Trying to make some sense of it all
I'm watching this lovely lecture by American Social Psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, about "The Three Terrible Ideas Weakening Gen Z and Damaging Universities and Democracies".[1] At the 27:35 minute mark he discusses the idea of 'Anti-Fragility', suggested by essayist Nassim Taleb, which states that exposure to potentially harmful things can actually build resilience and... Continue Reading →
Jonathan Black's The Secret History of the World is a hard book to recommend. On the one hand, it is an overwhelming undertaking; namely an attempt to reveal the secret ideas of cults and mystery societies since the dawning of mankind. On the other hand, it is an undertaking that seems to be abandoned by... Continue Reading →
To say that people are occupied with their digital technology devices nowadays is almost redundant. One only needs to walk about in a big city and see how leering into cellphones has become a human reflex. What was not too long ago spoken about in terms of escapism is now a common and acceptable mode... Continue Reading →
"Change is tremendously stressful, so control the amount of newness you must face" In one of his more popular lectures, which became known by the title "How to live the rest of your life", Neil Postman warns against facing too much "newness" all at once. As a general rule, this is not only great for... Continue Reading →
In recent years, the question of eating animals has been stirring intense debates. Conversations about consuming meat usually end in a disgruntled clash between two sides - namely vegans and meat eaters. While both parties in this argument display their stand adamantly, I argue that dishonesty and self-deception is behind each of their arguments and... Continue Reading →
What is What 