At some point in our species’ evolutionary history, gene replication (biological knowledge) became less important than meme replication (cultural knowledge) to guarantee our survival. Since that time, we have not really evolved biologically.
Tag: history
Yes, Things Have Been This Bad Before; In Fact, They’ve Been Far Worse
The president of the United States is fear-mongering over the approach of a convoy of Latin American immigrants to get his “base” to the polls. His Democratic opponents are pretending that every Republican voter is a potential mail-bomber, for the same purpose.
On Monsters
I believe we do our children and the world a major disservice when we fail to recognize one salient point about the evildoers that haunt society: before they were monsters, they were victims. Take one of the worst monsters in history, Adolf Hitler.
A Convenient Caravan: Cui Bono?
In an October 23 editorial, Investor’s Business Daily claims that “[t]he ‘caravan’ of illegal immigrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras now making its way to the U.S. border is no accident. The timing, planning and financing of this tragic parade has but one intent: to disrupt and influence our midterm elections.” An interesting assertion, but the piece doesn’t offer answers to any of the questions implied other than to blame Democrats for all things evil.
Trump Goes Postal; But in a Good Way
On October 17, president Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw the United States from the Universal Postal Union, a 144-year-old international agreement which coordinates postal policies between 192 member nations. Trump left open the possibility of remaining in the UPU if those policies can be successfully renegotiated. Unlike many of Trump’s initiatives relating to international trade, this one makes real sense.
Discounting Identity
I recently remarked: “Appealing to your identity is a reason to discount what you say, not a reason to pay extra attention.” Why do I believe this?
The Insidious Wiles of Foreign Influence: Trump, Bin Salman, and Netanyahu
Even if the Saudi monarchy or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in particular did not murder journalist Jamal Khashoggi, that regime is an especially evil one in both its domestic and international conduct. To see that, one need only consider the horrendous Saudi war against the people of Yemen, with the backing of the U.S. government starting with Barack Obama.
One Libertarian’s Free (Well, Nearly Free) College Plan
With college as we know it becoming less valuable and online/distance learning becoming more viable, change is coming whether we like it or not. Why not seize an opportunity for “free college” as we wind down the existing system?
Victory Against Evil Is Never Final
I was talking with some church friends last night about the frustrating cycle of history found in the Biblical stories. People turn to violence and injustice and fall to violence and injustice again and again, cycle after cycle. It’s really depressing. If you look more broadly, you can find the same cycle of failure and redemption and new failure in stories and in history. We see the same evils coming back again and again. And there is no guarantee that good done now will obviously last forever.
Facebook Meddles in the 2018 Midterm Elections
Who benefits from the meddling? It doesn’t seem to fall along “left/right” lines in particular. The victims come from across the political spectrum — from Reverb Press on the left, to Right Wing News on the right, to the libertarian Free Thought Project — some with millions of Facebook followers.