Discussion of issues and projects related to the form, structure and content of AmericanDelusions


Project Blog

Why so few posts over the last couple of months??

April 30, 2024

My production rate has fallen seriously since February 2024. Why? It’s not because I have not been regularly provoked with concerns. No, I am in the process of leaving Hudson NY, where I have lived for the past 15 years. Shortly, I will take up residence in West Palm Beach, FL, in a condo just a couple of blocks from my step-daughter.  I am sure to return to my earlier production level shortly.

Project Blog

New Introduction To Our Topics Page, New Topics, New Graphics, Other…..

March 1, 2023

New Page – Introduction to AmericanDelusions Topics In order to make it a bit easier to get oriented to the various topics discussed at AmericanDelusions I’ve added a new page “Introduction to AD Topics”. This provides a quick overview of the 16 topics discussed on AD. It also introduces other features on the website. New Topics In the past couple of months, I’ve added some new topics (“categories” as they are known in the WordPress —>> read more –>>

Environment, Project Blog

A Major Shift in Emphasis – the environment

September 6, 2019

Friday 9/6/2019 Over the last several months I have been working on a restatement of the fundamental characteristics of the capitalist system. In doing this I have been thinking afresh about the current crisis of global warming and the surrounding environmental disasters of species extinction and the general defacement of the earth. I will complete this restatement shortly. Meanwhile I have rearranged the section of the website devoted to the environment to a more prominent —>> read more –>>

Project Blog

Adult Learning Models

March 14, 2019

If one is interested in helping people develop new understandings of how their society works the question of how adults learn and engage is critical. Clearly standard pedagogical approaches are inappropriate because our readers are adults not the ages typical for K-12 and college instruction. Further, standard pedagogy is top-down and largely devoted to supporting current cultural, political and economic regimes. So, I have been digging into adult learning models. Beginning with Knowles 1970s and —>> read more –>>

Footnotes

  1. Knowles, M. (1975) Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers, New York: Cambridge Books. p.18
  2. O'Sullivan, E. (1999) Transformative Learning: Educational vision for the 21st century. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press Inc.
  3. Transformative Learning in Practice: Insights from Community, Workplace and Education, Jossey-Bass Inc 2009
Project Blog

Rethinking AmericanDelusions

January 15, 2019

Recent conversations about AmericanDelusions (AD) has brought me around to new thinking about the organizing principles of AD and how to make the content more useful and accessible. What are the underlying ideas of American life? So, exactly what do I mean by referring to “delusions”? As noted in the introductory essay “American Delusions“: Every society creates delusions, myths and stories to explain where it came from and how it works. These are so engrained —>> read more –>>

Footnotes

  1. Harari, Yuval N. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, 2018.
Project Blog

House Cleaning at AmericanDelusions

December 18, 2018

New Topics Prompted by comments from a reader I’ve undertaken some changes in the organization of the site. Most significant are four new categories: education environment inequality women. Gone are the days when my Introduction to AmericanDelusions included the note:  “Missing But Not – Two topics that do not appear in this list: the environment and the status of women in America. These are discussed within the other topics.” New Menu Structure The top line menu —>> read more –>>