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MY BLOGS
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The Rational Optimist
http://www.rationaloptimist.wordpress.com/
Commentary of Life, Society, Politics, and Philosophy
LATEST ARTICLES ( 1395 )
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China and the New Cold War: Detente?
What makes nations enemies?The Soviet Union aimed for Communism’s ultimate global triumph. The free world, led by the U.S., strove for containment. That was... Read more
Posted on 08 April 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
A Government Witch Hunt — Masood Haque’s Film “Witness”
Loud protestations allege government prosecutorial abuse, and FBI misconduct, improperly targeting a former president, a political hit job; a “witch hunt. Read more
Posted on 04 April 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Right: Freedom-Loving Pro-Life Law-and-Order Patriots??
People can be perfectly rational in everyday life, even while holding some goofy ideas. Such occasional lapses are natural and normal. But what if they become... Read more
Posted on 31 March 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Why Trust Science?
— a book by Naomi Oreskes — was reviewed at the Albany Library by Sherrie Lyons, herself a science author.Ours is the age of science. Read more
Posted on 27 March 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
“The Value of a Whale” — Capitalism and Climate
Adrienne Buller is a thirtyish British think-tanker. Her 2022 book, The Value of a Whale, is subtitled On the Illusions of Green Capitalism. Read more
Posted on 22 March 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Justice — Maybe Just a Little?
The Judges of the International Criminal Court in the Hague have issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. For a crime against humanity (only one of his... Read more
Posted on 18 March 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Religion Wrecking Israel
We’re often told religion provides “comfort.” It’s understandably comforting to imagine death isn’t death. Though a more authentically meaningful life can be... Read more
Posted on 14 March 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
About Fox News: Just Facts, No Rhetoric
As a writer, I love language, the challenge of putting ideas into words. To find just the right words to convey something.Hyperbole is extreme language. Read more
Posted on 11 March 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
How Identity Politics Hurts Democrats
I heard a radio report about Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Cal.) declaring her candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Asked why she’s running, virtually the first word in reply... Read more
Posted on 08 March 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Freedom of Speech — Can of Worms
Elon Musk said he was taking over Twitter in the name of free speech. Twitter was faulted for trying to keep a lid on harmful craziness. Read more
Posted on 04 March 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Philosophy of Train Derailments: Stuff Happens
Firstly regarding the train derailment, it’s a sickening cheap shot for Republicans to fault President Biden for being in Europe, not Ohio. Read more
Posted on 28 February 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Trump Shitstorm, My Book Talk March 7
I will talk about my new book —The American Crisis: Chronicling and Confronting the Trump Shitstorm — on Tuesday, March 7, at noon, at the Albany Public Library... Read more
Posted on 27 February 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Masculinity Crisis
I’ve written about “lookism”* — discrimination against the less attractive. Graduating law school in 1970, I wasn’t ugly, but short, which didn’t help my career... Read more
Posted on 24 February 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Sam Harris on the Evil of Religion
Sam Harris was one of the famous “four horsemen” of “new atheist” writers (along with Dawkins, Dennett, and Hitchens). He’s actually not materialist enough for... Read more
Posted on 19 February 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Ukraine: The Long and the Short of It
Long war or short war? That seems to be the question. Putin apparently had fantasized a very short war, Ukraine a pushover — believing it’s not really even a... Read more
Posted on 15 February 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Why You Can’t Trust Your Brain
I heard a talk by Dr. Caleb Lack, a clinical psychologist and author. His topic: Why You Can’t Trust Your Brain.Well, whose brain can you trust? Read more
Posted on 11 February 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Christopher Hitchens’s Pen is Envy Inducing
Christopher Hitchens died of cancer in 2011 at 62 — a stupendous loss. He was best known as one of “new atheism’s” “four horsemen” for his book God is Not... Read more
Posted on 04 February 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Memphis — And Our Perennial Police Problem
“Look, life is nasty, brutish, and short, but you knew that when you became a caveman.”“Nasty, brutish, and short” was Thomas Hobbes’s descriptor for life in a... Read more
Posted on 31 January 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Democrats and Non-white Voters
I wanted to scream, hearing a recent radio panel discussion about voting rights legislation. The talk was all about “politicians” not caring enough to pass... Read more
Posted on 27 January 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
UFO Abductions and America’s Reality Crisis
People on America’s right are in thorough reality denial. Headlined of course by the 2020 “stolen election” lie. False beliefs about Covid and vaccines cost man... Read more
Posted on 23 January 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY