Is "Studies show..." the new "The Bible says..."?
Our knowledge of the world is not certain. It is practicable but not certain. Asserting that one has claimed certainty (in any field) is dogmatic, not scientific. People are fallible. We make errors. But this is not a depressing view of us cosmically significant entities. We make errors and we can correct them. Evils are caused due to insufficient knowledge. And we are only truly bounded by our knowledge and the laws of physics. Anything in between, we can do with the right knowledge. When we understand the fallibility of minds, we understand the opportunity for progress. When we deem an idea infallible, we pose danger to the growth of knowledge, progress, and our intelligent species. Anything not forbidden by the laws of physics is possible.
That’s what makes me want to get after it. The Amazing Things & Ideas List1. A mind-blowing read:Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali The remarkable story of Ayaan’s life and her transformation from being raised in a strict Muslim family and being a devout believer to becoming intellectually awakened and going on to become one of today’s most admired and controversial political figures. 2. What a sensible AI use policy (or should I say non-policy) looks like:The new AI policy in my syllabus.
More on how I am integrating AI into my classes: oneusefulthing.substack.com/p/all-my-class… 3. The spiritual benefits of material progress:Romanticizing the past and a non-humanistic standard of goodness (e.g. the proverbial capital N nature and “humans destroying” it) is an impediment to the spiritual benefits of material progress. This blog post by Jason Crawford (whom I once had on the podcast) is a great defense of the Industrial Revolution. 4. How to look at comments for improvement:
Bonus tweet (thread) on the non-motherly nature of Mother Nature:It's fascinating that tomorrow if an asteroid were to collide with the Earth, humans would be at fault for not having deflected it.
Nature doesn't care. Thank you for reading.If you find value in my newsletter (and other works), consider supporting it by buying me a coffee. It helps me create better. You also help me (and the world!) out by subscribing and telling more people about this newsletter! Lastly, I’ve got to meet the coolest people through work I’ve published on the Internet. If you ever want to reach out, reply to this email or DM me on Twitter. Onward, |
Key phrases
Older messages
079 The War Against Nature
Friday, January 20, 2023
Nature (eventually) weeds out bad ideas.
078 The one who changes the world
Sunday, January 8, 2023
+ Chasing dreams, denying the inevitable, podcasts, and psychological innocence
077 Casual friends
Sunday, January 1, 2023
It's possible to have lots of communication but no connection.
076 The rationalist's misconception about tradition
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Some excerpts from Sir Karl Popper
075 What I learned from David Perell about writing online
Sunday, December 18, 2022
I asked David what he would do if he were a 15 year old in high school again. He immediately said...
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