my notes on anything related to philosophy
Chapter 4: The Peekaboo World Newspapers came to depend not on the quality or usefulness of their news, but on how much and at what speed they provided it. James Bennett of the New York Herald boasted that his paper contained 79,000 words of telegraphic content in the first week of 1848. Information is important … Read more
Chapter 3: Typographic America The Bible was the central reading matter in all households – Protestants shared Luther’s belief that printing was “God’s highest and extremest act of Grace, whereby the business of the Gospel is driven forward.” But these people did not just read the Bible or religious books, they read many nonreligious books. … Read more
Chapter 2: The Media as Epistemology In this chapter, The Media as Epistemology, Postman explain the role of media as a means of understanding the world. He first reminds us that proverbs and sayings were not just occasional devices in oral cultures, as Walter Ong points out, “They are incessant. They form the substance of … Read more
Chapter 1: The Medium is the Message The more we use symbols, the more our physical reality diminishes. Instead of dealing with things directly, man has entered into a state of constant conversation with himself. He is so enveloped in linguistic forms, artistic images, and mythical symbols that he cannot see or know anything without … Read more
Sam Harris had a discussion with Eric Weinstein on his podcast. Eric is a mathematician, economist, physicist and managing director of Thiel Capital. Eric and Sam talked about left and right political ideologies, religion, and well… Sam Harris. The discussion consisted of Eric basically telling Sam that he can’t be so rigid in the way … Read more
Grand Strategy Readiness is everything. Resolution is indissolubly bound up with caution. If an individual is careful and keeps his wits about him, he need not become excited or alarmed. If he is watchful at all times, even before danger is present, he is armed when danger approaches and need not be afraid. The superior … Read more
In one of his lectures, Jordan Peterson was asked a question about whether morality was merely a matter of who was more powerful. He replied by telling the story of Bret “The Hitman” Heart and recommenda documentary to watch that he thought was one of the best he’s seen: Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows. … Read more
There are two definitions of God, one is the campfire god that people talk about when they wonder about the universe and its origins. This God is unknown, mysterious, and philosophical. The other God is the one religious people pray to. He is a moral authority, He cares about marriage and sexuality, He cares about … Read more
“The rational man will not be too sure he’s right” This Bertrand Russell interview took place in 1955. There were many notable things about the conversation, like how different the style of interrogation used to be, but what was hard to miss was how the world has changed since the time of this interview – … Read more
Law 44: Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect The Mirror Effect is about using people’s narcissism against them. And, as Greene shows, there are many variations of this technique. You should decide which one to use based on your objective. By mirroring people’s actions and sentiments, you can gain their trust. The skill involved … Read more