Political Freedom is Really Only About Managing Recursion

Part 1: Free Speech Almost all free-speech-advocates make the argument for free speech in a flawed way. It’s understandable; the complete case for free speech is more complex than even what I will provide in this essay. I think the right case for free speech is from a “political freedom” frame. A good, popular, short-form … Continue reading Political Freedom is Really Only About Managing Recursion →

The 10 Most Society-Damaging XKCD Comics

Everyone in physics and/or computer science reads XKCD. People in these fields frequently reference and link to it. I'll admit I have done so. The vast majority of the comic strips (from here on just "comics") are basically mundane. Some are kind of interesting. A small number are legitimately objectionable. Over the last 2 days, … Continue reading The 10 Most Society-Damaging XKCD Comics →

A request to white Conservatives: stop making fake arguments, start arguing in your favor

This is an unorganized piece about problems I have with the IDW.

What is the Right Wing?

I will soon begin a series on my political philosophy that I have been meaning to make for a long time. As that series will not discuss political labels, I wish to briefly do so here. The left-leaning ideology has a lot of good branding: “liberal, Democratic, progressive.” But what do any of those words … Continue reading What is the Right Wing? →

Semantic Activism: the most important thing that isn’t acknowledged

If you control the language, you control people’s minds. There is a type of political, social, and cultural activism that has no popular name. It is controlled in the background by nefarious forces. It is a form of mind control. It can be used for censorship, but a more pernicious form. Rather than banning undesired … Continue reading Semantic Activism: the most important thing that isn’t acknowledged →

Free Speech, Social Media, and Network Externalities

At risk of seeming condescending, many arguments about free speech are cringe-worthy bad, such as the common refrain, “Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences!” The Soviets could claim the same thing. “We let you say what you want, but the consequence is being sent to the gulag. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom … Continue reading Free Speech, Social Media, and Network Externalities →