Posts
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Thinking In Categories Isaac Longenecker
Language provides a framework that helps us think. The way we make sense of the world comes from our ability to think in categories, draw distinctions, and create structure. Thus not only does it help us derive facts and truths about the world, but considering the amount of sense data...
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The Case For The Very Long Term Isaac Longenecker
Consider how many people are alive today (~7.5 billion) compared to all the humans that have ever lived (~100 billion). Of the roughly 200,000 years Homo sapiens have been around, much of that time has come and gone with no significant progress in welfare (health, human rights, life expectancy, wealth,...
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Evolution Is Not Creative Isaac Longenecker
The whole system is made up of many parts. Your body is a result of all the tiny physical processes you are made up of. All the way down to the tiny essential functions that RNA performs so well. These small machines completing their own task form larger systems with...
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Moderation In Moderation Isaac Longenecker
Everything in moderation. This expression about self restraint takes a pretty extreme position on the matter. That’s what tips me off first. Second is that my childhood was peppered with this phrase. My mother has many phrases up her sleeve, but this might be her favorite. Probably added it soon...
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In Favor Of Epistemological Modesty Isaac Longenecker
Epistemological modesty is a profoundly immodest way of saying “I don’t know as much as I think I know.” It stings a little less when you put it in big words. Just as important as the desire and curiosity to seek out the truth is the counterbalance of reigning in...
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Ranking Societal Issues Isaac Longenecker
We are used to ranking significant issues by priority which could look something like: Under some set of values, \(priority = magnitude * time\ sensitivity\) . This is what dominates the rational public conversation. There is a finite amount of public thinkspace and we try to push the issues that...
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