{"id":7242,"date":"2023-07-28T21:07:28","date_gmt":"2023-07-29T04:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7242"},"modified":"2023-07-28T21:07:28","modified_gmt":"2023-07-29T04:07:28","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-413","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2023\/07\/28\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-413","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 413"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4396\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"><\/a>     On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is issue 413, which I have been told is a structured hexagonal diamond number. I don\u2019t know what that means, but it sounds very impressive. I also know that 413 = 7 \u00b7 59, which I find both cool and understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/article\/continuationist-cancer-healings\/\" target=\"_blank\">I\u2019m a Continuationist with Cancer. I Still Believe in Healings.<\/a> (Tim Shorey, The Gospel Coalition): \u201cI live my life and face my cancer somewhere between seemingly sincere \u2018namers and claimers\u2019 who expect healing every time and seemingly surrendered \u2018if-the-Lord-willers\u2019 whose prayers affirm God\u2019s healing power but whose caveats and qualifiers make it sound like he\u2019s not likely to use it. God alone knows the heart. But the tone of the former party can sound like presumption masquerading as faith, while the tone of the latter can sound like doubt masquerading as humility.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recommended by a student who appropriately asks, \u201cif you read this, please also pray for the author, Tim Shorey.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/thespectator.com\/topic\/date-marry-fun-life-partner-kids\/\" target=\"_blank\">Date to marry, not to have fun<\/a> (Bethany Mandel, The Spectator): \u201cA lot of things are important in a marriage: love, respect, trust, laughter. But perhaps most important is to remember that it\u2019s a partnership for life; and as such, dating should not be considered fun, but instead like a job interview for the most important role you\u2019ll ever have, that of a spouse. If you were interviewing for a job, would you allow the process to drag on, long after you know it\u2019s the right fit (or&nbsp;not)?\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Broadly agree, with the provision that this is advice about dating relationship and not just about going on dates. In other words, go on dates to have fun and then carefully discern who is a good match for progressing into a serious dating relationship. Too many Christians want to know they want to marry someone before they go out for coffee with them, and that\u2019s a lot of pressure to put on a&nbsp;latte.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Related: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.robkhenderson.com\/p\/swiping-and-dating-preferences\" target=\"_blank\">Swiping and Dating Preferences<\/a> (Rob K. Henderson, Substack): \u201cHere\u2019s a sketch of what might be happening: Men high on the Dark Triad (psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism) use dating apps. They might make up 10\u201320% of users. They go on a rampage, sleeping with lots of women, playing games with them, leading them on, ghosting them, lying to them, etc. Dark Triad men are excellent impostors; they are good at mimicking desirable romantic qualities, and are thus able to procure lots of sex partners. The women they sleep with become disillusioned. These women begin to behave in psychopathic and narcissistic ways to protect themselves from emotional vulnerability and pain, and perhaps as a way to even the score with \u2018men\u2019 as a category. They learn to avoid Dark Triad men and exploit normal men. These men become confused and upset, and begin to treat other women the same way to \u2018get even.\u2019 In short, Dark Triad men mistreat women, who then mistreat ordinary men, who then mistreat ordinary women. Bad behavior drives out the good. A system tailor-made for psychopathic males (dating apps facilitate anonymity, superficiality, and deception) predictably gives rise to a defect-defect equilibrium.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Full of interesting data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2023\/07\/24\/upshot\/ivy-league-elite-college-admissions.html?unlocked_article_code=SLUUH4-yUFr43dY1pplmjYBsXMb502wc0ka17N2ijyvw7RT5atw30PxTy-vXbEmMJxQzn_KJBKSd7OxbL0flyaqrEALxB9VBU52WFyKllu4k-lyl4NdWqiQi3MtwSdFtnva70DPtqSotDJ5VAPlkSYkaYQB5jgdUA-O8KVlQepkNd6ujERA3aTM4y9nueqXfMPmv_S436m2jvFCQbJJv_zf-6aPKhNft78hpnrNKiwFvm8v6kEou3A9--yiBi-bYX2cDvsCMBq-6azLOHu2KOJahyBoX7XXy1puWC3pVWAGRgp9TAtEVw9Shpk8uu1A2DTI_5RM0aVHdMshyWXefdVDMK6K9noz-EiSSByCLBz8x8mmKcgijzFrmDjQ&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\">Study of Elite College Admissions Data Suggests Being Very Rich Is Its Own Qualification<\/a> (Aatish Bhatia, Claire Cain Miller and Josh Katz, New York Times): \u201cElite colleges have long been filled with the children of the richest families: At Ivy League schools, one in six students has parents in the top 1 percent.\u2026 For applicants with the same SAT or ACT score, children from families in the top 1 percent were 34 percent more likely to be admitted than the average applicant, and those from the top 0.1 percent were more than twice as likely to get&nbsp;in.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The academic study <code>Raj Chetty, David J. Deming and John N. Friedman, <a href=\"https:\/\/opportunityinsights.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/CollegeAdmissions_Nontech.pdf\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/opportunityinsights.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/CollegeAdmissions_Nontech.pdf\">\"Diversifying Society's Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges\"<\/a><\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One of the authors wrote about their findings on his Substack: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/forklightning.substack.com\/p\/ivy-plus-colleges-are-a-gateway-to\" target=\"_blank\">Ivy-Plus colleges are a gateway to the elite<\/a> (David Deming, Substack): \u201cWaitlist admits are 60% more likely than waitlist rejects to have earnings in the top 1% for their age, are nearly twice as likely to attend a top 10 graduate school and are three times as likely to work in a prestigious firm (think highly ranked research hospitals, top law and consulting firms, national newspapers, etc.).\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmatt.net\/columns\/2023\/7\/10\/why-wont-indiana-jones-convert-to-anything-after-all-that-he-has-seen-in-his-life\" target=\"_blank\">Why won\u2019t Indiana Jones convert to something after all he has seen in his life?<\/a> (Terry Mattingly, On Religion): \u201cWhat we want to know is why he is always back to square one at the start of every adventure \u2013 a skeptic, or even a scoffer. I mean, think about it: He has seen the Ark of the Covenant opened and the destroying angels pour out God\u2019s vengeance on his enemies. He has seen the sacred Hindu stones come to life. \u2026He has seen the true cup of Christ heal his own father from a fatal gunshot wound \u2013 on screen, with no ambiguity.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It\u2019s revealing about modern assumptions that almost no one thinks to ask this question.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/peter-turchin-end-times-bari-weiss?utm_source=substack&amp;publication_id=260347&amp;post_id=135505544&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&amp;triggerShare=true&amp;isFreemail=true\" target=\"_blank\">Are We Living Through \u2018End Times\u2019?<\/a> (Bari Weiss interviewing Peter Turchin, The Free Press): \u201cElite overproduction turns out to be the best predictor of a crisis to come. It is essentially ubiquitous in the pre-crisis periods of all societies. I used the game of musical chairs to illustrate it, except in the usual game, you start with 11 players and ten chairs, and one person loses. Here, instead of removing chairs, you keep chairs constant, and we add more players. You can imagine the amount of chaos that is going to happen. Now let\u2019s connect this to the overproduction of wealthy people in the United States. As more and more of them become players in politics, they drive up the price of getting into office. And more importantly, the more people are vying for these positions, the more people are going to be frustrated. They\u2019re going to be losers. But humans don\u2019t have to follow rules. This is the dark side of competition: if it\u2019s too extreme, it creates conditions for people to start to break&nbsp;rules.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Turchin is a social scientist at U Conn. Recommended by a student.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The author explains the relationship between what he does and the science fiction we see in the Foundation series: <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/peterturchin.com\/psychohistory-and-cliodynamics\/\" target=\"_blank\">Psychohistory and Cliodynamics<\/a> (Peter Turchin, personal blog): \u201cPrediction is overrated. What we really should be striving for, with our social science, is ability to bring about desirable outcomes and to avoid unwanted outcomes. What\u2019s the point of predicting future, if it\u2019s very bleak and we are not able to change it? We would be like the person condemned to hang before sunrise \u2013 perfect knowledge of the future, zero ability to do anything about&nbsp;it.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/astralcodexten.substack.com\/p\/bad-definitions-of-democracy-and?utm_source=%2Finbox&amp;utm_medium=reader2\" target=\"_blank\">Bad Definitions Of \u201cDemocracy\u201d And \u201cAccountability\u201d Shade Into Totalitarianism<\/a> (Scott Alexander, Astral Codex Ten): \u201cYou could, in theory, define \u2018democratic\u2019 this way, so that the more areas of life are subjected to the control of a (democratically elected) government, the more democratic your society is. But in that case, the most democratic possible society is totalitarianism \u2014 a society where the government controls every facet of life, including what religion you practice, who you marry, and what job you work at. In this society there would be no room for human freedom.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/andrewsullivan.substack.com\/p\/the-importance-of-saying-yes-to-the-c5d?utm_source=%2Finbox&amp;utm_medium=reader2\" target=\"_blank\">The Importance Of Saying \u201cYes\u201d To The \u201cBut\u201d<\/a> (Andrew Sullivan, Substack): \u201cOne of the enduring frustrations of living in a politically polarized country is the evaporation of nuance. As the muscles of liberal democracy atrophy, and as cultural tribalism infects everyone\u2019s consciousness, it becomes more and more difficult to say, \u2018Yes, but \u2026\u2019 Everyone hates the but. It complicates; it muddles; it can disable a slogan; and puncture a politically useful myth.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/ContagiousLaughter\/comments\/159uzhr\/fighting_against_satanism\/\" target=\"_blank\">Fighting Against Satanism<\/a> (TikTok via Reddit): This is hilarious and worth the two and half minutes to watch. The story is fabulous on its own. The Jamaican accent exponentially increases the payoff. I showed this to a Jamaican student who said, \u201cIt\u2019s the way we exaggerate every single detail. That\u2019s why I always go home for the holiday season, everyone has a new story to dramatize. You always have to be prepared to cry in laughter at Jamaican parties.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/bet-you-wish-you-had-listened-to-the-safety-presentation-now-eh-says-smug-stewardess-as-plane-plummets-toward-the-ground\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u2018Bet You Wish You Had Listened To The Safety Presentation Now, Eh?\u2019 Says Smug Stewardess As Plane Plummets Toward The Ground<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/jenny\" target=\"_blank\">Jenny<\/a> (SMBC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/pearlsbeforeswine\/2023\/07\/23\" target=\"_blank\">Democracy Man<\/a> (Pearls Before Swine)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lLXNc7unIT4\" target=\"_blank\">Can a Lego Car Roll Downhill Forever?<\/a> (Brick Technology, YouTube): nine minutes of clever engineering. I think he starts to cheat at around the 50\u00b0 incline but it\u2019s still super interesting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/pearlsbeforeswine\/2023\/07\/28\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter Justice<\/a> (Pearls Before Swine)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7Pg6-EcIQ2Y\" target=\"_blank\">How Do You Know If You\u2019ve Got Chemistry?<\/a> (Julie Kim, YouTube): six minutes.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting A While&nbsp;Ago<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every week I\u2019ll highlight an older link still worth your consideration. This week we have <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/human-flourishing\/202102\/religious-community-and-human-flourishing\" target=\"_blank\">Religious Community and Human Flourishing<\/a> (Tyler J. VanderWeele, Psychology Today): \u201cIn some cases, our results closely replicated past work. For example, we found that, even after controlling for the factors above, individuals who attended religious services weekly or more were 16% less likely to become depressed, and saw a 29% reduction in smoking and 34% reduction in heavy drinking. These results match reasonably closely results from several prior studies, including the prior meta-analyses mentioned above. Somewhat strikingly, but again in line with prior analysis, weekly service attendees were 26% less likely to die during the follow-up period.\u201d VanderWeele, himself a Christian, is an epidemiologist at Harvard and I have <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?s=vanderweele\" target=\"_blank\">shared some of his work before.<\/a> From <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2021\/02\/26\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-290\" target=\"_blank\">volume 290<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors \u201cwho understood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (1 Chron 12:32). In a similar way, we need to become wise people whose faith interacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agenda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agenda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ideological Turing test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI disagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI understand\u201d) and may at times share articles that have a strong partisan bias simply because I find the article stimulating. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with everything an author says in an article I mention, much less things the author has said in other articles (although if I strongly disagree with something in the article I\u2019ll usually mention it). And to the extent you can discern my opinions, please understand that they are my own and not necessarily those of Chi Alpha or any other organization I may be perceived to represent.\n\nAlso, remember that I\u2019m not reporting news \u2014 I\u2019m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There\u2019s a lot happening in the world that\u2019s not making an appearance here because I haven\u2019t found stimulating articles written about it.\n\nIf this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/theglendavis.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my&nbsp;way. This is issue 413, which I have been told is a structured hexagonal diamond number. I don\u2019t know what \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2023\/07\/28\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-413\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 413\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Absolutely fascinating links this week. Highly recommended.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[140,222,240,256,179,117,137],"class_list":["post-7242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-culture","tag-dating","tag-elite-colleges","tag-healing","tag-holy-spirit","tag-politics","tag-thinking-clearly"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1SO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7242"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7248,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242\/revisions\/7248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}