Geoff W. Sutton Blog

Two big splits happened in Western nations this year. The British voted to exit the EU and Americans fought or endured a presidential campaign punctuated by harsh words and allegations of crimes, treason, and immorality. I've heard calls for reconciliation and unity. Sometimes the calls make sense. Sometimes they almost seem insulting. And at other times the encouragement to reconcile or unify is ridiculous. The only way to make sense of these calls is to get beyond the glibness. I'm talking about the kind of glibness that fits on a bumper sticker like "Missouri values." What values do you claim--that's what I want to know. RECONCILIATION - Should we get together and trust each other? It is nice to seek reconciliation. It's a feel good word. I noticed earlier this year that Pope Francis met with Lutherans - in case you haven't heard, the 500th anniversary of the big split comes up next year. The "Reformation" was indeed a major spli...

Mysticism and the M(Mysticism) -Scale Factors Scholars disagree on how to define mysticism, which makes it difficult to have a meaningful discussion. There is a growing consensus that an experience of unity is a common experience. There is a tendency among philosophers to discuss mysticism as an experience of a reality that is not known by the usual sources of evidence such as our senses or even introspection. For a more detailed definition with an explanation of terms see the Stanford Encyclopedia entry for mysticism . Following is their somewhat tighter definition of mysticism. A (purportedly) super sense-perceptual or sub sense-perceptual unitive experience granting acquaintance of realities or states of affairs that are of a kind not accessible by way of sense-perception, somatosensory modalities, or standard introspection. Many contemporary behavioral scientists trace the history of scientific inquiry into mysticism to the exploratory 1917 work, The Varieties ...

Here I revised an old post with 7 thoughts about the psychology of some issues. Seven Lessons from Psychological Science 1. Illusions  can be explained . The brilliant demonstrations by  Derren Brown  reveal how easy it is to deceive us. We quickly believe supernatural activity rather than natural phenomena explain unusual events. In the 1850s, British scientist,  Michael Faraday  created tests to show how turning tables could be explained by human expectations rather than some spirit force. Other events like spelling prophecies with a glass on an Ouija board have been explained by psychological scientists who show how minds search for patterns and anticipate responses before other parts of  our brain become aware of our actions. To learn more, read  The Illusion of Conscious Will by Daniel Wegner.  You can get a summary from former paranormal researcher,  Susan Blackmore . Our minds can trick us into thinking some externa...

People who act to save lives generally count as heroes.  Tuesday, 6 September, I looked out on the Hudson River at the spot where Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III landed the U S Airways jet on the water. I saw small water craft and a slow-moving barge. I wondered what kind of courage and skill would it take to really land a jet such that all 155 people lived to tell their story. As with any retelling of an event, people recall different facts . Anyone wanting to accurately retell a story exercises some degree of judgment when reconciling disparate narratives. Add to this the known problems of eye-witnesses and we have the potential for disagreement. Fortunately, scientific advances can help investigators in their quest to learn lessons to prevent future problems. Data are recorded. Simulations can be run. Asking questions of heroes and survivors is important but it can be a challenging experience for all involved. The movie, Sully , retells the tale of this 2009 dram...

The TIMES writer misuses the term “bribe” in the story. “The Right Way to Bribe Your Kids to Read” KJ Dell’Antonia July 23, 2016 The New York Times Although it is common for many to consider rewards for behavior as “bribes,” the term often carries the meaning of influencing people to violate trust or break a rule. In short, it suggests rewards and prizes may be morally questionable. The quotes in the story also refer to rewards in a confusing manner. Consider this. If reading were a rewarding activity, then it would be rewarding in itself and there would be no need for external rewards—a new book might suffice to encourage more reading. Psychologists prefer the term “reinforcement” to refer to events or tangibles that, when presented following a behavior, serve to strengthen the desired behavior.  And in research or clinical practice, psychologists recommend fading (reducing) reinforcements as the behavior becomes a habit. Even better, different schedules o...

Democratic Party Values Previously, I wrote about several Republican Party Platform issues and general Republican values. Then I brought the post up-to-date with the 2016 platform . In this post I look at the Democratic Party. My focus in primarily on culture rather than on party politics. But clearly, culture can change to the extent more people from a particular party govern according to their espoused values. Here’s a link to the previous platform . Taxes Democrats are known for tax structures that take less taxes from low income workers and more from those who earn more. This is referred to in the platform as paying a “fair share.” If you check the Republican platform, you will see a focus on closer to equal sharing of tax burdens, sometimes referred to as flatter . The question is “What is a fair share of taxes?” And the answer is it is up to you to decide! But here’s more about fairness . I think most Americans are willing to conced...

Lives destroyed in Dallas John the Baptist, Rodin, St Louis Art Museum On Friday morning I ambled toward the breakfast room of my St Louis hotel. Black hands took turns with my white hands filling plates with yellow eggs and brown sausages followed by filling white cups with black coffee. The room was full of black families watching horrific Dallas scenes. “Officer down. Officer down.” We all learned five of twelve injured officers had died—gunned down at a #blacklivesmatter protest, which followed the shooting of black lives earlier in the week. I’m mindful of another catastrophic week not far from here -- the 2013 events in nearby Ferguson, Missouri. #blacklivesmatter I return to my room passing an open door. The sign says, “Family Reunion.” Children scamper to and fro ignoring parent calls. Some black families are enjoying time together. #blacklivesmatter. Like the screen in the breakfast room, police’ lives become the focus of attention. Now more fami...