Abstract Traditional philosophical skepticism targets truth claims, asking "How can we know this is true?" Deferential Realism applies skeptical analysis to constraint claims, asking instead "What type of constraint is this, and what does that imply for action?" This paper presents a novel epistemological framework that distinguishes natural constraints (Mountains) from coordination mechanisms (Ropes), extractive … Continue reading Deferential Realism: A Constraint-First Epistemology for Agency Under Uncertainty
Tag: power
Crony Connect
"Crony Connect allows you to identify politically-connected individuals, using data from Companies House, the Electoral Commission and the MP's Register of Financial Interests.How does it work? When you enter the name of an individual, Crony Connect looks for any companies linked to that individual in the Companies House database. Then it searches for the individual … Continue reading Crony Connect
Principles of Democratic Structuring
"Once the movement [grows to the point of needing structure and/or] no longer clings tenaciously to the ideology of "structurelessness," it is free to develop those forms of organization best suited to its healthy functioning. This does not mean that we should go to the other extreme and blindly imitate the traditional forms of organization. … Continue reading Principles of Democratic Structuring
The Iron Law of Institutions
"The Iron Law of Institutions is: the people who control institutions care first and foremost about their power within the institution rather than the power of the institution itself. Thus, they would rather the institution 'fail' while they remain in power within the institution than for the institution to 'succeed' if that requires them to … Continue reading The Iron Law of Institutions
Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams
"I always want to say to people who want to be rich and famous: ‘try being rich first.’ See if that doesn’t cover most of it. There’s not much downside to being rich, other than paying taxes and having your relatives ask you for money. But when you become famous, you end up with a … Continue reading Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams
The End of the Internal Combustion Engine & Real Time Energy Production is Nigh
"We present a wide range of testing results on an excellent moderate-energy-density lithium-ion pouch cell chemistry to serve as benchmarks for academics and companies developing advanced lithium-ion and other “beyond lithium-ion” cell chemistries to (hopefully) exceed. These results are far superior to those that have been used by researchers modelling cell failure mechanisms and assuch, … Continue reading The End of the Internal Combustion Engine & Real Time Energy Production is Nigh
Power of the Powerless, Vaclav Havel (1978)
"Ideology is a specious way of relating to the world. It offers human beings the illusion of an identity, of dignity, and of morality while making it easier for them to part with them. As the repository of something suprapersonal and objective, it enables people to deceive their conscience and conceal their true position and … Continue reading Power of the Powerless, Vaclav Havel (1978)
Champagne Taste, Kool-Aid Money
"...all who want to get rich manage to do so. That scandalizes people who have dreamed of having money, and who do not have any. They looked at the mountain; but it just waited for them. Money, like every other advantage, demands fidelity above all else. Many people imagine that they want money simply because … Continue reading Champagne Taste, Kool-Aid Money
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