Author Archives: Rayan Zehn

About Rayan Zehn

I'm a political and social activist.

Shocking Consciences: Things Aren’t as Bad as They Appear

Posted on January 23, 2017

For the last couple days—well, since Friday, anyway—my social circle, which is comprised mostly of college students, military members, and academics, has been shocked by the direction this country is going. When I say shocked, I mean their consciences have … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

What the Hell Happened to Our Fake News?

Posted on January 18, 2017

Being a skeptic is not trite, but it’s also not difficult. Simply put, don’t believe anything until you have a good reason to believe it. This is true for almost all claims. While it’s unreasonable to expect evidence for claims … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Simple Logic for Religion and Politics

Posted on January 5, 2017

Syllogisms are not what many people think they are, and the American political landscape is a testament to this fact. Too often I hear people construct logical arguments with sound sounding propositions but, taken together, are deeply flawed. Take this … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A New Religion That’ll Bring You to Your Knees: My Father’s God Has Orange Hair

Posted on December 24, 2016

Being a political scientist is not what many think. We are not politicians drafting legislation. We are not activists trying to make the world a better place, according to our own preferences. And we certainly aren’t trying to get people … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Time’s Arrow Rounded a Bend: Trump, Putin, and the Reduction of Certainty

Posted on November 12, 2016

Reducing uncertainty is the only thing politics strives to achieve. While legislation might be written to address precise economic, political, or social grievances, the process is an exercise in uncertainty reduction, making sense of highly complex phenomena. The more certain … Continue reading →

Posted in Political Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Security and Religiosity: The Jacksonian Values that Wed American Society to Faith

Posted on October 19, 2016

There is a set of academic literature that suggests there is a negative relationship between existential security and religiosity. As security increases, we become less religious as a society. This is demonstrated across societies. More secure societies in Europe are distinctly less religious … Continue reading →

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The Alt-Right and Atheism: Overlap and Divide

Posted on October 10, 2016

A small but growing conservative movement is popping up in the US, fueled in part by well-known atheist Youtubers and bloggers. The movement is referred to as the Alt-Right—or alternative right—movement by some. And some atheist are quick to endorse Alt-Right … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments