I take an article about the mechanics of intercultural communication and extend it, arguing most communication these days could be considered intercultural. Read more (6 min, 1500 words)
We pay lip service to the idea that people are different, but don't take it seriously enough. It needs to be something we keep in mind all the time. There are many ways people can be different and their thinking can be different, and we should learn to be aware of them all. Read more (5 min, 1300 words)
Reading David Foster Wallace’s ”Infinite Jest” over a period of six months provoked a lot of thought about what makes a good book and why I didn’t particularly care for this one. Read more (16 min, 3900 words)
I met Robin Hanson this weekend and started to think about how important it is to have people with expertise in several fields. Specifically setting up crossover academic departments could be an interesting experiment. Read more (6 min, 1500 words)
My experience studying sociology of science as an engineer was frustrating, and only later have I come to understand the fundamental differences between the sciences and the humanities and how they think of reality. Read more (16 min, 4100 words)
Doubting conventional wisdom doesn’t necessarily make you a conspiracy theorist - skepticism should be universal and not only applied to "legitimate targets". It’s not always irrational to not change your mind when confronted with a piece of contrary evidence, and it can sometimes even be justified to increase your confidence that you’re right. Read more (11 min, 2800 words)
Phrases like "fake news", "fact-resistance" and "post-truth" have recently become common. They support a narrative implying that a large segment of the population have lost contact with reality and become impervious to facts. This is a dangerous simplification that makes things worse. Read more (5 min, 1200 words)
Using Mr. Collins from ”Pride and Prejudice” as an example, I discuss how someone behaving well or badly isn’t necessarily what makes us like or dislike them, and that we should own up to the fact that we aren’t fair in our dealings with others. Read more (4 min, 900 words)
A second and more to the point attempt at pinning down what ”erisology” (or ”the study of disagreement”) actually is and what other fields are relevant to it.Read more (1100 words)
Among fans of ”Black Mirror” the opinions on individual episodes is remarkably diverse. Is there a hidden structure in people’s preferences? This sounds like a case for Principal Component Analysis.Read more (2600 words)
Everything Studies 