The Mad Sociologist Blog

  • The Die is Cast in Iraq

    US Military Assistance Will Not Work   Just a quick word on Iraq. The situation in Iraq may be ugly, but it’s a fairly easy mess to understand sociologically. Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire shortly after World War I, the cards have always been stacked against Iraqi stability. Iraq could be understood as Read more

  • Solar Freakin’ Roadways!

    All That’s Needed is the Political Will to Make it Happen!         Read more

  • Survey Results from the Cambridge Class

    As promised, here are the results from the Cambridge classes. The questions were the same. There was greater diversity of opinion with regard to the Most Important Historical Event. However, 9/11 and the election of Barack Obama were central, with 9/11 playing a more central role with more students. The “All Others” category included the Read more

  • The Danger of Nationalism to the Development of a New Humanism

    In an increasingly globalized world, the last thing we need is a resurgence of nationalism Ours is an increasingly globalized world. This is, potentially, a good thing. Increasingly, old prejudices and fears based on which side of an imaginary line one happens to be born on are suspect. Expansion of global communication networks and relatively Read more

  • Some Interesting Survey Responses from My AP Students

    I like to ask some survey questions on the final exam for my history classes. This year I received responses from eleventh grade Advanced Placement US History students and eleventh grade Cambridge US History students. The questions were: What has been the most significant historical event to happen in your lifetime? Of the different historical Read more

  • Cass Sunstein and Ezra Klein on Conspiracy Theories

    Why People Embrace Conspiracy Theories I’m of the belief that a big part of conspriacy theories is gaps in our information base, be it through secrecy or less devious means. The Kennedy Assassination comes to mind. Clearly, there is information that is missing from the history on that event. Human beings simply must try to Read more

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