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Tag Archives: rationality
9 Insights into the (Misnamed) Pro-Life Movement
Wh
y, after all these years, are we still talking, reading, and writing about why abortion should (or shouldn’t) be legal? In the United States, at least, so long as a woman’s right to control her own body is under threat, we must continue to have this discussion and tell our stories.
Katha Pollitt, author, essayist, poet, and long-time columnist for The Nation, … Read more
12 Ways to Raise a Savvy Skeptic
Skepticism is sometimes given a bad rap.
Skeptical doesn’t mean cynical. Raising your kids to be mindful, to question, to apply critical thinking to ideas that are popular in the culture (often undeservedly), will help them become more informed and woo-averse adults. So how do you raise a little Bright?
A DOZEN IDEAS TO TRY:
1. Teach your child to see everything in new … Read more
Posted in A Rational Woman
Tagged children, mindfulness, parenting, rationality, skepticism
1 Comment
The 9 Commandments
Say it’s an extremely hot day, and you’re out in the sun and get a vision. Metaphorically, of course. You ponder what might be on the tablets you’d bring down from a mountain to share with the world, your own version of the ten commandments. Because, obviously, only about four of the so-called Biblical commandments have any value whatsoever in a rational world.
So make … Read more
6 Silly Things You Shouldn’t Do
Even the most psychologically and philosophically aware among us make mistakes. As a Bright, I believe that most of us aim to behave rationally most of the time. So how come we sometimes act in mindless ways that aren’t in our best interests?
Here are some ideas for bringing daily actions more in line with a belief in rationality:
6 SILLY THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T DO:… Read more
6 Irrational Things I Hate
It isn’t just me, is it? Don’t we all deplore certain types of people, people who persist in believing and acting in ways we find loathsome?
When I encounter certain irrational behaviors, my irritation risks rising into exasperation. So it’s time to vent.
Following are some of the triggers that derail my equanimity and compel me to find solutions. Can you relate?
1. People who … Read more
Posted in A Rational Woman
Tagged anger, behavior, corporations, democracy, godliness, irrationality, people, rationality
5 Comments
Kill Your Cat
My mother’s cat died today. My mother, turning 84, is a cat person, and I’m not. It’s not just that I’m allergic to their dander. This cat, Missy, hissed at me from the start, and always threatened to scratch me or anyone who came too close.
This post isn’t really about cats, though. It’s about facing death rationally. Missy wasn’t my mother’s first cat. She … Read more
Rational Woman Hates Her Body
I’m rational, right? That’s what I keep saying. But I’m also a woman, and a woman’s self-image is way too often affected by the careless comments of others, whether family, friends, or the omnipresent media. For instance, see the big media fuss over Marion Bartoli, a sports champ, and the unkind comments made about her quite normal looks.
Here’s how that sort of thing worked … Read more
Blessed Are the Happy
“Like dreams, statistics are a form of wish fulfillment.”
─ Jean Baudrillard
Molding statistics to fit one’s preconceived conclusions is such a common practice that it’s a cliché even to point out when it occurs. But sometimes, I just can’t resist….
The following headline appeared on the 5 October 2012 on-line edition of Deseret News, Utah’s 2nd largest daily newspaper by circulation:
“Religious … Read more
Posted in Umwelt Utahpia
Tagged abortion, America, Deseret News, happiness, polls, rationality, religiousness, research, statistics, surveys
2 Comments
The Best (Atheist) Singing Acting Comedian
When I initially watched a video of Tim Minchin performing one of his songs to his own piano-playing, it was love at first sight. His timing is great, his rational philosophy is matchless, he’s delightfully honest about love and human absurdity and parenthood and prejudice and religion. Plus he’s very funny and rather attractive in a self-mocking semi-androgynous way.
Minchin, an Australian, has been touring … Read more
Posted in A Rational Woman
Tagged absurdity, atheist, comedy, performance, rationality, religion, tim minchin
2 Comments
A Radically Rational Approach to Marriage
Most of the world’s cultures advocate some form of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You’d think treating your mate according to such a rule would be ideal.
Not necessarily. Not if it means you’d be giving what you want for yourself, not what the other person wants. I like to think in terms of an … Read more
Posted in A Rational Woman
Tagged change, couple's manifesto, fairness, golden rule, good will, loving in flow, marriage, rationality, relationships, susan k. perry, tit for tat, trust
1 Comment
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