Society

What does it mean to think in the shadow of AI?

If we want humans at all to be in charge in any way over the world, we need them to continue exercising their intellect and gaining mastery over intellectual domains. If we deplete the institutional and cultural resources that underpin that, in a generation or two our minds will atrophy and no human will be in charge of anything (or the world will be horrendous).

Small tyrannies

A couple of days ago, this phrase popped into my head: "small tyrannies." I was trying to name this idea, the tyranny of small things. I can't remember where I first came across it. I vaguely recall reading something along these lines in a Substack post. But anyway, it came up in a conversation with a friend. We were…

Zero Sum thinking is ruining the world

The deepest divide in today's world, whether in economics, politics, investing, or even religion, seems to come down to those who view society as a zero-sum game and those who believe in shared growth. This is increasingly showing up everywhere, from relatively benign issues like tariffs and tax policy to more consequential debates over social rights and aid (and even territorial ambitions). Decisions being made seem shaped…

The world won't end with a bang but with a shrug of indifference

Digging deeper into the data, which comes from the Understanding America Study, we can see that people in their twenties and thirties in particular report feeling increasingly easily distracted and careless, less tenacious and less likely to make and deliver on commitments. While a full explanation of these shifts requires thorough investigation, and there will be many factors at work, smartphones and streaming services seem…