Next time I hear a phrase like “drawing on findings from psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology...” I’m going to throw something something I swear.
Sick of glib, lumpenpseudosynthesis Big History by halo-hedgehogs for people rubbernecking at history through TED talks
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How do you feel about "drawing on findings from microeconomics, political theory, and the philosophy of choice"?
Maybe what's repugnant is just three BS fields in a row?
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Not really. It’s the lack of actual synthesis. It’s the idea equivalent of name-dropping or BIRGing. If the idea has substance it should cohere by an internal logic and you can point at it directly rather than its neighbors.
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Hedgehogs in Isaiah Berlin’s sense have a stronger halo effect (on-stage charisma or as talking heads etc) according to Philip Tetlock’s research. They are much more persuasive but slightly less accurate in their forecasting than foxes.
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That’s understandable. In the EAA, our ancestors who were most infuriated by these phrases had extra testosterone constantly flowing in their veins, which mean they both killed more mammoths and were more appealing to the women!
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I'm saving myself for the ones who start with "drawing from reality..." and then proceed to make sense....*what a concept.*








