A collection of 1205 posts
Medical transition, such as the kind I went through, can enhance an illusion that helps some gender dysphoric individuals navigate the world with more comfort.
I'm still not immune to violent political fantasies, especially when I become angry at scenes of Left-wing protests in Portland, Seattle, and other cities.
We are entering a strange and unsettling period in the life of universities, and in the sciences, in particular.
A society worth having rests on our willingness to co-operate, to be able to depend a little on the kindness and civility of strangers.
Language does not form our view of the world and its inhabitants in any meaningful sense.
Overly harsh enforcement of the law can paradoxically act to undermine it.
Even historians, who have many years to consider the object of their study, inhabit “the twilight of probability.” How can those journalists tasked with writing “history’s first draft” imagine that they know which way true “harm” lies?
The first step is better wealth distribution. If we are all—as a nation—in it together, then we should all be sharing both the burdens and the benefits.
The University of Washington, like most schools, tracks the performance of student groups as part of its effort to enhance diversity and reduce inequality.
One general conclusion from reading Leys is that although totalitarian movements are immensely dangerous, that doesn’t mean we should give the theories behind them much intellectual weight.
World Rugby had to come to terms with reality: Irrespective of hormonal intervention, male athletes are, on average, 40 percent heavier, 15 percent faster, 30 percent more powerful, and 25–50 percent stronger than their female counterparts.
What our society is really suffering from is myside bias: People evaluate evidence, generate evidence, and test hypotheses in a manner biased toward their own prior beliefs, opinions, and attitudes.
With the threat of plant closures hanging over negotiations like the sword of Damocles, union priorities have shifted from bargaining for wage increases to bargaining for job and pension security.
But the real scandal—not discussed much in the media—wasn’t Krug’s decade of duplicity.
Jokes entail risk, because in order for them to work, they need to be a bit unsettling, and to get better at telling them we need to be allowed to fail.