my thoughts on anything related to philosophy.
Pleasure and Rationality In trying to understand human nature more deeply, I have read what some philosophers and psychologists have had to say, to get a starting point. To understand what man is, it is first necessary to understand what he wants, and more crucially, what he does not want. One of the first ideas … Read more
Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson have engaged in a series of debates that included Bret Weinstein and Douglas Murray as moderators, in addition to two podcasts. One in which they famously debated the nature of truth for over two hours. London , Vancouver, Dublin The Steelman Jordan Peterson There is beauty, art and poetry that goes … Read more
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” George Bernard Shaw This quote leaves a powerful impression on people, because it is very counter-intuitive. Progress, if it is at all possible, we are taught, can only come from rational … Read more
The Trade-off of the 21st Century “But I don’t want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.” Brave New World, Aldous Huxley In his book, Homo Deus, Harari discusses the trade-off between power and meaning, essentially saying that in the 21st century, … Read more
In Beijing, a debate took place between billionaires Jack Ma and Elon Musk. There was no moderator, it was just two unrestrained egos dueling. Some moments were awkward, almost comedic, but inadvertently so. The debate was about the future of jobs and life: what skills are going to be needed, and what we should be … Read more
The earliest instance of this quote is found in Virgil‘s Aeneid: “facilis descensus Averno” (the descent to hell is easy). Fundamentally, it is a quote about inadvertent error – consider cases in which you acted with good intent, but found yourself opposing people in your struggle, or think of times in which you had the backing of … Read more
The Social Animal There is no denying that belonging to a group brings with it many useful skills and knowledge but being too enmeshed in a group prevents us from thinking clearly. Ultimately, we are social animals; we live for others, we want to be useful, popular, and loved. Those who cannot figure out how … Read more
It has gradually become clear to me what every great philosophy up till now has consisted of—namely, the confession of its originator, and a species of involuntary and unconscious auto-biography; and moreover that the moral (or immoral) purpose in every philosophy has constituted the true vital germ out of which the entire plant has always … Read more
In Sapiens, Harari mentions Buddhism a couple of times, as a means of escaping the absurd mission of our lives: the constant chase of positive feelings and repression of negative feelings. When you crave positive feelings, you are waging a losing fight against nature. Harari gives the example of standing on a sea shore, watching … Read more
“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.” Lao Tzu When it comes … Read more