Read on Twitter
(Con-) current reading
Experts (“fragilistas”) “engage in planning in which the benefits are small and visible and the side effects are large and invisible”
Occurred to me reading this that white identity, contra DiAngelo, is more antifragile than fragile
This is quite BAP-like, I doubt either would appreciate the comparison
“Errors and their consequences are information”
“No one learns their mother tongue in a classroom” is a good summary of his views on most academia
This anecdote/idea is more interesting if you know about the taxi dereguysystem in Dublin. I think it ultimately proves his point
“A large state does not resemble a gigantic municipality in the same way a baby does not behave like a small adult”
Pinker subtweet... “some people have fallen for the naive belief that the world is getting safer and safer...”
“More women died giving birth in hospitals than giving birth on the street”
In praise of procrastination
“Wait at least a day before beating up/ stabbing a slave” solid advice from Seneca
“One can imagine what would happen to the United States or Europe in the event of a food disruption” bro tell me about it
Against the mid-wits
More anti-midwit stuff (although a lot of sources he quotes fall into this range tbh so idk)
Taleb, who seems anti-HBD, making points I’ve heard many times from HBD people
The extraordinary record of achievement of English rectors - people with a lot of the right type of time on their hands
“Historically skepticism has been of expert knowledge rather than God”
These bits could have come out of Straw Dogs- very John Gray
Taleb and John Gray are bros! I hesitate to say adorable, but this is pretty adorable
Anti-techbro bantz
“Autistic tendencies and an absence of literary culture”...leading to a failure to recognise that “the past is a better indicator of the properties of the future than the present”
“Autistic tendencies and an absence of literary culture”...leading to a failure to recognise that “the past is a better indicator of the properties of the future than the present”
“Unlike dilettantes, career professionals are to knowledge what prostitues are to love”
“If you take risks and face your fate with dignity, there is nothing you can do that makes you small”
“Commentators need to a have a rank *below* that of ordinary citizens”
he’s very woke on the journalist question, definitely one of his better qualities
he’s very woke on the journalist question, definitely one of his better qualities
Done. Recommended? Sure. Good opinions on academia (mostly anti) and autodidacticism (strongly pro) get a thumbs up for sure
