Carter’s novel “The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman” predicts Trump’s assault on reality.
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Monthly Archives: August 2025
Carter Foresaw Algorithm Manipulation
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged AI, Angela Carter, Caroline Orr Bueno, Infernal Desire Machines of Dr. Hoffman, social media Comments closed
How Shelley Helps Me Envision God
Note: If you wish to receive, via e-mail, (1) my weekly newsletter or (2) daily copies of these posts, write to me at rrbates1951@gmail.com. Comments may also be sent to this address. I promise not to share your e-mail with anyone. To unsubscribe, write here as well. Sunday I am no theologian and so can’t speak […]
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To Counter Moral Collapse, Read Pratchett
Good young adult fiction like Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series can instill anti-authoritarian values in young people.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged authoritarianism, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Shepherd’s Crown, Terry Pratchett, Tiffany Aching Comments closed
To Mark Hiroshima Day, a Plea for Peace
The speaker in “Hiroshima Child,” by Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, has died in the bombing but returns to plead for peace.
Pratchett on the Excitement of Invention
Pratchett’s “Raising Steam” highlights the vibrancy of invention and also the importance of a multicultural society in making new inventions work.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged inventors and inventions, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, multiculturalism, Raising Steam, Terry Pratchett Comments closed
Are You an Eeyore Democrat? Shake It Off
Are Democrats in danger of become Eeyore donkeys? If so, Pooh and Piglet offer a much better response to Trump.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged A.A. Milne, Eeyore Democrats, House at Poor Corner, Matt Labash, Winnie-the-Pooh Comments closed
Killing the Messenger of Bad News
Trump has shot the messenger in firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Plutarch, Euripides and Shakespeare have scenes with this dynamic.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Antony and Cleopatra, Bacchae, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Donald Trump, Erika McEntarfer, Euripides, Henry IV Part 2, shooting the messenger, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Worldly Vanity vs. Celestial Wisdom
Johnson’s “Vanity of Human Wishes” was inspired by the famous vanities passage in Ecclesiastes. It’s grim but has an upbeat ending.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Ecclesiastes, Samuel Johnson, vanity, Vanity of Human Wishes Comments closed