This week’s column steps back from the five-part Understanding MAGA series to examine the deeper themes running through it—identity, boundaries, and the quiet collapse of communication when we outsource judgment. I’m 61 now, and I’ve set a personal goal to complete my own TST Philosophy by the time I’m 70. That means the weekly column isn’t the destination; it’s the workshop. Series like this aren’t reactions to headlines—they’re part of a larger architecture I’m building slowly and deliberately. If you’ve been reading along, you’re not just following commentary. You’re watching a framework take shape.
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Curated by Michael Alan Prestwood.
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TouchstoneTruth Weekly Column
Wed 25 Feb 2026
TST Weekly Column
25 Feb
This week:
The Understanding MAGA series was not about a political tribe: it was about how identity fuses with worldview, why healthy systems require boundaries, and how communication collapses when judgment is outsourced.
WEEKLY AUDIO
Listen to the column, or the research behind it.
Understanding MAGA
Series
Piece 6 of 6 in the series.
Using physics and the social sciences to decode the invisible forces and intellectual boundaries that shape political identity.
The TST Weekly Column is a collection of standalone pieces—timeless ideas viewed through the lens of the present. One clear idea each week, built and refined over time through reason, evidence, and lived experience.
Weekly Wisdom Builder
Wed 25 Feb 2026 Edition
— Research & Learning —
Stories: Science Philosophy Critical Thinking History Big Bang Metaphysics Evolution Biases Futurism Ancient History Ethics Reasoning
1 Essay + 6 Tidbits
1 Weekly Focus
The research, stories, and questions that inform this week’s column.
This Week:
— Understanding MAGA —
Series are not reactions — they are architecture. When ideas are layered intentionally over time, they form a framework rather than a headline.
Greetings!
–Michael Alan Prestwood
6 Key Ideas
Weekly Crossroads
A few minutes of key ideas!
The research & wisdom reminders.
1 Story of the Week »
Alfred Korzybski
Born 1879.
Lived from 1879 to 1950, aged 70
Humans do not respond directly to reality. We respond to our representations of it.
2 Quote of the Week »
Live legal, moral, and fair.
- Michael Alan Prestwood
- 2002
This triad balances structure, character, and consequence. Legal, moral, and fair align personal integrity with social stability and responsibility.
3 Science »
What does neuroscience say about “identity?”
Science says you are physically changing all the time and the story you tell about yourself is less a fixed thing and more a maintained pattern.
4Philosophy »
Why do people confuse explanations with reality?
We confuse explanations with reality because they reduce uncertainty and satisfy our need for coherence.
5Critical Thinking »
What is worldview humility?
Most convictions feel universal because they are familiar. Worldview humility begins when we recognize the role of time, place, and culture in shaping what feels obvious.
6History!
What does history teach us about authoritarian rule?
History shows that authoritarian rule emerges less from cruel leaders than from systems that normalize obedience and discourage independent judgment.
Inspired?
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Article of the Week
Updated This Week
Philosophy
Article
Mindscape Framework
Consciousness
We do not merely react to reality — we model it. Many of those modeling tools began as ancient heuristics designed for survival. Over time, those models stabilize into worldview, and worldview fuses with identity. When we recognize that identity rests atop layered cognitive architecture, we gain humility.
This Week @ TST
February 25, 2026
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