A politics of affection
Affection, in the sense that I mean it, is a broad kind of love: a gentler, more abiding, more generous way of feeling-toward, and of… Read More »A politics of affection
Search Results for: do it now
Edmund Burke on virtue, experience and political leadership
Words from the past for the present. … no name, no power, no function, no artificial institution whatsoever, can make the men, of whom any… Read More »Edmund Burke on virtue, experience and political leadership
Driverless Crocodile Knot Course (1): Foundations – The One Knot; or, The Overhand Variations
Disclaimer: I am not much of a climber, nor am I a rope-access technician, nor have I sailed much beyond dingies. Don’t trust your life… Read More »Driverless Crocodile Knot Course (1): Foundations – The One Knot; or, The Overhand Variations
Michael Oakeshott on political activity and continuity
Those societies which retain, in changing circumstances, a lively sense of their own identity and continuity (which are without that hatred of their own experience… Read More »Michael Oakeshott on political activity and continuity
Edmund Burke on Circumstances and Political Principles; or, Context is King
I flatter myself that I love a manly, moral, regulated liberty as well as any gentleman of that society [the English Revolutionary Society, which wrote… Read More »Edmund Burke on Circumstances and Political Principles; or, Context is King
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
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
Jane Psmith on Cargo Cults, local politics and mutual misunderstanding
The latest book review from The Psmiths (Jane, this time) is itself an excellent read. As she says, “forget everything you think you know about… Read More »Jane Psmith on Cargo Cults, local politics and mutual misunderstanding