Our Atavistic Fears
When I sit in my garden office, I often smile at the squirrels, rabbits, and birds as they move about eating and socializing. But on the times that I see the local black snake, I cringe a bit. Now,…
Coexist Part 1: Framing the Issue
It is good that war is so horrible, or we might grow to like it. Robert E. Lee. I frequently see cars with the Coexist bumper sticker. When I see them, I often wonder about the person who put the…
Part 2—What is in a Name?
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene 2. William Shakespeare Abstract: Names matter. They shape how we deal with people, objects, and concepts. People…
The E in DIE
Social justice groups use the figure above as a meme to show the DIE (Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity) movement to illustrate equity. If all we are discussing is these three people, then it may make some sense. But there is…
Truth is the First Casualty of…Unchecked Power
Three years after the US’s catastrophic run from Afghanistan, most Americans have no clue what happened. No one has stood up and taken responsibility. Five years after the killings that triggered Black Lives Matter (BLM) most Americans do not really…
The Tragedy of the Commons: Rational Actor
This is a follow on to Tragedy of the Commons: The Political Commons. It specifically looks at the rationality implied in Ostrom’s 8 points and the Rational Actor/Choice, Game, and Agency theories. What happens if the rational hypothesis fails…
Why do we act in other than our self-interest? Is the rational actor/choice theory valid?
Over a few blog entries (see the Defending the Republic series), I have wondered why people who do not seem to benefit from social justice efforts support and endorse them. Why would a white male push an agenda designed…
Trump Assassination Attempt and the Golden Spike
In Part 4 of the Operant Conditioning series, I used the golden sike that united the trans-continental railroad: Why do we need to do this? Because we have lost the art of constructive debate. Both sides rely on far more…
Virginia Board of Education: Transgender Policy
This blog builds on Critical Thinking and Policy Development and Analysis, Critical Thinking: Logic and Rationality, Critical Thinking: An Introduction to Key Components and Dimensions, Critical Thinking: Bounded Rationality and Time, Critical Thinking: Credence and Veracity, and A Solutions-Based Approach…
Critical Thinking and Policy: The Wars on Drugs and Poverty
In an effective government, the first rule of policy is to set goals and the implementing processes to accomplish them. Politicians and the bureaucracy, however, run the government. The first rule of politicians is to get re-elected. The first rule…
