There are two kinds of things in the world: the good and the indifferents. Note that the first is singular, the second, plural. For there is only one good. ‘What is it?’ you may well ask. - 3 Quarks Daily
The better approach is to cultivate an appreciation for our ignorance, get comfortable with it and look at it very closely, disentangling it as much as possible from our ego to see what’s really there (or not there). - 3 Quarks Daily
Just ask the writers of the 18th century like Coleridge and Shelley (perhaps not Mary Shelley, whose experience was, well, different). - The Guardian (UK)
Fangirls aren't frivolous - or, even if they are, it's in the service of creativity. "A handful of books, documentaries, films and memoirs are celebrating the fizzy, dizzying heights of female obsession and what it offers teen girls and women." - The Guardian (UK)
Initially, Proust likens telephone exchange operators to supernatural beings, capriciously presiding over the ‘miracle’ of telephony, but then he develops a more sombre analogy between speaking to a loved one on the telephone and communicating with the dead. - Psyche
“If you talk about neuroscience and how the brain works, there’s a lot of unknowns. It’s the wild west.” Ultrafast ultrasound could trace brain signaling with great precision, documenting how circuits and groups of cells interact as the brain performs functions from perception to decision-making. - Nautilus
Fundamentally, artists must realise that in copyright terms, their creative ideas are worthless until those ideas form part of a tangible piece of work – whether that be as a drawing, a painting, a script, a musical score or a work of literature (for example). - ArtsHub
The ideas of “Good” and “Evil” are premised on some concept of “Value.” That is, “Good” and “Evil” can only be real if some things are “better” and some things “worse.” - 3Quarks Daily
Don’t worry about superintelligent A.I.s trying to enslave us; worry about ignorant and venal A.I.s designed to squeeze every penny of online ad revenue out of us. And worry about police agencies that gullibly think A.I.s can anticipate crimes before they occur. - Slate
To maintain their positions, the normals conform to social conventions, even as they aspire to higher status. Individuals’ decisions about when to switch from one convention to a new one drive cultural changes. - Wall Street Journal
Once we start thinking of ethics as a social technology, systematicity and argument take on a different hue. It’s hard to be all that piecemeal or poetic when thinking about how to organize social institutions. We may live by our visions, but they can’t write our social policy. - Boston Review
A land acknowledgment is what you give when you have no intention of giving land. It is like a receipt provided by a highway robber, noting all the jewels and gold coins he has stolen. Maybe it will be useful for an insurance claim? Anyway, you are not getting your jewels back, but now you have documentation. -...
For some people, Disneyland or Disneyworld (or the Disneys in other countries) are like church. "People don't just marry at Disney. They mourn lost relatives at Disney. They go to Disney to celebrate surviving cancer. They go there for one last trip before they die." - CBC
"For some high-level players, even getting the advice of a machine for a move or two at a critical moment is all you’d need to win. Cheaters have been caught sneaking off to the bathroom to check moves on contraband smartphones." - Los Angeles Times
