Sam’s Newsletter

Sam's Newsletter delves into the philosophical and scientific foundations of reality, touching on physics, morality, politics, economics, education, artificial general intelligence, and theoretical implications of immortality. It examines metaphysical concepts, critiques societal constructs, and explores ethical frameworks, aiming to reconcile complex ideas with practical societal implications.

Philosophy Physics Morality Politics Economics Education Artificial Intelligence Quantum Mechanics

The hottest Substack posts of Sam’s Newsletter

And their main takeaways

Dissecting Discontent

196 implied HN points • 04 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Ideology Society Comparative Analysis
  1. Some political ideologies have hidden motives like jealousy and entitlement.
  2. Incel ideology mirrors socialist thought in terms of entitlement and jealousy towards certain groups.
  3. The idea of jealousy and entitlement in incel ideology is similar to the sentiment of inequality in socialism towards the rich.

From Pencils to Politics

137 implied HN points • 11 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Politics Economics Education
  1. People and institutions should focus on error correction rather than seeking unattainable perfection.
  2. Error-correcting institutions in politics, economics, and education help guide towards stability and progress.
  3. Mistakes are inevitable, but having systems in place to correct them efficiently is key to continuous improvement.

Time in a timeless universe

196 implied HN points • 22 Dec 22
  1. In a timeless view of physics, past, present, and future are equally real.
  2. Consciousness exists in all moments, but we only experience the present.
  3. Our universe's timestamps are physical representations tied to clocks within it.

Getting an 'ought' from an 'is'

137 implied HN points • 29 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Morality Epistemology
  1. Fallibilism acknowledges that people can make mistakes and ideas are open to revision.
  2. Recognizing the possibility of moral truths leads to the importance of discussing moral issues.
  3. Engaging in discussions about morality is a moral imperative for fallibilists.

The morality of immortality

117 implied HN points • 12 Apr 23
📖 Philosophy Morality Immortality Humanity Death Identity
  1. Awareness of death doesn't necessarily motivate productivity; people work to improve their lives and the world.
  2. Immortality can be a solution to the suffering of watching loved ones age and die.
  3. With endless time, boredom is unlikely due to the abundance of entertainment and continual human progress.
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Time in a timeless universe (part 2)

98 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
🔬 Science Physics Philosophy Quantum
  1. Newton introduced the concept of absolute time, separate from change that physical systems undergo.
  2. Absolute time is an ethereal concept outside our universes, while clock time is a more physical representation of time.
  3. Barbour proposed a theory of time where different 'times' are viewed as different 'worlds' coexisting in a timeless block.

Schools and market failures

98 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🚌 Education
  1. Schools face a market failure where parents influence services but students consume them, leading to suboptimal outcomes.
  2. Market failures in schools can result in teachers not being held accountable for ineffective teaching, impacting student learning.
  3. Allowing more student decision-making and accountability in schools could improve education by addressing these market failures.

Quantum thermodynamics

58 implied HN points • 03 May 23
🔬 Science Quantum Thermodynamics
  1. Quantum theory applies to both small and large systems, outperforming classical mechanics.
  2. The third law of thermodynamics, proposed by Nernst in 1906, states that entropy is zero at zero Kelvin.
  3. Einstein's quantum theory-based model of solids resolved conflicts with the third law, later refined by Debye to include lattice vibrations.

On the limits of utility theory

58 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23
🔬 Science Theory Decision-making Artificial Intelligence Creativity Conflicts
  1. Utility theory is a powerful tool in academic fields like decision theory and economics, explaining human behavior based on preferences and optimization.
  2. Utility theory, while universal in application, has limitations when it comes to conflicting preferences that require creativity to resolve.
  3. Applying utility theory to scenarios like AGIs, which involve conflicting desires and behaviors, may result in unrealistic models and outcomes.

Of Monster and Utilitarians

1 HN point • 27 Mar 23
📖 Philosophy Utility Happiness Comparison Morality Ethics
  1. It's impossible to accurately compare the happiness or utility levels of different individuals.
  2. The concept of a 'utility monster' suggests that if we could compare utility, an entity could justify taking disproportionate resources.
  3. The existence of a 'utility monster' is refuted by the fact that we cannot objectively measure absolute utility levels.

Coming soon

0 implied HN points • 11 Apr 22
  1. Sam has a newsletter coming soon.
  2. The newsletter is about random thoughts.
  3. Read and subscribe to Sam's newsletter at samuelkuypers.substack.com.