Related to Identity, IQ, and Incoherence of the Alt-Right Intellectuals care more about correctness (or what they perceive as being correct) than consensus; for collectivist and identity-driven movements, it’s reversed. For example, Francis Fukuyama, considered one of the intellectual ‘founders’ of neoconservatism, went from in 2001 ‘co-signing William Kristol’s September 20, 2001 letter to President… Continue reading Intellectuals choose correctness over consensus
Month: January 2017
Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 7
Part 6 Nerd mannerisms and appropriations, especially in pop culture and on Instagram, where pretty women donning faux glasses post memes about social isolation, have become the ‘new normal’, and words like ‘normie’ have become pejorative. Nowadays everyone wants to be the ‘smartest person in the room’, not the most outgoing or popular. But ironically,… Continue reading Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 7
Freedom vs. Liberty
A common misconceptions is that ‘freedom’ must arise from ‘liberty’, or that the two are interchangeable. Part of the problem is the false dichotomy that the absence of liberty implies the existence of oppression (liberty follows from liberation), and that the former must actively resist the latter. This leads to an endless struggle of liberty… Continue reading Freedom vs. Liberty
The Post-2008 ‘Philosophy Boom’
This article is going viral: Why read old philosophy? Since 2008, we’ve been in what can be described as ‘philosophy boom’, as articles and stories about philosophy frequently go viral on sites such as Reddit, 4Chan, and Hacker News, and there seems to be a lot of interest in the subject on Quora and elsewhere.… Continue reading The Post-2008 ‘Philosophy Boom’
Inevitablism
In an earlier post, I discuss the criteria that constitute a religion: Not sure if Gnon works as a religion, because religion is both prescriptive (such as the 10 Commandments) and descriptive (Book of Genesis), not just descriptive. Religion is deontological, meaning it prescribes a set of moral rules for its adherents, although such rules… Continue reading Inevitablism
What People Fight and Die For
Another link to Spandrell https://bloodyshovel.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/gnon-theology/ The Carthaginians sacrificed their own children. Their first born sons. That was a thing. It happened for a reason. It evolved. It worked for them. Then the Romans conquered them and destroyed that thing; and it didn’t come back. It stopped working. That’s evolution too. That is Gnon’s will. The… Continue reading What People Fight and Die For
Our morally ambiguous times
Years ago in a philosophy class I posed the question of whether it was more virtuous to have never sinned or to have sinned and then reformed. The evidence suggests the latter, as redemption and America’s culture of authenticity have become increasingly intertwined. ‘Authenticity culture’ celebrates individualism, particularity intellectual endeavors (such as stock trading or… Continue reading Our morally ambiguous times
Maths and reading skills found to be 75 per cent genetic
no kidding Maths and reading skills found to be 75 per cent genetic Individual differences in cognitive ability manifest very early in life, long before thousands of hours of ‘practice’ can kick in. Even as early as kindergarten, teachers can readily identify the ‘slow’ students, who are often doomed to failure and or mediocrity in… Continue reading Maths and reading skills found to be 75 per cent genetic
The power of the alt-right is not to directly influence policy but rather to influence sentiment
There is a belief held by some that the alt-right, in making certain gestures and comments, is losing ‘respectability’ and therefore risks being excluded from having influence on Trump’s policies. This notion that Trump actually cares what the alt-right thinks is of course nonsense and is just more ‘concerning’ by people who don’t understand the… Continue reading The power of the alt-right is not to directly influence policy but rather to influence sentiment
Internet Journalism in a Post-2013 Era: Writing Articles that Go Viral
If the goal of writing is to be read, the success of writing can be measured by how many people read it. Yes, the success of writing can also be measured by subjective and aesthetic elements such as prose and pacing, but this is not of foremost importance. Getting people to read it, and hopefully… Continue reading Internet Journalism in a Post-2013 Era: Writing Articles that Go Viral