Law 34: Be Royal in your own Fashion, Act like a king to be treated like one Don’t be too humble. You will be treated the way you treat yourself. You will be thought of the way you think of yourself. Project confidence and a regal demeanor and others will respect you for it. If … Read more
Law 31: Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal For the wounds and every other evil that men inflict upon themselves spontaneously, and of their own choice, are in the long run less painful than those inflicted by others. -Niccolò Machiavelli It is wiser to avoid exerting strength if you … Read more
Sam Harris debated Scott Adams on his Waking Up podcast. They mostly discussed Trump, but they also went through a lot of the ideas that Adams writes about in his books, “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big” and “Win Bigly”. Scott Adams is the author of the famous “Dilbert” comic. Before that he worked … Read more
Debate: The Rise of Populism The Motion The first question was “will populism replace liberalism in the future of politics?” Seventy-two percent said “no”. The follow-up question that the moderator asked was interesting, “is there a chance you will change your minds after tonight?” but the response to that question by the audience was astonishing. … Read more
The Central Problem of Philosophy Camus starts The Myth of Sisyphus by stating that the central problem of philosophy is to figure out whether life is worth living, everything else is details. People don’t die in the name of the ontological problem. What gives life meaning is the irrational illusions. These same ideas that, when … Read more
Law 29: Plan all the Way to the End “Look to the end, no matter what it is you are considering. Often enough, God gives a man a glimpse of happiness, and then utterly ruins him.” – The Histories, Herodotus When planning, take everything into account. Since the ending is all that matters, you should … Read more
Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness Don’t do anything halfheartedly. Being doubtful and hesitant will inevitably sabotage your project. Be audacious, everyone admires the bold, and no one cares for the timid. When you act timidly, those that are bolder will encircle you. And when you lack confidence, you will be unable to overcome obstacles … Read more
Law 27: Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cult-like Following “To become the founder of a new religion one must be psychologically infallible in one’s knowledge of a certain average type of souls who have not yet recognized that they belong together.” – Nietzsche People need to believe in something. By offering … Read more
An Actor’s Life for Me All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts – William Shakespeare In Disney’s Pinocchio, the song “An actor’s life for me” is sung by the fox, luring Pinocchio into … Read more
Law 25: Re-create Yourself Many people accept the default roles society imposes on them, but this is unwise. You should craft a new identity – either according to circumstance, or according to your own personal need. Certain situations will call for you to act differently, and you should be creative and flexible enough to do … Read more