For some reason the definition of the ‘alt right’ refuses to be resolved to anyone’s full satisfaction. My ‘definition’ is that the ‘alt right’ is a subset of ‘right’ that rejects the ‘mainstream’, which is a kinda circular definition, but taken literally that’s what ‘alternative’ means. The ‘alt right’ can include rationalists and pacifists (rejection… Continue reading Alt-Right: Classifications and Significance
Author: smartistone
Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 3
Continuing from part 2 about finance: Trillions of dollars of wealth has been created since the market bottom of March 2009, and especially since 2013, some examples being: The S&P 500 bottomed at 666 in March 2009. As of 8/25/2016 it’s now at 2170 for a gain of 226%, which does not include the generous… Continue reading Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 3
Did Hillary Commit Insider Trading?
A story about alleged insider trading by an informed trader who bought put options on IBB (a biotech ETF) before Hillary made a tweet about ‘Epi Pen’ prices, went viral: It was also posted on r/the_donald and r/conspiracy Here is the tweet in question: EpiPens can be the difference between life and death. There's no… Continue reading Did Hillary Commit Insider Trading?
American Exceptionalism
This post succinctly summarizes why the US stock market ha done so well compared to the rest of the world: If the world is circling the drain, America is furthest from the drain, on the most outer ripple. Wherever the market falls more than a couple percent, the huge funds step in and keep buying… Continue reading American Exceptionalism
Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 2 (the obsession with finance)
The second pillar is wealth. From Francisco d’Anconia’s speech in Atlas Shrugged: “So you think that money is the root of all evil?” said Francisco d’Anconia. “Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce… Continue reading Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 2 (the obsession with finance)
Heuristics for the Post-2008 World, Part 1
This advice given this in this article captures the ethos of post-2008 era – an era in which IQ, self-determination, intellectual expertise and knowledge are more important than ever, coinciding with the post-2008 decline/obsolescence of collectivism and liberalism, in general. Commentary is below. 1. Ignore 1-star and 5-star reviews of books, hotels and products. The… Continue reading Heuristics for the Post-2008 World, Part 1
‘Shared Narratives’ is not bi-partisanship
Over the past month or so, I’ve discussed ‘shared narratives’ – points of common agreement among smart people, that somewhat unexpectedly bring them together. Is this the same as bi-partisanship? No. The far-right and the far-left (assuming the political spectrum is linear) are opposite to each other on many issues, but an example of a… Continue reading ‘Shared Narratives’ is not bi-partisanship
Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 1
From Michael O. Church in response to Justine Tunney, Thanks for your insightful reply: What is this war? What are the sides? To be honest, I see a lot of bitter conflict in our society, but I don’t see the coherence of a war. I don’t see “sides”. I see a dissolution into feudalism and… Continue reading Wealth, Intellectualism, and Individualism, Part 1
Neoliberalism
An article by Sam Bowman on neoliberalism went viral: I’m a neoliberal. Maybe you are too Neoconservatives also support free trade, markets, and are consequentialist, unlike the far-right. They also tend to have a more optimistic outlook than either the far-left or the far-right. Neocons are typically consequentialist, supporting policy such as 2008 the bank… Continue reading Neoliberalism
Philosophy as a STEM Subject
The acronym STEM, as everyone knows, stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM subjects are math-intensive, analytic, and generally require a high intelligence to understand all the rules and intricacies. By this definition, the umbrella of subjects that could be considered ‘STEM’ or STEM-like could be expanded to include finance, economics, and even philosophy…I’ll… Continue reading Philosophy as a STEM Subject