I try to interpret a Google translation of someone quoting me in Tamil. Deep insights result. Read more (1100 words)
Signed Google Translate
Tag: language
The Big List of Existing Things
We feel there should be a clear answer to the question of whether some thing exists or not. I argue that often there isn't, because follwing our self-contradictory intuitions leads us to weird places. Instead we should interpret talk about what exists as talk about how we best represent the world. Read more (3100 words)
Rant on Arrival
Using the movie ”Arrival” as a jumping-off point, I rant about the ubiquity of personal drama in storytelling, defend ”flat” characters and positive emotions over negative, and criticize the ”figure it out yourself” ethos in fiction.Read more (3700 words)
All the World’s a Trading Zone, and All the Languages Merely Pidgins
I take an article about the mechanics of intercultural communication and extend it, arguing most communication these days could be considered intercultural.Read more (1500 words)
Science, the Constructionists, and Reality
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 (4100 words)
Case Study: The War on Christmas
The ”war on Christmas” is an example of how a phrase can mean different things and how people typically aren’t interested in making sure they know what others mean. Also about how Christmas changing from unquestioned background norm to one of many cultural practices highlights the arbitrariness of traditions in ways that can be painful to be reminded about.Read more (3800 words)
Do Say “Could Care Less”
A defense of the phrase ”I could care less” as not just a mistake.Read more (600 words)
