Tag archives: Roberts Big Questions
Trump famously asked why we can’t have more immigrants from Norway and fewer from “shithole countries.” But what makes a country a shithole country? I have often approached this from the other end: What makes a country civilized? I have generally offered two minimal requirements: 1) True universal healthcare 2) Good public transportation (especially high-speed […]
With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethical concerns have been raised about whether AIs can be conscious. And whether they can suffer. I find this interesting for many reasons. Notably, we already know that the animals we eat can suffer, yet we raise them in horrific factory farming conditions. Why the speculative concern about […]
If there were cameras in every public space, it might lower the prison population. How? Fear of being caught is an effective deterrent. That concept comes from Italian criminologist Cesare Beccaria’s 1764 publication On Crimes and Punishments: Certainty of punishment is more important than severity of punishment. Researcher Daniel Nagin refined this claim in his […]
Much was written for America’s 250th birthday. But some points bear viewing from a new angle. First, the U.S. was the first country that established a secular government, not tied to any religion or supernatural-adjacent authority. Past monarchs claimed their power derived from a sky god. The Founders were a product of the Enlightenment. They […]
In the early days of the internet our company had a software engineer who managed our internet connection as a side job. When something went wrong, he often had this answer: “Works for me!” How often do you encounter someone with this attitude that if it works for them that is all that matters? If […]
Spectator sports have rarely held much interest for me for a variety of reasons. But recently I came across this concept that may explain why: “Participatory in feeling. Passive in outcome.” Sports fans will often say something like “We beat the Patriots” or “We’re Number One.” Of course, the fan was usually just sitting on […]
Brandon (10) and his brother Legend (7) asked their parents, Jessica Ivey and Samuele Jenkins, if they could walk to the Food Lion supermarket and Subway; less than ten minutes walk from their Gastonia, NC, apartment. The parents were very protective of their kids and reluctantly said yes, but they had to stay on the […]
Who do you think of when you hear the word “elites”? The term has come to mean “educated.” But 100 years ago, it was about economic power. And most people understood which party stood for the economic elites. Franklin Roosevelt made this point very clearly in his 1936 acceptance speech for the Democratic Party nomination: […]
The left used to want tariffs on imports to protect American union jobs. Now it is the far right MAGA that wants tariffs. Why? Trump had no economic policy until he asked Jared Kushner for one. Jared searched on Amazon for a cool book title Death by China. Co-author Peter Navarro cited expert Ron Vara […]
Many Americans feel that the country is headed in the wrong direction. They feel they spend more and get less. Many factors feed this sense but here I want to focus on a nearly 60-year-old idea from late economist William Baumol called “Cost Disease.” There was rage in this recent election about inflation. But inflation […]
I do a lot of scanning for my work. My Microtek scanner of many years died and could not be repaired because Microtek went out of business. The only replacement option was an all-in-one printer and scanner. I chose Epson. The software that comes with these all-in-one devices is not usable for anyone doing serious […]
As a secular humanist, I don’t do Christmas. But I enjoy the end of year ritual of sending “holiday” cards. A few dozen people get real cards, and a larger circle get emails. Some of these people are close friends. But some are family and friends with whom I rarely have contact. Sometimes for years […]
You have probably heard of educator Salman Khan and his Khan Academy. I recently attended a talk he gave for UCSB. Khan had been a hedge fund analyst. A good family man, he wanted to help his cousin Nadya with her math back in 2004. He tutored her over the phone and was able to […]
There is no single explanation for the popularity of Trump. But one thread is that he can “get stuff [sh-t] done.” Supporters (MAGAs) don’t care about his long history of cheating people out of their money, his talk of “grabbing pussies”, or even that he violently tried to overthrow an election. “He gets stuff done.” […]
Reflecting on this election involves both Big Questions and smaller thoughts. Some of my friends offer conspiracies of how the election was rigged. For weeks we knew that this election was too close to call. Statistician Nate Silver predicted the election had a 40% chance of being a blowout for either side. In short: I […]
Almost five years ago I was honored to be hired by MoJo CEO and Executive Editor Gwyn Lurie. “What is Truth?” was her recommendation for my first article. Neuroscientist/podcaster Sam Harris raised a related point: “There are an infinite number of facts one could choose to focus on. And the act of focusing changes how […]
As I finish this, dock workers have paused their strike in the East and Gulf Coast. Workers have won a bigger cut of the massive profits of the shipping industry. But they are still demanding a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates and container-moving trucks used for loading and unloading freight. Two years […]
For over 30 years, we worked to get bicycle lanes and safe pedestrian crossings in Old Town Goleta. Endless meetings, hearings, studies, surveys and public input. It was never enough. Seven lanes were devoted to motor vehicles: Four traffic lanes, a center turn lane and two lanes for parking motor vehicles. But no room for […]
How can we use behavior science to persuade people to solve the Climate Crisis? I recently attended a UCSB Psychology talk on this subject. To me, facts and evidence should be enough. It takes a lot more than that for most people. It turns out that people who are most environmentally aware are often worse […]
“We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it.” This menacing threat came from Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts. This is in reference to their Project 2025. Last year I wrote “Conspiracy Theories Not What They Used to Be?” contrasting real conspiracies with muddled paranoid […]
