The obvious answer is because it makes them look good. Martin Gurri, author of The Revolt of the Public, has a lot to say in this interview: The highest calling of true elites is to translate the flux of reality into a coherent story. To most Americans, who believe reality must be approached “scientifically,” thisContinue reading “Why do countries modify the truth?”
Category Archives: filter
The big ideas that shape your reality
The author says there are unwritten principles beneath everything, and these principles move people along like a current: You spend years trying to learn new stuff but then look back and realize that maybe like 10 big ideas truly changed how you think and drive most of what you believe. This is related toContinue reading “The big ideas that shape your reality”
What large trends help us understand the world today?
I visited Europe for the first time when I was twenty-eight, and left with an observation: The remains of World War II were everywhere. It seemed to me, as an American, that studying World War II would be a productive way to understand the modern world. If you don’t spend a little time understanding WorldContinue reading “What large trends help us understand the world today?”
Political predictions
These predictions come from an interview with Martin Gurri, author of The Revolt of the Public. Gurri is a former CIA analyst who predicted the effects of social media on politics. He predicts: Authority shifts to local decisionmakers. Because motives are clear at the local level. Bureaucracies get dismantled, improving service. Government adopts some ofContinue reading “Political predictions”
Does your status explain the world?
One filter for understanding humans: Some people really want to prevent other people from gaining status. From Tyler Cowen at marginalrevolution: I have a simple model of how some people — but by no means all — process political issues. Occasionally the real force behind a political ideology is the subconsciously held desire that aContinue reading “Does your status explain the world?”
Basement Whatever 