And I think that one of the reasons that with more means, we seem to find less meaning, is that means give you permission to pay less attention .

Crucially, how you look at running, how you pay attention to it, shapes how you relate to the world in that moment. If you view it as a vapid simulacrum of walking, you will find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer stupidity of it all every time you chance upon someone out for a jog. If you view it as a way for a human to focus his mind and body... See more

In the old Mickey Mouse cartoons from the early and middle decades of the twentieth century, by far the most prominent source of hilarity is the capacity of material stuff to generate frustration, or rather demonic violence. Fold-down beds, ironing boards, waves at the beach, trailers (especially when Goofy is at the wheel of the towing vehicle, on... See more

Be aware: while a good plan for life requires that one moves from the active to the contemplative life, it is often useful if the soul returns from the contemplative to the active life, in such a way that the flame of contemplation which has been lit in the heart passes on all its perfection to activity. Thus, active life must lead us to

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If we have reached the simulation’s end-game, as Baudrillard would almost certainly argue we are with AGI or even its Companion facsimile, and it has not created meaning, then we can put technology in its right place as something that provides means and get on with the hard work of creating our own meaning.

We can engage with that existential... See more

Philosopher of technologyAlbert Borgmann makes a diagnosis similar to Han’s and Baudrillard’s. His “device paradigm” calls out that modern technology transforms everything into optimized, efficient systems that deliver commodified experiences while hiding the underlying reality. But unlike Han and Baudrillard, Borgmann offers a way forward.

In Techn... See more

Take running. In Simulation and Simulacra , Baudrillard decries it as a Disneyland-like simulacra: “They no longer walk, but they go jogging, etc.” Borgmann, on the other hand, includes running as an example of a focal practice: a sustained and engaging human activity that orients life by fostering competence, excellence, and a way of life that... See more

We will always ask, “Cool, now what?”

But it is far better to have the opportunity to grow our sense of meaning to match our means than to shrink it to the limits of limited means. Han and Baudrillard romanticize what was in reality a brutish past by failing to consider the individuals.

You could imagine a simple formula for total meaning.

Total... See more

The great run, where one exults in the strength of one's body, in the ease and the length of the stride, where nature speaks powerfully in the hills, the wind, the heat, where one takes endurance to the breaking point, and where one is finally engulfed by the good will of the spectators and the fellow runners.