Why are philosophical opinions and philosophers more complicated than political opinions and politicians? Seems like a rhetorical question–philosophy is ‘smarter’ than politics. But what do we mean by smarter? My take is, philosophical positions, unlike political ones, don’t really ‘oppose’ each other. Philosophy is much more subtle than politics. For example, Kant vs. Schopenhauer on… Continue reading Notes on Philosophy versus Politics
Author: smartistone
The Merging of Economics with Physics
Why Are Physicists Drawn to Economics? If you are one of these people, let me try to disabuse you of these notions. Your mathematical abilities are actually not that much better than most economists (if they are better at all). You will have to spend a lot of time acclimating to the subject and the… Continue reading The Merging of Economics with Physics
Even an inept king is better than a revolving door of good and bad politicians.
The Arabs figured out that the best way to deal with politics is to eliminate it altogether. But other countries–Brazil, France, Turkey, and America–still have their elections and referendums, along with the usual fanfare that goes along with it. America at least got it half-right and does not have referendums–and the Electoral College, which in… Continue reading Even an inept king is better than a revolving door of good and bad politicians.
Jordan Peterson – IQ and The Job Market
Although this video was released just a day of writing this post, it has already gotten over 24,000 views and hundreds of votes and comments, guaranteeing it will be among his most popular videos ever. Why is this video so popular? Because it’s about IQ, automation, and their relation to job market, making it an… Continue reading Jordan Peterson – IQ and The Job Market
The Slow Presidency
The news and blog cycle has been like tumbleweeds of late…who would have guessed that the Trump presidency would be such a yawner. I did, but still even kinda surprised by how slow things have been. Of course , things can change. In 2000, the big issue was privatizing Social Security…a little thing called 911… Continue reading The Slow Presidency
The Philosophy-STEM alliance
As the Cowen vs. Rationalism spat shows, the harshest critics of rationalism are rationalists. Cowen, Noah, and Wilkinson, all of whom are smart, empirically minded, and Platonists, meet the criteria of being rationalists, and the Rationality community holds them in high regard. That’s part of what makes rationalism unique from other ‘cliques’. You wouldn’t expect… Continue reading The Philosophy-STEM alliance
Michael Huemer and Terrorism
In 2012, philosophy professor Michael Huemer, who kinda looks like Moldbug, did a TedX talk about irrationality in politics: The audience was probably thinking “this guy looks and sounds pretty smart…he must be correct,” but within two minutes into the talk, there is an error in his logic regarding the war on terror. He shows… Continue reading Michael Huemer and Terrorism
How to Predict, Part 3: HBD, Rationalism, and Trusted Sources
Part 1: How To Predict Part 2: How To Predict, Part 2: The Downfall of the Popular IPO My overall thesis is, whether there is economic collapse or not, is that America and China, economically, will continue to outperform the rest of the world. Europe, South America, Middle East, and Russia will remain weak relative… Continue reading How to Predict, Part 3: HBD, Rationalism, and Trusted Sources
Trump and China Relations Strengthen: Another Correct Prediction
Who would of guessed that despite Trump’s campaign rhetoric, Xi Jinping and Trump would become pals? Trump Rips U.S.-Russia Relations, Opens Up to China: The dire descriptions of fault lines between Washington and Moscow stood in stark contrast with the praise and appreciation Trump heaped on President Xi Jinping of China, with whom he said… Continue reading Trump and China Relations Strengthen: Another Correct Prediction
Law and Morality
Opponents of ethical naturalism may argue that consequentialism and utilitarianism are constructs of man that presuppose ‘reason’ and other ‘enlightenment’ values, sidestepping metaphysics and divinity. But the Bible is a creation of man and is interpreted by man. All forms of law (natural, positive, and divine) are anthropic, to varying degrees [2]. On a related… Continue reading Law and Morality