The hottest Sociology Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Culture Topics

Review of a City on Mars (Part III)

Planetocracy • 137 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics International Law Sociology Criticism
  1. Space law and international treaties can be used to argue against human expansion but may have unexplored assumptions.
  2. The concept of collective property in space, favored by some, could lead to a bureaucratic system overseen by an international body like the UN.
  3. Enforcing international law on Mars, especially in the face of defiance, poses challenges that have not been thoroughly considered by critics of human expansion.

Rabbit Holes 🕳️ #96

Creative Destruction • 34 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Sociology Philosophy Psychology Environment Marketing
  1. Accountability sinks make it hard to hold people responsible for their decisions. This can lead to a loss of trust in organizations and institutions.
  2. Kama muta is a feeling of being moved by love, which often happens at significant life events. This feeling can strengthen our relationships and motivate us to be kinder.
  3. Productive inefficiency means getting things done without feeling rushed. Slowing down can actually help improve our overall well-being and relationships.

Links to Consider, 3/14

In My Tribe • 349 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Reading Sociology Religion Politics
  1. Reading is a skill that needs practice; reading long-form text is important for success in education and work.
  2. There's a need to understand trade-offs in policy-making; some argue for stronger social norms against alcohol and drug use.
  3. The shift towards morality and self-discipline in religions coincided with an increase in affluence and a focus on delayed gratification.
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The AI Trident

From the New World • 21 implied HN points • 29 Oct 24
🕹 Technology AI Free speech Philosophy Religion Sociology
  1. AI is becoming clearer for everyone, especially as real-world events show its impact, like AI-related discoveries winning the Nobel Prize. It's important for normal people to engage in discussions about AI, as their voices can shape understanding.
  2. Mill's Trident helps clarify opinions about free speech and can also apply to how we think about AI. It's crucial to consider differing perspectives, whether people see AI as significant spiritually or want to focus purely on the evidence.
  3. The debate on AI's importance varies widely, from those who see it as having no spiritual significance to those who view it as world-changing. It's essential to have open discussions and gradually create informed policies based on evidence while respecting different viewpoints.

These are the people in my neighborhood!

Disaffected Newsletter • 499 implied HN points • 09 Sep 22
🎭️ Culture Sociology Media Identity Humor Lifestyle
  1. The writer describes quirky characters in their neighborhood, giving them playful names and personalities. Each character has unique likes and dislikes that reflect their traits.
  2. One character, 'Toine', seems confident and focused on their appearance, while another character, Velma, has a tough, rebellious vibe with a strong stance against meat-eaters.
  3. The descriptions include humor and exaggeration, making the neighborhood feel vibrant and full of life, even in mundane settings like a grocery store.

In Memory of Donald Black

Bullfish Hole • 58 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🚌 Education Sociology Theory Mentorship
  1. Donald Black made significant contributions to sociology with his theory on law and social control, providing a new perspective on understanding social reality.
  2. Donald Black was passionate about developing new ideas in sociology and was dedicated to ensuring the science of social life was explored thoroughly.
  3. Donald Black's work serves as a reminder of the true essence of sociology, focusing on explaining social conflicts rather than taking sides in moral debates.

Good Luck / episode six

Nice Try • 59 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Sociology Religion Behavior Art Literature
  1. Cults can have a strange way of influencing people. It's important to be aware of how they operate.
  2. Trust your instincts when something feels off. If a situation makes you uncomfortable, it's okay to walk away.
  3. Learning about different cultures and backgrounds can give you a fresh perspective. We can all benefit from understanding each other better.

Zombie Buildings

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 339 implied HN points • 11 Aug 22
🎭️ Culture Architecture Urbanism History Art Sociology
  1. Zombie buildings are old structures that remain even after the original buildings are gone. They often have unique stories behind them.
  2. Some examples include columns from demolished churches and schools that have been repurposed or displayed. They serve as reminders of the past.
  3. These remnants show how buildings can have a lasting impact on a city, even if the buildings themselves are no longer standing.

Story: Adaptation or Spandrel?

Holodoxa • 79 implied HN points • 01 May 23
🎭️ Culture Literature Fiction Evolution Psychology Sociology
  1. Humans rely on stories to make sense of the world, whether derived from reality or imagination, and storytelling may have played a vital role in human survival and development.
  2. Storytelling has a unique structure that simplifies the complexity of life and allows for the synchronization of countless minds, shaping societies, movements, and institutions.
  3. The debate on whether storytelling is an adaptation or a spandrel is significant in understanding human nature, with arguments for both sides pointing to storytelling's impact on cognitive functions, social cohesion, and group dynamics.

Experience

Castalia • 159 implied HN points • 26 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Sociology Substance Use Community Media representation Religion
  1. There’s a divide in society between drinkers and those in recovery, like AA members. Many people don't see how close these groups really are despite their different lifestyles.
  2. AA has a certain appeal that goes beyond just sobriety; it offers a sense of community and purpose. Many find strength and support in its structure, similar to religious experiences.
  3. Programs like AA and 'The Artist’s Way' share ideas about discipline and personal growth. They challenge the market-driven mentality and focus on accountability and finding inner fulfillment.

On Shifts In Status

Castalia • 119 implied HN points • 03 Dec 22
🎭️ Culture Status Meritocracy Philosophy Sociology Sports
  1. Status in life is always changing. It's important to accept that both good times and bad times will come and go.
  2. Many people think winning or losing is permanent, but that's not true. Life is more about ups and downs than fixed positions.
  3. Understanding that status isn't always linked to worth can help us see things more clearly. Real value often comes from our experiences, not just our achievements.

The Uterine Lottery

Polymathic Being • 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.

Culture and Humans Living Forever

The Digital Anthropologist • 39 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
🔬 Science Technology Anthropology Philosophy Sociology History
  1. Advancements in science may soon allow humans to live for hundreds of years, leading to complex cultural adaptations.
  2. The concept of living forever raises ethical and societal questions, such as equal access to longevity treatments and redefining traditional milestones like retirement.
  3. The shift towards longer lifespans will challenge our current economic and cultural systems, impacting everything from wealth accumulation to family structures.

Curator

Castalia • 159 implied HN points • 12 Jul 22
🎭️ Culture Relationships Sociology Philosophy Literature Gender Studies
  1. Open marriages can be complicated and messy. There's a lot of debate about whether they really work for couples over time.
  2. People often cope with jealousy in different ways when it comes to open relationships. It's a strong emotion that many don't expect to deal with.
  3. Incels are a misunderstood group dealing with deep emotional pain. Society often reacts harshly to their feelings without understanding their struggles.

Iron Cage

Brain Lenses • 19 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Sociology Economics Capitalism Theory Bureaucracy
  1. Max Weber coined the term 'iron cage' to describe how modern humans are enclosed within capitalistic systems with strict structures.
  2. The structures of capitalism and bureaucracies have created an almost indestructible shell that governs social, relational, and resource management aspects of our lives.
  3. Many people operate within this 'iron cage' without realizing the system they are enclosed in.

2804m above sea level

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 79 implied HN points • 01 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Psychology Sociology Education Personal Growth Creativity
  1. Discussing not-knowing can be uncomfortable, especially when there are too many people involved. It’s hard to have a deep conversation with large and diverse groups.
  2. Different people have different ways of dealing with not-knowing, which can lead to confusion and discomfort during discussions. Finding common ground is important.
  3. Preparing for discomfort in new experiences, like snowboarding, can help. Sometimes, facing unknowns can lead to unexpected enjoyment and learning.

Friendship Paradox

Brain Lenses • 19 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🔬 Science Psychology Sociology Research
  1. The Friendship Paradox states that your friends likely have more friends than you.
  2. People with a lot of friends are more likely to show up in multiple friend groups.
  3. This phenomenon skews the sample pool when looking at a random person's friend group.

It takes a village to be a solitary genius

On Looking • 99 implied HN points • 13 May 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Sociology Collaboration Creativity Aesthetics
  1. Artistic work involves the joint activity of many people, contrary to the idea of a solitary genius navigating the art world alone.
  2. All art, including illustration, relies on conventions and collaborative efforts involving various actors like developers, engineers, illustrators, editors, and more.
  3. Aesthetics in art are tied to moral judgments, impacting the reception of artwork; illustrators also navigate aesthetic choices that can influence their commercial success.

Is there good reason to forgive off-color jokes when they're especially funny?

Philosophy bear • 57 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Humor Sociology Culture Comedy
  1. Forgiving off-color jokes if they are exceptionally funny is a common norm, even among morally strict individuals.
  2. The defense for this principle includes arguments like the 'enough value' defense and the 'net benefits to the victims' view.
  3. There are downsides to leniency for off-color jokes, such as built-in motivation for comedians, inherent prejudices, and hypocrisy among people.

The Jock/Creep Theory of Fascism

Unpopular Front • 70 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Ideology Sociology History Psychology Politics
  1. The Jock/Creep Theory of Fascism categorizes Italian Fascism as 'Jock-Douche' and German Nazism as 'Creep-Loser'.
  2. These ideal-types reflect different affective dimensions of the fascist self, with one embodying physical domination and the other being reflective and resentful.
  3. The theory can be applied to contemporary contexts, such as the paradoxical unity of jock-bullies and online incels in the American right.

What if the Great Filter is complacency?

inexactscience • 19 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
📖 Philosophy Existentialism Cosmology Sociology Epistemology Futurism
  1. Complacency might be the reason we don't see aliens. Instead of self-destruction, advanced civilizations may just choose to stay comfortable where they are.
  2. Economic reasons for space exploration could fade as the Earth becomes richer. If we make energy and resources abundant, we may not feel the need to explore beyond our planet.
  3. As the human population is expected to decline, the drive for exploration may lessen. With fewer people, our focus might shift to improving life on Earth rather than colonizing new worlds.

Liberals are bad at BDSM

Unstabler Ontology • 19 implied HN points • 06 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture Sexuality Psychology Sociology Trauma Gender
  1. BDSM is becoming more common and prevalent, making it challenging for individuals who do not wish to engage in it to find compatible sexual partners.
  2. Understanding BDSM requires a departure from liberal individualistic views, as it contradicts microeconomics and challenges traditional notions of consent and freedom.
  3. Some aspects of BDSM culture imitate elements of traumatic experiences and call into question societal norms regarding power dynamics and sexual acceptance.

How anomalies drove my social science research

America in Crisis • 19 implied HN points • 12 Aug 23
🚌 Education History Economics Sociology Politics Research
  1. Anomalies in stock market cycles and economic growth patterns can challenge existing models and lead to new insights.
  2. Exploring how cultural evolution impacts business practices and economic policies can provide a framework for understanding shifts in stock market valuations and economic growth.
  3. Government economic policies influenced by political cultural evolution play a key role in shaping business cultures and impacting economic trends.

Curator

Castalia • 39 implied HN points • 05 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Film analysis Philosophy Sociology Literature Cultural critique Media Studies
  1. Technical disaster movies highlight how human mistakes can lead to disastrous situations. They show the gap between experts and the public and how technical problems often arise from neglect or poor management.
  2. Friedrich Hayek argued that central planning by a few people can't effectively manage complex markets. He believed that knowledge is dispersed and that no single authority can understand or control the economy completely.
  3. Gnosticism is compared to technocracy, seen as a challenge to rational thought. There's a belief that while technocrats think they have everything figured out, human searches for meaning and truth are still important and should not be ignored.

A Genealogy of Gentrification

Urben Field Notes • 48 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🎭️ Culture Urban Studies History Sociology Politics Gentrification
  1. Gentrification can have different meanings to different people, leading to a complex perspective on urban change.
  2. Historically, gentrification has roots in the ideologies and actions of the first-wave gentrifiers in Brooklyn.
  3. The narrative around gentrification has been influenced by brownstoners, shaping the understanding of urban inequality and development.

North by Northwest

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 59 implied HN points • 14 Apr 22
🎭️ Culture Urban Studies Geography Psychology Sociology Lifestyle
  1. People who grew up in complicated road systems tend to have better navigation skills. This is because they learned to remember directions and landmarks while making many turns.
  2. Seattle has unique navigation aids like directional parking signs and special street patterns to help people find their way. The city's streets are not laid out in a simple grid, which can make navigation tricky.
  3. Natural features, like mountains, can help with orientation in a city. They serve as a consistent point of reference, making it easier to know which way to go.

Alexander Quiquero: Critique of Josh

Do Not Research • 19 implied HN points • 15 Feb 22
🎭️ Culture Internet Sociology Critique Ethics Youth
  1. Critique of Josh Citarella's writing approach, labeling it as academic, colonialist, and lacking true understanding of internet dynamics.
  2. Emphasizes the importance of handling sociological subjects delicately, considering the complexities of internet realms and the interplay between the internet and reality.
  3. Advocates for a more nuanced and comprehensive approach to documenting internet history, stressing the need for an 'ectoplasmic understanding' to capture the true essence of online interactions.

Book Review: The Sacred Project of American Sociology

Symbolic Capital(ism) • 19 implied HN points • 07 May 20
🚌 Education Sociology Philosophy Academia Higher education Social Sciences
  1. American sociology is a political, sacred, and spiritual project with a specific goal of emancipation, equality, and moral affirmation of individuals.
  2. Sociology's sacred project aims to venerate, protect, and advance a specific Durkheimian sacred regarding human autonomy, equality, and identity.
  3. Sociologists must critically assess and make explicit the sacred mission of American sociology to better understand the discipline's impacts, costs, and tradeoffs on academia and society.

The Mind Games : Psychological Warfare in Cyber Deception

Deceiving Adversaries • 1 HN point • 30 May 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Psychology Sociology Deception Defense
  1. Cyber deception involves intentionally manipulating reality to mislead attackers and stay ahead in cybersecurity.
  2. Understanding psychology and sociology helps predict attackers' moves and develop effective defense strategies.
  3. Adversaries exploit psychological tools like urgency and cognitive biases, while defenders can use the same principles to create deceptive defenses.

La Petite Bourgeoisie

Neosapien’s Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 02 May 23
🎭️ Culture Sociology Social Class Politics Fashion Education
  1. La Petite Bourgeoisie is a distinct social class with characteristics that separate it from the bourgeoisie.
  2. Members of the Petite Bourgeoisie are not as closely connected to political power as the Grande Bourgeoisie.
  3. The Petite Bourgeoisie is a heterogeneous social class that includes new rich, foreign bourgeois, fallen Grande Bourgeoisie, and long-standing bourgeois.

Humanity’s Operating System: cultureOS

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Digital technology Anthropology Sociology Globalization Human Evolution
  1. Culture can be seen as humanity's Operating System, crucial for survival and adapting to new technologies and societies.
  2. A cultureOS framework includes various 'apps' like aesthetics, governance, and religion, with middleware and hardware components that enable societies to function.
  3. Considering cultureOS is important in our increasingly interconnected world for better understanding societies, global interactions, and adapting to technological advancements.