[VERY EARLY DRAFT] You know how everyone has realizations they make far later in life than is normal? I suspect this essay might be one of those. Nonetheless, in the possibility that it is helpful to someone, here it goes. I. I’ve come to realize that most pro-authoritarian action can be self-organised- it doesn’t need intervention … Continue reading The self-organisation of authoritarianism: Authoritarian action without authoritarian command

[VERY EARLY DRAFT] I. You know that old cliche in science fiction? The hardy explorers find a society that appears to be a utopia- but not all is as it seems! In many ways, The Culture novels by Iain Banks are an inversion of that. Characters either live in, or encounter, The Culture- a society … Continue reading The Culture Novels and the deaestheticisation of politics

In various fairly common situations, demanding more can result in receiving less. I. The kinds of situation I am talking about are ubiquitous, but we'll start with employee hiring. Suppose you are running a job search, and are primarily interested in some desirable talent T. Perhaps T is years of experience using some application or … Continue reading The paradox of high expectations: The more you demand, the less you get

Across Western Europe, in many (though not all) countries, a bunch of Greens parties occupying the space between "left" and "centre-left" have suddenly become much larger. I thought readers might be interested in this phenomena so I've gathered the evidence here. I make no value judgements about this- maybe it's just neoliberalism with a new … Continue reading The Greens are suddenly much stronger in Western Europe

In the high medieval ages, the philosopher Peter Abelard- who in many ways is considered quite modern in his outlook- discusses the case of a slave being attacked by his owner. Knowing that he will die otherwise, the slave strikes out with a sword, killing his master. There is no equivocation in Abelard that the … Continue reading We’ve done so well, so we musn’t stop now: An ethical & political homily on Peter Abelard

In a very simple supply and demand model the minimum wage increases unemployment. Yet there are many plausible models under which the minimum wage can actually increase employment, or have no effect on unemployment. This is fortunate because much of the empirical literature tends to suggest that the minimum wage as no effect, or only … Continue reading Yet another case in which minimum wage increases can raise employment

[Draft] 1. Critical Social-Technological Points I want introduce the idea of a critical social-technological point (CSTP). A CSTP is a technological discovery or implementation after which the existing hierarchies and ruling class of a society is locked, in the sense that removing them from power, or even resisting them in any measurably important way, becomes … Continue reading On critical social-technological points