The Amazing Things & Ideas - Ideas: a force of nature
Almost everything to do with the evidence of modern civilization is the manifestation of thought. Think about it for a second… from the simplest of wheels to the largest of flying machines, from Stone Age doodles to the Mona Lisa, the significance of the dollar bill, the footprints on the Moon—all is a product of thought. Look around you and you’ll see the evidence of civilization. You’ll find inventions that inevitably trace their way back to some theory in a human mind. This is not just any theory. It contains real world, objective knowledge. Ideas have the power to shape and mold the physical universe not unlike any other force of nature. The Amazing Things & Ideas List1. Pessimism is dangerousA system that is smart enough to turn us all into paperclips, will also be smart enough not to do such a dumb thing. Tom Howard writes an excellent piece on why AGI Doomers, Not AGI, Will Doom Us All: 2. Scientific theories can never be proven, only refutedKarl Popper explaining our deepest theory of epistemology: 3. Consumption entails creationConsuming is a myth.
Whenever we watch or read something, we’re coming up with new ideas—otherwise, we get bored.
So it’s not
- consumption vs production
it’s
- creation vs boredom
Mindless consumption isn’t fun, nor is it even really consuming. It’s noise. 4. On “order in reading”*
— Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead *emphasis mine. Thank you for reading.I’ve got to meet the coolest people through stuff I’ve published on the Internet. Don’t hesitate to reach out by replying to this email or by sending me a DM on Twitter. If you enjoy my newsletter, the best way to support it is by sharing it. And if you have the means, please consider buying me a coffee. Onward, The Amazing Things & Ideas Newsletter is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell The Amazing Things & Ideas Newsletter that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments. |
Key phrases
Older messages
On "learning how to learn"
Sunday, February 19, 2023
School conflates passing of exams with learning. Emphasis is made on the procedure of teaching (to pass exams), rather than the result of learning. But the product of actual learning is due to interest
Focus on ideas, not people
Sunday, February 12, 2023
A person is not just a set of ideas.
From relativist to fallibilist
Sunday, February 5, 2023
At one point doesn't everything seem relative? What even is truth if not that which is true relative to the person?
To be wrong is to be free
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Oh, the beauty of being wrong...
Is "Studies show..." the new "The Bible says..."?
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Our knowledge of the world is not certain. People are fallible. We make errors. But this is not a depressing view of us cosmically significant entities.
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