Fsrcoin
MY BLOGS
-
The Rational Optimist
http://www.rationaloptimist.wordpress.com/
Commentary of Life, Society, Politics, and Philosophy
LATEST ARTICLES ( 1303 )
-
The “No Labels” Party Threatens America
Once upon a time I advocated for a centrist third party, as a way out of our polarized partisan impasse. Even suggested a presidential candidate (Bill Gates).... Read more
Posted on 28 July 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
What is Life About? The Radicalization of David Brooks
In David Brooks’s 2018 book, The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life, climbing a mountain is his metaphor for living. You build a career, a family, a... Read more
Posted on 23 July 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
What’s Up With Black Republicans?
Senator Tim Scott, who’s Black, seeks the presidential nomination of what has really become the White Nationalist party. I want to say, Good luck with that. Read more
Posted on 20 July 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Chirp, Chirp, Chirp
Carol Quantock’s recent talk (to my local Humanist group) was for the birds — or, rather, “For the Birder: Identification, Observation, and Protection.” She’s... Read more
Posted on 17 July 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Who Are the Real Patriots?
The Albany Times-Union this morning published my letter-to-the-editor (slightly edited). Here is my unfiltered text:Jay Jochnowitz’s 6/25 commentary*, “Let’s... Read more
Posted on 13 July 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
WEIRD People Getting to Denmark
I am WEIRD. You probably are too. WEIRD is an acronym for Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. This is explored in Joseph Henrich’s 2020... Read more
Posted on 08 July 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
On Bullshit
is actually a serious book, by a serious philosopher, Harry Frankfurt, published in 2005, by Princeton University Press, no less. Or at least it purports to be ... Read more
Posted on 03 July 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Why Religion? A Personal Story, by Elaine Pagels
The question of this book’s title grabbed me; as someone congenitally impervious to religion, to understand its appeal and etiology has been a lifelong quest. Read more
Posted on 29 June 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
New York State Government — You Gotta Love It
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced, with ferocious verbiage, a big crackdown on illegal cannabis sellers. Upon which the legislature has tightened... Read more
Posted on 24 June 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The End of Fat
I used to be guilty of looking askance at fat people, sharing the common idea that they just overeat. While that may sometimes be true, I’ve increasingly learne... Read more
Posted on 21 June 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
God is Now Following My Blog
WordPress sends me a notificationOf every new blog subscription.The latest one was kind of odd:My newest follower is God.That really made my day. Read more
Posted on 19 June 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Responding to the Music Or the Maker?
The 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death prompted an essay in The Economist pondering how his lousy treatment of women should affect our response to his art.Whic... Read more
Posted on 14 June 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Will AI Take Over the World and Destroy Humanity?
ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program, was launched in November 2022. My techie nephew, as a Christmas gift, asked ChatGPT to summarize one of my blo... Read more
Posted on 09 June 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Ministry for the Future
A recent article in The Economist addressed global warming’s effect on India and Pakistan. With discussion of “wet-bulb” temperatures, a more complex measuremen... Read more
Posted on 05 June 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Is Life (Always) Worth Living?
A French court decreed that a teenaged boy was entitled to compensation for having been born. Medics had failed to detect conditions resulting in severe birth... Read more
Posted on 02 June 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Florida Man Versus Florida Man for President
When “Florida Man” appears in a news headline, cue some real crazy shit going down.A Florida Man, Governor Ron DeSantis, has declared his presidential candidacy. Read more
Posted on 27 May 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Pez Outlaw
Steve Glew was a Michigan machinist. A job he hated. Hated. But he loved his wife, a ’60s “flower child.” And his hobby, collecting old cereal boxes, which he... Read more
Posted on 24 May 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
The Coddling of the American Mind
is a great 2018 book by Jonathan Haidt, an NYU social and cultural psychologist, and attorney Greg Lukianoff, head of the Foundation for Individual Rights in... Read more
Posted on 19 May 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
2024: The Battle for America’s Soul
I vividly remember when Obama’s 2008 election victory was declared, and TV showed a middle aged Black Chicago woman jumping up and down shouting, “God bless... Read more
Posted on 14 May 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY -
Ukraine Foolishness
This is the biggest foreign affairs crisis of my post-WWII lifetime. Shattering a world order which had seemingly eliminated the age-old curse of major power... Read more
Posted on 11 May 2023 CULTURE, POLITICS, SOCIETY