Errant thoughts of a guy with too much time on his hands
What is power? Not in the context of superheroes or physics, but in the social context – what makes a person or a group of people powerful? Those who can manifest their will into reality, like making other people do or give what they want, are considered powerful. Well… how does one compel others? Leverage … Read more Incumbency Theory 1.1: Leverage Is the Language of Power
In this article, I will show how certain human natures are directly the result of selective pressures – vestiges of our evolutionary past manifest in behaviors that often undermine civilizational needs. Specifically of interest to me is the conflict between self-interest and group interest, so intrinsic to the human condition: what factors cause people to … Read more Evolutionary Game Theory Drives Elite Behavior
As Nietzsche discussed in his book, On the Genealogy of Morals, the good vs evil dichotomy (ethical dualism) originated with Zoroastrianism, further being spread with the advent and expansion of Christianity. He argues that this dualism inverts the natural and fundamental distinction between good vs bad. I largely agree with him, and in this post, … Read more The Fallacy of Good vs Evil
What is power? Is it super powers like in those superhero comics? Or perhaps being rich – that’s basically batman’s super power. How about political influence; does that count? What about nuclear weapons? Those are considered incredibly powerful. To define power, we simply have to contemplate the supposedly most omnipotent beings – religious deities. Most … Read more Agency – Self-Empowerment
What exactly constitutes a person’s will and values? In my opinion, a person’s will is a desired end that reflects his values and internally justified by a clear rationale. There are two distinct parts here, the alignment of values and the justification. Both must be present for a desired end to be considered a person’s … Read more On Will and Values
Know thyself. We hear that trite line frequently uttered as if something profound. Like many proverbs and famous quotes, people tend to overuse that phrase until they’ve stripped it of the original meaning. The goal here is to dissect this truism to see just what knowing oneself entails. Recall that confidence and self-respect are consequences … Read more Court of Self-Reflection
My maternal grandfather passed away at age 86 last night, surrounded by loved ones. Had it not been for the pandemic unleashed by the abhorrent CCP and the encroaching totalitarianism in China, I would have taken the first flight back along with my parents to attend the funeral. My grandfather had a major impact on … Read more Remembering my grandfather
After providing my definitions of pride and humility, I’ve decided to explicitly lay out why pride and humility are worthwhile virtues. Aristotle believed that eudaimonia (loosely translated as “happiness”) is an intrinsic good and all virtues are means to that end, but I want to bring these philosophical concepts back to earth, to illustrate their … Read more Benefits of Pride and Humility
In this article, I will attempt to convince you that pride and humility are neither antonyms nor related in the slightest. First, I will discuss the background on the virtues and then define the two terms. Historical context of pride and humility: Most virtues are universally understood to be admirable human qualities, insofar as being … Read more Pride and Humility
Success needs no press agents. Nobody has to convince you of the attractiveness thereof; the fruits of success are enticing intrinsically. You could attain fame, fortune, and maybe even the ability to rub it into the faces of the doubters. Indeed, a slim ray of hope is often all it takes to coax a man … Read more Apology of Failure, part 1