In these interesting times, we all need someone to admire. I have found such a one in Benedict de Spinoza (1632-1677), the 17th-century rationalist liberal philosopher who advocated freedom of thought and expression, toleration, and simple kindness.
Tag: communication
You Are Being Watched
About 19 years ago, around half-past dusk, in an average town in a nearby state, I was riding in the passenger seat while my wife-at-the-time drove. Pulling a particularly blatant act of poor driving in the middle of town, she made a left turn and cut off an approaching coproach. She seemed completely oblivious when I mentioned this error. Unsurprisingly, the gangster in question made a turn, followed, and stopped her.
In Spite of Threats
On any given day, even in a world pervaded by states and their dictates, nearly everything that people do or refrain from doing is so not because the state threatens them with violence for acting otherwise, but because they find conformity with rules — honesty, promise keeping, careful handling of goods, avoidance of opportunism, and so forth — to be in their interest.
On Government Funding of Science
Neil deGrasse Tyson was on the Joe Rogan podcast recently. Therein he defended the need for government to fund scientific advancement. His argument was that many frontiers are neither accessible nor profitable for free enterprise until government paves the way. He’s probably not wrong, but that hardly constitutes a justification for government funding sourced by coercion.
Omarosa Manigault Newman, Public Servant
What I can’t understand is why anyone would expect two reality TV personalities to stop acting like reality TV personalities just because their new show broadcasts from a new set at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Fake News II
It is an irony that a man, a man without a lot of substance, a man made by the media, is now POTUS. It is a further irony that we are at this pass because the media manipulated the man, while the man manipulated the media. Both sets of manipulation continue.
Fake News
POTUS likes to take credit for things that are going to happen anyway. Thus it is with “fake news.” Fake news is really incompetent news. And incompetent news has been around for a long time, as it will be as long as there is news.
Cheap Tricks and Parenting Hacks
I’m not a fan of most parenting hacks or special ways to phrase stuff. Your kids can tolerate no. Your kids don’t need to be coddled or manipulated into cooperation. You shouldn’t practice slight of hand and try to distract them or focus on positivity or something.
Don’t Hate Market Signals; Use Them
I saw some guy on Twitter complaining about “capitalism” because he can’t get paid for his labor unless it’s valued by someone else. He picked the wrong culprit.
Captivate Audiences One Person at a Time
Great speakers and performers go one step further in applying individual focus, beyond the best practice of simply speaking to an individual. They bring disproportionate value to one audience member out of a crowd of many.