Tag Archives: Social Change

Utopia’s Biggest Problem

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

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 | 1 Comment

The Lowered Expectations Dating Service

Posted on June 16, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

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 →

Posted in Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Divine discontent, Expectations, Imperfection, Lowered expectations, Oppression, Perfectionism, Social Change, Social perfection, Utopia, Utopian, Voltaire | Leave a comment

Thought Experiments for Left and Right

Posted on January 31, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Whether your politics lean left or right, a couple of thought experiments can help you understand people who lean the other way. History’s most famous thought experiment inspired Albert Einstein‘s theory of special relativity. In 1895, aged only 16, Einstein … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Human Relations, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Einstein, Gedankenexperiment, Neuroscience, Novelty Seeking, Social Change, Social stability, Thought Experiment | 2 Comments

Keeping the Peace in Troubled Times

Posted on January 30, 2017 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: Angry disagreement now dominates our national discourse, with emphasis on the “angry.” We feel, with William Butler Yeats, that “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, The Jewish Journal | Tagged 10th Amendment, Bill of Rights, Calexit, Dissent, Federalism, Federalist Papers, Handling disagreement, James Madison, Separation of powers, Social Change, Social harmony, US Constitution | Leave a comment

Chaos and Creation, from Genesis to Today

Posted on December 6, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My new blog post for The Jewish Journal: You might not expect it, but the very first words of the Torah explain how social change works. The most familiar English rendering is “In the beginning, God created the heavens and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, The Jewish Journal | Tagged Bible, Chaos, Civil Rights Movement, Creation, Creative destruction, Democracy, Donald Trump, Genesis, Order, Rashi, Rosa Parks, Social Change, Social order, Targum Yerushalmi, Torah, Zev Farber | 1 Comment

What We Owe to Past, Present, and Future

Posted on August 31, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

What do we owe to people who lived in the past and are now dead? What do we owe to people now living? What do we owe to people in generations yet to come? And perhaps most important: What is … Continue reading →