My Favorite Readings From last Week:
Two Really Dumb Things We Might Be Able to Stop
Private jetports, fracked gas pipelines--the zombie projects of the fossil fuel era
BILL MCKIBBEN
May 25.2023
Thats Another Fine Mess
A TRIFECTA OF INCOMPETENCE
Make America Twitter Spaces
MAY 25, 2023
Fay’s Newsletter
OUR CONSTITUTION
FAY REID
MAY 22, 2023
The Crucial Years
Maybe we should have called this planet 'Ocean'
Because then we'd be paying more attention to some truly freaky data
BILL MCKIBBEN
MAY 17, 2023
Persuasion
Collective Guilt is the Most Indefensible Form of Cancel Culture
PEN’s decision to disinvite Russian dissident writers from the World Voices Festival sets a dangerous precedent.
YASCHA MOUNK
MAY 17, 2023
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Jim Brown & Me, The Serious Dangers of AI, UN Critical of US Police Brutality, Gangs in the Sheriffs Dept., Ted Cruz Investigates Beer, Laura Ingraham Won't Apologize, Paul Simon Sings
My take on news, pop culture, sports, and whatever else interests me.
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR
MAY 22, 2023
My Articles On Education
I would like to point out these articles are not based on any expertise on the subject of education. These are based on observations of persons I know that primarily have been failed by the system, not those who have found success within it. They also include personal recollections of times when I found it had failed me.
The Persisting Confusion
Education As A Tool of Control
KEN TAYLOR
MAY 23, 2023
https://ken9yvonne.substack.com/p/the-persisting-confusion?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
The Classification of Intelligence
And the Pathway to Following Unlearning (Revised)
KEN TAYLOR
MAY 25, 2023
The Serfdom Of Time
The First Experience of Being Dominated
https://ken9yvonne.substack.com/p/the-serfdom-of-time?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
School-Play/Work-Play
The Psychosis of Disunity
https://ken9yvonne.substack.com/p/school-playwork-play?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
I recently began a second newsletter. It is dedicated to suggesting alternative debate on current topics that I see appearing frequently in the contemporary media
Weird Thoughts & Logical Conclusions
This newsletter is just random thoughts that occur to me as illogical concepts widely being propagated by current media. I often feel people are missing the conclusions their own arguments should be reaching. So these thoughts are attempts to make sense and encourage others to do the same.
Weird Thoughts & Logical Conclusions
All Speech Is Not Free
To promote any illegal action is a crime
Weird Thoughts & Logical Conclusions
Disturbance Is The Answer
To Why Some Seek To Disturb the Community
In Substack Notes, I came across comment by Jacques Meinhoff about the wrongness of the concept of degrowth. I queried what he meant by “degrowth”. What follows is his answer and my response.
Jacques Meinhoff, replying to Ken Taylor, on Substack notesReplying to ken taylor
De-growth is similar to other made up terms created to support and justify one’s fabricated divisive toxic agenda. Like “fact checker,” “misinformation,” “disinformation,” or “malinformation.”
Reply to Jacques Meinhoff on Substack notes:
So if you are saying there are no definitive “truths” but only interpretations of truth, I would probably agree. If you are saying no knowledge can be discerned (i.e. John crossed the street at 7:04 AM and was struck by a car) then I would disagree, because facts can be discerned in numerous ways. But the opinion that is contradictory to the knowledge of the event and states the event did not occur is incorrect and such an opinion used to falsely increase power or wealth for oneself is fraudulent.
But if you are saying no one can differ from a particular opinion, then I would say that it is an attempt at creating a followship of blind allegiance based on one particular interpretation and to develop a cult of worship that is tyrannical to one’s own followers.
So I would disagree. See how it works?
Disagreements are normal. Denying knowledge creates danger. And those who try to stifle disagreement or base their opinion on facts that can be discernibly non-existent are meager and insignificant and need to control others in order to try to increase their own significance, and that is what creates a toxic environment.
In all fairness I am unfamiliar with Mr. Meinhoff’s work. My response is based purely on his response and may not be an honest interpretation of his concepts.
Finally
I would like to recommend two substack columns I have recently discovered:
Bill McKibbon “The Crucial Years”
I find Mr. McKibbon presents an unusual twist to many ideas and challenges traditionally accepted ideologies be reframed. His work brilliantly asks us to reexamine our staid views of normalcy.
Fay Reid “Fay’s Newsletter”
Like Mr. McKibbon, Ms. Reid asks us to re-examine what we often take as norms. I understand she is from a scientific background and that leads her to ask ourselves to perhaps realize that “our truths” need to be reflected upon less definitively as pre-set “givens”.
And finally, once again, the most engaging column to me is Matt Osborne’s “Ptolomy Positions”. I enjoy his column so thoroughly because of their deep understanding on issues that I may have vague opinions based on little knowledge and so I find them more informative and more challenging than most other columns. Anyone not familiar with the column should avail themselves of the opportunity he provides by writing this column. Almost every column I find myself responding, “Thank you. I learned something new.” And if I have further questions he always takes the time to explain and/or guide me to other sources to learn more.
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