Love and Respect
Man naturally desires, not only to be loved, but to be lovely; or to be that thing which is the natural and proper object of… Read More »Love and Respect
Uproar in the East, Strike in the West: Samuel B. Griffith on Mao Zedong’s Yu Chi Chan (Guerrilla Warfare)
TRANSLATORS NOTE (1940) [U.S. has not yet entered the Second World War] In July, 1941, the undeclared war between China and Japan will enter its… Read More »Uproar in the East, Strike in the West: Samuel B. Griffith on Mao Zedong’s Yu Chi Chan (Guerrilla Warfare)
Worldview: Sarah Paine on Japanese culture and strategy in World War 2
Sarah Paine is a professor of History and Grand Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College. This excellent lecture sheds a lot of light on… Read More »Worldview: Sarah Paine on Japanese culture and strategy in World War 2
Ceteris Paribus; or, Local Conditions (Surf Lessons #9)
Other things are rarely equal. All things never are. What the ocean does: swell direction and height, wave interval, secondary swell, wind strength, tide (high… Read More »Ceteris Paribus; or, Local Conditions (Surf Lessons #9)
Hannah Arendt on science, language, politics and our future machine overlords
Arendt wrote the prologue to The Human Condition not long after the successful launch of Sputnik raised the first realistic prospect of humanity taking its… Read More »Hannah Arendt on science, language, politics and our future machine overlords
Fact check: Comparing Leaf Blower Carbon Emissions with Pollution from Cars
It would be no surprise to me if it came as no surprise to you that running a leaf blower for thirty minutes produces far… Read More »Fact check: Comparing Leaf Blower Carbon Emissions with Pollution from Cars
G. K. Chesterton on Hearsay Evidence
See also: GK Chesterton on HG Wells and the function of an open mindFools’ Money (2): Counter ArgumentChesterton’s Fence (at Farnham Street)
Surfing: Why does it help to arch your back when paddling? (it isn’t for leverage) – Surf Lessons #8
Disclaimer: I’m an intermediate surfer. This post is for people a step or two behind me, so your mileage may vary – let me know… Read More »Surfing: Why does it help to arch your back when paddling? (it isn’t for leverage) – Surf Lessons #8
Neal Stephenson on augmentation as amputation
Here’s Stephenson, from his Substack: Speaking of the effects of technology on individuals and society as a whole, Marshall McLuhan wrote that every augmentation is… Read More »Neal Stephenson on augmentation as amputation
Lesslie Newbigin and Michael Polanyi on objectivity, personal knowledge, nihilism and tradition
Newbigin was a sharp but affectionate observer of Western culture, a highly educated insider with an extra layer of perspective that came from almost 40… Read More »Lesslie Newbigin and Michael Polanyi on objectivity, personal knowledge, nihilism and tradition