michael_nielsen

Which is all very well. But often the most interesting truths don't come in that particular package.

What package do they come in?

If I knew, I'd perhaps expand my aesthetic. I'm just thinking about important things I saw early... and largely ignored, because they fell outside my aesthetic.

A simple example was Michael Moore's very early explanation of why he thought Trump would win. I respond badly to Moore's intellectual style, so I dismissed it. Yet it's one of the more insightful pieces written before the election (& that would be true even if H had won).

Another example was cryptocurrencies in the 1990s. I saw a lot from the cypherpunks, David Chaum et al. Yet I didn't really get it, mostly bc (a) of lingering distrust of the concept of money; and (b) a lack of appreciation for instruments of co-operation.

Which aren't quite about intellectual aesthetic, but I think that was really the driving thing in my (lack of) response.

Right. But what specifically about the aesthetic/style turned you off.

I don't know. Your phrase "turned off" is a really good one. I remember reading mailing lists and just being turned off. It seemed crass somehow; that judgement was a mistake.