The notion of integrity—being what you say you are—remained unwritten but implicit in a recent magazine column* entitled “Issue of the week: Too wealthy to pay taxes?” Continue reading
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Blog 107. Hanging the laundry
It occurred to me as I lifted the load from the washer, up into the dryer. Why don’t we hang out the laundry any more? Continue reading
Blog 106. Can we govern ourselves?
The U.S. struggles to act as the world’s policeman, but we can’t help others unless they can govern themselves.
The crucial question is: Can we govern ourselves?
Continue reading
Blog 105. What trickles down?
President Reagan proposed that it’s ok for the rich to get richer because wealth would “trickle down” to the poor. That doesn’t seem to have worked well, but something else does trickle down. Culture. Continue reading
Blog 104. Why scientists have no power
Not electrical power. The other kind, social power. The ability to influence other people and events. What psychologist Dacher Keltner says is the ability to make a difference. Continue reading
Blog 103. Are we terrorizing ourselves?
There’s a social science of terrorism. Science News magazine* devoted a special article to the research of anthropologist Scott Atran** of the University of Michigan. Atran has been on the battlefields of ISIS, Continue reading
Blog 102. Media fairness is phony
In the June 21-27 issue of The Nation magazine,* journalism professor Eric Alderman says America has been “badly served” by the format of the media he calls “phony both sides.” Continue reading
Blog 101. What terrorism isn’t
The nation seems caught in a fear of terrorism because fear makes good political sound bytes. Stoke their fear and you’ve got their votes. Continue reading