Author Archives: jackpelham

Pelham’s Law of Social Dissonance

Posted on January 6, 2015 by jackpelham

In a relativist culture, the more beliefs one person communicates to another, the greater the likelihood that dissonance between their conflicting beliefs will spur the listener not to like the one communicating. In a culture (or subculture) in which people … Continue reading →

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Nine Good Moves I Made in 2014

Posted on December 27, 2014 by jackpelham

Looking back on 2014, it seems I’ve done nine things in particular that are proving to have been good strategic moves for life.  Here they are, in no particular order. 1.  Throwing the football (and Frisbee) with my son, James.  … Continue reading →

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Regulating Certainty

Posted on September 10, 2014 by jackpelham

Here’s a graphical representation (below) of a model I’m currently considering.  It regards the question of how we should regulate our level of certainty on any particular belief.  The idea is simple:  We need to understand first the nature of … Continue reading →

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A Little Activist Irony

Posted on March 15, 2014 by jackpelham

What do activists do?  Well, they try to motivate others to “wake up” and change things that need changing. “And what’s ironic about that?”, you ask. What’s ironic about that is that a great many activists are attempting to bring … Continue reading →

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The Belief Box

Posted on March 5, 2014 by jackpelham

Billy has a box.  In his box is a belief.  It is both important and special—a belief to be guarded and treasured—something of which to be proud and confident. He was given the belief long ago by a highly-trusted person … Continue reading →

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Pelham’s “Hacking” Epiphanies

Posted on February 16, 2014 by jackpelham

Some paradigms disappoint because they turn out to be simply dysfunctional, while others seem to work immediately upon adoption, fulfilling our vision for them in a most satisfactory way.  But then there is a third kind of paradigm.  This sort … Continue reading →

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A Major Shift in Strategy

Posted on February 16, 2014 by jackpelham

For years I have been re-thinking my beliefs and learning that many of them have been wrong.  I have tried regularly to convince others along the way, but have failed almost without exception.  Generally speaking, it is as if I … Continue reading →

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What A Dad Can Do

Posted on January 2, 2014 by jackpelham

In the middle of a remodeling project today, I (accidentally) broke a water line, creating a gusher flowing from the wall of the bathroom underneath the sink.  Naturally, this provided fun for the whole family as we engineered a way … Continue reading →

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An Important Note to All My (Real) Readers

Posted on January 2, 2014 by jackpelham

Dear Readers, I have been attacked by computerized spam registrations on my blog site (jackpelham.com).  I have over 1,500 registered users who are not real people.   Therefore, I am about to purge my users list. This means that those of … Continue reading →

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Seven Good Moves I Made in 2013

Posted on January 1, 2014 by jackpelham

In a gratuitous attempt at positive thinking, I thought it would be useful (to me) to document a few of my 2013 activities that turned out to be good ones.  So, without further adieu, here is a list, in no … Continue reading →

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