Research as leisure activity is directed by passions and instincts . It’s fundamentally very personal: What are you interested in now ? It’s fine, and maybe even better, if the topic isn’t explicitly intellectual or academic in nature. And if one topic leads you to another topic that seems totally unrelated, that’s something to get excited... See more

The academic style has many adherents, and many people find it impressive. I find it to be impressive myself. But...there is room in the world for other approaches.

My main innovation, and really the source of all my success, is that I eschew authority. I don’t pretend to be someone who’s an expert on the things that I write about. You all are very... See more

how I research the things I write about here, and how I chase down ideas that feel just out of reach.

1. Trigger Words

Every good search begins with a glimmer. An image, a sentence, a word. “Every battle is linguistic,” I once read in Girls Against God , and it stopped me mid-page. I didn’t know what I’d do with it yet, but I highlighted it. Saved... See more