Anti-Motivated Reasoning: Why We Reject What We Don’t Want to Be True
Motivated reasoning pulls you toward what you want to believe. Anti-motivated reasoning pushes you away from what you do not want to be true. The distinction matters.
Articles
0.999 Equals 1 Because We Said So: Mathematics, Discrete Reality, and the Circles That Do Not Exist
The proof that 0.999… equals 1 is valid inside a system built to make it valid. If reality is discrete at the Planck scale, the infinite smoothness of real analysis is a property of the map, not the territory.
Quinoa Prolamins and Celiac Disease: Why ‘Gluten-Free’ Is Not the Whole Story
Quinoa is marketed as gluten-free and safe for celiac patients. The actual research on quinoa prolamins tells a more complicated story that trusted sources keep simplifying away.
Khaki Is Not Beige, and Other Wikipedia Errors That Prove Hallucinations Are a Human Invention
Wikipedia lists khaki as beige, confuses infant with maternal mortality, and mistranslates basic taxonomy. Hallucinations are not an AI invention.
Expert Disagreement: The Structural Mechanisms Behind Contradictory Research
Two credentialed researchers, same data, opposite conclusions. Expert disagreement is not a bug in science. It is a structural feature driven by priors, funding, and methodology.
1953 Iranian Coup Explained: CIA, Oil, and a 70-Year Mistake
In 1953, the CIA and MI6 overthrew Iran’s democratically elected government to protect an oil company. The consequences reshaped the Middle East and are still playing out today.
Golden State Killer: How Genetic Genealogy Finally Caught Him
The Golden State Killer committed at least 13 murders and over 50 sexual assaults before vanishing in 1986. Thirty-two years later, forensic genealogy and a consumer DNA website identified Joseph James DeAngelo.
Data Brokers and Stalking: How People-Search Sites Enable Real-World Harm
Data brokers sell your home address, phone number, and daily patterns to anyone who pays. Documented cases show these services have enabled stalking, harassment, and real-world violence.
Europe Didn’t Want This War. Its Alliances May Not Let It Stay Out.
One week into the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, Europe insists it is not a party to the conflict. Alliance structures, energy exposure, and Iranian warnings suggest the distinction is harder to hold than it looks.
Iran Revolutionary Guards: The Force at the Center of This War
The IRGC was created to serve the revolution, not the nation. Four decades later, it has become a state within a state , economically powerful, ideologically entrenched, and the central target in the current military conflict.
Social Media Bans for Teenagers Are Spreading. Can They Actually Work?
Australia, Indonesia, France, and the UK are restricting teenagers’ access to social media. The concern is real, but the laws face enforcement problems that no country has solved yet.
France Arrested an Innocent Man for Treason. Then Spent a Decade Insisting He Was Guilty.
In 1894, France convicted an innocent man of treason in four minutes. It then spent twelve years forging evidence, suppressing the truth, and acquitting the actual spy. The Dreyfus Affair remains a case study in institutional self-preservation.