Tag Archives: authority

Plain Speaking and the Construction of Legitimacy: A White Paper on Rhetorical Transparency as a Strategy of Authority

Posted on December 13, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Plain speaking—characterized by direct language, minimal euphemism, and an aversion to ornamental or evasive rhetoric—has historically functioned as a powerful strategy for establishing legitimacy across political, religious, legal, and institutional contexts. This white paper examines plain speaking not … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: The Social Cues of Entrance Placement and Design: How Thresholds Shape Human Perception, Behavior, and Social Order

Posted on December 12, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Entrance placement and design are among the most subtle yet powerful tools in architectural psychology and social engineering. Entrances communicate hierarchy, hospitality, security, identity, and expected behavior before a single person steps inside. The layout and visual grammar … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: Criminals as Instruments of Power: The Role of Lawlessness in Totalitarian States and the Roots of Contemporary Judicial Leniency Toward Violent Offenders

Posted on December 12, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Throughout modern history, criminal elements have often been used—deliberately or structurally—by authoritarian or totalitarian governments as tools of political control, social destabilization, or regime preservation. This phenomenon arises from the strategic logic of regimes that see social disorder … Continue reading →

Posted in Graduate School, History, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: Strategic Depth and Fragile Unity: Managing the Tensions Between Territorial Expansion and Internal Cohesion

Posted on December 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary States have long sought strategic depth—the acquisition or consolidation of geographic space that provides military buffer zones, control of transportation corridors, and protection of core population centers. Yet this expansion often incorporates peripheral regions with weak historical integration … Continue reading →

Posted in Graduate School, History, International Relations, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recommendations For A Warts And All Reading of Thai History

Posted on December 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

An honest “warts and all” reading list on Thai history has to do two things at once: give you a reliable chronological framework, and poke holes in the comforting myths of “harmonious kings, grateful peasants, and benign coups.” Below is … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Military History, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

White Paper: When Periodic Corporate Strategy Planning Aligns with Organizational Crisis Periods: Structural Causes, Behavioral Dynamics, and Governance Implications

Posted on December 10, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Many organizations conduct corporate strategy planning on predictable annual, biennial, or triennial cycles. Paradoxically, these “routine” planning windows often coincide with moments of crisis—financial stress, leadership turnover, market disruption, or internal conflict. This alignment is not accidental. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: Artificial Intelligence in Biblical Hermeneutics and the Essential Role of Proper Prompt Design

Posted on December 9, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large-language models (LLMs), is rapidly becoming a central tool for those who study Scripture—pastors, scholars, lay teachers, and content creators alike. While AI can accelerate research, generate linguistic insights, and offer comparative perspectives on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church of God, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: The Necessity of Epistemological Humility in Human Judgment and Action

Posted on December 8, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Epistemological humility—the recognition of our limited knowledge, fallible reasoning, and susceptibility to error—is not merely a philosophical virtue. It is a practical necessity for individuals, institutions, and societies navigating an increasingly complex world. Human understanding is unavoidably partial, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church of God, Musings | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: Biblicist Grounds for Re-Baptism When Conversion Occurs After an Earlier Baptism

Posted on December 8, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines whether Scripture provides grounds for a Christian to be re-baptized if he or she believes true conversion took place after a prior baptism. A strictly biblicist approach reveals that Scripture neither trivializes baptism nor … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: The Authority Paradox: Why Those Who Struggle to Respect Authority Often Seek Authority Themselves

Posted on December 6, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Across institutions—families, churches, workplaces, governments—one repeatedly encounters a persistent paradox: individuals who resist, resent, or reject legitimate authority are often the very individuals who most desire to be seen as authorities themselves. They frequently fail to perceive the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church of God, Musings | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment