Recently someone tweeted at me that I should read Ishmael by David Quinn in response to a piece I posted about the need for unlimited growth in a finite world. Well I have read it and now find myself wondering if people endorsing it, including Jack Dorsey, have spend much time thinking about it. The book consists mostly of a dialogue between a teacher (an astute and telepathic gorilla) and a student (a somewhat befuddled human who slowly learns how to see the world as desired by his teacher)....

Recently someone tweeted at me that I should read Ishmael by David Quinn in response to a piece I posted about the need for unlimited growth in a finite world. Well I have read it and now find myself wondering if people endorsing it, including Jack Dorsey, have spend much time thinking about it. The book consists mostly of a dialogue between a teacher (an astute and telepathic gorilla) and a student (a somewhat befuddled human who slowly learns how to see the world as desired by his teacher)....

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. - Yogi Berra Yoga works. Meditation works. Conscious breathing works. By “works” I mean that these practices have positive effects for people who observe them. They can help build and retain strength and flexibility of both body and mind. The fact that they work shouldn’t be entirely surprising, given that these practices have been developed over thousands of years through trial and error by millions of people...

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. - Yogi Berra Yoga works. Meditation works. Conscious breathing works. By “works” I mean that these practices have positive effects for people who observe them. They can help build and retain strength and flexibility of both body and mind. The fact that they work shouldn’t be entirely surprising, given that these practices have been developed over thousands of years through trial and error by millions of people...

A while back I wrote a post titled “In Praise of Consistency,” which argues that a powerful way to examine one’s beliefs is to check their internal consistency. An example that’s currently on my mind is the right of private companies to turn away unvaccinated customers. On the right there are a lot of people who seem to think that shouldn’t be allowed, but at the same time belief that a baker should be able to refuse making a wedding cake for a gay couple. This strikes me as highly inconsiste...

A while back I wrote a post titled “In Praise of Consistency,” which argues that a powerful way to examine one’s beliefs is to check their internal consistency. An example that’s currently on my mind is the right of private companies to turn away unvaccinated customers. On the right there are a lot of people who seem to think that shouldn’t be allowed, but at the same time belief that a baker should be able to refuse making a wedding cake for a gay couple. This strikes me as highly inconsiste...

I am obviously late to the party on Ted Lasso, as I try not to start any series at all due to what my therapist calls “completion compunction” (and yes I binge watched the entire first season on two consecutive evenings not that long ago but have had the good sense of not starting season two). If you haven’t seen the show, the central character is an American football coach who winds up coaching a British soccer club and winning over (nearly) everyone with his kindness. The level of kindness ...

I am obviously late to the party on Ted Lasso, as I try not to start any series at all due to what my therapist calls “completion compunction” (and yes I binge watched the entire first season on two consecutive evenings not that long ago but have had the good sense of not starting season two). If you haven’t seen the show, the central character is an American football coach who winds up coaching a British soccer club and winning over (nearly) everyone with his kindness. The level of kindness ...

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” goes a famous Emerson quote. People often drop the word “foolish,” suggesting that all forms of consistency are only for little minds. From the larger context of the Self Reliance essay though it would seem that Emerson was rejecting consistency when it means never changing one’s mind, not even after having a new insight or obtaining new information. Or when consistency means going along uncritically with the prevailing public opinion. ...

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” goes a famous Emerson quote. People often drop the word “foolish,” suggesting that all forms of consistency are only for little minds. From the larger context of the Self Reliance essay though it would seem that Emerson was rejecting consistency when it means never changing one’s mind, not even after having a new insight or obtaining new information. Or when consistency means going along uncritically with the prevailing public opinion. ...

I have been thinking about the value implications of embracing knowledge. Maybe I am being overly reductionist here but there are three values that seem to me to be intimately connected with the knowledge loop of learning, creating and sharing. Put differently I don’t see how a society based on knowledge would work well or be sustained if any one of these is removed. Now other than the first one you may not recognize these as values and it is not even that easy to define what “values” are in ...

I have been thinking about the value implications of embracing knowledge. Maybe I am being overly reductionist here but there are three values that seem to me to be intimately connected with the knowledge loop of learning, creating and sharing. Put differently I don’t see how a society based on knowledge would work well or be sustained if any one of these is removed. Now other than the first one you may not recognize these as values and it is not even that easy to define what “values” are in ...

I have been telling lots of people that I am writing a book about our transition past the industrial economy. If you have been reading Continuations for a while you know that this has been the subject of much of my writing here. So why write a book? For starters I greatly enjoy reading books so the idea of writing one is appealing. But what is the goal, what am I trying to accomplish with the book? The key reason is that I am trying to influence where we are headed. Earlier this week I tweete...

I have been telling lots of people that I am writing a book about our transition past the industrial economy. If you have been reading Continuations for a while you know that this has been the subject of much of my writing here. So why write a book? For starters I greatly enjoy reading books so the idea of writing one is appealing. But what is the goal, what am I trying to accomplish with the book? The key reason is that I am trying to influence where we are headed. Earlier this week I tweete...

About once a week I meet someone who is looking for advice on what to do next. This ranges from recent college graduates (and even the occasional high school graduate) to experienced entrepreneurs thinking about their next startup. Often people come with relatively tactical questions, like how to best get a job at a startup or how to transition into a new field. I used to engage on just that level but now I start by asking people about their purpose. “What is your purpose?” tends to throw off...

About once a week I meet someone who is looking for advice on what to do next. This ranges from recent college graduates (and even the occasional high school graduate) to experienced entrepreneurs thinking about their next startup. Often people come with relatively tactical questions, like how to best get a job at a startup or how to transition into a new field. I used to engage on just that level but now I start by asking people about their purpose. “What is your purpose?” tends to throw off...

As our son reminded me the other day, the classical definition of knowledge, going as far back as Plato, are statements that are justified, true and believed. Each of those criteria though is problematic and lacks a clear meaning, despite the best efforts in epistemology. I have become enamored with a completely different approach that considers knowledge as the subset of information that is reproduced by humans over time. This interpretation is my reading of David Deutsch’s views on knowledg...

As our son reminded me the other day, the classical definition of knowledge, going as far back as Plato, are statements that are justified, true and believed. Each of those criteria though is problematic and lacks a clear meaning, despite the best efforts in epistemology. I have become enamored with a completely different approach that considers knowledge as the subset of information that is reproduced by humans over time. This interpretation is my reading of David Deutsch’s views on knowledg...

About a year and a half ago I wrote a post arguing that there is no free will and also stating that seemed OK to me. As it turns out since then I have been on a fun intellectual and spiritual journey that has led me to a quite different position. Today I want to share a bit more of what I have found. Let me start by recapping the original argument: you don’t have free will because your brain makes all the decisions based on its state at decision making time. And since there is no “you” beyond...

About a year and a half ago I wrote a post arguing that there is no free will and also stating that seemed OK to me. As it turns out since then I have been on a fun intellectual and spiritual journey that has led me to a quite different position. Today I want to share a bit more of what I have found. Let me start by recapping the original argument: you don’t have free will because your brain makes all the decisions based on its state at decision making time. And since there is no “you” beyond...