We go to war not because we ignore the costs, but because we know there are costs, but we are willing to pay those costs because we get something from the war which we wouldn't get otherwise.
— Christopher BlattmanThe very idea that – say – Make America Great Again – should be our guiding creed captures almost all the counter-enlightenment themes. It idealises the greatness of a nation as the ultimate good, as opposed to making all people healthier, safer, happier, richer and better educated. Rather than looking ahead to the progress that can be made, it looks back to a hypothetical golden-age to which we must return.
In my view, all the big existential risks are anthropogenic, arising out of human activity. More specifically, the biggest existential risks in this century arise out of anticipated future technological advances. Humanity has survived all kinds of natural hazards over a period of over one hundred thousand years; it seems unlikely, then, that any natural hazard would do us in within the next hundred.
It takes intellectuals to come up with really stupid ideas. Unfortunately, these idea pathogens have led us to the abyss of infinite lunacy.
Money is not my first priority – I have always pursued what I am passionate about whether that will make me money or not, my fascination is learning and discovery more than being rich and powerful.
One entrepreneur likened getting venture capital funding to strapping a rocket onto a car; if the car isn't stable, secure, and ready, it leads to a disaster. Similarly, hiring salespeople prematurely can indicate a probable failure because you're still figuring out your direction. Thus, the sustainability of the business gets compromised.
We run the very real risk now, not of going back to the 1970s, but of going back to the 1930s or 40s with economic and financial collapse, massive pandemic, and real-world wars.
In order to build a truly powerful brand, you can't just sell a product. You need a brand that is authentic and resonates deeply with your fans. The reason we've been able to amass so many followers around the world in such a short period of time is that they aren't just consuming a product; they're finding meaning in it.
You're not going to be a warrior in battle unless you are a warrior in preparation. You have to be single-minded, you can't just show-up on the night... That's where the warrior mindset turns on – it's when you prepare so can do whatever it takes to win that fight.
If you whisk these individuals an additional 200 hundred years forward to present day Jerusalem, these individuals would be entirely shocked. Past knowledge will be largely obsolete. New technologies would appear as witchcraft. Occupations would require incomprehensible skills, and life expectancy would instantaneously double.
For instance, while AI can generate images that appear real, it cannot create convincing backgrounds that can be geolocated, since they do not correspond to actual places.
We are part of the continuum of evolution, and [we] are not the only beings on the Earth with personalities, minds, thoughts and feelings.
I'd argue it's easier now than ever, given the world's increasing openness to varied perspectives. Society's acceptance of homosexuality was a significant milestone, and now we're witnessing similar progress concerning gender issues. I perceive these shifts as testament to the world's growing receptivity to new ideas.