Academia is absolutely rife with corruption, and it’s a dirty, disgusting secret I’d love to let you in on. Somewhere along the lines, a maternal authority figure should have advised you against crying over spilled milk. It’s a great little aphorism of stoicism, but in the case of an incident at the University of Maryland,…
Author: cgill1138
Musings on Easter
Easter time is here, happiness and cheer… *Vince Guaraldi’s dulcet tones continue to warm the soul. Or something like that. Like Christmas, Easter is a busy time for my church-employed family. As far as pew-filling goes, it can’t hold a candle to Silent Night on Christmas, but it’s the holiday of Christianity from a theological perspective. It’s…
Useless Advice
“Live each day as if it were your last.” I doubt it’s a recent saying. I know Horace phrased it “carpe diem” in antiquity. I’m sure it predates the written word by aeons. It’s such insipid, useless advice, and it’s continued existence is a testament that mankind has never actually figured out much of anything…
Psychology’s Reproduciblity and Media Obliviousness
“Remember that study that found that most psychology studies were wrong?” asks Slate writer Rachel Gross. Not even, “did you hear”, but “do you remember”. There is now no longer a question as to if this matter needs explained first. It’s already common knowledge. Everybody’s read this study. If you haven’t, you’re behind. Just play…
He Who Cannot Be Stumped
In the halcyon days of last autumn, I thought that the Trump campaign was just wasting everyone’s time before an inevitable Icarian plummet to Earth. I was completely wrong. I prefer to think of it as optimism, not naivité, but frankly I can’t mount much of a defense against my ignorance. I underestimated any number…
Democracy Versus Republic
A reoccurring meme posted by conservatives and constitutionalist types will look something like this: “In a democracy, as long as a majority decides they want something, they can take it from you. But in a republic, you have inherent rights to your property that cannot be taken away. America is a Republic, not a democracy.”…
Scientific Literacy & Optimism on the Political Spectrum
The U.S. General Social Survey is fairly substantial data trawl that looks for a variety of demographic and opinion data from US residents. Science literacy and political views–or at least proxies for these–are among the pieces of information sought out. There is a general stereotype that liberals tend to be more scientifically literate and more…
No Evidence that the Holocaust is Heritable
What makes a man? This is the perennial question of mankind. In recent years, advancements in biology and medicine have given us a thousand new ways to ponder that question. We may have stopped looking for a literal soul, but the line between nature and nurture is a fun one to skim. Our genetic code,…
Judas Iscariot the Role Model
‘That upper spirit Who hath worst punishment,’ so spake my guide ‘Is Judas, he that hath his head within And plies the feet without.’ -From Dante’s Inferno, canto 34, lines 55-59 He’s a crucial character in probably the most well-known story in the world. In Sunday school we learn that Judas betrays Jesus to the…
The Tale of Max Martin
Once upon a time (2014)… The great kings of the music industry were worried. The harvest season had come, yet no one in all the lands had gathered enough music to make a platinum record. You see, international debts at the time were paid using platinum–in high demand in the Orient–while domestic debts were paid…