Blog
Why we’re so bad at solving long-term problems
‘The Optimist’s Telescope’ by Bina Venkataraman. It’s hard to ditch our loyalties and biases. It’s hard to stop focusing on past and present and to ponder what legacy we’re leaving for the distant future.
Life on Earth: What has been, what will be
Climate change forces us to find life beyond our assumptions. We can’t stop all the major tipping points that are coming. We may be able to adapt to some. We have to try. We won’t be what we thought we were.
I’m trans, and I did not consent for this to be done to my body
Why is it happening? How can we make it stop? Pirates ate most of the Galapagos tortoises, and some of those species went extinct, and of one called “Fantastic,” there’s only one tortoise left.
Trans volta
I didn’t choose the word ‘trans’ to describe my unique life path, nor would I have chosen it, but these days, this word happens to be the umbrella that works in the rain. A word you can use alongside ‘trans’ is ‘volta’.
Assume humanity, then ask about happiness
Trans people‘s say-so is evidence of our happiness. But no one should ask for evidence that trans people are people. Previously, I used Lydia Polgreen’s opinion as an example, and I identified and extracted these writing tips for you. Please note this key distinction.
No one needs ‘evidence’ that transition improves trans people’s humanity
Let’s distinguish scientific uncertainty from value judgment. Anti-trans prejudice doesn’t justify demanding evidence about trans people’s humanity. When we let go of prejudice, some common ‘questions’ dissolve.
Can an identity be true and not true?
On ‘constitutive tension’ in our concepts. Picking apart someone else’s identity? First ask: Why do you want to? What would be gained? And lost? What happens to your own identity in the process?
Gödel is sure Bach, and trans people are sure their gender
Reflections on the Pulitzer-winning ‘Gödel, Escher, Bach’ (1979). Their objection is an infinite regress. They’re laying a trap. If we needed rules about rules about rules, none of us could ever use language at all.
How do we know who we are?
Do we learn it from a crystal ball—or from our guts? How do others state with certainty that they know who they are? Do they have a crystal ball? Of course, we’re jealous. How can we know ourselves, too?