Every system has an extreme, and systems will tend toward whatever extreme that is incentivized or selected for. This is the moral of the paper clip problem.

Friday’s are for poetry. This one is for our new best friend.

There is a path to American redemption, but it’s a steep and difficult climb.

Aversion to coercion. Hear more in our full episode 10.

$2 million per ship — to cross a Strait that was free six weeks ago. @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/w...

There is a direct line connecting the idea of merit with economic inequality.

This week's episode addresses the tension between individual and collective interests. We discuss how the two can and might be properly balanced.

Fridays are for poetry. Musing about moral foundations.

Truth, not ideology must be our primary guide.

Sometimes the most dangerous arrows are the ones that come at you from behind.

Addressing the Socialism Boogeyman

Fridays are for poetry. A rhythmic rhyme about getting in sync.

There will never be a better time than now to get started.

The best way to end an unwinnable war is to simply stop fighting.

A group identity can become fixated on its own success leading to the abandonment of individual principles.

Emotional manipulation is a tool to get people to react without using critical thinking skills.

Fridays are for poetry.

National politics is important, but we tend to forget that the most immediate impact on people's lives comes from local government.

In this episode, we explore how our individual and group identities shape our political reactions in ways that often prevent us from seeing things objectively.

It's common knowledge that Friday's are for poetry.

Desi Lydic Foxsplains the not-war in Iran that Trump didn't start and also already won

The first step is acknowledging our subjectivity and perspectival bias.

It is said that minds are like parachutes. They only function properly when open.

Episode 5 is available now! In this episode of Asynchrony, Kevin Shively and Dean Bagley explore the complex relationship between identity and perspectives, particularly in the context of political division. youtu.be/5MAuU3FV-v8?...

Perspective is a lens that shapes what we see as reality.

The irony is, that is exactly how you change the world!

Next...

Some thoughts on the current state of the State of the Union address. It wasn’t always this way.

Last weekend, we attended a wonderful new play called Chinese Americans by Alex Lin. Afterwards during a Q&A, the playwright said something that encapsulated why I started the Asynchrony podcast now. Political division doesn't wait for the perfect time to be solved. The perfect time is always now.

Week 4 of our continuing conversation about the great divide in America today and what we can do to improve political deliberation in our society. Available now!

In memory of the passing of a family friend.

Fridays are for poetry.

Is everything a PSYOP?

Some of my friends have questioned the timing of trying to bridge the political divide, but I believe in being the change you want to see. This is the first of a series of articles I plan to write about this journey.

Episode 4 Preview: The unfalsifiability trap youtube.com/shorts/tWTWd...

We hit our first milestone of 100+ subscribers! Thank you!

This is an interesting article by a friend. It perhaps raises more questions than it answers. www.mediapost.com/publications...

Today we celebrate the memory of a man who was given the chance to be a king and simply refused.

Fridays are for poetry!

Efforts to control people through control of their culture are not new, but they should be an important warning.

The first requirement for good political deliberation is trust. Without trust, everything is on the table, and the chance for manipulation rises.

This is a powerful reminder of a basic truth of human nature.

Fridays are for poetry.

In the next episode of the podcast Asynchrony, Dean and I will be discussing conspiracies and conspiracy theories and how we might approach identify what is real and what isn't. Episodes drop every Tuesday morning!

Accountability is important, but it must be balanced with compassionate understanding.

“Network” is getting the Criterion treatment. 💕 @criterion.bsky.social @ditzkoff.bsky.social www.criterion.com/films/34869-...

When dialectic is replaced with rhetoric (ahem!), political deliberation becomes a simulation and is not real thereby obscuring truth.

Yet another astonishing thing to just sit with for a moment.

In this inaugural episode, Kevin Shively and Dean Bagley explore their differing perspectives on politics, truth, and the importance of dialogue. They discuss their backgrounds, the evolution of their political awareness, and the influence of media on their views.