Technology and magic
People are wrong in many curious ways. A new one I noticed is assuming that a goal is silly, because people in the past tried to achieve it in silly ways. The thinking, if it can be called that, goes … Continued
Reincarnation and eugenics
This is a thought experiment. It is intended to point out a surprising logical consequence of a relatively common belief, and of course, make hippies, who against all evidence tend to think of themselves as good people, squirm with cognitive … Continued
The Hollywood fallacy – arguing from movie plots
posted in: Definitive Definitions, General Wisdomusings, How to fix the world, How to human, New Words |
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Smart people have identified many bugs in human software. The list of cognitive biases and fallacies is long and growing, much like my… aaanyway. I add a new one, and call it the Hollywood fallacy. It goes like this: “I saw … Continued
A psychological theory of hipster fashion
Maybe the fundamental reason your barista wears a waistcoat is a creeping collective sense that civilisation got derailed in the early 20th century, and we need to restore it to the last known good setting. Isn’t it remarkable that of … Continued
What is wisdom?
posted in: Definitive Definitions, General Wisdomusings, How to fix the world, How to human, Science! |
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Let’s talk about wisdom, what it is and how it relates to intelligence. It’s in the title of the website, people use the word all the time, and yet, there seems to be no good definition. Let’s fix that. It’s one of these … Continued
Shooting the messenger
Queen Elizabeth II. called Chinese officials “very rude”. The media responded by calling it a “diplomatic gaffe”. The event is fascinating because it illustrates an important point: there is a massive trend of shooting the messenger, while happily ignoring, or even excusing, real … Continued
How to win at business (and life)
posted in: Economics, Entrepreneurship, General Wisdomusings, How to fix the world, How to human, Tech |
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All the significant success stories that I am aware of – including firsthand – have one thing in common. If you look at Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Tesla… They did nothing radically new. Apple didn’t invent the mp3 player, the … Continued
The politics of hysteria
A report by a non-profit made rounds of the media in my little country a while ago claiming that three quarters of children have experience with drugs. If your first instinct was “that doesn’t seem right”, congratulations, your common sense … Continued
Economic growth: the reason South Sudan can grow 40% in a year and the USA can’t
There is an awful lot of nonsense floating about the interwebs and even “expert” debates when it comes to economic growth, so let me put it straight for those interested:
I am of this soil. But am I?
On a winter’s day, I looked out of the window and was overcome with a sense of sentimental love for the 20 kilometer radius I so far spent most of my life in. “My body”, I thought in a moment … Continued
Moon landing
posted in: Bite Sized Bits of Brains, General Wisdomusings, Spaaaaaaaace!, The Scolding of the Stupid |
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Only hours ago, China has landed a rover on the Moon. This calls for two major points to be made.
How To Write Badly
The internet is full of guides on good writing – ironically, a sizeable portion of them poorly written, so let’s help the educational effect by approaching the issue from the opposite side.
Y U Has a Sad – Resolving Depression
So an article was linked by a friend that tried to explain the epidemic spread of various depressive and anxiety disorders across the developed world. I’ll leave out the obvious fallacy in that claim, namely the lack of realization that … Continued