“Ma Titfalsafi,” or You Will Dull the Party
If the amateur philosopher remains undaunted, someone might say brusquely, “Ma titfalsafi,” do not philosophize. Or, sarcastically, “Yo faylasuf”: You are a philosopher. Again, not meant as a compliment.
Society & Culture
To Vote Where Genocide Is Remembered
The reality of people living together despite their differences now seems so remote that we have forgotten the power and significance of believing in that reality at all. Social media teems with divisive, bigoted rhetoric serving up menus and lists of “others” who are the problem. Ostracism and xenophobia have for years been the currency, if not the corrosive battery acid, of our nation’s political dialogue.
Why Force a Hug?
We need to stop forcing touch—without stopping to touch each other.
Is Charm Offensive?
Is charm a form of social glue or sociopathy?
Recipe Stories: Monkey Meat
Bargoers said aloud by rote, cynically but accurately, “That ain’t no Jimmy Dean,” because whatever the meat was, it was not pork sausage. Everybody called it monkey meat, or mystery meat, which did not diminish patrons’ appetites and in fact sold more skewers due to its mystery.
The Simple Change Tech Bros Refuse to Make
For humans, “I” is a letter of relationship, dignity, and responsibility. Why hand it over to inanimate language models?
Different Styles in Business Management
Nobody should want to run a business like the lighter factory, with its puny, per-unit profit scheme. No American company would even try to do what the Chinese do, by hyper-control of their people.
Why We Need the Loch Ness Monster
“It turns out that the one who destroys—at least in this case—doesn’t believe in anything but himself."
Why Friction Will Always Find You
Risk in romance is friction with the potential of reward. Being alone is the friction of no prospect of reward whatsoever.
Sensory Gratification Is Free (and Freeing)
Ian Bogost reminds us that we are not yet disembodied—and can fight the trend.