Monthly Archives: October 2008

Most Evil

In honor of Halloween, let’s discuss evil.  Dr. Michael Stone is a man obsessed with it, and his obsession makes for an engaging cable show on Investigation Discovery. Most Evil has cracked open the tumultuous minds of the most notorious criminals in … Continue reading

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Jonathan Haidt on the Moral Roots of Ideology

Jonathan Haidt, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and author of The Happiness Hypothesis, wrote a provocative article for Edge not long ago about the moral roots of ideology, which garnered some notable responses.   The article and responses are … Continue reading

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Filed under About Belief, About Morality, Videos

Wrapping Your Mind Around Identity Politics

Of all the viruses that equally infect both the left and right of the political spectrum, ‘identity politics’ may be the most virulent.  But since it’s a non-partisan bug, merrily hopping from one political bent to the next, it’s also … Continue reading

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Filed under About Belief, About Perception, Videos

This is Your Brain on Treats

What do blood glucose, marijuana and Republican political slogans have in common?  Check out this article in Scientific American to find out.  The psychology of snacking is always a tasty topic to munch on, and one that never fails to … Continue reading

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Filed under About Neuroscience

So Long Theory of Everything, We Hardly Knew Ye

Over at Rationally Speaking, Massimo Pigliucci has posted a quite excellent synopsis of brand new research that throws the much-hoped-for Theory of Everything into the perennial trash bin of lost theories.  This has obvious implications for physics, where the hunger for the … Continue reading

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The Lucifer Effect: An Interview with Dr. Philip Zimbardo

Social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has been studying the anatomy of human psychology for nearly four decades. In the summer of 1971, Dr. Zimbardo created the classic Stanford Prison Experiment, a simulation of prison life that investigated a provocative question: what happens when … Continue reading

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More Metaphors, Colonel?

Scientific American has a good piece on the use of metaphors in the “war on terror.” The power of a single metaphor, like “war,” can have massive implications for foreign and domestic policy. Consider the arguments in support of the … Continue reading

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Filed under About Perception