Non-aggression principle, and where it fails

From Wikipedia, the non-aggression principle (NAP) is a ethical stance held among right-libertarians that forbids acts of ‘aggression’ against one’s property rights. Somewhat confusingly, the NAP seems to have many definitions and variants: 1961 Ayn Rand In an essay called “Man’s Rights” in the book The Virtue of Selfishness she formulated “The precondition of a… Continue reading Non-aggression principle, and where it fails

Who Is in Charge?

From Free Northerner Chronic Kinglessness: This is a perfect example of what Moldbug, referencing Carlyle, referred to as chronic kinglessness. This is the secret of politics and modern society: nobody is in charge, no one has power, and nobody is running the show: not the people, not the corporations, not the politicians, not the bureaucrats,… Continue reading Who Is in Charge?

Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 5 (intellectualism)

Continuing on the wealth, individualism, and intellectualism series… Part 1,2,3,4 The final pillar is intellectualism. Thanks to recent economic trends, Web 2.0, ‘nerd culture’, the growing importance of STEM, ‘esoteric celebrities‘, long-form journalism, as well as the elevation and idolization of intellectuals in public life, particularity for STEM fields, and recent groundbreaking discoveries and progress… Continue reading Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 5 (intellectualism)

SJW Narrative Collapse, Part Infinity

This is pretty funny… going on Reddit (I recommend logging out to see which default threads are on the front page, not subscribed ones), and it looks like the left, to quote the title of a Charles Murray book, is losing ground. A story on /r/news about “Leaflets calling for death of those who insult… Continue reading SJW Narrative Collapse, Part Infinity

‘Show, don’t tell’

‘Show, don’t tell’ is a literary technique whereby the author ‘shows’ what is happening through vivid language and senses as to allow the reader to make inferences from the clues that the author leaves behind, than merely ‘telling’ the reader what is happening. But this also applies to extent to post-2013 internet journalism, with the… Continue reading ‘Show, don’t tell’

Tim Ferriss, Nootropics, and Accelerated Learning

Between his best-selling books, The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Chef, and the 4-Hour Body, as well as a podcast, an iTunes TV show, and numerous high-paying speaking and consulting gigs, Tim Ferris has made a lucrative business out of teaching people ‘accelerated learning’, but does the purported efficacy of accelerated learning hold up to scrutiny?… Continue reading Tim Ferriss, Nootropics, and Accelerated Learning

The Financial Media: It’s Still Useless

I respect Larry Summers as a maverick intellect – someone who exits the beaten path to express his occasionally politically incorrect views, but he seems to have fallen into the trap of ‘vague alarmist punditry’ that so commonly afflicts online financial journalism (and is why I long since stopped reading many news websites. I don’t… Continue reading The Financial Media: It’s Still Useless

Simulation Hypothesis: Some Thoughts

Tech billionaires convinced we live in the Matrix are secretly funding scientists to help break us out of it The simulation hypotheses is an interesting thought experiment that has received more media coverage than is justified by the paucity of science that supports it. As most people already know, the Bostrom thought experiment is as… Continue reading Simulation Hypothesis: Some Thoughts

The ISIS Presidential Debate

One would think that given all of the mentions of ISIS during the second presidential debate that it was 911 all over again or something. Both candidates invoked the specter of ISIS to exculpate themselves from difficult questions. From the transcript: TRUMP: No, I didn’t say that at all. I don’t think you understood what… Continue reading The ISIS Presidential Debate

Where Did It All Go Wrong?

From Thomas Barghest of Social Matter Where Did It All Go Wrong?, in which he gives an exhaustive historical recitation of the ‘history of decay’, beginning with the 20th century and ending, surprisingly, with the literal formation of the universe. It’s more of a history lesson than an action plan or a rallying cry (descriptive… Continue reading Where Did It All Go Wrong?