Category Archives: Character

New Definition of “Liberalism”

Posted on November 9, 2012 by jackpelham

I don’t normally like to get into discussions about “conservatism” or “liberalism” because not only do I find those words troublingly undefined, but I find those who use them to be far too cavalier for my taste—bantering about without really … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Politics | 3 Comments

Entitlement is Unnatural

Posted on November 8, 2012 by jackpelham

If we were to observe nature at work, and if we were willing to anthropomorphize the cosmos, as if it had human qualities, what might we say that the cosmos “owes” to new humans who are born into it? For … Continue reading →

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On the Quarrelling in the Ron Paul / Liberty Movement

Posted on November 4, 2012 by jackpelham

What follows is an essay I posted in response to a participant’s complaint at DailyPaul.com.  The complaint was about quarreling amongst Liberty Movement people.

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The Irony of Solving Puzzles About Which Hardly Anyone Cares

Posted on November 3, 2012 by jackpelham

“Eureka!  I’ve got it!” “Ah, so that’s the answer!” “Holy Cow!  We’ve been wrong all along!” “OK, I think I’ve finally got it figured out.” These kinds of moments are fairly common in my house.  Between Kay’s studies and my … Continue reading →

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Pelham’s Law of Cognitive Error

Posted on October 14, 2012 by jackpelham

Pelham’s Law of Cognitive Error:  “I am most likely wrong about many things.” Cognitive science has solidly identified certain traits of human behavior by which people operate habitually at a sub-optimal level.  We make frequent cognitive errors, some of which … Continue reading →

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Commentary: The Coup De Grace by Ambrose Bierce

Posted on September 5, 2012 by jackpelham

This post is in response to a question sent in by a reader earlier today: I’m currently taking a Biomedical Ethics course at the college. Your writings cover a wide range of topics and interests so I thought you would … Continue reading →

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The Naked Brain by Richard Restak, M.D.

Posted on September 2, 2012 by jackpelham

These are my brief notes about: The Naked Brain: How the emerging neurosociety is changing how we live, work, and love by Richard Restak, M.D.

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The False Left-Brain/Right-Brain Dilemma

Posted on August 31, 2012 by jackpelham

It’s too bad that people tend to look at such diagrams with the false left-brain/right-brain dilemma in mind. They totally ignore the function of the corpus callosum, the spaghetti-like mass that links both sides of the brain together so that … Continue reading →

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Well, Hush My Fingers!

Posted on August 29, 2012 by jackpelham

OK, it’s embarrassing, but here’s how it went down.

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A Walk in the Cemetery

Posted on August 22, 2012 by jackpelham

One of the late Stephen Covey’s famous “7 Habits of Highly Successful People” was “Start with the end in mind.”  He suggested that one should consider what he would like to have said about him at his funeral, and then … Continue reading →

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