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Inauguration Day 2025 - Martin Luther King Day
Hello Readers,
Regardless of one's politics, the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States marks a significant point in American History, one that seemed unthinkable to many of us just 10 years ago. This seems like an appropriate time to publicly launch my website/blog, especially with the irony of the inauguration taking place on Martin Luther King Day. This is very much still a work-in-progress, so comments from readers will be especially appreciated as I hone this site.
If you, like I, have been trying to make sense of this seemingly crazy and ever more complicated world, this site is for you.
The main focus of this site is to use a multidisciplinary approach to attempt to discuss complex, contemporary issues from an objective and pragmatic perspective. And while at first blush that approach may not seem particularly unique, it seems surprisingly rare these days. Analysis often leans toward editorial advocacy, similar to listening to only the prosecutor or defense attorney in a court case. One side is presented in the strongest possible way, and the other side is trivialized and represented weakly. What passes for political debate is often two extremes yelling at each other. A lot of talking, and very little listening. Objectivity is a word that has somehow gone out of favor.
And ideally my goal is to do this all with a sense of humor, respect, and acceptance. This site is very much a work in progress, so I welcome thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticism.
A Bit of Background
Although I think of myself as skilled in logic and critical thinking through education and experience, that did not prepare me for the change in the political landscape and the increasing polarization that we have been seeing. How could people see things so differently, and how could seemingly reasonable people make such seemingly unreasonable decisions? Clearly there were things that I didn't understand, things that I had wrong.
A key turning point for me came in October of 2016, the month before Trump was first elected President, when I attended a lecture given by David Ropeik through the Parker Lecture Series[1] in my hometown of Lowell, MA. His lecture focused on the work of Daniel Kahneman and the book Thinking Fast and Slow.[2] A book that describes the way in which our human subconscious (fast thinking) and conscious (slow thinking) interact. It made me realize that as much as we have come to think of humans as unique individuals, we share many similar mental traits that influence our thinking and approaches. These traits affect our perceptions and decision-making. One of the most fascinating traits that we share is that we tend to deny that we have those traits.
Much effort has been made to categorize these traits, now commonly called "cognitive biases" and the closely related "logical fallacies." As of this writing, Wikipedia lists well over 200 such biases and fallacies[3]. The reason for this focus on cognitive biases is based on the theory that if we educate ourselves and others about these biases, we can overcome them, thereby becoming more rational thinkers which will reduce polarization. Thus, many believe that more education on critical thinking is an antidote to polarization. This is the case that noted Psychologist and Harvard Professor Steven Pinker eloquently makes in his popular book Rationality[4].
This all made sense to me. But then I saw a Pew research poll in 2019 that demonstrated a sharp decline in confidence/respect for the value of education[5]. The poll showed that only half of Americans think that colleges and universities have a positive effect on our country. Among Republicans, that number was 33%, down from 53% in less than a decade! That is truly a mind-blowing and sobering statistic. More education is a great ideal, but doesn't achieving that require that education is valued? How do we promote education and critical thinking to those who believe our educational institutions don't have value? Aren't those the very people we need to reach most?
That got me to start thinking differently. I enrolled in a Master's program at UMass Boston in Critical and Creative Thinking[6] to ponder this further. To step back and consider how well-meaning efforts to reduce polarization can actually contribute to polarization. Telling someone that they are flawed or wrong (even when they are) is not usually a winning strategy for changing minds. In reality, it may be more likely to trigger fighting instincts, to create an enemy, to close a mind instead of encouraging thought.
I graduated from the program in 2022. I have spent the last 2 years in internal debate with myself, trying to figure out the best path forward. I still don't have many answers, just lots of questions. But asking "why?" is one of the most important components of critical thinking. There is an old joke about a yeshiva student who asks: "Rabbi, why do you always answer a question with a question?" And the rabbi replies: "Why not?"
Why did I decide to start this site? Why not?
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein
- ↑ Moses Greeley Parker Lectures https://www.parkerlectures.com/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationality_(book)
- ↑ https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/08/19/the-growing-partisan-divide-in-views-of-higher-education-2/#:~:text=A%20new%20Pew%20Research%20Center%20survey%20finds%20that,negative%20impact%20%E2%80%93%20up%20from%2026%25%20in%202012.
- ↑ https://catalog.umb.edu/content.php?catoid=53&navoid=8860
