If you enjoy this article check out my book, I’ve made it free to help you self-quarantine: https://deponysum.com/2020/03/30/something-to-read-in-quarantine-essays-2018-to-2020/ I've seen people in the US say things like: "While the NHS works very well in many ways compared to the American health system, the British government isn't the American government. The American government is much better at … Continue reading A brief comment on the problem of US government
Category: Amateur Hour Sociology
Ugly, self-centred conversations
If you enjoy this article check out my book, I’ve made it free to help you self-quarantine: https://deponysum.com/2020/03/30/something-to-read-in-quarantine-essays-2018-to-2020/ My least favourite kind of conversation is talking to people whose goals are centred on conversations. Some examples: People who think good politics is centred on the right representations in discourse- use of the right shibboleths, avoidance of … Continue reading Ugly, self-centred conversations
Interesting political and interpersonal properties of N-Numbers of people
If you enjoy this article check out my book, I’ve made it free to help you self-quarantine: https://deponysum.com/2020/03/30/something-to-read-in-quarantine-essays-2018-to-2020/ A lifetime of observing interpersonal relationships with a sometimes weirdly clinical bent has led to the following observations about the properties of different group sizes: 2 people is obviously the smallest number of people that can have interpersonal … Continue reading Interesting political and interpersonal properties of N-Numbers of people
Question for anthropologists and scholars of religion
Quite a few religions, ranging from the Norse religion to Christianity imagine an apocalypse (often including war, famine and pestilence) followed by a new world in which a reduced number of people enjoy plenty. Has anyone looked at the idea that this may represent a cultural memory or understanding of the kind of plenty which … Continue reading Question for anthropologists and scholars of religion
Chesterton’s fence and thinking using sayings
“Common sense is a chaotic aggregate of disparate conceptions, and one can find there anything that one like.” -Antonio Gramsci I. Chesterton's fence is the principle that: "Reforms should not be made until the reasoning behind the existing state of affairs is understood. " (Courtesy of Wikipedia) It sounds so very reasonable- simply a more … Continue reading Chesterton’s fence and thinking using sayings
Informal musings on the self-organisation of authoritarianism
You know how everyone has realizations they make far later in life than is normal? This is one of mine. Nonetheless, in the possibility that this essay might be helpful to someone who was similarly slow on the uptake, I've decided to share it. I. I’ve come to realize that most pro-authoritarian action can be self-organised- … Continue reading Informal musings on the self-organisation of authoritarianism
Survey evidence suggests Americans are generally conflict theorists
A few years ago I published something on Reddit in which I argued that perspectives on politics could be divided in two: those who believe that political controversies represent one or both sides making a mistake about what is in their own interests -which I termed mistake theorists-, and those that believe that political controversies … Continue reading Survey evidence suggests Americans are generally conflict theorists
What I wish Science-Fiction writers knew about disasters
Probably as many science-fiction books as not feature disasters, and most of those reproduce what are sometimes termed by experts ‘disaster myths’. I find a lot of speculative fiction frustrating because of how it treats the human response to disasters. It is the near unanimous view of science fiction that, during a disaster, humans become, … Continue reading What I wish Science-Fiction writers knew about disasters
Money makes the world go round: the case for materialist explanations in social science
I’m a materialist, and I wanted to take a moment to commend the idea of materialism to you. Materialism here doesn’t mean being greedy. Nor does it mean philosophical materialism- the view that only matter exists. Instead by materialism I mean the view that the economy in its widest possible sense- the technology, markets, legal … Continue reading Money makes the world go round: the case for materialist explanations in social science
Human nature isn’t a persuasive objection to left-wing ideas
Every so often someone puts to me the claim that egalitarian and left-wing ideas cannot work because of human nature. I have no concerns about the concept of human nature- any ethologist or psychologist could tell you that we come into the world with a bundle of capacities, drives and instincts. Rather, I find myself … Continue reading Human nature isn’t a persuasive objection to left-wing ideas
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