words are psychedelic
We survive by naming shapes.
Lion, lightning, invoice. Commit to memory, move on.
That shorthand spares calories, keeps skin intact, and lets us cross streets without philosophizing about trucks.
The tradeoff: the moment a thing fits a label, its edges fade.
Nuance gets deleted, anomalies slip through the net, the field of possibility shrinks.
Useful fo... See more
Lion, lightning, invoice. Commit to memory, move on.
That shorthand spares calories, keeps skin intact, and lets us cross streets without philosophizing about trucks.
The tradeoff: the moment a thing fits a label, its edges fade.
Nuance gets deleted, anomalies slip through the net, the field of possibility shrinks.
Useful fo... See more
For many of us, quicksand was once a real fear -- it held a vise-grip on our imaginations, from childish sandbox games to grown-up anxieties about venturing into unknown lands. But these days, quicksand can't even scare an 8-year-old. In this short, we try to find out why.
Producer Soren Wheeler introduces us to Dan Engber, writer and columnist for... See more
Producer Soren Wheeler introduces us to Dan Engber, writer and columnist for... See more
Quicksaaaand!
Neuroscientists are building a powerful case that metaphor is far more important to human cognition than has ever been imagined. Many argue it’s the fundamental way that brains understand abstract concepts, such as love, joy, society and economy. It’s simply not possible to comprehend these ideas in any useful sense, then, without attaching them to
... See moreWill Storr • The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better
Metaphors are (metaphorically) woven into the fabric of our language and thought, shaping how we grasp and articulate abstract concepts. We should therefore feel free to prudently explore alternative metaphors and judge whether they perform better. A collective effort to notice and change the metaphors we use has enormous potential to reduce indivi... See more
Benjamin Santos Genta • How changing the metaphors we use can change the way we think | Aeon Essays
The process of writing a manifesto, at its core, is the process of clarifying your desire . In a world that's constantly distracting us with digital noise and shiny objects, keeping us running on a mimetic treadmill of manufactured desires, getting clear about what you want, deep down, is a radical act. Exploring and articulating what matters most,
... See morerob hardy • Manifestos Are Magic Spells
People read nonfiction to learn and to feel. My framework for ensuring a blog post accomplishes both is to start with a first draft that focuses on "novel" ideas.
A novel idea is one that's not just new to the reader, but also significant and not easily intuited. Think of it as new and worthwhile . I've identified five categories:
A novel idea is one that's not just new to the reader, but also significant and not easily intuited. Think of it as new and worthwhile . I've identified five categories:
- Counter-intuitive —
julian.com • Writing Well - Part 1 - What to Write About
writing is a technology, which means that a literate person is someone whose thought processes are technologically mediated.