There is currently a terrific amount of social debate and disruption, with marches and protests regarding Black Live Matter, systemic racism, climate justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, policy brutality/reform, and more. Tensions are justifiably high and perhaps even aggravated due to it being an election year in the US. That being said, I have been thinking on… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Culture
Non-Conventional Weapons and a Lasting Peace
Currently reading the book Greek File, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs by Adrienne Mayor, detailing the use of unconventional (i.e., chemical and biological) weapons in the ancient world.
Religious Fanaticism and Fear
Behind religious fanaticism is fear: fear that indiscriminate punishment will follow if certain “divine” laws are broken.
Learning History
History allows us to bear witness to the past. It is nothing short of amazing that whole kingdoms and empires rose and collapsed, that people lived and died for their ideals, and yet few people today know anything about them. It is amazing because history has amazing stories to tell, lessons to teach, and those… Read more »
Black Friday
A prevalent drive of individuals in this society is to be a part of the crowd, to belong to a movement, something greater than oneself. This drive is greatly alluring. Regardless if people really love Twilight or the Democratic Party or Dr. Who, there is an attraction of sharing an experience or an emotion with… Read more »
Educational Testing and its Repercussions
Education does not work in isolation. Legislative efforts (such as No Child Left Behind, Common Core, and others) focus on high-stakes testing to standardize teaching and educational performance across the nation. While schools should deliver a guaranteed minimum of education, in practice these efforts force a “teach for the test” effort. As has been argued… Read more »
Nature vs. Nurture
In the dichotomy of nature vs. nurture, nurture wins. Most characteristics that tend to be placed in the nature column in fact belong to nurture, such as much of the supposed gender divide. The sometimes held myth that women are not as good at mathematics, for example, is more a result of imposed gender roles… Read more »
Understanding and Labeling
It is a shame that in many cases, the level of debate in politics (either at the dinner table or between pundits) has not developed past kindergarten. Name-calling and pigeon-holing and high emotion leading to arguments and recrimination are far from uncommon.
The Art-Entertainment Spectrum
The distinction between art and entertainment is a fuzzy one at best, but there are a few key aspects that can be considered.
Truth and Words
Objective truth is likely impossible. If one states something as an absolute truth (that will remain true into the indefinite future and was so back to the indeterminate past), doubt him. Wise words hold a truth, but it is only a relative one. It can be approached in the hard sciences and mathematics, but considering… Read more »
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