The hottest Philosophy Substack posts right now

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Social Theory for the Mid-21st Century: Part I. What Do I Ask My Students to Read so That They Will Understand the World of 2055?

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 415 implied HN points • 15 Nov 24
🚌 Education Philosophy
  1. Teaching students about human affairs is essential to prepare them for their future. We need to help them understand how to navigate their lives and the society they'll be part of.
  2. History provides valuable lessons and analogies, but it's important to synthesize these into useful theories. Good theories help us learn from the past and think about the future.
  3. It's necessary to adapt our teaching to current and future realities, rather than relying only on past approaches. Students need knowledge that applies to the world of 2055, not just what was relevant 40 years ago.

Perceptrons, XOR, and the first "AI winter"

The Counterfactual • 139 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Philosophy
  1. AI systems are getting better, but there are still limits to what they can do. For example, some tasks might just be impossible for current AI technology.
  2. The history of AI shows that there have been times of excitement followed by periods of reduced interest, called 'AI winters'. This happens especially when expectations exceed reality.
  3. Early AI models, like perceptrons, were limited in their abilities, which led to skepticism about their potential. Understanding these past limitations helps us think more critically about today's AI capabilities.

Hearing the language of Christ on the road to Damascus

Wrong Side of History • 351 implied HN points • 24 Dec 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Philosophy
  1. Maaloula is a small town in Syria where people still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. It's like a time capsule for ancient culture.
  2. The town has historical sites, including the Convent of St Thecla and a 2,000-year-old church. These places show the rich history and faith of the people.
  3. Maaloula is also a meeting point for different cultures, with locals and Iranian pilgrims mingling together. This creates a unique atmosphere of shared beliefs.

Excruciatingly Boring Dystopia

antoniomelonio • 332 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Many people feel life is painfully boring and routine. It seems like everyone is just going through the motions without any excitement.
  2. Work and social life often feel monotonous and unfulfilling. People long for genuine connections and creativity but get stuck in boring tasks and small talk.
  3. There are hints of change and hope, like workers' movements and the potential of technology to make our lives easier. We need to find small ways to break free from this boredom.
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The soul of an anti-woke intellectual: Jamie Q. Roberts

Philosophy bear • 143 implied HN points • 26 Jun 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Jamie Q. Roberts feels a strong desire to fight against what he sees as unfairness in society, which he believes is often driven by personal experiences of suffering and bullying.
  2. He sees Elon Musk as a symbol of taking real action in a world full of talk and wants to return to a sense of physical reality, where actions have clear results.
  3. Jamie believes that 'wokeness' perverts meritocracy, allowing less qualified people to gain power without fighting for it, which he thinks undermines true accomplishment.

A Month in Buenos Aires

Cathedral Effect • 117 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🏝 Travel Philosophy
  1. Recovering from trauma requires action, not just time.
  2. Buenos Aires is more than just cheap prices, with a rich cultural scene and historical significance.
  3. Traveling forces us to ask how best to live each day, unlike in the routines of everyday life.

this is not a love poem

Both Are True • 161 implied HN points • 30 May 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Having fun together can be a nice break from everyday stress, like parenting. Playing games allows couples to connect without heavy discussions.
  2. Good food and the right atmosphere enhance the experience of enjoying games together. Choosing a cozy spot can make even a simple dinner feel special.
  3. Life can be tough, but small moments like shared games and laughter can bring relief. These simple joys help us cope with the challenges we face.

2025 recap

Both Are True • 329 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Time feels like it moves really fast, especially when we're busy. We often miss the little joys around us because we're too focused on our phones.
  2. Even though life is busy, the special moments we share with others exist outside of time. Those moments, filled with love, can feel infinite.
  3. Life has its ups and downs, and we often joke about it, but it's important to find happiness in the little things. We should appreciate the good stuff that makes life meaningful.

#148: Too much music

Maybe Baby • 1552 implied HN points • 21 May 23
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Using music to create a mood is common in modern culture, from public spaces to social media.
  2. The use of headphones and music may lead to isolating ourselves from shared sounds and communal experiences.
  3. Considering the value of naturally occurring sounds and silence in our lives is important, even amidst our fascination with music.

Writing Is a Bad Habit

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 915 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Philosophy
  1. The author believes writing is not a lifestyle to be celebrated, but rather a bad habit.
  2. They express frustration with the cultural recursion and excessive focus on writing within platforms like Substack.
  3. The author emphasizes the importance of conveying a unique sensibility through writing rather than focusing on writing rituals and advice.

Dogmatism Is A Bigger Problem Than Religion, I Think, Maybe, Possibly

Singal-Minded • 428 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Philosophy
  1. Dogmatism can be a bigger issue than religion. It's not just beliefs that cause harm, but the stubbornness to hold onto those beliefs.
  2. Both religious and secular ideologies have led to terrible events in history. It's important to see that these problems aren't limited to just one belief system.
  3. A more complex view of faith and rationality is needed. It's not always clear that less religion will automatically make the world better.

Destination Tragedy

Litverse • 239 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. The COVID-19 pandemic in New York City led to a unique experience for residents, revealing both the beauty and tragedy of the city amidst chaos and loss.
  2. Jeremiah Moss's book 'Feral City' explores the impact of new cultural norms and consumerism on NYC, reflecting on the city's transformation and values over time.
  3. Tragedy can evoke deep emotions and memories, leading to a rediscovery of oneself and the environment, but it can also highlight the differing perspectives and values people hold in society.

Harrison Ford: American Anti-Hero

Litverse • 239 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Harrison Ford embraced his limits and found success by knowing himself well.
  2. Settle for what makes you feel useful in order to find happiness and fulfillment.
  3. Limit yourself to what truly matters to avoid FOMO and focus on your passion and nature.

The Lesbian Tragedy of 'Gia'

Paging Dr. Lesbian • 235 implied HN points • 12 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Tragedy has different interpretations in art, with Aristotle seeing it as artistically and morally useful, Socrates finding it discouraging, and Nietzsche believing it relieves from the world's suffering.
  2. Lesbian and queer art intersects with the debate on tragedy, challenging perceptions of queerness as already tragic and exploring the importance of naming and portraying tragedy.
  3. The film 'Gia' portrays a tragic lesbian story, emphasizing the complexities of Gia as a character and highlighting the impact of her relationships and struggles, urging a deeper consideration of tragedy in queer narratives.

Thinking on the page

Austin Kleon • 1278 implied HN points • 08 Feb 22
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Writing and drawing help to develop ideas, rather than just expressing them. Sometimes you need to start making marks to discover what you really think.
  2. Thinking is a back-and-forth process between your mind and your materials. What you draw or write can lead to new thoughts and connections.
  3. It's important to externalize your ideas on paper. By getting them out of your head, you can see patterns and create new insights more easily.

The antimeme is the message of the medium

Never Met a Science • 105 implied HN points • 01 Aug 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Antimemes are ideas that are hard to remember or engage with, even if they matter. The idea of antimemes itself has become more popular, which is a bit ironic.
  2. The way we share and consume information, especially through digital media, affects how certain ideas spread. Some ideas stay hidden because they don't fit today's quick and flashy communication styles.
  3. True communication is richer when it includes all our senses and social interactions, not just what we see on screens. Engaging in person provides more depth than what digital interactions can convey.

Tolstoy On Disagreement

The Ruffian • 264 implied HN points • 26 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Philosophy
  1. People often argue about politics without realizing they value different things. Understanding what others care about can help resolve disagreements.
  2. When discussing, it's helpful to express what you truly love or believe. This can lead to surprising agreement and reduce pointless arguments.
  3. Tolstoy highlights that many arguments are similar to digging up the same truth. Acknowledging shared values can make discussions more productive.

Rattle Bag

The Ruffian • 122 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Growing older can be done happily with the right mindset and approaches.
  2. Dealing with defensive people requires patience and understanding; knowing how to communicate matters.
  3. Looking tough isn't just about appearance; it's about confidence and how you carry yourself.

Born to Be Wild: Introducing John Muir

Meaning || Matter • 19 implied HN points • 11 Jul 24
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. John Muir is a key figure in American environmentalism known for his love of nature and work in preserving national parks, especially Yosemite. He believed that people should connect with nature to truly appreciate and protect it.
  2. Muir saw wilderness as a source of spirituality, teaching that we can learn and find God through nature. He practiced a form of transcendentalism that emphasized loving and understanding the wild rather than conquering it.
  3. Muir's writing served as a way to bring people closer to nature, acting like an evangelist for the wilderness. His vivid descriptions aimed to inspire others to experience and care for the natural world.

Thank you, and remember, the universe is in your basement

Both Are True • 298 implied HN points • 21 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. David Lynch believes everyone has creativity and happiness inside them. It's okay to be positive and embrace the good in life.
  2. Cinema can express emotions and experiences that are hard to put into words. It connects with our feelings in a unique way.
  3. It's important to just create and share your work, instead of always explaining why you're doing it. The act of creating speaks for itself.

On Malignant Escapism

Resident Contrarian • 1627 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Be cautious of using escapism as a way to avoid facing real life challenges or responsibilities.
  2. Escapism, like through video games or fantasy scenarios, can be alluring but may not help with real-world problems.
  3. Ensure that activities like watching sports or playing games serve as a healthy escape, not a constant avoidance of reality.

The surreal line is topologically compact!

Infinitely More • 25 implied HN points • 28 Nov 25
🔬 Science Philosophy
  1. Compactness in mathematics means that a set can be covered by a limited number of open sets, making it easier to work with. This concept is important in various areas of math like topology and analysis.
  2. The surreal numbers initially seem to lack compactness compared to real numbers, showing that many of the typical properties may not apply directly.
  3. However, by looking at the surreal numbers from a different perspective, we can discover surprising instances of compactness that we didn't expect.

RKUL: Time Well Spent 2/2/2025

Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning • 280 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
📚 Literature Philosophy
  1. Surprises teach us new things that change our understanding. They help us adapt our views of the world when what we expect turns out to be wrong.
  2. History shows that even unlikely places can produce great innovations and thinkers, like Athens and Ramanujan. Talent can arise from the most unexpected backgrounds.
  3. Twists and turns in history, like wars and societal changes, can shape powerful civilizations. Sometimes, survival and adaptability lead to greatness, even against the odds.

Searching for Posthumanist AI

Cybernetic Forests • 259 implied HN points • 26 Mar 23
🔬 Science Philosophy
  1. Large Language Models are anthropocentric and pose challenges to moving beyond human-centric ideologies
  2. Post-humanism emphasizes decentering humanity and focusing on the health of the planet and interconnected natural systems
  3. AI's current state reflects human biases and design decisions, and a posthumanist approach would require a shift towards technologies that facilitate listening and understanding the world outside ourselves

Essay Club: The Death of the Author by Roland Barthes

Mind & Mythos • 99 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
📚 Literature Philosophy
  1. The idea of 'The Death of the Author' suggests that once a piece of writing is out in the world, it's not just about the author's intention anymore. Readers can find many meanings in it, beyond what the author might have intended.
  2. By removing the author from the center of a text, we open up new interpretations and dialogues. This means that literature becomes a space where multiple voices can interact and create a richer understanding.
  3. This perspective challenges the traditional view of authorship, making it possible for everyone's interpretation to hold value. It emphasizes the importance of the reader's role in creating meaning from a text.

Hidden Open Thread 354.5

Astral Codex Ten • 412 implied HN points • 06 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. This post is meant for paid subscribers only, so not everyone can access it.
  2. There are discussions happening in the comments section, with a decent amount of interaction.
  3. You can subscribe or sign in to view the content, which suggests it's a community-focused platform.

Love in the Machine Edition

As Ever • 30 implied HN points • 15 Nov 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Love shapes our identity and experiences, and it's important to understand how we can love the right things in the right ways. We are made to love and be loved, which influences how we interact with the world around us.
  2. Technology affects our lives deeply, especially in how it influences our love and connections. Understanding this relationship helps us navigate its role in our lives, deciding what to embrace and what to reject.
  3. Conversations about labor and technology remind us of the importance of personal connections over efficiency. Using tools with love and care can enhance our relationships and the world we live in.

📜 Granting rights to AI may save humanity: A Quick Q&A with … Simon Goldstein

Faster, Please! • 274 implied HN points • 13 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Philosophy
  1. Granting legal rights to AI could encourage cooperation between humans and AI. This would help prevent conflicts and promote beneficial interactions.
  2. A clear set of property and contract rights for AI could lead to better relationships, as both sides would be more likely to trade and support each other.
  3. By recognizing AIs' rights, we can reduce the risk of destructive behavior and promote a safer future where human and AI interests align.

Hidden Open Thread 368.5

Astral Codex Ten • 275 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. This is a space for people to share thoughts and engage in discussions. Everyone can pitch in and contribute their ideas.
  2. The post is intended for paid subscribers, which means it may contain exclusive content. This helps create a community among paying members.
  3. The thread encourages open communication and interaction among readers, promoting a sense of belonging.

deepculture ▪️ 105

deepculture • 117 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Each edition of deepculture starts with a meaningful quote.
  2. The post includes varied content like life advice, favorite ideas, and reading lists.
  3. Recommendations include documentaries, newsletters, and apps to enhance your knowledge and experience.

Evolving Beyond Determinism

Holodoxa • 199 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
🔬 Science Philosophy
  1. Consciousness and free will are gaining scholarly attention, moving beyond being considered intellectual backwaters.
  2. There is a growing interest in naturalistic explanations of the human mind, relying on science rather than mystical or religious beliefs.
  3. The book 'Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will' by Kevin J. Mitchell offers a scientific defense of free will against determinism, emphasizing the role of conscious experience in guiding human behavior.

Notes on Effective Altruism

Samstack • 1422 implied HN points • 24 May 23
🎭️ Culture Philosophy
  1. Effective Altruism encourages donating to impactful charities.
  2. Effective Altruists can be susceptible to pervasive memes and groupthink.
  3. EAs are often friendly, nerdy, and give generously to charity, but lack cognitive diversity.

☞ The Humanistic Computation Project

Cabinet of Wonders • 300 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Philosophy
  1. Computation can help us understand many fields, not just programming. It can connect ideas from literature, biology, philosophy, and more.
  2. The study of computation involves looking at how we think and use language. It also explores the limits of mathematics and the nature of reality.
  3. Humanistic computation blends computer science with the humanities and social sciences. This new field encourages us to think deeply about how technology and culture interact.