Taste

According to Bourdieu (1979): ‘social subjects, classified by their classifications, distinguish themselves by the distinctions they make, between the beautiful and the ugly, the distinguished and the vulgar, in which their position in the objective classifications is expressed or betrayed.’

In other words, social classes define their preferences,... See more

Taste is discernment expressed: informed judgment plus the courage to show it. It only exists once you make a choice. ‘Discernment’ as in having a judgment based on a strong set of references, understanding the differences between things, and being able to articulate why you like or dislike something. ‘Expressed’ as in you have to make choices;You... See more

WILD BARE THOUGHTS

How I Use AI to Sharpen My Taste and Pursue the Real Me

because taste is self-pursuit—and self-pursuit requires taste

stepfanie tyler

Jul 16, 2025

∙ Paid

Most people think AI makes you lose yourself. That it kills taste. That algorithms flatten us into sameness, rewarding short attention spans, cheap aesthetics, and dopamine over... See more

But taste requires subtraction. It means not participating in every viral moment. It means not resharing something just because it’s getting attention. It means opting out of the churn.

That doesn’t mean being contrarian for the sake of it. It means noticing when the culture’s default setting no longer reflects what’s true for you—and walking away.

“Everything we come into contact with has the potential to influence our taste. So the art of living well includes the art of feeding your input stream.” — Rick Rubin

That’s why taste is a responsibility. It’s not just about what you like. It’s about what you allow in.

Taste is how you protect your mental environment.

And that’s what real taste is: a deep internal coherence. A way of filtering the world through intuition that’s been sharpened by attention.