How much do your genetics and your (cultural/social) background control your destiny?
The answer is ‘A lot!’… but things aren’t hopeless..
Author: admin_ahijazi
What should I read?
With the millions of books out there, seekers of knowledge (and wisdom) will – expectedly – ask the question.. Where should I start?
The answers are usually disappointing. Why should you care about someone’s recommended readings list, after all?
Here’s an attempt to tackle this.
How much can we ‘compress’ wisdom? Are there general lessons that we can infer from history? from the intersections between different thinkers from around the world? Is there such a thing as ‘the greatest ideas of all time?
This post compiles ideas from 4 key books to reflect on history, philosophy, Wisdom and the applicability to our work and every day life.
There is a lot of effort trying to understand and wisdom… What if – in the spirit of ‘via negativa’ – we tried to understand intelligence and wisdom, by reflecting on stupidity??
Ayn Rand and Approximate Thinking – Again : A collection of strange quotes by Ayn Rand can cast further light on the reasons behind the distribution success of “Atlas Shrugged”, as discussed in “Fuzzy on the Dark Side“.
Book, Blog, or Podcast – Which should a wise person chose?
Before SBF decided to magically evaporate the money of FTX depositors, he was on a quest to impress investors. This quest included his wisdom on books… and why we don’t need them. This, however, is not unique. Many are jumping into this argument..
The differences between reading books, blog posts, or listening to podcasts should be clear to interested in using these media to gain knowledge and develop their skills.
Or: ‘ A (seemingly) non-terminable task*
“The materials we have aren’t exactly made for the task either. All the rocks are so irregular, and this seems to be the cause of many mistakes and delays. The workers try to fit them as much as they can, but it doesn’t always work.”
Zif’s Destiny. (Fuzzy on the Dark Side)
This post is an excerpt from ‘Zif’s Destiny’ – an allegorical story that runs throughout ‘Fuzzy on the Dark Side‘, contemplating the dark effects of approximate thinking on a group of heroes, similar to famous historical and mythological figures…
More often than not, evil is not one great shocking act. Mundane evil is the most prevalent form.. and what we come to see as great evil sometimes [usually in retrospect], starts with small tasks, and accumulates simple additions as it goes.
Ironically, I think this summarizes “Oppenheimer” – the events, and the 2023 film.
“The greatest evils in the world will not be carried out by men with guns, but by men in suits sitting behind desks.”
C.S. Lewis
Ayn Rand and Approximate Thinking?
Many people complain about the simplistic (and sometimes infantile) nature of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”… Still, the book is only less successful (in terms of distribution) than the bible. What explains this? I argue that it is the conflation of identities and political ideologies with ideas and thought.
Ultimately, laziness and approximate thinking are what made John Galt great! This is really the secret behind Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”.
The ‘broadest pattern in history’ is a pattern of diffusion of innovation (cultural and technological innovation). The outcomes of the flow of innovation in culture, political and economic organization, and technology, are what caused – eventually – a giant rift between the ‘old world’ and the new one, and between different political entities.
A discussion based on the book by J. Diamond (Link below).
