2012 December | The Socjournal

Scholars have referred to Homo sapiens’ game-changing capacity to transform the biological evolutionary process into an intellectual exercise–or what I refer to as super-adaptability–in a variety of ways. Karl Popper distinguishes between biological and cognitive problem solving. In so doing, Popper emphasizes that for most organisms the one and only means of resolving survival problems […]

Timothy McGettigan | Dec 30, 2012 | Comments 0

Does it seem like the world is going to hell in a hand basket? Hard to conclude otherwise when children are massacred as in recent fashion. If you want to understand why however, maybe it is time to put aside “stock” answers and look past clichés about God, madness, and guns. If you are interested in a deeper look at the world we live in, sociologists can help.

Dr. Michael Sosteric | Dec 15, 2012 | Comments 26

Here is some promotional copy for a pay-per-view on how to write resume and get jobs. In a market place crowded by highly qualified candidates, these techniques to stand out and get noticed make sense. If you do take the plunge and purchase this, consider emailing me back at mikes@athabascau with a review and we’ll put that up here for others to see.

Dr. Michael Sosteric | Dec 12, 2012 | Comments 0

Ah the power of the media. The power itself is not a problem. The problem is the “masses” often don’t get just how powerful it is. Here is a student essay providing evidence of the incredible power of the media to literally create reality, in this case the reality of Multiple Personality Disorder. What is interesting for me about this case is not only were the “masses” fooled, but smart, PhD level professionals, and in fact the entire psychological establishment, was sucked in as well. They even created a DSM classification based on the lie seeded by the media. WTF? And while the masses lost nothing but credibility, professionals who bought into the media scripted lie ruined lives. When will we learn?

Dr. Michael Sosteric | Dec 12, 2012 | Comments 4

Thomas Kuhn (1996) argued that scientific revolutions take place when dominant paradigms are dislodged by emergent paradigms. Science undergoes such transitions when established paradigms fail to account for an increasing number of empirical anomalies. Anomalies may be understood as enigmas for which existing knowledge systems lack convincing explanations, e.g., dark energy (Panek, 2011). Kuhn’s perspective […]

Timothy McGettigan | Dec 11, 2012 | Comments 0

If you can’t beat them well, don’t join them because that is just cowardly and spineless. Instead, hunker down for the hard work. Gnaw at the foundations, knock at the support beams, and eventually the system comes crumbling down. With modern communication technologies there’s simply no excuse.

Dr. Michael Sosteric | Dec 07, 2012 | Comments 0

We all see the world through eyes colored by the psychological imposition of gender. Girls are girls and boys are boys and never the twain shall meet. We think what we see is natural reality, but is it really? Sociologists would argue, not so. In truth, gender is less about physical reality and more about social control, the status quo, and power. At birth we are put in little gender boxes and these boxes limit us, and control us. Something to think about in the pink and blue world of modern life.

Dr. Michael Sosteric | Dec 06, 2012 | Comments 14

Do so-called authorities know more about us than we know about ourselves? “The Big Lie” asserts that authorities, in the form of theologians and academics, seem to think they do. Further, those authorities tend to take a dim view of human nature—and those negative perspectives often produce very negative consequences. Because authorities are cloaked in a mantle of institutional legitimacy, their opinions are perceived as being more truthful than those of non-authorities. Nevertheless, “The Big Lie” argues that the truth is often at variance with the opinions of authorities. Be skeptical! (Timothy M.)

Dr. Michael Sosteric | Dec 01, 2012 | Comments 17