Political science writ large

When we develop normally, we learn, or should, to live with a high degree of social invisibility and most of all unspecialness supported by humility, empathy, and compassion — each of us is but a speck among billions, as significant– and not — as every other one, mattering most to our families and friends, but perhaps not extraordinary much in the grand scheme of things. In a narcissistic world where social bonds are frayed or non-existent for many, however, we no longer teach humility, empathy, and compassion; instead, we have turned the desire to be seen into a central priority and a substitute for human bonds.

In moments like this, those who favor war — who favor it invariably, even when there is no need for it — get a lot of airtime. I am interested in highlighting different, less-heard voices in The Ink. So I reached out to Stephen Wertheim, a brilliant foreign-policy scholar and an eloquent critic of American overreach in the world.

Generative and intriguing.

One main upshot from this post is something Peter Kaminski mentions again and again; viz., organizing into categories, topics, and folders is part of taking notes. And as I learn more about wiki-ways-of-working bi-directional links are here to stay.

DEFINITION I understand pluralism to be a social philosophy that recognizes and fosters the flourishing of and cooperation between a diversity of sociocultural groups/systems.

Web3 is touted as the next generation of the internet, promising to break the grip of giants like Google and Facebook. But far from empowering ordinary users, its token-based model threatens to commodify our online lives even further.

the epilog: Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We, of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. - Abraham Lincoln

Some companion rules to P.M. Forni's rules of civilized conduct.

The more we think things have changed because of technology, the more we find the social, political, and economic relations we have repeatedly established and maintained.

Now, if I notice cynicism coming out of me, I’m like, ‘I need to go sit with that and figure out what I’m sad about.’ I think for people who want to commit to sustained effort on climate, finding the way that’s right for them is really important.

A thoughtful and informative and generative essay on the Afghanistan mess we are in today.