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Humanoid Robot against a futuristic office background
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philosophy

Jan 16, 2025

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part IV

How AI sparks the human renaissance

As AI automates jobs across sectors, humans will be forced to re-evaluate the role of work. Robots will dominate tasks centered on efficiency and utility, but jobs that emphasize human creativity, emotional intelligence, and connection are likely to remain the domain of humans. This may lead humanity into a world in which curiosity and connection matter more than tangible outputs.

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philosophy

Dec 20, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part III

How pursuit and achievement disappoints

Society conditions us to prioritize achievement over presence, often at the expense of personal fulfillment. Using anecdotes and reflections from Jim Carrey, Bob Marley, Eckhart Tolle, and others, we discuss the relentless pursuit of success and material goals, which can disconnect us from our source energy.

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philosophy

Dec 13, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part II

Curiosity, flow, and the lost magic of play

As we grow up, we trade the effortless joy of childhood play to chase after goals and outcomes. Responsibilities, societal expectations, and the relentless pursuit of achievement erode our capacity for our early, relatively unburdened experiences.

mountaineer starting at his next peak, with sunshine setting over the mountains.
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philosophy

Dec 8, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part I

Process, outcome, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs

We're told we should focus on "process" over "outcome," as each success or failure simply begets the next goal in an unending cycle. But why doesn't that stop us from setting goals?

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culture

Nov 15, 2024

Beyond Compromise

How value polarization hurts democracy

American democracy is suffering from an unhealthy polarization of values, where both sides engage in unproductive and dishonest rhetoric. A healthy democracy must focus on optimizing competing values rather simply admonishing one in favour of another, which is counterproductive. Our values are simply temporal expressions our individual opinions. We can recalibrate more optimally by promoting and paying attention to honest politicians and analysts instead of blind adherence to our tribe. We can also strive to be well-informed, curious, and humble enough to change our minds in the face of better information.

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philosophy

Oct 30, 2024

The Alchemy of Pain

Embracing the duality of growth and suffering

Seemingly negative experiences like failure, regret, and empathy are not simply obstacles to overcome but rather are an integral part of wisdom, character, and grace. These pairs are fundamentally entwined, and occur everywhere. By embracing the "messy" parts of life, we can ultimately grow and achieve a more complete understanding of ourselves.

Dr. Seuss Oh The Places You'll Go Book Cover

life

Oct 18, 2024

Why You're Stuck in the Waiting Place

Dr. Seuss and the scarcity mindset

"The Waiting Place," conceived by Dr. Seuss in "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" is a metaphorical state of mind characterized by inaction and inertia. ChatGPT's response to a prompt to explain why the Waiting Place is no place to be will surprise you.

philosophy

Oct 9, 2024

No-one Can Teach You Anything

How real wisdom percolates outward from your own experience

In a summer in my mid twenties, a buddy and I discovered the Tao Te Jing and it blew our minds wide open. But did we actually learn anything on the first read?

work

Aug 13, 2020

From Product To Service

Climbing the value hierarchy

A car is transportation incarnated as a product, whereas a taxi is transportation incarnated as a service. A house is shelter-as-a-product, whereas an AirBnB is shelter-as-a-service. Understanding the difference between these two types of offerings will help you draw parallels with your business and point the way to the creation of a more compelling offering in the marketplace.

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Humanoid Robot against a futuristic office background
Headphone Icon

philosophy

Jan 16, 2025

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part IV

How AI sparks the human renaissance

As AI automates jobs across sectors, humans will be forced to re-evaluate the role of work. Robots will dominate tasks centered on efficiency and utility, but jobs that emphasize human creativity, emotional intelligence, and connection are likely to remain the domain of humans. This may lead humanity into a world in which curiosity and connection matter more than tangible outputs.

Headphone Icon

philosophy

Dec 20, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part III

How pursuit and achievement disappoints

Society conditions us to prioritize achievement over presence, often at the expense of personal fulfillment. Using anecdotes and reflections from Jim Carrey, Bob Marley, Eckhart Tolle, and others, we discuss the relentless pursuit of success and material goals, which can disconnect us from our source energy.

Headphone Icon

philosophy

Dec 13, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part II

Curiosity, flow, and the lost magic of play

As we grow up, we trade the effortless joy of childhood play to chase after goals and outcomes. Responsibilities, societal expectations, and the relentless pursuit of achievement erode our capacity for our early, relatively unburdened experiences.

mountaineer starting at his next peak, with sunshine setting over the mountains.
Headphone Icon

philosophy

Dec 8, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part I

Process, outcome, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs

We're told we should focus on "process" over "outcome," as each success or failure simply begets the next goal in an unending cycle. But why doesn't that stop us from setting goals?

Headphone Icon

culture

Nov 15, 2024

Beyond Compromise

How value polarization hurts democracy

American democracy is suffering from an unhealthy polarization of values, where both sides engage in unproductive and dishonest rhetoric. A healthy democracy must focus on optimizing competing values rather simply admonishing one in favour of another, which is counterproductive. Our values are simply temporal expressions our individual opinions. We can recalibrate more optimally by promoting and paying attention to honest politicians and analysts instead of blind adherence to our tribe. We can also strive to be well-informed, curious, and humble enough to change our minds in the face of better information.

Headphone Icon

philosophy

Oct 30, 2024

The Alchemy of Pain

Embracing the duality of growth and suffering

Seemingly negative experiences like failure, regret, and empathy are not simply obstacles to overcome but rather are an integral part of wisdom, character, and grace. These pairs are fundamentally entwined, and occur everywhere. By embracing the "messy" parts of life, we can ultimately grow and achieve a more complete understanding of ourselves.

Dr. Seuss Oh The Places You'll Go Book Cover

life

Oct 18, 2024

Why You're Stuck in the Waiting Place

Dr. Seuss and the scarcity mindset

"The Waiting Place," conceived by Dr. Seuss in "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" is a metaphorical state of mind characterized by inaction and inertia. ChatGPT's response to a prompt to explain why the Waiting Place is no place to be will surprise you.

philosophy

Oct 9, 2024

No-one Can Teach You Anything

How real wisdom percolates outward from your own experience

In a summer in my mid twenties, a buddy and I discovered the Tao Te Jing and it blew our minds wide open. But did we actually learn anything on the first read?

Load more

Humanoid Robot against a futuristic office background
Headphone Icon

philosophy

Jan 16, 2025

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part IV

How AI sparks the human renaissance

As AI automates jobs across sectors, humans will be forced to re-evaluate the role of work. Robots will dominate tasks centered on efficiency and utility, but jobs that emphasize human creativity, emotional intelligence, and connection are likely to remain the domain of humans. This may lead humanity into a world in which curiosity and connection matter more than tangible outputs.

Headphone Icon

philosophy

Dec 20, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part III

How pursuit and achievement disappoints

Society conditions us to prioritize achievement over presence, often at the expense of personal fulfillment. Using anecdotes and reflections from Jim Carrey, Bob Marley, Eckhart Tolle, and others, we discuss the relentless pursuit of success and material goals, which can disconnect us from our source energy.

Headphone Icon

philosophy

Dec 13, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part II

Curiosity, flow, and the lost magic of play

As we grow up, we trade the effortless joy of childhood play to chase after goals and outcomes. Responsibilities, societal expectations, and the relentless pursuit of achievement erode our capacity for our early, relatively unburdened experiences.

mountaineer starting at his next peak, with sunshine setting over the mountains.
Headphone Icon

philosophy

Dec 8, 2024

The Tyranny of Outcome - Part I

Process, outcome, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs

We're told we should focus on "process" over "outcome," as each success or failure simply begets the next goal in an unending cycle. But why doesn't that stop us from setting goals?

Headphone Icon

culture

Nov 15, 2024

Beyond Compromise

How value polarization hurts democracy

American democracy is suffering from an unhealthy polarization of values, where both sides engage in unproductive and dishonest rhetoric. A healthy democracy must focus on optimizing competing values rather simply admonishing one in favour of another, which is counterproductive. Our values are simply temporal expressions our individual opinions. We can recalibrate more optimally by promoting and paying attention to honest politicians and analysts instead of blind adherence to our tribe. We can also strive to be well-informed, curious, and humble enough to change our minds in the face of better information.

Headphone Icon

philosophy

Oct 30, 2024

The Alchemy of Pain

Embracing the duality of growth and suffering

Seemingly negative experiences like failure, regret, and empathy are not simply obstacles to overcome but rather are an integral part of wisdom, character, and grace. These pairs are fundamentally entwined, and occur everywhere. By embracing the "messy" parts of life, we can ultimately grow and achieve a more complete understanding of ourselves.

Load more

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Get our best sent directly to your inbox

About once every week or two; no spam

... or listen to our podcast for article read-throughs and AI commentary
Substack Podcast Logo
Apple Podcast Logo
Spotify Podcast Logo
Google Podcast Logo

Get our best sent directly to your inbox

About once every week or two; no spam

... or listen to our podcast for article read-throughs and AI commentary
Substack Podcast Logo
Apple Podcast Logo
Spotify Podcast Logo
Google Podcast Logo