20 Sep, 2023
A recent Aeon-Psyche article stated that "language both enables and interferes with our grasp of reality". Indeed, our language enables our communication and/but will also result in confusion (eg, meaning, translation). Actually, everything that enables will also interfere (eg, life vs death). This phenomenon may relate to dualism (eg, knowledge = power) and/or...
13 Sep, 2023
There's a Dutch saying that translates like the shore will stop the ship (ie, #16). There's no English equivalent. To some extent, it means that you can only push someone or things so far before they break (eg, source). I was reminded of this saying after reading that the GOP in Alabama ignores court rulings. My blog title has an implicit question: Is reality (eg,...
6 Sep, 2023
Growth refers to many different topics: body, brain, business, cancer, climate, economy, ethics, inflation, politics, population, and the Universe. We use many different adjectives to describe growth, like: absolute, actual, historical, marginal, projected, relative. A decline is even negative growth. Source: Our World in Data The population diagram for 1750-2100...
5 Sep, 2023
My blog title has been on my list of topics for some time. I didn’t know how to address it. The recent news about a nurse, being a Female Serial Killer (eg, Guardian, 24 August), changed my perspective. This excerpt bothered me though: “babies who were grievously ill”. Most known serial killers are male, while only few are female. Guardian-2023: Female Serial...
31 Aug, 2023
Recently, I noticed this British Psychological Society article: Are people more honest than we think? I don't lie as I'm not intelligent enough to remember what I lied about, to whom, and when. A former colleague once joked that our then-boss must have been very, very intelligent (pun intended). The above must apply to most people. Hence, the outcome of this article...
24 Aug, 2023
Recently, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant featured an article about preventing trans women from entering female chess tournaments. The article featured this (translated) quote: "The purpose [LO: of new game rules] is to keep [the game] as inclusive and honest for everyone." Note: markings by LO. The word "and" bothered me. In my view, the words inclusive and honest...
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