Alan Ryan, on human nature
Alan Ryan, on human nature "It is, as history attests, a grave error to conclude that because our vices are social rather than natural, they will be easier to cure"
View ArticleAdam Gopnik, on criticism
Adam Gopnik, on criticism "Criticism serves a lower end than art does, and has little effect on it, but by conveying value it serves a civilizing end"
View ArticleColin McGinn, on theories of mind
Colin McGinn, on theories of mind "We have discovered that nerve fibers transmit electricity. We have not, in the same way, discovered that they transmit information"
View ArticleNassim Nicholas Taleb, on humility
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, on humility"Most of what they call humility is successfully disguised arrogance"
View ArticleSusan Sontag, on morality
Susan Sontag, on morality "Morality is a form of acting and not a particular repertoire of choices"
View ArticleLeon Wieseltier, on science
Leon Wieseltier, on science"The history of science is a history of mistakes, and so the dogmatism of scientists is especially rich"
View ArticleEd Rex, on personality
Ed Rex, on personality"Saying a company has a view is like saying a restaurant has a favourite food"
View ArticleKevin Kelly, on privacy
Kevin Kelly, on privacy "Privacy is mostly an illusion, but you’ll have as much of it as you want to pay for"
View ArticleRobert Benchley, on work
Robert Benchley, on work "Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment"
View ArticleAustin Kleon, on marketing
Austin Kleon, on marketing "My best advice for promoting a book is to get in a time machine, go back half a decade, and start blogging"
View ArticleSidney Morgenbesser, on Hilary Putnam
Sidney Morgenbesser, on Hilary Putnam "He’s a quantum philosopher. I can’t understand him and his position at the same time”
View ArticleJames Watson, on other people
James Watson, on other people"If you're the most intelligent person in the room, you're in the wrong room"
View ArticleMartin Wolf, on banking
Martin Wolf, on banking "Banks are not special, except for what they are allowed to get away with"
View ArticleAlex Tabarrok, on Australia
Alex Tabarrok, on Australia "Australia has great natural beauty. The British should have left the convicts behind and moved everyone else"
View ArticleNicholas Nassim Taleb, on risk
Nicholas Nassim Taleb, on risk"You will never never never make a Harvard professor understand what is relevant to the risk of society, unless he works as a firefighter on the side"
View ArticleColin McGinn, on intelligence
Colin McGinn, on intelligence"Many machines are already smarter than us — at dumb things"
View ArticlePaul Graham, on disruption
Paul Graham, on disruption"If you can figure out a way to turn a billion dollar industry into a fifty million dollar industry, so much the better, if all fifty million go to you"
View ArticleGuy Debord, on quotations
Guy Debord, on quotations"Quotations are useful in periods of ignorance or obscurantist beliefs"
View ArticleBryan Caplan, on politics
Bryan Caplan, on politics"Just as the market for automobile repair will work poorly if the average customer blames his grocer for engine trouble, local elections will work poorly if the average voter...
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