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.

Intensity and Frequency: The New Normal Cannot be Normal at All

September 13, 2023

They are here now, faster and more furious than ever. The increasing intensity and frequency of “extreme weather events” is blatently apparent and associated with ‘global warming.’ Yet, television “meteorologists,” as they call themselves, can muster no more concern than to remark as to how many new high-temperature records were broken today, or what a … More Intensity and Frequency: The New Normal Cannot be Normal at All

The Mug: Cultural Collapse and the Autocratic Attempt

August 30, 2023

Last Thursday, a practiced persona of cruelty and vindictiveness appeared to saturate the only mug shot of a former president in the history of the United States of America. “The Face,” his employees had called the scowl they had seen too often. We might wonder what that implies about his worldview and behavior, if that … More The Mug: Cultural Collapse and the Autocratic Attempt

Priorities: Living Well vs. Predatory Extraction

August 16, 2023

Lots of evidence from social science research makes it clear that we live much more by habit than by rational decisions about most things we do and say. We live in complex social, political, and economic systems that not only overlap but influence our lives in more ways than just about anyone could list. Our … More Priorities: Living Well vs. Predatory Extraction

Everything Everywhere Coming at Us from All Directions

July 19, 2023

 It was 100ᴼ Fahrenheit in Santa Fe over the weekend. Okay, no big deal compared to Phoenix at, what was it? 114ᴼF? Of course, the waters around the tip of the Florida Peninsula this week hit near hot-tub levels of around 97ᴼ F. I could cite many other examples from all over the world, of … More Everything Everywhere Coming at Us from All Directions

How Green is the New “Green New Deal”?

July 6, 2023

When Senator Markey and Representative Ocasio Cortez first introduced their resolution calling on the U.S. to pass a “Green New Deal” (GND), I was enthused to realize that two members of the legislature could actually call upon their colleagues to take the nation in a whole new direction by directly confronting the growing climate crisis … More How Green is the New “Green New Deal”?

Carbon vs. Conservation: On the Necessary Maturing of the ‘Environmental Movement’

June 21, 2023

I ran across a fascinating and very important article the other day on LinkedIn, thanks to Erica Gies, author of Water Always Wins, who reposted it from Charles Eisenstein’s Substack.com platform. The importance of Eisenstein’s essay is that it clarifies the often-blurred line between the ideal and the real in what many loosely call ‘climate … More Carbon vs. Conservation: On the Necessary Maturing of the ‘Environmental Movement’

Clash of Values or Will to Power? Commerce Confronts Catastrophe

June 7, 2023

These days we hear a great deal about the sustainability or unsustainability of intentionally endless economic growth on a finite planet. Some argue for “green growth,” and claim that we can somehow ‘decouple’ economic growth and environmental damage so that growth can continue as a key component of business-as-usual. While that view has considerable support … More Clash of Values or Will to Power? Commerce Confronts Catastrophe

Is the Over-Population Crisis a Non-Starter?

April 26, 2023

Overpopulation has been an on-and-off issue for many decades. With the publication of Paul Ehrlich’s book, The Population Bomb in 1971, the issue came to a head…for a while. Then, with the apparent hopelessness of controlling population growth through public policy, few talked much about it for several decades. The idea of population control languished, … More Is the Over-Population Crisis a Non-Starter?

Life Expectancy and the Complexity of Inequality

April 11, 2023

Inequality is an odd word. First, it’s a negative, that is, it represents the absence of something; that something is equality. Equality is a simple term meaning that one thing is equal or the same as another. In economic affairs it is usually talked about in terms of equal opportunity, not equality of outcomes. Economists, … More Life Expectancy and the Complexity of Inequality

Words and Deeds: Entanglements of Hope and Doom

March 16, 2023

Many years ago, I read an article by Irwin Deutscher titled, “Words and Deeds: Social Science and Social Policy.” It was his 1965 presidential address to the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), published in 1966 in the journal, Social Problems. Deutscher was alluding to the fact that most of the data collected … More Words and Deeds: Entanglements of Hope and Doom