BlogHide Resteemssmithwillsuffice (33)in reals • 4 years agoSmoothness is an Abstraction that Could be RealHope you appreciate the little play on words in the title. This post is dedicated to Professor Normal Wilberger who taught at the University of Newcastle in Australia and who is now in retirement…smithwillsuffice (33)in meta-economics • 4 years agoMeta-economicsTaking a break from commenting on consciousness studies today to write about a topic far more important in contemporary life. If you are possibly able to do so, please read (even just browse) a few…smithwillsuffice (33)in consciousness • 4 years agoRound 3 with Hoffman's Consciousness Primacy TheoryPreviously I have written about my miss-givings over Donald Hoffman's "crazy but not too crazy" ideas, which I've characterized as neo-Idealist. In this post I want to be a little more sympathetic…smithwillsuffice (33)in consciousness • 4 years agoAnother Round with Hoffman — Is Consciousness Primacy Incoherent?Last post I discussed some good things and some weird things about Donald Hoffman's consciousness-based metaphysics. To quickly recap: placing consciousness as the fundamental reality is one…smithwillsuffice (33)in consciousness • 4 years agoThe Conscious Realism of Donald HoffmanI know what you are thinking, Hoffman is a total flake, a fraud. But I've recently given his work a third glance or so, and it's not really as bad as his TED Talk sort of crap makes it out to be.…smithwillsuffice (33)in democracy • 4 years agoWhat is Socialism Really? — Or What Should it BeDo you have issues with far right extremists (who legitimately loath the middle of the road conservative neoliberal right wing and who also loath the authoritarian capitalist) and do you also have…smithwillsuffice (33)in python • 4 years agoWhen Python Core Devlopers Fail Math HistoryI just love Raymond Hettingers talks, he's a superb educator (and pilot, and father, and python core developer). But here: he got some things wrong a decade or so ago. So watch that talk up…smithwillsuffice (33)in geon • 5 years agoTopological Geon Musings - how can single photons interfere?In my past life, a decade or so ago, I was writing and thinking a lot about topological geon foundations for quantum gravity. The gist of the idea is that general relativity permits closed timelike…smithwillsuffice (33)in job • 5 years agoWhy a Job Guarantee is Superior to UBI in Every Conceivable WayI've got at least 18 good reasons you should favour representatives who propose a Job Guarantee scheme rather than a UBI. (I think there could be several more reasons, write to me if you can think…smithwillsuffice (33)in poverty • 5 years agoWhen It's a Crime to Be PoorSome incredibly shocking statistics and facts in the book "Not a Crime to Be Poor" by Peter Edelman, talk given at Politics & Prose here: Just pulling out one of them --- after the Columbine…smithwillsuffice (33)in vibrancy • 5 years agoThe Real American Splintering and Why Pete Buttigieg is BadTo be fair, this article is not just about how bad Mayor Pete is, it applies to every advocate of centrist neoliberalism (those who promote Reaganomics and light government and quasi-free markets…smithwillsuffice (33)in gun • 5 years agoReflecting on Gun ViolenceI colleague of mine once got me into a civilised and informative, but fairly heated, argument over the US second amendment. After initial exchanges, where I recall I signalled my basic pacifist…smithwillsuffice (33)in generalist • 5 years agoGeneralists are Better than Specialists - GenerallyIn his book " Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World " David Epstein makes the case (quite convincingly and robustly) that people with general skills tend to do better in life than…smithwillsuffice (33)in meritocracy • 5 years agoFor and Against MeritocracyWhen I was younger I used to think the meritocracy of conservative commentators like David Brooks was a reasonable idea. Why not encourage our best and brightest to lead society? I've always been…smithwillsuffice (33)in conservatism • 5 years ago"Big Government" Can be Good or BadLike many conservative shibboleths the fear and paranoia intended by using the phrase "big government" is hopelessly reactionary and profoundly simplistic and nonsensical. There are two extreme…smithwillsuffice (33)in economics • 5 years agoQuick Note on the Joyful ScienceIt's physics, right? Well, that'd be my bias. Being honest, of the hard and soft sciences, I'd say mathematics was the most beautiful and psychology the most joyful, if for no other reason than…smithwillsuffice (33)in monetary • 5 years agoDeficit Doves Just as Dangerous as Deficit HawksShout out here to this dude Steve Grumbine who creates for RealProgressives. Following a few links I found a great 2010 blog post by Bill Mitchell, the Aussie economist, who neatly explains why…smithwillsuffice (33)in modern • 5 years agoModern Money Dynamics (MMD) Needs Champions in the Political, not Intellectual, FieldGeeks who are interested in economics no doubt already know a lot at the periphery about "Modern Money Theory", q.v., "Seven Deadly Innocent Frauds of Economics" by Warren Mosler, and "The…smithwillsuffice (33)in debt • 5 years agoWhy a Debt Jubilee Makes Sense - but means you cannot "deal with the banks later"On a recent episode of TMBS historian Harvey Kaye talked about the Bernie Sanders speech where he echoed FDR. Bernie is probably more feared by the oligarchs than FDR was, because they can look…smithwillsuffice (33)in political • 6 years agoWhen Political Cost Outweighs Moral VirtueOn his Deconstructed Podcast , Mehdi Hasan interviews the spineless centrist commentator Ezra Klein on the case for impeachment. Ezra Klein: "The constitutional reason for impeachment is...…
