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Welcome Readers! Thank you for taking the time to visit.
If you, like I, have been trying to make sense of this seemingly crazy and ever more complicated world, this site is for you.
The main focus of this site is to use a multidisciplinary approach to attempt to analyze complex, contemporary issues from an objective, and pragmatic perspective. And while at first blush that approach may not seem particularly unique, it seems surprisingly rare these days. Analysis often leans toward editorial advocacy; similar to a listening only to the prosecution or the defense in a court case or listening only to one side of a debate. One side is presented in the strongest possible way, and the other side is trivialized and represented weakly. What passes for political debate is often two extremes yelling at each other. A lot of talking, and very little listening. Objectivity is a word that has somehow gone out of favor.
And ideally my goal is to do this all with a sense of humor, respect, and acceptance. This site is very much a work in progress, so I welcome thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticism.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CURRENT ISSUE or choose from the list below summarizing recent issues.
Issue #4: April 2025 - Thinking in Stories
This issue focuses on the importance of stories to human thinking VIEW THIS ISSUE
The Way We Think...and the Way We Thought We Think
Human reasoning isn’t organized like a textbook or encyclopedia. It’s more like a historical novel. We build stories from facts and observations, then fill in details that align with our sensibilities and beliefs—seeking a sense of resolution or closure. Our memories aren’t stored in neat volumes like a library, but more like one enormous book, crisscrossed with elaborate indexes and cross-references. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Where Does the Story Start?
Where we begin a story can dramatically shape how it’s understood and what conclusions we draw. Do we start with the chicken or the egg? Like that riddle, there’s rarely a definitive beginning—but we have to start somewhere. While hearing multiple perspectives helps us think more objectively, time and mindshare are limited, and many other stories are vying for our attention. So, we tend to rely a single story. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
The Danger of the Single Story
When we focus on only one version of a story—or only one starting point—we risk missing crucial context. The single story may be convenient, even persuasive. Knowing only a single version of the story may be good enough for ourselves, it can also distort, marginalize, and stereotype others in the story. Worse still, we often don’t realize what’s been left out. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Summary
This fourth issue of ReasonedVoice.com explores how storytelling shapes human thought. Because writing is a relatively recent invention, our brains have evolved to store information more like narratives than databases. We remember the broad strokes—the key scenes—and reconstruct details on the fly. Although multiple stories can lead to greater understanding, we often default to just one. And where that one begins can powerfully influence the meaning, the moral, and the message we take from it—and pass along to others.
Issue #3: March 2025 - Fear and Anger
This issue is devoted to discussing how emotions and perceptions can affect our ability to reason VIEW THIS ISSUE
Fear and Anger
Our brains have different "gears" optimized to help us deal with specific situations. Fear and anger generate chemical changes that favor quick short-term reaction over objective long-term critical thinking, which can lead to polarization. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Fairness
Fairness is important for a well-functioning society. So much so, that we are "hard-wired" to get angry when we perceive that we are being treated unfairly. Perceptions of unfairness are a major source of anger in our society.
Scarcity
Our planet has limited resources that vary by geography. Species compete for these resources. Our brain chemistry is attuned to competing and protecting scarce resources for our survival, even when the resources are plentiful. This can affect how we view societal problems and contribute to polarization. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Fear of Being Wrong
We build up many beliefs as we grow. These beliefs affect our ability to function and our self-worth. Beliefs are built upon beliefs. Changing them is not easy. The world is too complex to always question what we believe we know. As such, humans have innate defense mechanisms to protect our existing beliefs. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Moving Forward
A summary of the main points, and resources for further investigation. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Summary
The third issue of ReasonedVoice.com discusses how human thought processes can create polarization. Our brains have different "gears" for dealing with different situations, triggered by emotions. Anger triggers short-term, self-oriented survival instincts which are faster and more efficient than deliberate critical thinking. Perceptions of fairness, scarcity, and fear of being wrong all can contribute to anger.
Issue #2: February 2025 - Polarization
This issue is devoted to the 2024 Word of The Year, Polarization. VIEW THIS ISSUE
Polarization: Word of the Year
This issue starts with a humorous take on the selection of polarization as the word of the year. Then further discusses polarization and raises the question of why we feel such polarization now. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Analogy
A quick intro of why analogy is a powerful tool for encouraging objectivity and new perspectives for better understanding of complex problems and their solutions. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Water and the Continental Divide
This article presents the analogy of how rainwater "polarizes" into Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But not all water ends up there. And how that might be instructive in understanding and addressing current polarization of thought. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Emulsification
Few of us would eat raw egg yolks and oil. Mixing them together yields a globby mess. Yet that is exactly what mayonnaise is. This article uses the analogy of making mayonnaise (emulsification) to think about how our politics has become so polarized, and some parallels to how we might address it moving forward. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Moving Forward
Some more thoughts on the power of analogy and how we might take lessons from nature in addressing the current political polarization. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Summary
The second issue of ReasonedVoice.com discusses polarization. First, a humorous take on polarization being selected word of the year. Next a short discussion on the value of analogy in addressing complex problems. Then two examples of polarization in nature (watersheds and mayonnaise), and a summary of how these analogies can help us better understand and deal with our current political polarization.
Issue #1: January 2025 - Introduction
The Launch of Reasoned Voice.com! VIEW THIS ISSUE
Let's Have Launch
The world seems to get more crazy and complicated every day. Objectivity seems to have gone out of fashion. The juxtaposition of the second inauguration of Donald Trump with Martin Luther King Day provided the impetus to finally launch this site and try to make sense of the world we live in. This article gives some more background on the impetus for this site. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Disillusionment
Sometimes there is a huge gap between reality and our expectations and beliefs. Which causes us to become disillusioned. The legacy of Martin Luther King can be an inspiration to use our disillusionment as fuel for a positive path forward. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Moving Forward
This site will focus on 3 main areas: Critical thinking and the importance of taking a step back to look at things from a broader perspective, understanding how humans think and make decisions (although we are all unique, we all share some thinking patterns), and approaches to handling uncertainty. VIEW THIS ARTICLE
Summary
The inaugural issue of ReasonedVoice.com coincides with Martin Luther King day and the second inauguration of Donald Trump. This issue provides some background on the impetus for this website, a discussion of disillusionment, and a blueprint for the focus of this site moving forward.
