Month: March 2016

In Search of Fulfillment

From raging Twitter debates between oversized personalities, to physics discoveries making headlines, to web 2.0 and tech visionaries being lauded for their genius, to wealth inequality widening to widths never before imagined, to Instagram selfie ‘culture’, more than ever we’re in an era of the celebration of the ‘self’, where individual differences are manifested acutely… Continue reading In Search of Fulfillment

Defending ‘Academic’ Writing

What is wrong with ‘academic’ writing? Academics Stink at Writing – Steven Pinker Why Is Academic Writing So Unpleasant to Read?> Why Is Academic Writing So Academic? Believe it or not, academics actually know how to write, but some of this ‘jargon’ is for brevity. How should a scientist describe the concept of heritability without… Continue reading Defending ‘Academic’ Writing

The Second ‘Great Experiment ‘

The first ‘great experiment’ was secession from Britain. Yeah, some on the on the ‘NRx-sphere’ argue this was ‘bad’, but the data shows that secession succeeded, with the US economy not only surpassing Britain but becoming the biggest in the world, as well as a global military superpower. Fast forward a couple hundred years, the… Continue reading The Second ‘Great Experiment ‘

What Martin Shkreli Says About America

I’ve mentioned Martin Shkreli a couple times here, posting some of his tweets. Martin Shkreli’s popularity is evidence we’re in a ‘smartist era’, where people’s intellectual contributions are more important than their character flaws. The synthesis of wealth and intellectualism is a defining characteristic of post-2008 America, culturally and economically, and few embody this synthesis… Continue reading What Martin Shkreli Says About America

Marshmallow ‘deferers’ vs. ‘eaters’

Since 2008, economically and socially, we’re also seeing the rise of the ‘deferers’ – the high-IQ kids who deferred eating the marshmallow, now grown-up, and are reaping all the fruits of prosperity in our ‘new economy’, getting richer than ever while the ‘eaters’ are on the lower echelons of society, stuck with crappy, low social… Continue reading Marshmallow ‘deferers’ vs. ‘eaters’

National Review Writer: Working-Class Communities ‘Deserve To Die’

Online, there is a storm brewing over NRO’s Kevin Williamson’s derisive comments about working-class communities, with outrage from pretty much everyone. Here is the pertinent passage: “The truth about these dysfunctional, downscale communities is that they deserve to die. Economically, they are negative assets. Morally, they are indefensible,” More information here and here. You have… Continue reading National Review Writer: Working-Class Communities ‘Deserve To Die’

IQ: It Still Predicts A lot

The Bermuda Triangle of Science Nonetheless, the evidentiary base regarding the existence of general intelligence and its ability to predict important life outcomes — including health, longevity and mortality, as well as other key variables — is beyond compelling, it’s overwhelming. And if you find yourself feeling like you can do damage to this evidence… Continue reading IQ: It Still Predicts A lot

Stock Bull Market Continues, Seven Years Later

The 2009 bull market is third-longest in history: Seven-Year Anniversary: From the Depths of the Crisis, a Bull Run If you go back to the archives and other posts, you will see that I was among the few pundits who called for a continuation the bull market, even as far back as 2011, as everyone… Continue reading Stock Bull Market Continues, Seven Years Later

NRx and Capitalism

From Reactionary Future: Zizek nails it The very architects of the Cathedral have been “Randian” heroes. The idea that capital will flee the Cathedral is absurd, as is the idea that the elite will shut up shop and walk – they made this mess and they think it is great. Look at all the great… Continue reading NRx and Capitalism