Admitting mistakes
Nobody intentionally says or believes something they think is wrong. Not even those who play the Devil's advocate believe their actions do not ultimately constitute some semblance of good.It is…
I’m struggling to appreciate living things
Has Tim Urban's dystopian AI future already been realised?
Accidentally thinking
Accidentally reinventing the wheel It's not necessarily superfluous to come up with an idea that's already been had in the past. If anything, one would be in the best position…
This is why Twitter was invented
On artificial intelligence and rationality Artificial intelligence—especially superintelligent forms in fiction—is often reputed for its rationality and objectivity, especially in contrast with the ostensibly irrational and impulsive decisions of the…
Evidence
It doesn't matter what I think All of us like to believe that we're good at certain things and that others are bad at certain things, but without evidence, how…
Autism is like noise-cancelling headphones for society
And being unable to hear all the noise Society is full of noise. Not actual noise you can hear, but rather social etiquettes and dress codes, as well as hierarchies…
The Intuition Trap
Inborn knowledge Nobody likes to be ignorant—to be unaware of things. To be ignorant naturally presents a disadvantage for survival; to be ignorant means being unaware of certain benefits or…
My prejudices
(Part 1 of 2) Introduction To begin as most people might: I'm not perfect; I have undesirable traits and characteristics just like everyone else. But, I think of it as…
An aside on keeping pet cats
I've just finished The Power of Babel, which was a book about the benefits of owning a cat, preferably black with white spots.Okay, it's not, it was a very interesting…
Pinker’s Enlightenment Now
The biggest problem with this book is the fact most important section: "On science, reason, and humanism" was placed at the back of the book, easily-missed by the many skimmers…