Rebecca Patterson's recent New York Times essay uses a Jenga tower as a metaphor for the American economy in 2025. Blocks are being removed—small businesses cutting jobs, federal layoffs, consumption concentrating among the wealthy—while AI companies pile massive investments on top. Eventually, she warns, Jenga towers fall down. She's right about the instability. But the … Continue reading When the Tower Can’t Be Rebuilt: What Institutional Economics Misses About the Next Decade
Category: writing
Epistemic Hygiene for the Terminally Secular: A Contemplative Practice Without the Metaphysics
Traditional contemplative practices come wrapped in cosmologies most secular moderns can't honestly adopt. You can't just extract "mindfulness" from Buddhism without noticing you've gutted the thing. The four noble truths aren't optional packaging—they're load-bearing structure. The Trappist monk's lectio divina assumes divine revelation. Zen koans presuppose non-dual awareness. Sufi dhikr requires belief in God. The … Continue reading Epistemic Hygiene for the Terminally Secular: A Contemplative Practice Without the Metaphysics
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