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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 ( 1301 )
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Biden: The Age Issue
Let’s talk seriously about this.Old age used to be synonymous with decrepitude. Modern medicine has changed that. Eighty is the new sixty.President Biden, at 81... Read more
Posted on 12 February 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Good Old Days — No Seating
“The past is a foreign country — they do things differently there,” wrote novelist L.P. Hartley.My wife has been building a library of books by local poets.... Read more
Posted on 09 February 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
2024: What Kind of Society Will America Be?
Democracy is at stake in this election, we’re told. But the word “democracy” does not even cover it.It’s more than just elections and voting, it’s the kind of... Read more
Posted on 05 February 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Israel’s Gaza Pogrom
“When the facts change, I change my mind,” said John Maynard Keynes. “What do you do, sir?”That is the hallmark of critical thinking. Facts shaping one’s belief... Read more
Posted on 02 February 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The BCD Numismatic Library Sale, and Human Endeavor
Coin collecting might seem a very solitary pastime; the coins themselves mere objects. Yet for me its rewards have been not just interior, intellectual (and... Read more
Posted on 31 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Russia and Republicans: Allies in Evil
Russia is winning its vicious war upon Ukraine — with no little help from its Republican bedfellows.Ukraine’s 2023 offensive fizzled for lack of firepower. Read more
Posted on 29 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Inflation: The Big Misunderstanding
Inflation sours Americans about the economy — and President Biden. A January 14 Associated Press article by reporter Josh Boak examined this in depth. But faile... Read more
Posted on 26 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Couples
was a 1968 John Updike novel. I loved his writing, but it took me ages to finish Couples. It was about sex, and I was in my early twenties, sexually clueless. Read more
Posted on 22 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Book Review of “The Democrat Party Hates America”
Here (slightly edited) is the text of my January 2 Albany Library talk, reviewing Mark Levin’s book, The Democrat Party Hates America.Back in September, I... Read more
Posted on 17 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
“Alternative Medicine” Versus (sigh) Science
My humanist society recently hosted a talk by Abhijit Chanda, founder of “Rationable,” a YouTube channel. (The name does not refer to things subject to... Read more
Posted on 13 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Global Evil and Insanity Rising
The stakes in Ukraine could not be higher. Threatening our plunge into a much darker rule-of-the-jungle world where might makes right. Read more
Posted on 09 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Science, Nature, Religion, and Civilization
Charles Murray’s book Human Accomplishment is a historical examination of all the developments and advancements, in the arts and sciences, that have propelled... Read more
Posted on 05 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Nikki Haley and the Monster That Ate Republicanism
Nikki Haley is a good person. Pity she got mixed up with that Republican party. And, like so many, couldn’t summon the moral clarity to get out. Read more
Posted on 01 January 2024 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
I Have Nothing to Say Today
That heading is not some clever shtick. It’s the literal truth. I am writing a blog post with nothing to say.I just love writing, playing with words and ideas,... Read more
Posted on 28 December 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Too Much Moralism
I’m very moralistic. Not a claim of personal morality; rather, another applicable word is judgmental.Some decades ago, non-judgmentalism was the thing. Read more
Posted on 24 December 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Jan. 2 Book Talk: “The Democrat Party Hates America”
On Tuesday, January 2, I will critique Mark Levin’s book, The Democrat Party Hates America. In the context of our whole political landscape, I promise a rock-‘e... Read more
Posted on 23 December 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Failed Psychedelic Quest
“We should do this,” I told my wife, watching a Netflix documentary about psilocybin and other psychotropic substances, their growing therapeutic use, and... Read more
Posted on 19 December 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Trade Wars: Shooting Ourselves in the Foot (and Elsewhere)
Free trade is bad — for some people — but good for most. Protectionism is good for some, bad for most. But those profiting from it know it, and reward... Read more
Posted on 15 December 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Anti-semitism and Cancel Culture
Here’s a letter to the editor I sent the local paper yesterday:First, criticizing Israel is not necessarily anti-semitism. I’m of Jewish ancestry, my mother... Read more
Posted on 11 December 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
How Do We See Things?
I’m not one to take anything for granted. That includes existence itself.It’s been observed that if some physics parameters, like the precise strength of... Read more
Posted on 08 December 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY