Articles for October 2020.
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October 21 · Issue #13 · View online
A monthly curation for those of us who
• Think critically.
• Teach young minds how to think critically.
• Communicate critically assessed information to interested audiences.
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Articles for October 2020.
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Civilization on the Moon -- and what it means for life on Earth | Jessy Kate Schingler
We could realistically see people starting to live and work on the Moon in the next decade – and how we do it matters, says space policy researcher Jessy Kate Schingler. In this fascinating talk, she discusses the critical issues that arise when we consider civilization in outer space – such as governance, property rights and resource management – and shows how the Moon can be a template for solving our biggest challenges here on Earth.
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James Bond Stoicism
One of the things that makes the James Bond books better than the James Bond films, is that while the latter mostly represent not-too-deep action-driven entertainment, the former are peppered with philosophical asides. Ian Fleming’s 007 has arguments with his nemeses on the nature of power and autonomy and discussions with colleagues as to how one can know if they’re really on the right side of things.
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Blue sky thinking: is it time to stop work taking over our lives?
Anthropologist James Suzman says now is the perfect time to rein in our unsustainable work habits. But is it possible?
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We are approaching the fastest, deepest, most consequential technological disruption in history
Suppose we told you that solutions to the world’s most intractable problems are possible in the next decade. Poverty. Inequality. Climate change. You’d probably say impossible, preposterous, unthinkable. In the next 10 years, key technologies will converge to completely disrupt the five foundational sectors—information, energy, food, transportation, and materials—that underpin our global economy. We need to make sure the disruption benefits everyone.
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Forget time management. Master this to meet all your productivity goals
There’s no honor in being busy if all you ever do is busywork. Raise your hand if you no longer trust yourself to remember everything you need to do. Keep your hand up if you’re so entrenched in knee-jerk reaction mode that the moment a “quick little task” pops into your head, you drop whatever you’re doing and take care of it right away lest it slip through the cracks.
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What Is a Minimally Good Life?
People need many of the same things, by virtue of being human. Everyone must be able to meet their basic needs for things such as food, water and shelter. But that’s not all. To live at least minimally well, the good things in each person’s life (such as relationships, pleasures, knowledge, appreciation, worthwhile activities) must compensate for their difficulties, pains, losses and frustrations. Everyone also needs decent opportunities and the capabilities to realise them. Or, at least, each person should get as close as possible to meeting this standard.
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Why Life Can’t Be Simpler
We’d all like life to be simpler. But we also don’t want to sacrifice our options and capabilities. Tesler’s law of the conservation of complexity, a rule from design, explains why we can’t have both. Here’s how the law can help us create better products and services by rethinking simplicity.
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Separate work from life with a “virtual commute” that energizes you
In the beginning, you probably didn’t miss the commutes. Office workers who were told to work from home as lockdowns began had no reason to long for the frantic hustle to work every morning, the smell of fried egg sandwiches and armpits on a packed train, or the competition for a decent parking spot.
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“Really successful people say no to almost everything”
Do only what matters most to you.
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Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions
A good review of an important tool for critical thinking.
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What Is Philosophy? A survey of some answers
Industrial strength list. For hard core thinkers.
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