Tara McMullin

@taramcmullin

Writer, podcaster, and producer baffled by the absurdity of neoliberal capitalism. Autistic feminist. Aspiring independent scholar. Amateur baker. Host of the What Works podcast and author of a book of the same name.

whatworks.fyi

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Science Fiction and

I’ve been mainlining Le Guin’s non-fiction writing. It strikes me reading this passage again that she’s bumping up against Harry Frankfurt’s definition of “bullshit.” To paraphrase, that bullshit doesn’t concern itself with the truth—it’s objective is outside the realm of information. I don’t think fiction is bullshit, obviously. But now I’m curious about the qualities of fiction as they relate to the qualities of bullshit.

Revolutions are thus planetary phenomena. But there is more. What they really do is transform basic assumptions about what politics is ultimately about. In the wake of a revolution, ideas that had been considered veritably lunatic fringe quickly become the accepted currency of debate.

David Graeber • A practical utopians guide to the coming collapse – David Graeber

Philosophy

The idea of research as leisure activity has stayed with me because it seems to describe a kind of intellectual inquiry that comes from idiosyncratic passion and interest. It’s not about the formal credentials. It’s fundamentally about play . It seems to describe a life where it’s just fun to be reading, learning, writing, and collaborating on... See more

Celine Nguyen • research as leisure activity

Knowledge Work and Media & Culture

Without civil society and without strong unions, people believe the only path to success is getting one over on someone else. And who is better at that than Trump?

What distinguishes human economies is merely that they recognise that the chief business of any social system – or, indeed, of any system of the production and distribution of material goods – is the creation and mutual fashioning of human beings. Indeed, one could well argue that it’s only the emergence of commercial currencies that made it... See more

David Graeber • On social currencies and human economies: some notes on the violence of equivalence – David Graeber

Economics

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Media & Culture and Knowledge Work

Too Much to Know by Ann Blair

According to Asana’s Anatomy of Work Index, which surveyed over 10,000 knowledge workers from around the globe, the average person only spends about a quarter of their time on skills-based work—like coding, designing, or creating marketing campaigns—and another 13% on strategic planning. The remaining 60% of their day is spent communicating about... See more

Tara McMullin

David Graeber • A practical utopians guide to the coming collapse – David Graeber

Celine Nguyen • research as leisure activity

David Graeber • On social currencies and human economies: some notes on the violence of equivalence – David Graeber

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Asana • The Way We Work Isn't Working [2023] • Asana

Drew Austin • #162: Minimum Viable Self

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