Category Archives: Character

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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Merrily Posteth the Fool!

Posted on September 29, 2013 by jackpelham

Here’s one of the best Shakespeare quotations ever!  And my, how it applies to our modern hearsay/Facebook culture! “Merrily posteth the Fool, yet vetteth not, that which he wast but told I had said.” Shakespeare ~ Twelfth Night, Act II, … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Humor, Politics, Religion | Leave a comment

On the Folly of Specialism

Posted on September 12, 2013 by jackpelham

So where did we ever come up with the idea that the ideal achievement in knowledge is to become a specialist? A generalist knows how a thousand things fit together, but the typical specialist knows only his particular specialty, and … Continue reading →

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My Constant Frustration

Posted on August 17, 2013 by jackpelham

I live my life under the constant frustration that things of fundamental and preeminent importance must so frequently take a back seat to the practical business of being a worker/consumer cog in the prevailing economic machine.  And the machine does … Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, Ambitions, Character, Consumerism, Dysrationalia | Leave a comment

One in One Hundred Thousand

Posted on July 25, 2013 by jackpelham

Do you see the white speck in the black field below?  I picked these colors for maximum contrast.  There are about 100,000 pixels in this square and only one of them isn’t black. I estimate that about 1 in 100,000 … Continue reading →

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You Are Only Half Right About Bias

Posted on July 19, 2013 by jackpelham

bi’·as noun an inclination of temperament or outlook; especially : a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment : prejudice ——————————— I observe that you are only half right about bias, friend.  You are spot on with what you think already, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Dysrationalia, Philosophy | Leave a comment

What Intelligence Tests Miss

Posted on July 7, 2013 by jackpelham

These are my notes for: What Intelligence Tests Miss:  The Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith E. Stanovich This book is profoundly important as it highlights a crucial deficit in the American awareness of its own cognitive health.  I found … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Dysrationalia, Logic, Reading, Science | Leave a comment

What is My “World View”?

Posted on July 6, 2013 by jackpelham

Every once in a while, someone inquires about my “world view”.   Here it is: There is nothing unreal in the entire known Universe, with the one exception of what happens in the imaginations of humans. Humans often get trapped in … Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, Character, Consumerism, Dysrationalia, Economy, Ethics, Fallacy, History, Logic, Paradigms, Pelham's Laws, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science | 1 Comment

30-Year Class Reunion: Finally Ready for High School!

Posted on July 5, 2013 by jackpelham

I hate that I’m missing my 30-year reunion today, it being 2,136 miles away and coming at a time when I just can’t break away from work.   But it’s had me thinking for several weeks now: How was high school?  … Continue reading →

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Where Lies the Bulk of Human Evils

Posted on June 30, 2013 by jackpelham

It is my observation that the bulk of human evils lies in the taking of that which does not really belong to the taker.  Let me count the ways: Taking conclusions, opinions, or beliefs that are not fairly derived from … Continue reading →

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