Authoritarian
History is full of surprises, but this prediction is a pretty safe bet: In the next 10 years, America will become even more authoritarian. It probably won’t be called “America,” though that change might take a little longer. The continent … Continue reading
Posted in Political Science, Society
Tagged Anarcho-Tyranny, Anarchy, Authoritarian, Authority, Civic virtue, Edmund Burke, Nationalism, Order, Rule of law, Shared culture, Terrorism, Tolerance
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You Broke It, You Bought It
“You broke it, you bought it.” It’s called the Pottery Barn Rule. If you you pick up a piece of store merchandise and you break it, then you have to pay for it. What’s left of it, anyway. It’s not … Continue reading
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
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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
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The Costs of Forbidden Thoughts
“Truth has nothing to fear from open discussion and debate: in fact, they are its closest allies.” Continue reading
The Thousand-Year View 