Reading

Created
Tue, 11/11/2025 - 23:47
It is a pleasure to read Nozick’s books and articles. They are packed with thought-provoking arguments and elegantly presented reasoning. At the same time, his intelligence carries a bit of the air of a precocious schoolboy. He is like someone who questions the eighteen-year-old rule regarding voting rights, arguing that those who are eighteen don’t […]
Created
Tue, 11/11/2025 - 22:50
To Bill Gates, overthrowing the power of the ultra-wealthy seems to be – literally – unthinkable. By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 8th November 2025 Let’s begin with the fundamental problem: Bill Gates is a politics denier. Though he came to it late, he now accepts the realities of climate science. But he lives […]
Created
Tue, 11/11/2025 - 20:07
Game theory is, like mainstream economics in general, model-oriented. There are many reasons for this – the history of the discipline, ideals borrowed from the natural sciences (especially physics), the search for universality (explaining as much as possible with as little as possible), rigour, precision, and so on. Most mainstream economists and game theorists seek […]
Created
Tue, 11/11/2025 - 15:35
This Tuesday report will provide some insights into life for a westerner (me) who is working for an extended period at Kyoto University in Japan but who over the years of working here has increasingly began to understand the language and local cultural traditions. Xmas comes early in Japan For a mostly unchristian nation –…
Created
Tue, 11/11/2025 - 11:45

“less than a week after voters loudly repudiated Trump, how are Senate Democrats—including minority leader Chuck Schumer—responding? By negotiating a shutdown deal with Republicans that will give Trump almost everything he wants, entrench the GOP’s austerity budget, and deepen the affordability crisis.” — The Nation

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Well, everyone, it was a valiant and brave endeavor. We refused to capitulate during the Dread Lord Nyarlathotep’s nationwide psychic siege for over forty days. Sure, we already conceded on almost everything to keep the Necro-Regime open for another season of blight, including the subclause ensuring we keep delivering innocent souls unto the Wraith Brigade’s Trauma Division. But we knew where to put our foot down, and held strong in our demand: Death cultists, refill those fountain pens of yours with goat’s blood and add a protection incantation against the Affordable Care Act’s “Pound of Flesh” Premium.

Created
Tue, 11/11/2025 - 07:01
Morality is to take what is serious seriously. What is serious is that human beings and animals suffer, are humiliated, and are treated badly. To take this seriously means to become engaged, to acquire as sound knowledge as time and circumstance allow, and to try to act so that the world becomes less evil. Harald […]
Created
Tue, 11/11/2025 - 06:59
107 years ago*, the guns fell silent on the Western Front, marking a temporary and partial end to the Great War which began in 1914, and has continued, in one form or another, ever since. I once hoped that I would live to see a peaceful world, but that hope has faded away. As several […]
Created
Tue, 11/11/2025 - 05:00

This letter is to inform you (the author) that your intellectual property (middle school diary) has officially entered the public domain due to your failure to secure a copyright for these works.

What does this mean for you?

Essentially, the materials you authored from sixth through eighth grade are now free and available to the populace (everyone) for adaptation, publication, and general enjoyment.

We understand that this notice may elicit certain feelings (confusion, embarrassment, anger), but the copyright services have been available to you at all times. Our records indicate that you took a field trip to Washington, DC, in 2008, which would have been an ideal opportunity to stop by our headquarters and secure the necessary rights.