Week 3: Why Certainty Is the Enemy of Wisdom
The comedian Tim Minchin once observed in a graduation speech that “opinions are like assholes—everyone has one. But unlike assholes, they should be constantly and meticulously examined.
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Philosophy
323 readings · 121–132
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Triggered: Sam Harris vs Scott Adams on the Post-Truth World
Donald Trump* Sam Harris debated Scott Adams on his Waking Up podcast.
Know When The Mind is A Terrible Master or Servant (Week 14 of Wisdom)
Forget the saying, ‘the mind is a terrible master but a great servant.’ The mind can be a terrible master and a terrible servant. Not only does it not know what it wants, but it is bad at doing what it does want.
Reinvent Yourself (Week 49 of Wisdom)
The image of a forest burning is tragic. Forests capture carbon. And carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas emitted by human activities. Changes in forest carbon can mitigate climate change or make it worse. But…
The Mirage of Self-Knowledge (Week 44 of Wisdom)
Andrew Carnegie once said, “As I get older, I pay less attention to what men say, I watch what they do.” Today, people use a shorter version of it. If you want to know about the intentions of others, don’t listen to…
Should You Be a Fool? (Week 6 of Wisdom)
Stay Foolish If you have ever read anything about Steve Jobs, you must have heard his famous line, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” The psychologist Carl Jung emphasized that the fool was the precursor to wisdom.
The Philosophy of the Actor
An Actor’s Life for Me The Fox* 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…
The Politics of Social Media
Is Social Media Good? We are in the age of technology and social media apps, and are constantly being exposed to new ways of wasting time. A more interconnected world is rewarding – it keeps us mentally active and…
Surprised by Joy Summary (7/10)
Below are excerpts from Surprised by Joy*, by C.S. Lewis. I feared for my soul; especially on certain blazing moonlight nights in that curtainless dormitory—how the sound of other boys breathing in their sleep comes…
Revisiting Chomsky’s Propaganda Model
In his landmark essay “Manufacturing Consent,” Noam Chomsky introduced a simple but elegant model for understanding how propaganda and censorship work in mass media.
Peterson’s Logos Argument, or why Atheists aren’t Atheists
Many months ago, “logos” was re-popularized by Jordan Peterson, who has used it as a weapon against atheists. To Peterson, “logos” proves that atheists only think they are atheists – they are just fooling themselves.
Apocalypse and Hope
In the final three chapters of his book "Battling to the End," René Girard engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Benoît Chantre, exploring the intricate relationship between mimetic desire, the escalation…