Progress-focused

(Originally published October 22, 2024) In today’s political landscape, we increasingly see irrationality and cheating being employed as strategies to gain and maintain power. This phenomenon not only undermines the foundations of a healthy democracy but also opens the door for leaders who are willing to sacrifice ethics and integrity for personal gain.  What do I mean by irrationality and cheating? Irrationality and cheating involve tactics such as lying, using illogical reasoning, making unfounded claims, and never admitting mistakes or falsehoods. Politicians guilty of this frame all their actions as successes, regardless of reality. By employing these strategies, they manipulate public debate and weaken voters' ability to make informed decisions. The rhetorical advantage for politicians Politicians using irrationality and dishonest tactics can benefit in several ways: Attracting attention : Shocking and inaccurate statements generate media attention, keeping these politicians c...

Self-determination theory ( SDT) posits that in addition to the need for autonomy and relatedness , people also have a fundamental need for competence . In attempting to use this need for competence in educational software, researchers have found its definition to be confusing and incomplete. Two recent papers address this by clarifying and formalizing the definition.