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
Month: April 2017
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
Most debates are over semantics, not issues
Wittgenstein posited language as the source of philosophical disagreements and confusion. Such semantic confusion seems pervasive not only to philosophy, but almost all modern political and ethical discourse. Most issues involve tying to define words, not necessarily the issue in and of itself. For example: – Bill Clinton and the meaning of “Is” – The… Continue reading Most debates are over semantics, not issues
Why to Always Short UVXY Instead of VXX
*This article assumes the reader understands volatility funds, short selling, leveraged funds, and option trading.* There are two major volatility ETNs (exchange traded notes), UVXY and VXX. Most people just assume UVXY is merely a 2x version of VXX, and not much else. Most traders who bet against volatility will simply short VXX without even… Continue reading Why to Always Short UVXY Instead of VXX
Geopolitical Recap & Predictions
There is a confluence of five major geopolitical events, all packed into one month: French Election: not a big deal as far as the US economy is concerned, regardless of the outcome. Like Brexit, any volatility will be short-lived. No recession or crisis. The liberal pundits who are predicting crisis should LePenn win, will be… Continue reading Geopolitical Recap & Predictions
Grey notes: Why Scientology succeeds even though everyone hates it
A nugget counterintuitive insight by Scott Adams (at 12 minutes in) Coffee with Scott Adams 05/04/2017 The predictor of a successful TV show is not the total number of people who like it, but rather the number of people, however few, who absolutely love it, even though this may only be a minority of the… Continue reading Grey notes: Why Scientology succeeds even though everyone hates it
Intellectualism culture and intersectionality
‘Intellectualism culture’ is social theory that describes the interactions of smart people between each other and society. One of its maxims is that correctness is more important than consensus. Then it dawned on me, if in-group posturing is endemic to intellectualism, how did Cultural Marxism, which involves professors (presumably high-IQ people), stay ideologically cohesive instead… Continue reading Intellectualism culture and intersectionality