The hottest Theory Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Philosophy Topics

Gilles Deleuze's Societies of Control

Castalia • 139 implied HN points • 06 Jul 23
📖 Philosophy Theory
  1. Gilles Deleuze describes a shift from 'disciplinary societies,' which controlled individuals through strict boundaries, to 'societies of control,' where control is more fluid and ever-present. This means that instead of moving from one fixed environment to another, people are constantly being monitored and influenced.
  2. In societies of control, people never truly finish tasks; their work and identity are always intertwined. This blur of work and personal life can lead to stress and a feeling of never being able to disconnect.
  3. Deleuze suggests that in control societies, what's important isn't individual identity but rather the access one has, like passwords. Our personal information and identities are now tied to digital access, raising questions about autonomy and what it means to be an individual.

LK-99 red flags and other miscellany

Dan Elton's Newsletter • 98 implied HN points • 28 Sep 23
🔬 Science Theory
  1. Potential red flags in scientific research include institutional names, graph quality, and suspicious videos or websites.
  2. Impurities like copper sulfide and uneven copper doping can lead to erroneous results in material studies.
  3. The LK-99 incident highlighted the importance of skepticism, replication, and the limitations of prediction markets and theoretical studies.

Lines Of Development

Weekly Wisdom • 79 implied HN points • 03 Aug 23
🚌 Education Theory
  1. Lines of development refer to the various capacities within individuals and groups, similar to the concept of multiple intelligences used in education.
  2. Different types of lines of development include cognitive, emotional intrapersonal, emotional interpersonal, somatic, moral, spiritual, and willpower, each representing a specific ability.
  3. There is a correlation between sensory capacities and lines of development, as seen in examples like absolute pitch in blind musicians, showing how individual strengths and weaknesses can lead to diverse human expressions.

The curvature of space

Infinitely More • 33 implied HN points • 27 Jul 25
📖 Philosophy Theory
  1. Spherical geometry has positive curvature, which means circles on a sphere are smaller than expected compared to flat surfaces.
  2. In hyperbolic space, there are way more locations nearby than in regular space, making it easier to get lost or have many places to explore.
  3. Although spherical and hyperbolic geometries are quite different, they can seem similar to a person at a small scale, just like how our everyday experience seems like flat geometry.
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Coase GPT

Knowledge Problem • 58 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🚌 Education Theory
  1. Large language models like ChatGPT and Google Bard struggle with interpreting academic research questions accurately.
  2. Coase's analysis in 'The Problem of Social Cost' emphasizes the importance of well-defined property rights and bargaining in resolving externalities.
  3. Specific, focused queries help improve the accuracy of responses from large language models.

On the limits of utility theory

Sam’s Newsletter • 58 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23
🔬 Science Theory
  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.

Abstraction in the function concept

Infinitely More • 25 implied HN points • 09 Jun 25
📖 Philosophy Theory
  1. The function concept in mathematics has evolved a lot, allowing for more abstract definitions. This means mathematicians can explore complex ideas that go beyond simple rules and formulas.
  2. Examples like the Devil's staircase and space-filling curves challenge our understanding of functions. These unique functions have properties that seem strange and unexpected compared to our usual ideas of what a function should be.
  3. The Conway function shows how every real number can be linked to another number in a complex way. It helps to illustrate that functions don't always need a clear formula and can still be valid in mathematics.

The Violent Rules Based Order

Black Lodges • 39 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
🌍 World Politics Theory
  1. The concept of bourgeois legality as a facade for ruling class violence is crucial to understanding power dynamics in the 21st century West.
  2. In the face of government crackdowns, it is essential to move beyond illusions of freedom and work towards a strategic response.
  3. Recognizing the true power structures and oppressive nature of the capitalist class is key to offering a meaningful future by acting accordingly.

Horseshoe This!

Black Lodges • 39 implied HN points • 20 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Theory
  1. The Horseshoe Theory compares far-left and far-right political extremes, suggesting they are closer together than to the moderate center.
  2. The Radical Center rejects traditional left-right divides, focusing on pragmatic policymaking influenced by corporate interests and market-based solutions.
  3. The Horseshoe Theory oversimplifies complex political ideologies, fails to consider fundamental differences between left and right, and misrepresents political reality.

Iron Cage

Brain Lenses • 19 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Theory
  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.

Counting dimer tilings

A Piece of the Pi: mathematics explained • 36 implied HN points • 21 Feb 25
🔬 Science Theory
  1. Dimer tilings involve arranging domino-shaped pieces on grids, and how many ways you can arrange them can vary based on the layout. For example, on a 3x3 grid with one space empty, there are 18 different arrangements.
  2. If at least one dimension of a rectangle is even, it's possible to cover it completely with dimers. However, if both dimensions are odd, it's impossible to cover them without leaving gaps.
  3. There are mathematical patterns and theorems, like Gomory's Theorem, that help understand how to tile grids with dimers. These principles can show when tiling is possible based on the arrangement and color of squares.

Best YouTube Channels to learn about Graph Theory for Software Engineering for free[Math Mondays]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 10 Oct 22
🚌 Education Theory
  1. Focus on using a mix of channels to become an expert in Graph Theory for Software Engineering. Channels vary in their emphasis on math, coding, and computer science.
  2. Utilize the recommended channels like Wrath of Math, David Amos, Trev Tutor, and FreeCodeCamp to sharpen your understanding of Graph Theory.
  3. Engage with the content from different channels to build strong theoretical foundations and improve your performance in coding interviews.

A Note: What Is "Management" Anyway?

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 92 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Theory
  1. Management is different from hierarchical command-and-control, bureaucratic obedience, and market haggling. It's about reconciling various interests for the smooth operation of the system.
  2. Peter F. Drucker viewed the manager as a trustee of civilization and envisioned a role that balanced freedom, efficiency, equity, and order.
  3. Management is seen as a profession that aligns the interests of all stakeholders while ensuring the free development of individuals within society.

Understanding™, or the computational theory of mind

Silicon Reckoner • 19 implied HN points • 12 Feb 23
📖 Philosophy Theory
  1. The computational theory of mind is based on a metaphor and tends to take symbolic logic too seriously.
  2. Trademarked concepts like intelligence™ may limit the full understanding of intelligence by excluding certain human emotions like wonder and anxiety.
  3. Understanding in mathematics involves knowing what to calculate and having the technical skill to make those calculations.

Art Doesn't Lie About Chthonic Human Nature

Holodoxa • 59 implied HN points • 19 Aug 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Theory
  1. Art reflects the dark truths of human nature, as argued by Camille Paglia in her work Sexual Personae
  2. Paglia's thesis explores the conflict between reason and chaos in Western culture through art
  3. Paglia's provocative approach challenges traditional literary criticism and encourages a more engaging exploration of art and literature

In Praise of Zeynep’s Law

The Elbow • 19 implied HN points • 14 May 23
📖 Philosophy Theory
  1. Zeynep's Law advises to question counterintuitive findings until proven otherwise
  2. Experts can struggle to predict complex outcomes due to the unpredictable nature of the world
  3. Trusting conventional wisdom and averages is often more reliable than embracing sensationalized hot takes

Lessons from a failed experiment

Sunday Letters • 19 implied HN points • 20 Aug 23
🔬 Science Theory
  1. People often trust the old experts too much, which can block new ideas. It's important to stay open to new possibilities, even if they seem strange.
  2. In science, we tend to only celebrate successful discoveries, while failed experiments often get ignored. Both successes and failures are essential for learning.
  3. Being open minded and willing to be wrong is key to making groundbreaking discoveries. Sometimes, you have to fail many times before you find something that works.

Interpretability of theories

Infinitely More • 17 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Theory
  1. You can understand one theory by interpreting it through another theory. This means translating ideas from one set of concepts to another.
  2. Interpreting theories involves a consistent method to show how one theory fits within the framework of another. It connects the ideas and structures from both.
  3. The host theory provides a detailed explanation of how the interpreted theory operates, using only its own language and concepts. This helps clarify the relationships between different theories.

Permutations and combinations

Infinitely More • 17 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
🚌 Education Theory
  1. A permutation is just a way to rearrange a list of objects. For example, with three letters like 'a', 'b', and 'c', you can arrange them in six different ways.
  2. The factorial of a number shows how many ways you can arrange that many objects. For example, 5! equals 120 because it's 5 times 4 times 3 times 2 times 1.
  3. When choosing items from a group without caring about the order, we use combinations. The formula for this is called 'n choose k', which helps calculate how many ways you can select items.

Group Theory Crash Course

Quantum Formalism • 19 implied HN points • 20 Dec 21
🚌 Education Theory
  1. The crash course on Group Theory will cover essential concepts like cosets, generators, orbits, and stabilizers, catering both beginners and those interested in advanced topics like quantum computing.
  2. Prior to starting Module II on Lie Groups and Representations, it is recommended to review the Topology & Differential Geometry crash course to understand smooth manifolds.
  3. Lie Groups not only have a group structure but also an underlying smooth structure that is crucial in the theory, making it important to grasp these concepts before diving into Module II.

Recent Notes...

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 7 implied HN points • 09 Nov 24
🚌 Education Theory
  1. C.P. Snow's The Two Cultures highlights the divide between the sciences and humanities. Learning more about both can make anyone smarter.
  2. John Ganz is an example of a hardworking person who could benefit from understanding the ideas in Snow's work.
  3. The goal of sharing this information is to help readers become smarter and enhance their understanding of important cultural concepts.

Where do LLMs spend their FLOPS?

Artificial Fintelligence • 13 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Theory
  1. FLOPS in LLMs are mainly spent on computing QKV, attention output matrix, and running the FFN.
  2. Wider LLM models parallelize better and favor lower latency, while deeper models linearly increase inference time.
  3. Empirical analysis shows linear scaling in performance as LLM model dimensions increase.

Against the Labor Theory of Science

Never Met a Science • 11 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🔬 Science Theory
  1. New social scientific processes are being developed for more efficiency and improved knowledge production.
  2. Centralization of knowledge production can lead to significant gains in efficiency on both production and consumption sides.
  3. Machine learning algorithms can extract high-dimensional knowledge, reducing the need for human translation and potentially improving accuracy.

2x2 games will change your life

Wyclif's Dust • 7 HN points • 24 Feb 24
🚌 Education Theory
  1. Mathematics can change the way you think by showing how words correspond to underlying structures.
  2. 2x2 games, like the Prisoner's Dilemma, are simple models that offer powerful insights into cooperation, trade, and decision-making.
  3. Understanding game theory, particularly 2x2 games, can help in analyzing real-world scenarios such as economics, politics, and social interactions.

The golden oldies

Theory Matters • 7 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🚌 Education Theory
  1. It's important to study the foundational thinkers of political theory like Plato, Hobbes, and Locke, even if we don't always agree with them, as their ideas continue to shape contemporary debates about justice and freedom.
  2. Shortcuts in learning and work can lead to a lack of foundational knowledge and reduced quality in outcomes, affecting areas from education to construction.
  3. Putting in the hard work to learn the fundamentals is essential, even in a society where speed and quantity are often prioritized over quality, to avoid producing individuals who lack true understanding and depth of knowledge.

A theory of truth

Infinitely More • 5 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
📖 Philosophy Theory
  1. Truth in a structure is defined by recursion on sentences, reducing to assertions with temporary assignments of variables
  2. The concept of valuation in a model involves assigning variables to specific individuals, treating them as constants in that context
  3. Tarski's disquotational theory of truth posits that an assertion is true when the proposition it asserts is true, forming the foundation of a compositional theory of truth

What is Price Theory?

Economic Forces • 7 implied HN points • 05 Oct 23
🚌 Education Theory
  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.

Lost in Ideology review

Theory Matters • 3 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
📚 Literature Theory
  1. Jason Blakely's book 'Lost in Ideology' offers a new and inventive approach to political and philosophical crises, suggesting that understanding differing maps of ideology can lead to better self-awareness and empathy.
  2. The book explores the idea that ideologies are culturally contingent and dives into various philosophical doctrines, pointing out strengths and weaknesses without rigidly advocating for a specific one.
  3. Blakely's work emphasizes precision and clarity in navigating intellectual traditions, avoiding oversimplification, and making valuable distinctions between different ideological schools and thinkers, making the text accessible for scholars and students alike.

Links for Winter 2024

Perambulations • 3 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
📚 Literature Theory
  1. Large teams develop, while small teams disrupt science and technology.
  2. Rituals help coordinate social beliefs and actions.
  3. Pro-Palestine protests may have influenced the 2023 Dutch Prime Minister election.

The Economics of McCormick

Economic Forces • 3 implied HN points • 07 Sep 23
💼 Business Theory
  1. Deregulation may not always lead to societal benefits due to factors like rent-seeking and public ignorance of economics.
  2. Increasing the number of referees in college basketball can reduce the rate of fouls, showcasing the impact of policing quality on behavior.
  3. The Alchian-Allen theorem demonstrates how travel costs can impact consumer behavior when it comes to goods of varying quality and transportation modes.

A Space Between Eras: 0

Bit Personality • 2 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🚌 Education Theory
  1. There's a crisis in education - dropping test scores, teacher turnover, and school violence. Various solutions are proposed, highlighting the complexity of the issue.
  2. Galacto-Amorous Personism philosophy emphasizes the importance of love (_Amor_) in education. Lack of love in schools is seen as a root cause of the crisis.
  3. The presentation promises to delve into the theory of _Amor_, link it to learning and education woes, discuss its connection to the internet, and present solutions developed by the speaker and colleagues.

Giving Thanks for Price Theory, 2023 Edition

Economic Forces • 2 implied HN points • 23 Nov 23
🚌 Education Theory
  1. Costs involve more than just money, they include opportunity costs and trade-offs that consider various factors like time and value.
  2. Efficiency in economics refers to Pareto efficiency, where all gains from trade are exhausted, and serves as a tool for understanding real-world allocations.
  3. Profits and losses in market economies act as selection mechanisms, with losses signaling inefficiency and prompting resources to be reallocated effectively.

International Cartels

Economic Forces • 2 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
🌐 International Theory
  1. International cartels face challenges in surviving due to incentives to cheat and antitrust laws
  2. One theory suggests that international cartels may be formed to offset wartime distortions and attract investment through higher prices
  3. Another theory proposes that international cartels could serve as a way for countries to prevent alignment with enemies by providing benefits through monopoly profits

Busy Beaver, the current BB(5) conjecture and bbchallenge.org

Fikisipi • 1 HN point • 24 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Theory
  1. The Busy Beaver function is a mathematical concept related to Turing Machines that aims to find the machine performing the most operations without entering an endless loop. It's a fun way to think about extremely large numbers.
  2. Professor Scott Aaronson made a conjecture that the value of BB(5) is 47,176,870, which is a big number in the context of the Busy Beaver problem. This means trying to determine how many steps the best machine with 5 states can make.
  3. A group called bbchallenge.org is working together to solve this conjecture and make progress on understanding BB(5). They've made some recent updates and are excited about their upcoming findings.

4. Einstein's Cross

Qissah • 0 implied HN points • 29 Jul 23
🔬 Science Theory
  1. Despite challenges like heavy rain, life in the city continues as usual.
  2. Gravitational lensing, as predicted by Einstein, explains phenomena like Einstein's Cross.
  3. An intriguing thought: what if all stars we see are repetitive images of one lonely star?