PinnedMember-onlyThe End Is Nigh — What Is Collapse?Part 1: A Drastic And Persistent Change For The Worse — I was born in the 80’s, in one of the richest and happiest countries in the world. I have never worried about whether I’d ever starve, lose my home, or not get the healthcare I need. The only world I’ve known is one that has gotten better. Then, I came…Collapse9 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION-Curated·4 days agoMember-onlyTo Deal With ProcrastinationOr Not To Deal — I'm a procrastinator. I admit it. I don't even have an excuse. No ADHD, no fear of rejection, I don't chase perfection, no depression or anything like that. I'm not even procrastinating by doing other tasks like cleaning or paying bills or calling my mom. Although I do, at times, fall…Procrastination5 min read
Published in Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies·Jun 16Member-onlyArtificial Consciousness Is IrrelevantBut Google’s LaMDA Is A Warning Sign — In three years, Cyberdyne will become the largest supplier of military computer systems. All stealth bombers are upgraded with Cyberdyne computers, becoming fully unmanned. Afterwards, they fly with a perfect operational record. The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes online August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from…Artificial Intelligence9 min read
Jun 1Member-onlyNot One, Not TwoA Bridge To Nowhere — According to wikipedia, Zen Buddhism can be summed up in the ontological statement “Not One, Not Two”. - What the hell does that mean? Many? Both? Neither? Zen Buddhists like it cryptic, and that’s the point (but that’s a topic for another post). …Zen5 min read
Mar 26Member-onlyDo We Need Nature?“The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.” — Final sentence of the 2022 IPCC report on climate change. …Collapse9 min read
Feb 27Member-onlyHow To Tackle An Existential CrisisThe Only Way Is Through — A great dark mist descends on the village you live in. Every day it inches closer, swallowing sound and buildings alike. You can hide in your house, distract yourself from the knowledge of its presence, but every time you look out the window, there it is. One day you confront…Existentialism9 min read
Feb 12Member-onlyProblems, Predicaments, And You“In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” - Albert Einstein (org. by Benjamin Brewster) A problem and a predicament are often taken to be synonymous, but there is a subtle difference. This difference is important for understanding society’s present situation. I am speaking…Collapse6 min read
Dec 29, 2021Member-onlyPity The RichAll Is Not Swell For The 0.1% — Pity the rich? Pah! How can one pity the rich? Aren’t they at fault for all our misfortune and issues? Eat the rich, more like. In 2018 Douglas Rushkoff posted a now infamous essay on how he was invited to a conference for the ultra-wealthy (see here), but instead of…Community4 min read
Dec 26, 2021Member-onlyRevolution Or Death: The Great BifurcationCivilizational Boom Or Bust — At the end of the 18th century global population was booming. This led the economist Thomas Malthus to predict a coming disaster, a ‘Malthusian crunch’, in which exponential population growth but linear agricultural growth, would lead to mass starvation, war, and collapse. He was wrong. The 2nd industrial revolution came…Collapse8 min read
Oct 19, 2021Member-onlyThe End Is Nigh — Bonus ContentAppendix: Down The Rabbit-hole — As I continue to explore collapse in all its facets, this will serve as a repository for related content and links to further resources. If there are particular topics you’d like for me to explore or links to include, please comment on this post. The original series: - What is collapse? - Why collapse…Collapse2 min read
