nico λ

“ To see the beauty of the Maxwell theory it is necessary to move away from mechanical models and into the abstract world of fields. To see the beauty of quantum mechanics it is necessary to move away from verbal descriptions and into the abstract world of geometry. Mathematics is the language that nature speaks. The language of mathematics makes

... See more

Willravel

•

4d ago

Inflexibility fully prevents any coalition-building, which is why the left almost never sees electoral success or even really growing the left itself among the voter base. Ezra's policy proposals are definitely more on the left, but there's so much resistance from people who are entirely unable to think in terms of incrementalism... See more

The hardest, recurring psychological task of my life has been learning to accept the absurdity of existence, to see ambition and achievement for the false gods they are, and to understand, truly understand, how one can flourish in what looks, from the outside, like mediocrity.

Men made of paper! It all comes from flunkeyism of thought. There's hatred in it, too. They'd be the first to be terribly unhappy if Russia could be suddenly reformed, even to suit their own ideas, and became extraordinarily prosperous and happy. They'd have no one to hate then, no one to curse, nothing to find fault with. There is nothing in it

... See more

At the core of it seems to be a belief that you - the patient, the self-healer, the consumer - are not the problem, and everyone else is toxic, or a narcissist, or an abuser. You are just vibrating at a higher frequency than they are. Everyone is out to get you. Crucially, the customer is always right.

... See more

I usually think of contrarianism as being wrong most of the time but helping on the margin because it brings light to positions that are underrated due to social conformity factors. I think most meta-contrarians would admit that they’re wrong most of the time. It would be quite silly to take the meta contrarian point and think you are right most of... See more

The qualities that make someone a dependable source of excitement are generally the opposite of those that make him or her a dependable source of stability. Seeking both in one real human isn’t much less absurd than dreaming of a partner who’s both six and five feet tall. 

instrumentalism is “the view that theories are merely instruments for predicting observable phenomena or systematizing observation reports.”