In My Tribe

In My Tribe explores complex societal, political, and economic issues with a focus on skepticism, the importance of epistemology, and the critique of managerial elites and institutional dynamics. It addresses contemporary social debates, including drug policy, gender roles, and the influence of libertarianism, while promoting intellectual discussions.

Societal and Epistemic Analysis Political and Economic Views Drug Policy and Regulation Gender Dynamics in Institutions Racial Perceptions in Legal Systems Generational Cultural Shifts Evolutionary Perspectives on Behavior Managerial Class Critique Cultural and Political Discussions Religious Authority in Modern Societies Financial Regulation Economics and Sociology Political Beliefs Formation Libertarianism Health Insurance Policy

The hottest Substack posts of In My Tribe

And their main takeaways

Links to Consider, 2/13

182 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🚌 Education Beliefs Institutions Parenting Schools Reform
  1. Individuals may prioritize social rewards over truth in belief adoption, leading to collective delusions. It's hard to overcome irrationality at the individual or group level, so focusing on institutional change is crucial.
  2. There is a pattern in how some view different races, depicted by Coleman Hughes in his book. This mirrors the concept of the Moral Dyad, simplifying moral situations to assign feelings or agency.
  3. Challenges in education include the negative impact of excessive parental spending on education. To promote equality, the idea of a luxury estate tax on high-tuition schools was proposed years ago and still holds potential.

Links to Consider, 1/19

273 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social Issues Policy Economy Gender Taxation
  1. Wokeness and victimhood culture are not just influenced by laws, but also by disparities in outcomes.
  2. Core gender beliefs have historically influenced societies and changes in those beliefs affected women's opportunities.
  3. Government benefit policies can inadvertently discourage work and incentivize receiving benefits, creating a cycle of dependency.

Links to Consider

258 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🚌 Education Parenting
  1. Emily Oster discusses a reader's second thoughts on parenting.
  2. Lorenzo Warby examines the issue of accountability in democracies.
  3. Dan Williams explores the dynamics of human cooperation and social networks.
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LLM links, 2/12

151 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Data Ethics
  1. AI can expand human capabilities and creativity by serving as a partner in various tasks.
  2. Future AI technology is predicted to have the capability to understand human emotions and subtle communications, potentially intruding on privacy.
  3. LLMs can easily be steered politically through supervised fine-tuning, highlighting the influence of human biases on these models rather than training data.

LLM links

182 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Learning Human-computer interaction
  1. Large language models (LLMs) do not work by remembering and spitting back information, but by analyzing word patterns and coding them into vectors.
  2. Artificial intelligence has significantly improved human gameplay in board games like Go, leading to more creative and strategic play.
  3. Learning from artificial intelligence in board games involves recognizing and correcting suboptimal moves, rather than trying to imitate the AI's every move.

LLM links, 2/27

91 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Models Systems Predictions
  1. Compound AI systems are proving more effective than individual AI models, showing that combining different components can lead to better results.
  2. Providing extensive context can enhance AI capabilities, enabling new use cases and more effective training through models like Sora.
  3. The emergence of an AI computer virus is predicted to become a major concern, potentially causing widespread panic and technological shutdowns.

An Epistemic Crisis?

1032 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Journalism Political division
  1. In an epistemic crisis, it's crucial to be cautious of who you trust for information.
  2. Elite individuals and institutions sometimes spread lies, causing difficulty in discerning the truth.
  3. Encouraging skepticism and demanding transparency from all sources of news and opinion is essential.

LLM links, 3/19

45 implied HN points • 19 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Judaism Manifesto
  1. Agent-based economic models are being enhanced with the use of large language models.
  2. AI is shaping Judaism by making Jewish texts more accessible and offering new models for meaningful living.
  3. AI is a dynamic process that needs to be understood and regulated with care to maximize its benefits.

LLM links, 2/4

136 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Philosophy Economics Essays Growth
  1. Children learn by sensing and manipulating objects, which is expected to influence AI development.
  2. AI alignment issues are compared to human alignment issues, showing the importance of getting along in society.
  3. There are hard resource constraints that may limit extreme AI-driven growth, highlighting the importance of understanding these limits.

Marijuana Reconsidered

789 implied HN points • 11 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental Illness Regulation
  1. Marijuana legalization has not significantly reduced excessive incarceration and has increased the use of the drug.
  2. Observational studies suggest a link between chronic cannabis use and mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder.
  3. There should be strict regulations on marijuana use, with rigorous testing of its medicinal claims and penalties for public use and driving under the influence.

To My Readers

987 implied HN points • 12 Mar 23
🚌 Education Economics
  1. Arnold Kling has gained many new subscribers in the last three months.
  2. Kling has a long history of writing and blogging, with a focus on intellectual discussions.
  3. His political and economic views have evolved over time, leaning towards libertarianism but not endorsing radicalism.

N.S. Lyons on the panic of the managerial class

516 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Accountability
  1. The managerial class has caused a shift in societal values by emphasizing mass organization and control
  2. The United States is described as a soft managerial regime that relies on narrative management rather than direct force
  3. There is a pushback against the managerial elite to restore individual autonomy and reduce dependency on external controls

Reminder: Zoom discussion Monday

106 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Truth Belief
  1. Seeking truth often involves deciding who to believe in rather than just figuring out the world.
  2. The accuracy of someone's beliefs may not always determine if they are trustworthy.
  3. Participating in conversations that explore these ideas can be interesting and insightful.

Loyalty Tests Signify Religious Authority

516 implied HN points • 17 Jul 23
🌍 World Politics
  1. Loyalty tests are used to signify and exercise religious authority in modern progressive elite circles.
  2. Beliefs that are contestable or false can serve as loyalty tests to gauge conformity within a group.
  3. In certain contexts like academia, loyalty tests have become more prevalent, overshadowing reality and character tests.

The Mating/Reproduction Game

546 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Evolution Sexuality Society Relationships Gender Dynamics
  1. In evolutionary terms, our behaviors are strategies for reproduction that interact with the cultural environment.
  2. On average, in a society with equal male and female numbers, men and women will have the same number of sex partners.
  3. Social and cultural factors influence how individuals may present themselves in terms of mating strategies.

The Great White Defendant

653 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Current Events Race relations
  1. The author discusses the dynamics of racial perceptions and biases in the legal system.
  2. The post highlights how the roles of individuals involved can be perceived differently based on racial considerations.
  3. It contrasts the reactions to a situation based on race between different time periods and locations.

Libertarianism as a Warning System

470 implied HN points • 07 Jul 23
  1. Libertarianism acts as a warning system against government intervention.
  2. Government control may limit experimenting and distort market evaluations.
  3. Not all fights for individual rights, like drug legalization, may have positive outcomes.

Why Health Insurance Systems are Mismanaged

455 implied HN points • 01 Jul 23
🏥 Health Politics Health Insurance Incentives Costs Government Market
  1. Incentives in health insurance systems can be misaligned, leading to issues like services being rationed for those with expensive illnesses.
  2. Government can create artificial pools within health insurance to avoid selection games, but challenges in insurer-provider conflicts may persist.
  3. Integrating health insurance with health care, like in HMOs, can help manage costs, but compensation methods for HMOs and providers remain contentious.

Reminders for live events

30 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🚌 Education Webinar Live Events
  1. There will be a Zoom discussion tonight on Patricia Crone's book about pre-modern societies and another tomorrow on Jews and Communism.
  2. The Zoom discussion on Patricia Crone's book is free but requires registration.
  3. The Zoom discussion on Jews and Communism is for paid subscribers.

What Economics (and Sociology) ought to be

622 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
  1. Economics should focus on studying market coordination within societies.
  2. Sociology should move away from Marxist perspectives to study societies more broadly.
  3. Economics should prioritize concepts like specialization, trade, and supply and demand over optimization frameworks.

Zoom event for paid subscribers

45 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Event
  1. Zoom event for paid subscribers on February 7 featuring a mystery guest
  2. Guest involved in large language models and generational differences in religious and cultural orientation
  3. Post is exclusively for paid subscribers, sign in or subscribe to access

Can Marriage Be Saved?

9 HN points • 02 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Marriage Fertility Parenting Tradition Psychology
  1. Being able to make and keep commitments is essential in a successful marriage, and conscientiousness can be developed through rewards, punishments, and exercises.
  2. Appreciating tradition, including religious rituals, can give significance to your marriage and family, making the journey more fulfilling.
  3. Agreeing on family size, having a stable neighborhood, and positive peer pressure towards marriage and children can all contribute to a strong and lasting marriage.

A Libertarian Gets Mugged

7 HN points • 14 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Safety Government Policy Politics Crime
  1. Personal safety is a collective good that can't always be guaranteed by individual efforts alone.
  2. In areas where government protection is lacking, communities may need to come together for safety through initiatives like neighborhood watch programs.
  3. Balancing government authority in providing safety is complex, with no simple or permanent solutions.

Elite? Or Ultra-Citified?

2 HN points • 21 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Polls Political Influence Political Beliefs
  1. A buzzy poll about elites actually surveyed a specific group that does not represent the entire elite population.
  2. The criteria used to define 'elite' in the poll may not be very strict, potentially leading to a misrepresentation of the group.
  3. The 'ultra-citified' cohort, while affluent and educated, tends to think and behave notably differently from the rest of the American population.

Non-Bank Finance in America

2 HN points • 20 Feb 24
💰 Finance Banking Regulation Risk
  1. Non-bank finance in America emerged due to regulatory constraints on banks.
  2. Direct lending matches assets and liabilities better than traditional banking.
  3. Banking regulation leads to trade-offs - tightly restricting banks can push finance outside the system, potentially causing instability.