Last week we continued our philosophy series by focusing on the split between the material world and our ideas about it. We’ll return to that next week. But with war now upon us, I wanted to pause and talk about identity — especially core identity. Some opinions sit near the surface and can change with new facts. But core identity is different. When people feel that deepest part of themselves challenged, they do not always respond with careful reflection. Often they defend, retreat, or go silent. That deeper human reality felt worth exploring now.
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THIS ISSUE: Worldview.
Last updated 3 months ago.
Column Archives
TST Column
18 Mar 2026
TST Column
Mar 2026
THIS ISSUE: Worldview.
People do not hold political views equally. Some beliefs sit at the outer rim and can bend when events change. Others sit at the core of identity.
LISTEN NOW!
Listen to the column, or the research behind it.
Understanding MAGA
Thread
Column 7 of 7 in the Understanding MAGA series.
Using science to decode the invisible forces that shape political identity.
Column Research
Stories: Science Philosophy Critical Thinking History Big Bang Metaphysics Evolution Biases Futurism Ancient History Ethics Reasoning
1 Essay + 6 Tidbits
1 Focus
Plus a bonus deep-dive article.
This Issue:
— Worldview —
Identity has a core and an outer rim. The core holds fast. The outer rim bends, absorbs, and reconsiders. When the pressure of events reaches the core, silence can be the first sound of change.
Greetings!
–Michael Alan Prestwood
6 Research Tidbits
Wisdom Builder Crossroads
The research, stories, and questions that inform this issue.
1 Story »
George Orwell
1903 to 1950, aged 46.
Orwellian Thought
George Orwell wrote about how corruption starts when language is twisted, facts are manipulated, and authority demands loyalty over reality.
2 Quote »
“Identity is easy — it’s me, whatever that is.”
- Michael Alan Prestwood
- 2024
Identity isn’t fixed. It shifts as we grow. Understanding yourself means accepting that “me” is a story in motion, not a finished definition.
3 Science »
What is cognitive dissonance?
Cognitive dissonance is conflict of the mind. What happens when two things do not fit. Emotional conflict often means something in your life is out of alignment.
4Philosophy »
What happens when identity and loyalty collide?
Sometimes the hardest moral conflicts are not between good and evil, but between two loyalties a person cannot fully reconcile.
5Critical Thinking »
Why do people believe wrong things?
People don’t seek information to discover truth—they seek reassurance that they’re already right.
6History!
What inspired Orwell’s 1984 and Orwellian thought?
Orwellian thought grew out of Orwell’s early experience with empire, poverty, and class. It sharpened dramatically in Spain when he saw propaganda and betrayal inside his own side.
Take the deep dive.
Linked Article
Philosophy
Working Paper
TST Epistemic Calibration: Credence and Degrees of Belief
TST Philosophy
In TST Calibration Theory, a proposition is true or false relative to reality, but our confidence in it comes in degrees. That confidence should rise or fall with evidence, logic, and testing. If truth depends on alignment with reality, then human belief cannot be binary, because our access to reality is filtered and fallible.