“If a faction consists of less than a majority, relief is supplied by the republican principle, which enables the majority to defeat its sinister views by regular vote. It may clog the administration, it may convulse the society; but it will be unable to execute and mask its violence under the forms of the Constitution. … More The Devolution of the United States Government
Living in Bubbles I have always found utility in living within bubbles. Long before Australopithecus introduced bipedal locomotion, I suspect its precursors discovered that small-group living offered clear survival advantages. It’s not a stretch to imagine that these early tribes had shared worldviews that differed from the tribe across the holler. These bubbles—tight-knit groups—provided security … More The “Bubblefication” of Society
The transition to younger families in Royal Pines is the natural evolution of a neighborhood. It is that turnover, the Panarchy, that keeps our neighborhood vital. But, as there are fewer and fewer original owners, the story of the neighborhood is told less frequently. Knowing the history of the Royal Pine Estates gives context to … More A Unique Neighborhood: The History of Royal Pine Estates
I know I’m a little late to this game, but I recently read Seneca’s essay, On the Shortness of Life, and was struck by how his message continues to be as relevant today as it was when he wrote it nearly 2,000 years ago (AD 49). Unfortunately, in all those years it seems most of … More When ambition and avarice distract from living a life
Distractions have always been a part of life and humans have generally found ways to cope with them. But the number of distractions that we encounter each day has grown at a frightening rate over the last decade. It was only 30 years ago this month that the first website made its debut on the … More A life less distracted
Imagine it’s a quiet evening and you’re watching TV with a close friend and someone starts banging on your door. You get up and open it a crack and you think you recognize the man as a distant acquaintance. He pushes open the door and starts arguing with you about politics. Even though you barely … More Cell phones dominate our existence and gave us Trump and the insurrection
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” George Bernard Shaw My incredulity of the absolute devotion of Trump’s supporters and my inability to understand it continues to haunt me. I’ve wondered if their unwavering allegiance is attributable to the differences in neurophysiology or maybe it’s Trump’s adroit ability to manipulate them by … More Does magical thinking define humans? Vitamin C and Trump’s zealots.
It’s been 10 years, almost to the day, since my original post on grade inflation, [1] so I thought it was time for an update. However, as I was looking into new data, I realized that grade inflation is just one part of a much bigger challenge facing society – not preparing our children for … More Return to Lake Wobegon, where every student receives an “A”
A few weeks ago, I went down the rabbit hole of trying to understand why some people appear willing to follow Trump to the ends of the earth. My conclusion was that neurophysiology may make a significant contribution to their eagerness. Since writing that blog post, I’ve come across a recent article that suggests his … More What the Hell is wrong with you people?
A week ago, I wrote about how thinking of things in a cosmic time and distance frameset could help put the COVID-19 pandemic in perspective. [1] I still think that’s true, but I realized I may have left too rosy of a picture of the universe. Allow me to dot the “I” on that story. … More Cake or death? Vacuum decay or heat death?
Confronting Mediocrity 