Appeal to moderation is less stupid than it looks For the simple reason that moderation is so fucking hard Appeal to moderation is logical fallacy — in which it is assumed that the truth must surely lie in the middle, between two opposites It’s fallacious in that the truth doesn’t always lie in the …
Category: Philosophy
Engineering = Practical and Rigorous = Useful Mental Models
Mathematics is perfectly rigorous — but nevertheless too abstract Spirituality, psychology, are abstract yet tangible — alas hardly rigorous Engineering is the perfect marriage of RIGOROUS yet PRACTICAL The world is messy Some of this messiness is impossible to make sense of Those that pretend to be making sense of it are typically delusional, …
We Don’t Even Comprehend WHEN We Can’t Comprehend
We don’t know that we don’t know That’s why beginners think they are experts (Dunning-Kruger effect). They DON’T KNOW how much more there is to know — therefore they think they know ALL there is to know — therefore they think they are experts But Dunning-Kruger effect is known, go read about it, …
Where Does “PROGRESSIVE” Come From, Historically?
Where does “PROGRESSIVE” come from? Let’s first be clear what we’re talking about, Let’s say “progressive” in this context means “SOCIAL REFORM” So where does SOCIAL REFORM come from? Here is where: TECHNOLOGY If not for technology, you would still be spending day and night toiling at the fields Large % of that …
I Don’t Think I’m Qualified
“I don’t think I’m qualified” are beautiful words The observation of this text is not the rather obvious Dunning-Kruger effect Scio me nihil scire i.e. that the most ignorant are the most ignorant of their own ignorance the most incompetent don’t even know they are incompetent and that the most knowledgeable understand just how …
What Really Happens When You Reject The Authority
When you reject AUTHORITY — you’re left WITHOUT authority (unless you can replace it with some other authority) Now unless you yourself are THE authority — then again: you are left without authority Therefore simple logical conclusion is that now you’re IN THE DARK Being in the dark is not bad It’s …
Empathy vs Principles, Morality
Let’s define “MORAL” as “good for everyone involved” Let’s not get any deeper than this, and assume we can find something that’s GOOD for everyone involved Indeed, good for everyone is perhaps not that complicated. -start with some silver rule — don’t cheat, don’t steal, don’t be a lying piece of shit, don’t harm …
Morality of Profiting at the Expense of Others
Should you profit at the expense of others? If others don’t matter — then it doesn’t matter if you profit at their expense or not. Just like it doesn’t matter if you satiate your culinary desires by eating succulent steak, at the expense of some cow But if you claim that others matter …
Give Up To Reallocate Resources
There are only opportunities You find the best opportunity and then go in that direction How far you went doesn’t matter — if a better opportunity emerges You just change direction Why is “perseverance” an ideal, then? Perseverance is an ideal because of OPACITY involved, UNCERTAINTY involved You actually DON’T KNOW what …
Giving is Selfish, Altruistic and RATIONAL
Giving is obviously beneficial to the receiver — AND the giver Giving is obviously beneficial to the giver, selfishly It takes advantage of the reciprocity bias — often you’ll get more in return than you put in In giving you acquire trust You reveal peaceful, helpful intent And in continuing giving you maintain …