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
Author: smartistone
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
The Necessity of Power
There seems to be lingering belief held by some, including even a the Flight 93 Election essay, that perhaps democracy can be salvaged if only the ‘right people are put in charge’, or that Trump’s win is a major setback for the left. Bloody Shovel writes: Trump won! And he did so in a democratic… Continue reading The Necessity of Power
2017 Predictions and Reflections
Overall, 2016 was a good year. Traffic to the blog continues to grow, with the fourth quarter of 2016 being the strongest ever, although it’s still nothing to write home about. Perhaps there was too much activism this year, both with the 2016 presidential election and Brexit, and this may have resulted in a loss… Continue reading 2017 Predictions and Reflections
Alt Right Power Struggle
The ongoing alt-right ‘civil war’ is an example how how activism fails in the absence of a unifying cohesive goal and or concentrated power. Between 2015 and 2016, thousands of anonymous posters on 4chan, Twitter, and Reddit collectively worked on the same goal – getting Trump in office. Although they were loosely organized, they were… Continue reading Alt Right Power Struggle
More Tooleb Nonsense Debunked
Nassim Nicholas Tooleb, the angry flâneur who blocks and insults people on Twitter, continues to demonstrate being the intellectual-yet-idiot that he is, in a recent Medium post Inequality and Skin in the Game: The author Joan Williams, in an insightful article, explains that the working class is impressed by the rich, as role models. Michèle… Continue reading More Tooleb Nonsense Debunked