http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/12/doubling-down-on-us-status.html

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and ( Read more... )

The feudal analogy is taken from Bruce Schneier (highly recommended).

Hi malenkiy-scot ( Read more... )

From Varieties of Religious Experience, a Study in Human Nature by William James:

The next step into mystical states carries us into a realm that public opinion and ethical philosophy have long since branded as pathological, though private practice and certain lyric strains of poetry seem still to bear witness to its ideality. I refer to the ( Read more... )

Ведьма предсказала, что принцесса уколет себе палец веретеном и умрет. Тогда король велел отрезать принцессе все пальцы

Я читал эту сказку миллион раз, но такой абсолютно очевидный подход мне в голову ни разу не пришел!

From William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience.

We would make known in our own persons the usefulness of rule, of discipline, of resignation and renunciation; we would teach the necessary perpetuity of suffering, and explain the creative part which it plays ( Read more... )

Words effect nothing; it is the power of the personality that stands behind them.

- Adolf von Harnack

This is so obvious, it makes so many things so clear that it's a wonder how I could miss such a basic idea for so many years!

["Here Vroomfondel, why do we never think of things like that?" "Dunno," said Vroomfondel in an awed whisper, "think ( Read more... )

Один мой знакомый утверждает (или по крайней мере утверждал раньше), что человеку суждено прочитать ту или иную книгу в то или иное время. Если она попадет ему в руки раньше этого времени, то он либо ее бросит, либо совсем не поймет, а то может и что-нибудь совсем непотребное случиться.

Прочитай я Исповедь еще года два-три назад, я почти бы ничего ( Read more... )

Наконец-то прочитал Токвиля (спасибо Киндлу). Ну, что можно сказать? Чувак - гений.

Are any of Richard Posner's books readable by laymen? Would you recommend anything?