Polymathic Being

Polymathic Being explores a wide range of topics, intertwining insights from technology, innovation, philosophy, psychology, and more, with a focus on counterintuitive perspectives. It delves into societal behaviors, leadership strategies, the impact of technology and AI, personal development, and the intersection of science with everyday life.

Technology and Innovation Philosophy and Psychology Environmental Issues Leadership and Management Social and Economic Behaviors Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Health and Nutrition Personal Growth Cultural Studies Science and Engineering

The hottest Substack posts of Polymathic Being

And their main takeaways

Finding Stoicism

75 implied HN points • 23 Feb 25
📖 Philosophy Stoicism Ethics Emotions Agency Mindfulness
  1. Stoicism is about understanding and managing emotions, not suppressing them. It's important to feel and appreciate our emotions rather than act like they don't matter.
  2. Many people struggle with anxiety because they lack challenges in life, feel pressured to blame others, and often ignore their own ability to take control. Stoicism helps address these issues by teaching personal responsibility.
  3. To practice Stoicism, focus on yourself, take ownership of your actions, and avoid getting distracted by others' problems. By doing this, you can find balance and improve your mental well-being.

Algowhoring; A Primer

114 implied HN points • 16 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Social media Algorithms Content creation Digital Trends
  1. Algowhoring is when people create content just to get attention on social media, often copying what works instead of sharing their own original ideas. This can hurt the quality of communication online.
  2. These posts usually focus on getting quick likes and shares, which can feel shallow or scammy. Even though they might get lots of engagement, they don’t contribute anything meaningful.
  3. To improve social media, it's important to ignore algowhoring posts, reward genuine content, and avoid using those attention-seeking tactics yourself. This way, we can encourage a better online environment.

Criticize by Creating

66 implied HN points • 09 Feb 25
🚌 Education Innovation Creativity Collaboration Critical Thinking Communication
  1. Instead of criticizing ideas, try to build on them. Use 'Yes, and...' instead of 'Yes, but...' to create a more positive and innovative environment.
  2. Critiquing should focus on improving ideas, not tearing them down. A true critic aims to develop ideas into something better.
  3. Collaboration and combining ideas lead to greater innovation. Working together allows us to see new possibilities that we might miss when thinking alone.

Veganism: A First-World Luxury

106 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
🍲 Food & Drink Veganism Nutrition Diet Culture Food Processing
  1. You can't rely only on whole plant foods for a vegan diet. You need extra supplements to get enough nutrients.
  2. Global trade is really important for a vegan diet. Many of the foods vegans eat come from different parts of the world and weren't available in the past.
  3. To get the right nutrition on a vegan diet, high-tech processing is often necessary. This means lots of chemicals and advanced techniques to create the foods.

Ask For and Accept Help

85 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Relationships Self-help Personal Growth Emotional Intelligence
  1. It's okay to ask others for help; doing everything alone can lead to failure. We’re social beings, and working together usually gets better results.
  2. People often struggle to accept help, especially when it’s different from how they would do things. Letting go of control can open the door to new ideas.
  3. Recognizing the differences between masculine and feminine qualities helps create stronger partnerships. It's important to appreciate both instead of treating everyone the same.
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Liberal Arts Will Save The World!

85 implied HN points • 19 Jan 25
🚌 Education Liberal Arts Critical Thinking Curriculum Development Civic engagement
  1. The Liberal Arts include important subjects like grammar, logic, arithmetic, and music. These subjects are key to helping us think critically and communicate well.
  2. Many modern education systems have stopped teaching these fundamental arts, which affects how we think and understand the world around us. This gap can lead to confusion and polarization in society.
  3. By reintroducing the Liberal Arts into education, we could improve our discussions, mental health, and understanding of complex topics like technology and ethics.

From Latchkey Kids to Helicopter Parents

92 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Generations Parenting Social Issues Nostalgia Identity
  1. Gen X was raised as independent latchkey kids but has become overly protective helicopter parents. They want to shield their kids from dangers they faced but may be hindering their growth.
  2. The world is safer now than in the past, but Gen X unintentionally creates a fragile generation by trying to prevent all risks and trauma for their children.
  3. Gen X still holds onto their tough, rebellious image, but this can blind them to their parenting shortcomings and lead to contradictions in their beliefs and actions.

Mastering Irreverence

85 implied HN points • 05 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Stoicism Existentialism Ethics Aesthetics Cultural critique
  1. Irreverence helps us see the truth behind societal norms and values. By questioning these, we can break free from the distractions that keep us from what truly matters.
  2. Reverence allows us to appreciate the beauty and wonder in life. Feeling awe for nature or art can elevate our mood and give us a sense of connection to something greater.
  3. Balancing irreverence and reverence is essential for clear thinking and meaningful living. We need both to challenge old ideas while also grounding ourselves in what gives life depth and value.

The Enshittification of Everything

104 implied HN points • 08 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Digital Media Content creation Trust Issues
  1. AI is producing a lot of poor-quality content, leading to a decline in trust in places like academia and social media. It shows a need for better content verification.
  2. The current mess in digital spaces, called 'enshittification', has been happening for a long time, not just because of AI. People have been manipulating systems for profit for years.
  3. Despite the problems, AI can help us recognize and clean up the digital space by highlighting bad content. This might lead to a demand for better, more trustworthy human-created content.

The Truth of Myths

70 implied HN points • 22 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture Mythology Wisdom Spirituality Tradition Literature
  1. Myths can hold deep truths and meanings, even if they aren't literally factual. They often reflect universal human experiences and insights.
  2. Understanding myths helps us confront our own flaws and aspirations through archetypes. Stories from different cultures teach us about balancing different aspects of our nature.
  3. Rather than seeking to prove myths as factual, we should appreciate their wisdom. They offer insights that can guide us in our everyday lives, revealing lessons that have been learned over time.

Kintsugi: The Art of Mending

80 implied HN points • 15 Dec 24
📖 Philosophy Cognitive Bias Relationships Cultural Insights
  1. Kintsugi is a Japanese art of mending broken things with gold, which symbolizes that beauty can come from flaws and imperfections. It teaches us that just because something is broken doesn't mean it's worthless.
  2. This concept can be applied to relationships, where misunderstandings or conflicts can lead to fractures. By acknowledging and repairing these issues together, relationships can become even more valuable.
  3. To apply Kintsugi in relationships, you need to be open to understanding your biases, carefully listen to others, and work towards forgiveness and growth. It's a process that requires ongoing effort and care.

Polymathic Aspirations

95 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
🚌 Education Learning Mindset Creativity Innovation Personal Growth
  1. Embrace your white belt attitude. This means being curious, humble, and open to learning new things without thinking you know it all.
  2. Understand the complexity of problems around you. Instead of simplifying them, try to appreciate their depth to find better solutions.
  3. Connect with others to learn together. Sharing insights and challenges in a community can help strengthen your polymathic mindset.

Elephant Riding

104 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Logic Cognition Emotion Human behavior
  1. We balance emotions and reason like an elephant and a rider. The elephant represents our feelings, which often drive our decisions more than we think.
  2. Relying only on logic can lead to problems. Emotions help us make decisions, and without them, we might struggle with even simple choices.
  3. To make better decisions, we should understand our emotions and how they influence us. This means taking time to think things through and checking if our feelings align with reality.

Heaven is High and the Emperor is Far Away

113 implied HN points • 03 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Political theory Social media Mental health Public Perception Community Engagement
  1. Don't let fear from social media take over your life. There's plenty of good around you if you look for it.
  2. Remember that political news is often far removed from your daily reality. You have control over how much it affects you.
  3. Take action in your local community. Get involved and focus on what truly matters to you, instead of constantly worrying about the emperor.

Unicorn Projects

65 implied HN points • 01 Dec 24
💼 Business Innovation Project management Process Optimization Systems Thinking Best Practices
  1. Many teams believe their projects are special or unique, but this mindset can lead to mistakes because they ignore proven methods that could help them succeed.
  2. Looking for what’s common between projects instead of focusing on differences can help teams use best practices more effectively, leading to better outcomes.
  3. True innovation happens when teams recognize common problems and find areas that actually need new solutions, rather than chasing after the idea of uniqueness.

Brain Glitch

66 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Cognition Perspective Behavior
  1. Cognitive dissonance is what happens when our brains struggle with holding two conflicting beliefs. It often leads to defensive responses, like changing the topic or attacking someone instead of addressing the issue.
  2. Recognizing cognitive dissonance in ourselves is important. It helps us pause, reflect, and learn when we're feeling defensive or emotional during discussions.
  3. Not all contradictions are bad. Embracing them can lead to a deeper understanding and new perspectives, helping us navigate complex issues more effectively.

The Dirty Secret of Recycling

104 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Recycling Plastics Waste Management Environmental Impact Sustainability
  1. Only 10% of plastic put in recycling bins is actually recycled.
  2. Recycling can have high contamination rates and often leads to materials being shipped overseas or dumped in landfills.
  3. To improve recycling, focus on reducing and reusing materials, design products for better recycling, and address the psychological aspect of recycling habits.

Amazon Exposed!

94 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
💼 Business E-commerce Logistics Marketplace Publishing Monopoly
  1. Amazon's strength is in revolutionizing supply chain logistics, not in direct selling.
  2. Amazon's marketplace allows small businesses to thrive alongside larger competitors.
  3. Amazon has democratized software development, resale, and publishing making entry easier for new businesses.

Agency vs. Addiction

68 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Addiction Agency Regulation Exercise Relationships
  1. Personal agency is key in resisting external influences and making independent choices.
  2. Addiction can extend beyond traditional vices like drugs and alcohol to include positive behaviors as well.
  3. Past attempts at regulation, like Prohibition and the War on Drugs, have often failed, highlighting the importance of personal agency in combating addiction.

Acknowledge and Ignore

87 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🚌 Education Leadership Problem Solving Manipulation
  1. Acknowledging and ignoring can be a powerful tactic when dealing with poor leaders.
  2. Timely decision-making in leadership requires adaptability and making smart choices under pressure.
  3. Some leaders may prefer being acknowledged but then ignored, leading to better outcomes in certain situations.

Steelman

70 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🚌 Education Persuasion Critical Thinking Problem Solving Dialogue Learning
  1. Being a Steelman means strengthening your arguments and understanding others' perspectives.
  2. Steelman is the superhero antidote to Strawman, who misrepresents arguments.
  3. Steelman approach brings benefits like improved dialogue, deeper learning, and avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

Don't Trust AI... Entrust It

65 implied HN points • 25 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Autonomy Trust Ethics Frameworks
  1. AI should be entrusted rather than blindly trusted, with clearly defined tasks and limitations.
  2. The concept of entrustment offers a more actionable approach than the vague, subjective concept of trust when dealing with AI and autonomous systems.
  3. Measuring trust through a framework that considers ethics and assurance helps in determining the boundaries within which AI can be entrusted with responsibilities.

Polymaths Unite

61 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Mindset Community Learning Interaction
  1. Being a Polymath is achievable for anyone, not just mythical geniuses. It's about having curiosity, humility, and broad thinking.
  2. Interacting with Polymaths can be an adventurous and non-linear experience, with discussions weaving diverse topics effortlessly.
  3. Embrace the Polymathic mindset by uniting, conversing, challenging, and continuously learning. Join the community of counterintuitive thinkers.

Turtles All The Way Down

54 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Science Belief Philosophy Religion
  1. In science, we often reach a point where we must make a statement of faith or accept an axiom to progress, similar to the concept of 'Turtles All the Way Down.'
  2. The idea of infinite regress, like 'Turtles All the Way Down,' highlights the need for statements of faith in science to avoid getting lost in an endless loop of explanations.
  3. Recognizing and accepting statements of faith, axioms, or first principles is crucial for progress in our complex world, as long as we prevent them from turning into rigid religious beliefs.

Rediscovering the Goddess

65 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Feminism Gender Roles
  1. The current feminist movement often overlooks the importance of embracing the feminine aspect.
  2. Society tends to value masculine traits over feminine qualities, leading to a devaluation of the feminine divine.
  3. It is essential to reclaim and appreciate the unique power and contributions of the feminine, rather than imposing masculine standards on women.

Nuclear Meltdown

66 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
🔬 Science Nuclear power Energy Production Technology advancements
  1. Nuclear energy has advanced significantly in safety and technology, offering powerful environmental benefits.
  2. Outdated fears surrounding nuclear energy are based on events from half a century ago and misunderstandings of current reactor designs.
  3. Innovations like small modular reactors and new fuel sources are making nuclear energy safer, more efficient, and versatile in various applications.

Chaos and Order

59 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Psychology Archetypes Gender Dynamics Balance Mythology
  1. Ancient archetypes depict the feminine as chaos and the masculine as order, challenging our bias towards masculine order.
  2. In psychology, the feminine is linked to creativity and intuition, representing chaos, while the masculine is associated with logic and structure, representing order.
  3. Balancing the feminine chaos and masculine order is crucial for creating antifragile systems and achieving a dynamic and flexible equilibrium.

Clothing and Sex

58 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
🪞 Fashion & Beauty Fashion Beauty Sexuality Clothing
  1. The clothing we wear communicates complex signals about our sexuality, intentionally or unintentionally.
  2. Human biology plays a significant role in how male and female bodies advertise sexuality.
  3. It's important to be aware that what we wear communicates to others and to understand and be prepared to deal with the responses it may elicit.

An Ode to Beer

65 implied HN points • 10 Dec 23
🍲 Food & Drink History Science Culture Ingredients Brewing
  1. Beer has a long and significant history, dating back thousands of years before the invention of writing.
  2. Modern beer only consists of four main ingredients: malted barley, water, hops, and yeast, which play a critical role in creating diverse beer varieties.
  3. The regional variations in beer styles are influenced by factors like water pH, malt selection, hops, and yeast strains, showcasing the scientific complexity behind brewing.

The Uterine Lottery

66 implied HN points • 03 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Evolutionary biology Economics Geopolitics Sociology
  1. Our existence is not entirely random; it is influenced by mate selection, education, health, and life decisions passed down through generations.
  2. Economic and geopolitical factors contribute to inequality, with the Pareto Principle indicating that a small percentage holds a majority of wealth and success.
  3. Sociological structures, traditions, and decisions made by our ancestors play a significant role in shaping who we are today.

The Beauty Quandary

77 implied HN points • 17 Sep 23
🎭️ Culture Beauty Evolutionary Psychology Societal norms Gender Studies Perception
  1. Beauty is a complex topic that influences various aspects of our lives, from societal perceptions to evolutionary biology.
  2. Looking good involves presenting ourselves in a way that signals health, status, and genetic viability.
  3. Our appearance can impact our social and economic outcomes, and understanding these dynamics can help us address biases and stereotypes.

Capture Your Imagination

54 implied HN points • 17 Dec 23
📚 Literature Fiction Character development Imagination
  1. Good fiction should be rooted in solid facts for a more engaging story.
  2. Plot development in writing can vary, from detailed world-building to a loosely coupled plot with surprises along the way.
  3. Character and dialog development are key in crafting a compelling narrative and engaging the reader's imagination.

Looking Into a Mirror

68 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Psychology Behavior Reflection Morality Self-awareness
  1. People often project their own behaviors and beliefs onto others, leading to misunderstandings in conversations.
  2. Understanding that others may be reacting based on their own fears or insecurities can help you navigate and contextualize online arguments.
  3. By reflecting on your own tendencies and biases, you can improve empathy, communication, and ultimately influence others positively.

Exegesis: A Powerful Analytical Tool

73 implied HN points • 10 Sep 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Religion Psychology Interpretation Analysis Systems Thinking
  1. Exegesis is a powerful analytical tool that helps shift perspective by digging deeper into topics.
  2. It contrasts with eisegesis, which involves reading into situations based on biases and interpretations.
  3. Exegesis can be applied to various subjects to challenge assumptions, promote critical thinking, and gain a better understanding of historical and contemporary contexts.

Money Burn

66 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
💰 Finance Wealth Spending Charity Psychology Support
  1. We tend to hesitate to give fair prices to those in need while easily overpaying for unnecessary luxury items.
  2. We often show generosity to those who don't require it, while driving a hard bargain with those in need.
  3. Our spending behaviors are driven by the dopamine hits we get from scoring bargains and splurging on luxuries; it's about reframing our perspective to support those in need more.