The Dingo's Fate
(noemamag.com)
The dingo forces us to question the coherence of ‘nativeness’ as a meaningful concept.
The dingo forces us to question the coherence of ‘nativeness’ as a meaningful concept.
De-Atomization Is the Secret to Happiness (2022)
(nateliason.com)
De-atomization is the secret to happiness.
De-atomization is the secret to happiness.
What to Do
(paulgraham.com)
What should one do? That may seem a strange question, but it's not meaningless or unanswerable. It's the sort of question kids ask before they learn not to ask big questions. I only came across it myself in the process of investigating something else. But once I did, I thought I should at least try to answer it.
What should one do? That may seem a strange question, but it's not meaningless or unanswerable. It's the sort of question kids ask before they learn not to ask big questions. I only came across it myself in the process of investigating something else. But once I did, I thought I should at least try to answer it.
De-Atomization is the Secret to Happiness (2022)
(nateliason.com)
De-atomization is the secret to happiness.
De-atomization is the secret to happiness.
Philosophy of Coroutines (2023)
(greenend.org.uk)
I’ve been a huge fan of coroutines since the mid-1990s.
I’ve been a huge fan of coroutines since the mid-1990s.
Limits of Smart: Molecules and Chaos
(dynomight.substack.com)
Take me. Now take someone with the combined talents of Von Neumann, Archimedes, Ramanujan, and Mozart. Now take someone smarter again by the same margin and repeat that a few times.
Take me. Now take someone with the combined talents of Von Neumann, Archimedes, Ramanujan, and Mozart. Now take someone smarter again by the same margin and repeat that a few times.
Why Is It Lovely
(solipsys.co.uk)
Recent changes Table of contents Links to this page FRONT PAGE / INDEX <p> Subscribe!
Recent changes Table of contents Links to this page FRONT PAGE / INDEX <p> Subscribe!
Plato: Organist to the Beasts (2022)
(willbuckingham.com)
It’s a curious image. The philosopher Plato, dressed in a turban and a sash, sits before a pipe organ and plays sweet tunes. Meanwhile, around him lies a catatonic tribe of lions, tigers, antelopes, leopards, deer, rhinos, cranes, phoenixes and other beasts. What’s going on here? Are these animals sleeping? Are they dead? What is Plato up to?
It’s a curious image. The philosopher Plato, dressed in a turban and a sash, sits before a pipe organ and plays sweet tunes. Meanwhile, around him lies a catatonic tribe of lions, tigers, antelopes, leopards, deer, rhinos, cranes, phoenixes and other beasts. What’s going on here? Are these animals sleeping? Are they dead? What is Plato up to?
The Quantum Chaos of Literature
(nybooks.com)
The Faustian bargain is a spiritual form of a conservation law: nothing good happens without something bad happening too. In the modern version, as depicted in books and movies, the message is that geniuses see far beyond their contemporaries, but often at the expense of lasting relationships and happy families. In our preoccupation with the image of the mad scientist, one can’t help but sense a bit of anti-intellectual schadenfreude lurking in the background—solace for all of us “normals.”
The Faustian bargain is a spiritual form of a conservation law: nothing good happens without something bad happening too. In the modern version, as depicted in books and movies, the message is that geniuses see far beyond their contemporaries, but often at the expense of lasting relationships and happy families. In our preoccupation with the image of the mad scientist, one can’t help but sense a bit of anti-intellectual schadenfreude lurking in the background—solace for all of us “normals.”
Argumentation Theory
(wikipedia.org)
Argumentation theory is the interdisciplinary study of how conclusions can be supported or undermined by premises through logical reasoning.
Argumentation theory is the interdisciplinary study of how conclusions can be supported or undermined by premises through logical reasoning.
The HTML Review
(thehtml.review)
The meaning of MAYA is the supernatural power wielded by gods and demons to produce illusions. Broadly: illusion.
The meaning of MAYA is the supernatural power wielded by gods and demons to produce illusions. Broadly: illusion.
Legacy of the Angels
(aeon.co)
When medieval scholars sought to understand the nature of angels, they unwittingly laid the foundations of modern physics
When medieval scholars sought to understand the nature of angels, they unwittingly laid the foundations of modern physics
Wheel Reinventor’s Principles (2024)
(tobloef.com)
The Wheel Reinventor enjoys reinventing wheels. A lot of wheels have been invented before, some are even very popular. So why does the Wheel Reinventor make new ones?
The Wheel Reinventor enjoys reinventing wheels. A lot of wheels have been invented before, some are even very popular. So why does the Wheel Reinventor make new ones?
Using Time Travel for Procrastination
(medium.com)
The Clock points at the time and says it is Now, but what is Now when you have Eternity?
The Clock points at the time and says it is Now, but what is Now when you have Eternity?
The political philosophy motivating Musk
(archive.org)
I have always been a huge science fiction fan, and I find these days that it’s helping me in my work life. Great science fiction often deals with geopolitical issues, broad social pendulum shifts, and large-scale systems failure (think Dune, or Isaac Asimov’s The Foundation trilogy, which I inhaled when I was about 12 and re-read for fun every decade or so). All these are in play today, particularly in the US, where politics is totally in flux.
I have always been a huge science fiction fan, and I find these days that it’s helping me in my work life. Great science fiction often deals with geopolitical issues, broad social pendulum shifts, and large-scale systems failure (think Dune, or Isaac Asimov’s The Foundation trilogy, which I inhaled when I was about 12 and re-read for fun every decade or so). All these are in play today, particularly in the US, where politics is totally in flux.
Gödel, Escher, Bach, and AI (2023)
(theatlantic.com)
A dazzlingly fast chatbot cannot replace the authentic and reflective voice of a thinking, living human being.
A dazzlingly fast chatbot cannot replace the authentic and reflective voice of a thinking, living human being.
Is God a Mushroom?
(longnow.org)
New research into the role of psychedelics upends our understanding of spirituality — and with it, our vision of the cosmos.
New research into the role of psychedelics upends our understanding of spirituality — and with it, our vision of the cosmos.
The Dark MAGA Gov-Corp Technate – Part 1 (and Part 2)
(unlimitedhangout.com)
What does the title of this article—not to mention each unusual word in it — even mean? This is not a rhetorical question. We urgently need to understand each term. A precise political philosophy underpins each. A combination of these interrelated philosophies has been embraced — either in part or in their entirety — by some of the most powerful people on the planet.
What does the title of this article—not to mention each unusual word in it — even mean? This is not a rhetorical question. We urgently need to understand each term. A precise political philosophy underpins each. A combination of these interrelated philosophies has been embraced — either in part or in their entirety — by some of the most powerful people on the planet.
The Tyranny of Work or Why Are We Still Measured by Our Productivity?
(anticapitalistmusings.com)
The idea that work is a moral duty rather than a means of survival is so deeply ingrained we rarely question it. But as technology advances and work becomes more precarious, exhausting, and intrusive, it is worth asking why productivity remains the measure of a person’s worth.
The idea that work is a moral duty rather than a means of survival is so deeply ingrained we rarely question it. But as technology advances and work becomes more precarious, exhausting, and intrusive, it is worth asking why productivity remains the measure of a person’s worth.
Stoicism's appeal to the rich and powerful (2019)
(exurbe.com)
I was recently interviewed for a piece in the Times on why the philosophy of stoicism has become very popular in the Silicon Valley tech crowd.
I was recently interviewed for a piece in the Times on why the philosophy of stoicism has become very popular in the Silicon Valley tech crowd.
Peirce Edition Project
(indianapolis.iu.edu)
“Before all else, let me make the acquaintance of my reader, and express my sincere esteem for him and the deep pleasure it is to me to address one so wise and so patient.”
“Before all else, let me make the acquaintance of my reader, and express my sincere esteem for him and the deep pleasure it is to me to address one so wise and so patient.”
Somnium Scipionis
(wikipedia.org)
The Dream of Scipio (Latin: Somnium Scipionis), written by Cicero, is the sixth book of De re publica, and describes a (postulated fictional or real) dream vision of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, set two years before he oversaw the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC.
The Dream of Scipio (Latin: Somnium Scipionis), written by Cicero, is the sixth book of De re publica, and describes a (postulated fictional or real) dream vision of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, set two years before he oversaw the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC.
Welcome to the Zero Sum Era. Now How Do We Get Out?
(nytimes.com)
Zero-sum thinking has spread like a mind virus, from geopolitics to pop culture.
Zero-sum thinking has spread like a mind virus, from geopolitics to pop culture.
We've been wrong about math for 2300 years
(davidbessis.substack.com)
It’s catchy title, but there’s something to it: since the time of Euclid, we’ve been operating under flawed assumptions on the nature of math. Everyone knew something was wrong, and everyone was confused. The good news is that we may finally be in a position to fix this.
It’s catchy title, but there’s something to it: since the time of Euclid, we’ve been operating under flawed assumptions on the nature of math. Everyone knew something was wrong, and everyone was confused. The good news is that we may finally be in a position to fix this.
The necessity of Nussbaum
(aeon.co)
Martha Nussbaum’s philosophy is dynamic and challenging, but also elegant and lucidly written: she is the thinker of our time
Martha Nussbaum’s philosophy is dynamic and challenging, but also elegant and lucidly written: she is the thinker of our time
From Statecraft to Soulcraft
(noemamag.com)
Nearly 450 years ago, a French philosopher wrote a book that feels like a precursor to “The White Lotus,” HBO’s hit TV show set in a luxury resort that follows various groups of guests as tensions build among them.
Nearly 450 years ago, a French philosopher wrote a book that feels like a precursor to “The White Lotus,” HBO’s hit TV show set in a luxury resort that follows various groups of guests as tensions build among them.
A brief meditation on formal systems and lying goblins
(ghost.io)
The other day I came across some people on The Internet talking about a certain scene from Labyrinth, which is a movie from the 80s (if you haven't seen it you should - lavish musical numbers, very unsettling Jim Henson puppetry, David Bowie doing contact juggling in spandex, it's really got it all!)
The other day I came across some people on The Internet talking about a certain scene from Labyrinth, which is a movie from the 80s (if you haven't seen it you should - lavish musical numbers, very unsettling Jim Henson puppetry, David Bowie doing contact juggling in spandex, it's really got it all!)