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Many atheists despise religion because it is not true. They wonder that anyone could be dumb enough to believe such fantastical things as are found in the mythology of religion - all religions, since none are based on a scientific, post-enlightenment understanding of the universe.  While their devotion to truth is admirable, they are missing the point. People are not religious because they have become convinced of the truth of the myth. Rather, religion is about psychological nourishment; it's about feeding the human soul.  Let's consider the Christian faith. When people go to church they are told that they will live again with their loved ones who have died. They are told that they are loved by God. They are told that the wrongs that they have done to others will be forgiven. They are told that evil people will be punished and good people will be blessed and rewarded, in the next life if not in this one.  In short, Christianity fits the shape of the hole in the human hea...

My current best practices for management, based on my last two years of experience, listening, and reading: link

Rich people have no reason to feel ashamed of their wealth. Although anti-rich attitudes are popular, by and large getting rich entails creating value , an activity that makes us all better off. We don't live in a zero-sum world with a fixed quantity of riches. If we did, we would be justified to worry about a fair distribution of wealth between the 99% and the 1%. But in our world, wealth is made and economic inequality is an indicator of a healthy system that rewards risk and value creation, as I wrote about on these pages previously. Not all wealth is virtuous. Half Sigma's dichotomy between value creation and value transference is a useful framework to delineate between good and bad wealth. And I believe in exceptions to a purely subjective theory of value, some things people value are innately better than others. But mostly, getting rich is a good way to benefit mankind. There are signs that the wealthy buy in to the anti-rich attitude that says they should be ashamed ...

I'm listening to the wonderful audiobook series  The Odyssey of the West . The first installment deals with the three ancient civilizations with the biggest influence on the West: the Hebrews, the Greeks, and the Romans. I'm about 2/3rds done - I have yet to listen to the lectures on the Romans.  From the Hebrews we get the Hebrew bible, and later Christianity. It is the basis of much of our moral ideas - compassion for the poor and elderly, empathy through the Golden Rule, and personal moderation. It comes to us with a radical egalitarian worldview. Beggars, women, slaves, rich men, and public officials are equal in the eyes of the Christian god. When the son of god comes to earth, he lives in poverty. It is easy to see how the roots of classical liberalism grew from the Christian gospel. From the Greeks, we get the idea of excellence, or Arete (a - rit- tay). Any American is familiar with the concept. During a football game when a quarterback whips the ball through a narrow ...

A Peter Thiel  meditation on determinism and optimism. Prime stuff. God is dead - by Jonathan Frost.

They say we are made of god-stuff but today I feel mismighted. All of my power was left in the slough, omniscient lenses nearsighted. I swagger forward with hero-gaze to greet my trials and testing, but I have gotten so lost in the maze and my throat is slit when I'm resting. My deeds will not weave an epic tale no child will be taught my story. There is not a breath for the one who fails for attempt, not a glint of the glory. The dark-fated bodies laid out by the fight make stages for the play of greater lights.

Over in the Marginal Revolution comments section , Martin Cohen explains the benefits of the unexamined life :  Benefits of the unexamined life: You don�t have to waste time and energy listening to those others you know are wrong. You can make use of the dynamic duo of �It�s not my fault� and �It�s not my problem�. You can get from here to there much faster if you ignore the �Warning � thin ice!� signs.  You will be supported in so many ways by the others living in the fact-free zone.  It�s much easier if you think of those things you are climbing over as minor obstacles rather than people.  It�s so much fun to creatively decorate those walls that surround you.  Focusing on your own well-being takes all your energy, anyway.  Finally, if you�re screaming inside, you don�t have to listen.