The hottest Knowledge Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics
Juan David’s Newsletter β€’ 78 implied HN points β€’ 30 Jul 23
  1. Immerse yourself in a topic that excites you to learn deeply and thoroughly.
  2. Writing a 'book' on a subject of interest can enhance your knowledge and open up new opportunities.
  3. Engaging deeply in a subject can lead to connections with interesting people and unexpected paths for personal and professional growth.
Breaking Smart β€’ 90 implied HN points β€’ 25 Feb 23
  1. Real-world friction connects big zeitgeist things and teaches about truth in inconvenience.
  2. Meccano vs Lego: Meccano models offer higher realism, messiness and inconveniences, while Legos offer convenience and smoothness.
  3. AI entering the world may encounter a real, high-interest world like a Meccano world, where knowledge shock requires adjusting ambitions to balance design knowledge and friction knowledge.
The Joyous Struggle β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 19 Nov 23
  1. The post discusses musings on Diwali, reflections on props used in a speech, and the zetetic knowing concept.
  2. There is a reading from a book by David Hinton that explores poetry's attempt to describe our contact with reality.
  3. Substack serves as a platform encouraging continued writing, thinking, and sharing among people.
Donkeyspace β€’ 5 implied HN points β€’ 15 Feb 24
  1. Our perception and understanding of the world are influenced by our emotional state and personal experiences.
  2. Affect can be viewed as a protocol that formats and processes data, shaping the information we extract from our environment.
  3. Our emotional responses and preferences play a significant role in how we perceive and interact with the world, affecting what we notice and how we interpret things.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:
Smarter Thinking β€’ 39 implied HN points β€’ 01 Mar 23
  1. Getting a degree is important, but education is an ongoing process beyond school.
  2. Building accurate mental models through education is crucial for better reasoning.
  3. Education not only imparts knowledge but also equips you with skills to apply what you've learned.
Akash Chinnaiah β€’ 4 HN points β€’ 04 Jan 24
  1. Our beliefs are deeply influenced by the environment and people around us, shaping who we are. Questioning and reevaluating our beliefs can lead to personal growth and freedom.
  2. Beliefs are not fixed; they change over time as we gain new experiences and knowledge. Being open to challenging our beliefs can lead to better decision-making and a more authentic life.
  3. Changing our beliefs is not easy, as it often involves letting go of ego and deeply ingrained ideas. Broadening our knowledge and experiences can help us make more informed choices and grow as individuals.
CxD Newsletter β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 16 Mar 23
  1. Philosophy explores the nature of reality, existence, knowledge, and the relationship between ourselves and the world.
  2. Philosophy also delves into values, ethics, politics, a good life, obligations, beauty, and the meaning of life.
  3. Philosophy encourages us to think deeply about fundamental questions, challenge preconceived views, and engage in the quest for knowledge.
Economic Forces β€’ 7 implied HN points β€’ 05 Oct 23
  1. Price theory focuses on analyzing how real world agents arrive at agreeable prices through a process of exchange.
  2. Price theory emphasizes that competition is omnipresent and considers how firms strategically respond to rivals in a competitive context.
  3. Prices coordinate economic behavior across markets, carry important information, and contribute to resolving the coordination problem through mechanisms beyond price changes.
Ethics Under Construction β€’ 5 HN points β€’ 29 Oct 23
  1. Certain philosophical statements can be nonsense, like the liar's paradox, lacking basic truth-value and conveying no information.
  2. Statements can also be irrelevant, failing to provide any useful information, like stating obvious facts or redundant phrases.
  3. Logical gaps, like the is-ought gap, show that certain ideas are invalid and should be disregarded as meaningless.
visa's voltaic verses ⚑️ β€’ 12 implied HN points β€’ 09 Jun 23
  1. Life is a balance between the joy and curse of pursuing interestingness as a job.
  2. Strive to be interesting without trying too hard, walking the fine line of not exhausting the pursuit of interestingness.
  3. Internal conflict and perfectionism can hinder creativity; embracing imperfection and inner peace can lead to authentic expression.
By Reason Alone β€’ 1 HN point β€’ 11 Feb 24
  1. Education should aim to refine virtue, not just for practical gains. Seeking education for its own sake leads to better outcomes.
  2. Sophistry in education can be dangerous, leading to superficial learning and a focus on appearances over substance.
  3. Interest in philosophy and the arts can be cultivated in all individuals with the right instruction, even if they initially lack enthusiasm.
By Reason Alone β€’ 9 HN points β€’ 20 Jun 23
  1. Misinformation is not always due to lack of knowledge, but can stem from having too much specific information on certain topics.
  2. More education can sometimes lead to more polarized beliefs, rather than always resulting in correct beliefs.
  3. Understanding is not just about having true information, but also about navigating biases and not getting caught up in popular misconceptions.
Building the Builders β€’ 9 implied HN points β€’ 18 May 23
  1. Intellectual humility should not be a way to avoid seeking knowledge and certainty but should push us to strive for deep understanding and confidence.
  2. Being intellectually ambitious involves questioning assumptions, admitting mistakes, and actively seeking wisdom and self-trust.
  3. True intellectual ambition requires the courage to act on well-founded convictions, pursue worthwhile possibilities, and persist through uncertainty.
Technology Made Simple β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 14 Mar 22
  1. Understanding the importance of Math in preparation can help with solving problems better.
  2. Knowledge about subjects, problem interpretation, and connections between topics are crucial in problem-solving.
  3. Math Mondays aim to show how mathematical knowledge can enhance problem-solving skills and help make connections between different concepts.
Ethics Under Construction β€’ 2 HN points β€’ 02 Oct 23
  1. Knowledge is more than just having a justified true belief; it also requires a correct belief in how the justification connects to the truth.
  2. Gettier problems highlight situations where justified beliefs are true only by coincidence, challenging the traditional definition of knowledge.
  3. To have knowledge, there must be a justified true belief, a connector that explains the relationship between the justification and truth, and a belief in that connector.
Metarational β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 26 Apr 21
  1. Meta-knowledge involves the understanding of other people's knowledge, leading to concepts like meta-meta-knowledge and common knowledge.
  2. Puzzles, like the blue eyes puzzle, are great examples to demonstrate the complexity and power of different levels of meta-knowledge.
  3. Understanding meta-knowledge is crucial in various contexts, helping to make sense of social customs and intuitions that may otherwise seem arbitrary or senseless.
By Reason Alone β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 26 Feb 24
  1. Life could be considered a game with a goal of minimizing surprise, which is a simple and shared objective
  2. The belief-updating process in life might follow Bayesian principles, but this approach is debated among philosophers
  3. Dreams could serve the purpose of testing and challenging the brain's models of the world to minimize surprises and enhance adaptability
Autoscriptorium β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 19 Aug 23
  1. Repetition plays a crucial role in learning and creativity, often leading to new insights and perspectives.
  2. Observing patterns through repetition can lead to the development of deep knowledge and expertise in fields like medicine and business.
  3. Repeating tasks or actions can be a way to navigate interruptions and maintain focus on achieving goals.
The Unabashed Observer β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 15 Mar 24
  1. Complex systems are beyond individual understanding, and simplification is necessary for comprehension in various disciplines.
  2. Human perception is limited by biology, leading to incomplete understanding of the world around us.
  3. Specialization in society leads to interdependence and the need for trust and humility in leveraging diverse skills for progress.
Journal of Gurdjieff Studies β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 03 May 24
  1. Man must overcome violence within himself to avoid contributing to larger conflicts like war. Self-awareness and non-identification are crucial in this process.
  2. Observation and self-observation are distinct: observation looks outward, while self-observation requires looking inward. Self-observation is more challenging but leads to self-change.
  3. External knowledge gained through observation can influence the world around us, while self-observation leads to internal change. Understanding the two realities we live in can transform our perception and actions.
Journal of Gurdjieff Studies β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 15 Sep 23
  1. Symbolism of numbers, geometrical figures, letters, and words: Understanding the right and wrong interpretations of symbols, the union of knowledge and being, and attainment through one's own efforts.
  2. The law of octaves and the symbolism of numbers: Exploring the law of octaves, the significance of the decimal system, and the importance of understanding the unity expressed by numbers.
  3. Various symbolisms and their interpretations: Examining different systems such as magic, alchemy, and astrology, emphasizing the necessity of correctly understanding symbols to avoid misinterpretations and delusions.
Journal of Gurdjieff Studies β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 25 Nov 22
  1. In personal development, it's crucial to balance the line of knowledge and the line of being - knowledge without corresponding being development and vice versa can lead to stagnant growth.
  2. Understanding is the combination of knowledge and being, and it is not solely achieved through accumulating knowledge - growth in being simultaneously is essential for true understanding.
  3. People often mistake knowledge for understanding, but understanding involves feeling and sensing, not just knowing with the mind. Finding names for things without truly comprehending them doesn't equal actual understanding.
Journal of Gurdjieff Studies β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 11 Nov 22
  1. Man is not a singular entity but a collection of changing 'I's, each with its own characteristics and tendencies.
  2. The evolution of man involves conscious struggle and development of untapped potential, rather than a predetermined, mechanical process.
  3. Individual human evolution is possible through self-realization and growth, but mass evolution is not in nature's interest and may be hindered by external forces.
Cybernetic Forests β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 07 Aug 22
  1. Colonialism has often exploited indigenous knowledge and communities through science and exploration.
  2. The concept of 'subtractive science' by Masanobu Fukuoka challenges the traditional interventionist approach of science, advocating for a more hands-off, natural growth process.
  3. The relationship between humans, technology, and nature should be one of collaboration and respect, with an emphasis on understanding the balance of power and hierarchy in these interactions.
Age of AI β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 03 Aug 23
  1. AI tools like ChatGPT can benefit from plugins like 'Tasty Recipes' to enhance performance.
  2. Having background knowledge can help AI tools better understand and summarize texts.
  3. Different plugins and tools, like 'PDF summary' plugins and NotebookLM, are being used to improve AI's ability to process and summarize information.