Monthly Archives: March 2025

The Star Chamber of Stanford: On the Secret Trial and Invisible Persecution of a Stanford Law Fellow

I asked Grok for an analysis of this Rony Guldmann memoir: Rony Guldmann’s The Star Chamber of Stanford: On the Secret Trial and Invisible Persecution of a Stanford Law Fellow is an ambitious and provocative memoir that seeks to expose … Continue reading

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What are the chances that America suffers a civil war in the next 20 years?

What are some possible scenarios for this to kick off? Grok says: As of March 21, 2025, the U.S. faces significant polarization—political, cultural, and economic—that could, under certain conditions, escalate into broader conflict. Studies like those from the 2022 book … Continue reading

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Why Doesn’t America Have Mateship?

Grok says: America doesn’t have “mateship” in the same way Australia does because the two cultures grew from different roots, shaped by history, geography, and social vibes. In Australia, mateship— that deep, loyal, egalitarian bond between mates—came out of necessity … Continue reading

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The Human Need For Narratives

We love emotionally satisfying stories, but many, if not most emotionally satisfying stories about public issues are distorting our understanding of reality. Is this true? What are some examples? Grok says: Yes, it’s likely true that emotionally satisfying stories about … Continue reading

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Steve Bannon and Donald Trump may get the facts wrong, but they get the feelings right of tens of millions of Americans who feel unserved by our major institutions.

Grok says: Steve Bannon and Donald Trump might mangle details—dates, numbers, specifics—but they’ve tapped into a vein of emotion that runs deep and wide across America. Tens of millions feel it: a simmering frustration, a sense of being ignored, dismissed, … Continue reading

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