Cultural Hegemony in the United States October 23, 202410,287 words (~51 minutes) Tags: editorial first-person The culture of the United States is dominated by a hegemony based on the university system and resultant institutions and on tactics such as deplatforming and misrepresentation.
Some Researchers Do Not Realize that Moral Convictions against Abortion Exist October 13, 2024926 words (~4 minutes) Tags: editorial first-person induced abortion Is this actual ignorance or feigned ignorance for rhetorical purposes?
Book Review: The Identity Trap April 21, 20243,391 words (~16 minutes) Tags: book, article, or podcast review first-person Yascha Mounk gives a history of the ideas underlying identity politics and a story of how identity politics took over American culture, before arguing against its flaws.
Abortion Under-Reporting on the National Survey of Family Growth in Two Plots March 10, 20241,328 words (~6 minutes) Tags: analysis reproductive responsibility induced abortion NSFG first-person After more than a year, I am still trying to get my analysis work started.
Analysis of Viewpoints on Abortion Policy in Gallup Polling: Abortion is Not a "Magic Bullet" for Democrats December 24, 20236,065 words (~30 minutes) Tags: analysis reproductive responsibility public opinion politics induced abortion first-person Gallup polling reveals that Democrats' abortion platform is only supported by a minority of Americans, but due to low voter turnout in the United States, this can sometimes still win elections.
When "Left-wing" and "Right-wing" Are and Are Not Substantive Criticism October 29, 20231,994 words (~9 minutes) Tags: editorial fallacies first-person Labels such as “left-wing” or “right-wing” can be used as substantive criticism of partisan conformity, but they can also be used by partisans in order to dismiss viewpoints arbitrarily.
Book Review: The Myth of Left and Right October 1, 20231,814 words (~9 minutes) Tags: book, article, or podcast review first-person Hyrum and Verlan Lewis argue that construing viewpoints as “left-wing” or “right-wing” is based on false premises, and that the left-right dichotomy itself is harmful to public discourse.
Rhetoric about People "Who Look Like Me" April 2, 2023863 words (~4 minutes) Tags: editorial first-person On several occasions I have encountered admonitions against those who do not understand what it is like to grow up not seeing people who “look like you.” This article is a response.
Essentialism January 7, 20231,627 words (~8 minutes) Tags: philosophy first-person In this article, the philosophical position of essentialism is contrasted with that of nominalism, and examples of how essentialists' assertions are frustrating to nominalists are explored.
Study Enough Philosophy to Know Not to Study Philosophy December 31, 2022752 words (~3 minutes) Tags: editorial philosophy first-person This is a preface to a series of articles on philosophical positions with which I disagree that explains the rationale for the series.
"They," "Them," "Those People," and the Fallacy of Partisan Demagoguery June 14, 20223,190 words (~15 minutes) Tags: fallacies first-person Characterizations of partisan factions lead to the Straw Man Fallacy and to a kind of No True Scotsman Fallacy, and they empower polarized viewpoints at the expense of independent thinkers.
Discussion about Disagreement on the Rationally Speaking Podcast June 3, 20225,226 words (~26 minutes) Tags: book, article, or podcast review first-person Two interviews from Rationally Speaking about disagreement are reviewed: John Nerst’s discussion of low resolution abstraction, and Buster Benson’s learnings from arguments with friends and family.
