Category: Philosophy

Myths and Constitutions

~ Laura Slot ~ Leave a comment

Freedom and power are oftentimes inversely related, similar to the way social norms and moral codes can be inversely related. In times like these, when causes and consequences are continuously overlooked, ignored and denied, inversely related correlations are useful to have on your mental radar.

john adams stamp

One common trend from the past few years is that social norms have been raised as a false argument for others to gain more power. Social norms have falsely been presented as if they are moral codes.… Read the rest

“Oh, What’ll You Do Now?”

~ Laura Slot ~ Leave a comment

On Action in the Face of Destruction

"I’m a-goin’ back out ’fore the rain starts a-fallin’"
-Bob Dylan, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (1963)
Poster 1965
A poster from 1965

Is it comforting or worrisome to know that, sixty years ago, Bob Dylan sang about many if not all of our current problems in his early 1960s songs? Perhaps both.

You’ll recognize much our predicament in the lyrics of It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding).… Read the rest

Assumptions are Dangerous

~ Laura Slot

Especially for the Targets of PsyOps: You & Me

“Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make — bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake — if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble. Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct, and you can see at once how this can lead to terrible trouble.

… Read the rest

Revenge of the Epistemologists

~ Laura Slot

How to Acquire Knowledge?

What can we know? Perhaps not an uncontroversial question nowadays, yet an important one. Right after his speech at the Heritage Foundation Tucker Carlson said that, in today’s world, we should only cling to what we can smell. Hold on to printed books, he said, implying that it’s wise to approach anything digital with relative emotional detachment.

Aside from our senses, which are obviously important in acquiring knowledge, there are two specific prerequisites to learning that are urgently lacking in Western societies: humility and coherent emotionality.… Read the rest