I sum up last year, look back on six years of blogging, and decide that it's probably time for some crisis and change. But how, and what? Read more (11 min, 2800 words.)
Looking Back on ’21 and Forward to the Rest
Author: John Nerst
Thank The Machine
There are many secular versions of mealtime prayers for when you want to express gratitude but don't believe in any gods. I'm not satisfied with what they choose to thank. Read more (12 min, 3100 words).
The Importance of Being a Slog
Why are supposedly serious and profound fiction often difficult and boring to read? Is there a necessary connection between the two? I argue yes, a bit, but it's hard to tell when the connection is illusory and fake. Read more (23 min, 5700 words).
The Woke-up Call: A Review of Cynical Theories
A long review, with further musings, of "Cynical Theories". Read more (30 min, 7600 words).
A Hundred for the 100th
To celebrate my 100th post, I wrote 100 haikus as summaries of each post so far. Read more (8 min, 2000 words).
Political Capital Flow Management and the Importance of Yutting
I discuss how you can dismiss, acknowledge, or generalize from the particular to the general, and how this matters for the way political capital is created and accumulated. Read more (11 min, 2800 words).
Cat Couplings Revisited
I folliow up on "Cat Couplings" from 2019 with a bunch of new examples and further thinking on how and why cat couplings work. Read more (13 min, 3300 words).
Rereading Defenders of the Truth: The Sociobiology Debate
I reread a book that influenced me a lot when I was younger and review it. Defenders of the Truth: The Sociobiology Debate by Ullica Segerstråle chronicles the intense discussion in the wake of E.O Wilson's book "Sociobiology" from 1975. Read more (20 min, 5100 words).
Love Letter to an Encyclopedia
When I was a kid my mother had a visual encyclopedia I explored again and again as we watched TV in the evening. As an adult I've come to understand how perfect it was for me, and how formative it's been. This is a tribute with many, many photos of its excellently designed pages. Read more (10 min, 2400 words).
Further Comments on a Joke
I elaborate on and explain my satirical piece from the month before Read more (19 min, 4700 words).
Everything Studies 