the world is big
“Every person takes the limits of their own field of vision for the limits of the world.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
greatness is deviance
“Nations, like families, have great men only in spite of themselves. They do everything in their power not to have any.
when “women are people” doesn’t work
(original thread, Mar2023) Sometimes guys say “idk how to talk to girls” and the ladies respond (understandably, but unhel
psychofauna
@BenRatkaj said he wanted a psychofauna bestiary. Etienne Preamble to a Psychofauna Bestiary Khalil Durkheim on the Nature of
Mint 100 Erasmuses
I’m shocked at how recently I learned about Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (1466-1536), who according to Wikipedia is co
“Shouldn’t I want to make the world a better place?”
The following is a section I cut from an old draft of INTROSPECT. I’m inclined to say no. Not until you’re ready to handle
civilization is potty training
Civilization is a kind of recursive, iterated potty training. See, the great thing about being an uncivilised barbarian is tha
shamans are meaning-workers
someone asked me for my definition of shaman. to me, a shaman is a meaning-worker. someone who is a deep appreciator, understa
oblique approaches can achieve what directness cannot
Tell all the truth but tell it slant —Success in Circuit liesToo bright for our infirm DelightThe Truth’s superb surpr
Aug29: AGI fire alarm drill day
In October 2017, Eliezer Yudkowsky wrote a post on intelligence.org titled There’s No Fire Alarm for Artificial General
seek excellent peers
Whenever people ask things like “your best advice in 3-4 words” etc, I always go with “seek excellent peers&
👶 a theory of pissbabies
The following post is meant to be fun, silly and tongue-in-cheek rather than serious, and yet at the same time I’m hopin
the death and life of great scenius
The Death And Life Of Great American Cities is a book by 1961 by Jane Jacobs. It’s criminally underrated. Scenius is a p
coordination does not require conspiracy
Coordination does not require conspiracy. I think it’s great that the word “conspire” literally means “
shame
I’ve been thinking about shame lately. Here are some riffs, and maybe I’ll flesh this out into something more subs
🏛 the prestige trap
I’ve had several conversations with friends who’ve been incapacitated by the burdensome bullshit obligation to Hav
masculinity
I’m not sure when I first started really thinking about what it even means to be a man, what masculinity is. I think it&
👩🏾🚀 representation matters
a recurring point I find myself making in private conversations is that I believe that representation might possibly be the #1
🤡 the world is not kind to those who are tacky
Late night thought: “Don’t be tacky (unless you know why you’re doing it)” is a surprisingly powerful heuristic for me
✋🏾 we need to get better at dealing with assholes if we are to progress as a species
— 1 — As I get older I feel this subtle-but-strong pressure to become more “professional” – more “civil”, mo
☎️ our metaphors for god adapt to keep up with our technology
Most of us inherit an idea of God as a “world craftsman”. If you think about it, this idea could not predate craft
🗣 mansplaining is sometimes (but not always) innocuous
If I had to do a “the difference between men and women” type of standup set, I think I would focus on the phenomenon of ma
👘 cultural cosplay: a broader framework for thinking about cultural appropriation
I’ve never quite been satisfied with the overuse of the phrase “cultural appropriation” in all sorts of cont
💋 Narcissist PR works because we can’t shut up about it
WIP I tweeted a more cautious version of this blogpost in July, and it’s been on my mind so I wanted to take some time t
☕️ Is Ya Kun Kaya Toast “Authentic”? [2013]
Originally posted on Poached Mag in 2013. I was having kopi with some friends at Ya Kun Kaya Toast. A friendly auntie spoke to
an analysis of power and social dynamics in ‘Mean Girls’
Theory: The movie has such enduring power and is quoted so much because it sheds some incredible light on real sociological ph