People don’t think as much about the possibilities of a machine that could tell whether people were lying as they should. Partly this is because many people erroneously believe that such machines already exist. Partly this is because fictional depictions of universes in which lying can be made impossible are unpopular- lying being of key … Continue reading The good things a working lie-detector could do
Category: Reflections on life, people and humanities not otherwise categorised
Existential tragedies- a partial list
We all know there is a suite of “existential” tragedies inherent to human existence. Defining the concept precisely is impossible, but I would say roughly that an existential tragedy is a tragedy that arises from very basic and universal, or near-universal, aspects of our experience. I thought it could be interesting to list them. Let … Continue reading Existential tragedies- a partial list
The adolescent v childish theory of aesthetics
Theory: every aesthetic positions itself against another or multiple other aesthetics which it claims is childish. Since positioning yourself as "mature" against a childish other is the most adolescent act possible, every aesthetic is necessarily adolescent.
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
The Resurrection of the Dead
I The 19th-century Russian thinker Nikolai Fedorovich Fedorov proposed a "Common Task" which he held to be the most important project of humanity. Fedorov argued that the greatest alienation was one rarely directly remarked on- that of the living from the dead. To lose someone to death is a profound and permanent wound. We are … Continue reading The Resurrection of the Dead
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
Four parts of belief
A little bit of prodding suggests that beliefs are not so simple as they seem. Consider for example Tamar Gendler's concept of an Aelief- a kind of belief-like state. An Aelief, per Wikipedia is: "...an automatic or habitual belief-like attitude, particularly one that is in tension with a person's explicit beliefs. For example, a person standing … Continue reading Four parts of belief
The Culture Novels and the deaestheticisation of politics
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 that appears to … Continue reading The Culture Novels and the deaestheticisation of politics
We’ve done so well, so we musn’t stop now: An ethical & political homily on Peter Abelard
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
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