Author Archives: hessd

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About hessd

Here is all you need to know to follow this blog. I am an old man and I love to think about why we say the things we do. I've taught at the elementary, secondary, collegiate, and doctoral levels. I don't think one is easier than another. They are hard in different ways. I have taught political science for a long time and have practiced politics in and around the Oregon Legislature. I don't think one is easier than another. They are hard in different ways. You'll be seeing a lot about my favorite topics here. There will be religious reflections (I'm a Christian) and political reflections (I'm a Democrat) and a good deal of whimsy. I'm a dilettante.

And Remember to Breathe

Posted on November 4, 2020 by hessd

I am writing this on the morning after the election.  You might think that a blogger like me would want to talk about politics this morning.  Not really.  I want to write about adjusting the balance between my life, taken … Continue reading →

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Discontented Thoughts

Posted on October 29, 2020 by hessd

Here is a passage I found in Middlemarch this week.  There is not the slightest indication that the author, George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) or the character who thought them, intended these remarks to be taken in a political way, … Continue reading →

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Thoughtless Lying

Posted on October 28, 2020 by hessd

I come from a small town in a conservative part of Ohio.  In some ways, that has been a very good preparation for the kind of life I have lived.  In our town, we believed in “the virtues,” despite violating … Continue reading →

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Bo Knows Politics?

Posted on October 15, 2020 by hessd

There comes a time when, as the logic of a movement plays out, it just goes too far.  In this essay I want to say that I have reached that point myself, so far as the self-righteous political left is … Continue reading →

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And forgive us our maladjustments

Posted on October 5, 2020 by hessd

I had a friend once who had learned to apologize for his lateness and to minimize his error at the same time.  I was fascinated.  I had no idea you could do that.  He would say, “Hi guys.  I’m so … Continue reading →

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A Skeptic has a Mystical Experience. Who would have thought it?

Posted on October 3, 2020 by hessd

A few weeks ago, I had a mystical experience.  I mention it because I am not at all sure what a mystical experience is and because I am not somebody who has mystical experiences.  Still…this time I did. So what’s … Continue reading →

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C’est Monyafeek

Posted on September 25, 2020 by hessd

This is (yet another) celebration of the way Neal Stephenson uses language and the illustration is taken (yet again) from his Anathem. You need to know a little bit about the story or you won’t be able to share the … Continue reading →

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The -ize has it

Posted on September 24, 2020 by hessd

Now I think that’s just fun.  It sounds wrong, of course, but it probably isn’t.  It sounds like “eyes,” which would require a plural verb, “have.”  But -ize is not a noun, like “eyes;” it is a “word-forming element” used … Continue reading →

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The Banner of Republicanism

Posted on September 19, 2020 by hessd

I’ve been teaching a course about parables.  I want to offer that as an excuse.  One of the easiest things to do with a parable is to turn it into an allegory, in which each element of the story represents … Continue reading →

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Just Enough Evidence for Now

Posted on September 16, 2020 by hessd

I have one model of persuasion I would like to explore today and one I would like to reject.  I am sure these models have names that are known to people who study persuasion, but I don’t know what they … Continue reading →

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