Maximum Realism

Preface I don’t believe everything written here. The point of this article is to shock you with something sufficiently far outside of your normal sensibilities that you may momentarily jump-start your moral outlook. If you had a negative reaction to that last sentence, you should stop reading now, because you probably won’t like my writing … Continue reading Maximum Realism →

Theism, atheism, and antitheism (Sam Harris is Wrong, Part 3)

Harris fails to appreciate the narrative power of religion, or the importance of belief. Here is an excerpt from a debate between Harris and Jordan Peterson, moderated by Bret Weinstein. Harris: I'm not saying that stories aren't incredibly powerful and useful and inevitable... Peterson: You are. You might be saying that they're inevitable. But you … Continue reading Theism, atheism, and antitheism (Sam Harris is Wrong, Part 3) →

In Defense of Disagreeables

[This article contains generalizations. If you are the type of person who thinks generalizations are always bad, please don’t annoy me about it.] The only personality test proven to be reliable is the “Big 5 Personality Test.” It tests five psychometric traits: extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and agreeableness. To be “agreeable” means you are trusting … Continue reading In Defense of Disagreeables →

Third Order Thinking (Or: Is a Whale a Fish?)

Between 1:53:30 and 1:55:30, physicist and economist Eric Weinstein (to the right of his brother, Bret Weinstein, who I have a whole post about), asks a simple question: “Is a whale a fish?” You might read that and think I’m an idiot. A whale isn’t a fish; a whale is a mammal. But let us step … Continue reading Third Order Thinking (Or: Is a Whale a Fish?) →