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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 ( 1300 )
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David Lynch’s Hilarious 1984 “Dune”
Trolling Netflix, my wife and I stumbled upon David Lynch’s 1984 film, “Dune.” I’d read the Frank Herbert sci-fi novel in the ’70s; hadn’t remembered this film... Read more
Posted on 30 November 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
My Marriage
In all my years of blogging, I’ve barely touched upon my life’s central thing: my marriage with Therese Broderick. (I’ve eschewed boastfulness, humility being... Read more
Posted on 27 November 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Criticizing Israel is Not Anti-semitism
Predictably, the Middle East horrors bring out, too widely, not humanistic responses, but their antitheses. Ideological pathologies. Read more
Posted on 24 November 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Democracy and the Press: We’re in Trouble
Our democracy is in deep trouble. A big part of that is people unable to tell truth from lies (indeed, reality versus downright crazy) and which news sources... Read more
Posted on 20 November 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Modus Vivendi in a World Going Nuts
A recent major poll showed Trump leading Biden in five of six key swing states. Many people won’t vote for Biden because he’s old. But will vote instead for a... Read more
Posted on 16 November 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Sarah Vowell: Historian-Adjacent Narrative Non-fiction Wise Guy
Sarah Vowell is a living contradiction to the notion that history is dull. She writes history books almost as comedy routines. Yet still they’re full of real... Read more
Posted on 11 November 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
What Are Humanity’s Top Problems? And Their Solutions?
This is a “philosophy contest” advertised by the “World Roundtable Association of Amateur and Professional Philosophers.”*It solicits a list of humanity’s top 2... Read more
Posted on 06 November 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Hard Problem of AI
What does the Artificial Intelligence (AI) explosion mean for our future? That’s the Great Topic of the day.Back in 2013, my seminal Humanist magazine article,... Read more
Posted on 02 November 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Frog and the Scorpion
Gaza is a godforsaken place. (Why do most residents still worship that god?) Two million people crammed into an overcrowded ghetto. A prison camp. Read more
Posted on 29 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
MAGA Cult Triumphant
The Republican crazies got their way in the end after all.It had seemed the party was completely MAGA-gaga, with little left of its sane wing. Read more
Posted on 26 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Don’t Know Much About History
Peter Frankopan’s 2015 book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World reveals much not known before — by the many who, as the song said (almost proudly) “don’... Read more
Posted on 23 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The (New) Battle of Saratoga: Horse Hockey
Saratoga Springs is a nearby town originally famed for its waters; then horse racing. Is something now in the water turning town officials into horses’ asses? Read more
Posted on 20 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Why Believe?
One panel at the New York State Writers Institute’s Albany Book Festival pitted an atheist against an Evangelical Christian. There was blood all over the place. Read more
Posted on 18 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Terrorism in Israel and House of Representatives
In an old Laurel and Hardy film, the pair drive up to a man’s house, and get into an argument with him. Angered, he breaks something on their car. So Hardy... Read more
Posted on 14 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
What’s in a Name? For Sports Teams, Don’t Say Red (or Reddish)
Upstate New York school sports teams have commonly borne names connected with Native Americans (or “Indigenous Peoples,” or “Indians”). Who of course used to... Read more
Posted on 12 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Why Are Americans So Grumpy?
(This (slightly edited) appeared as a commentary in today’s Albany Times-Union)By most measures, for most Americans, our economy is doing quite nicely —... Read more
Posted on 09 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The United States House of Reprehensibles — II
Kevin McCarthy was unprincipled, dishonest, contemptible. It’s a rich irony that he lost the House Speakership because for once he actually did the right... Read more
Posted on 06 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Richard Russo: Novelist of the Working Class
Went to the New York State Writers Institute’s shebang with Richard Russo on his new novel. Proud of finding my way directly through the labyrinthine State... Read more
Posted on 03 October 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Lunar New Year Lunacy
New York has made Lunar New Year a state school holiday. In case you’re from Mars — or, in fact, from most of America or Planet Earth — it’s something celebrate... Read more
Posted on 30 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Poverty By America
Matthew Desmond previously wrote about our housing crisis in Evicted. His 2023 book, Poverty By America, is a broader examination of socio-economic... Read more
Posted on 26 September 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY