080 Is "Studies show..." the new "The Bible says..."?
080 Is "Studies show..." the new "The Bible says..."?
Our knowledge of the world is not certain. It is practicable but not certain.
Asserting that one has claimed certainty (in any field) is dogmatic, not scientific.
People are fallible. We make errors. But this is not a depressing view of us cosmically significant entities.
We make errors and we can correct them.
Evils are caused due to insufficient knowledge. And we are only truly bounded by our knowledge and the laws of physics. Anything in between, we can do with the right knowledge.
When we understand the fallibility of minds, we understand the opportunity for progress.
When we deem an idea infallible, we pose danger to the growth of knowledge, progress, and our intelligent species.
The Amazing Things & Ideas List
1. A mind-blowing read:
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
The remarkable story of Ayaan’s life and her transformation from being raised in a strict Muslim family and being a devout believer to becoming intellectually awakened and going on to become one of today’s most admired and controversial political figures.
2. What a sensible AI use policy (or should I say non-policy) looks like:
3. The spiritual benefits of material progress:
Romanticizing the past and a non-humanistic standard of goodness (e.g. the proverbial capital N nature and “humans destroying” it) is an impediment to the spiritual benefits of material progress.
This blog post by Jason Crawford (whom I once had on the podcast) is a great defense of the Industrial Revolution.
4. How to look at comments for improvement:
“If it hurts to hear it, look for the truth in it.
If it comforts to hear it, look for the lie in it.”
— Naval
Bonus tweet (thread) on the non-motherly nature of Mother Nature:
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Onward,
Arjun