Fireworks and the novelty effect

There is a certain gruesome novelty in tragedy, as we normally see other people in highly unpleasant and deadly circumstances, while we are safe.

There is a mix of emotions that is experienced, ranging from joy, grief, pity and delight.

• They are harmful to everyone involved in a debate: they don’t get us anywhere because we’re not tackling an opponent’s actual viewpoint. This means we have no hope of convincing them.
• It’s not easy to admit we’re wrong about anything or to have to change our minds. But this is cruc...

We all worry, in our own ways, about how we’re being perceived.

The fact that we’re being judged matters much more than whether those judgments seem fair or well-informed. We also don’t tend to worry about someone having an undeservedly high opinion of us, unless we can see how that might ...