New York Times
Politics and Personality
How much of our political orientation can be attributed to our personalities and our brains? Nicholas Kristof addressed this in his NYT Op-Ed Saturday, and examined the research of two of our authors.
We all know that liberals and conservatives are far apart on health care. But in the way their brains work? Even in automatic reflexes, like blinking? Or the way their glands secrete moisture?
That’s the suggestion of some recent research. It hints that the roots of political judgments may lie partly in fundamental personality types and even in the hard-wiring of our brains.
Researchers have found, for example, that some humans are particularly alert to threats, particularly primed to feel vulnerable and perceive danger. Those people are more likely to be conservatives.
Science and Money
Where does the buck stop? The NYT TierneyLab looks at science and money, along with all of the attendant “conflicts of interest” between sound science and the money tied up in it. Read here >>
Robert P. George: A Rising Star on the Right
Sunday’s New York Times ran a fascinating profile on Cambridge author Robert P. George, tracing his steady rise to leadership as the public face of the conservative Christian Right.
Technological Medicine in the New York Times
The New York Times Health section in tomorrow’s edition ran an excellent piece on Stanley Reiser’s “Technological Medicine” focusing on the uncomfortable tradeoff between technology and expectations at the clinic.
Happy Birthday, Martin Gardner!
Today is Martin Gardner’s 95th birthday. Yesterday’s New York Times featured a lovely profile of the great math puzzlist.
