Category: Culture

A system of values and beliefs that organize a society and result in various practices and artifacts that are associated with the general characteristics of that society.

Capital Contradiction: The Fundamental Flaw that Dooms the Corporate-Growth Economy

August 23, 2014

The corporate cheerleaders of the last stages of the dying unlimited-growth economy still argue that “growth” is necessary for a healthy economy. The role of growth in our economic culture seemed secure, until the cracks in its foundation grew ominous. Now it’s a big question. As the argument goes, capital growth spurs technological innovation, which … More Capital Contradiction: The Fundamental Flaw that Dooms the Corporate-Growth Economy

The Incredible Darkness of Being…Confronted by a Racist Cop

August 19, 2014

The recent police killing of a young black male which has gained national media attention is in most ways not unique. We never hear of most of them. What distinguished Michael Brown’s murder and generated so much outrage was the fact that it was so clearly a “killing of choice,” not of necessity. It’s not … More The Incredible Darkness of Being…Confronted by a Racist Cop

Chaotic Convergence

August 11, 2014

In the New Age idea of “harmonic convergence,” there are a few “power centers” around the world. Near the beautiful cliffs surrounding Sedona, AZ, for example, people are said to experience converging forces of spiritual energy. But another convergence is taking place and it has nothing to do with stunning red-rock landscapes or mystical feelings … More Chaotic Convergence

Imperious Imaginaries and the Necessities of Now

August 1, 2014

Power over Nature is an old cultural ideal in the Western world.  It seemed largely achieved by the exploding rate of industrial invention in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  This core western value continues unabated today.  A major downside of the unprecedented successes of the industrial age is the growth of a deep  institutionalized hubris. … More Imperious Imaginaries and the Necessities of Now

Science and Our Sanity: We Need the One to Keep the Other

July 28, 2014

The world has become so complex these days that it is often hard to find solid ground to stand on. The barrage of all kinds of claims to the truth is unrelenting. Not only arguments of fact and complex detail, but subtle and not so subtle images of glory or destruction compete for our attention. … More Science and Our Sanity: We Need the One to Keep the Other

How to Change the Economic Culture…and Save the Planet

June 25, 2014

It’s pretty clear that the corporate state is in control of the economic culture of the U.S. and that of most other nations as well. As environmentalists try to get enough attention to explain what is obvious about climate change, the scientific information is minimized, suppressed, or distorted.  We’re told that the best solutions to … More How to Change the Economic Culture…and Save the Planet

The Liberal Conservative and the Conservative Liberal

June 3, 2014

Political labels along the supposed continuum from left to right have always been problematic for me. As a professor long ago explained to us naïve freshmen in an introductory political science class in college, if you move far enough to the left, you end up on the right and if you move far enough to … More The Liberal Conservative and the Conservative Liberal

Incarceration Nation

May 21, 2014

The U.S. imprisons a greater portion of its citizens than any other nation in the world. We also incarcerate a larger absolute number of prisoners than any other nation, even China! What does this tell us about our culture and about how “social control” is exercised in America? One thing is certain: more and more … More Incarceration Nation