Tag Archives: politics
Donald Trump and the Terrorism Loop
In my most recent post I discussed several explanations of religious terrorism in international relations scholarship. The list is by no means exhaustive, but it is thorough. Bottom line: Terrorism is more common in the Muslim world for a host of … Continue reading
Shocking Consciences: Things Aren’t as Bad as They Appear
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
What the Hell Happened to Our Fake News?
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
Simple Logic for Religion and Politics
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
A New Religion That’ll Bring You to Your Knees: My Father’s God Has Orange Hair
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
Time’s Arrow Rounded a Bend: Trump, Putin, and the Reduction of Certainty
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
Security and Religiosity: The Jacksonian Values that Wed American Society to Faith
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
