Machines Can Think
Whether or not machines can think, depends on our definition of “think.” Generally we can say, machines can think, but they think differently than humans.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of mind and behavior. It’s best described as a social science, although specific aspects can focus on anything from biology, to the humanities, to philosophy.
Below are a collection of facts and myths about psychology and social psychology pertaining to individuals, groups, and the collective.
TIP: Check out the YouTube playlist of Crash Course Psychology for a crazy amount of good information.
Intention Matters
Intention matters in planning, action, and doing. Attention, intention, and impact are all important components of an action.
The Point of Life is Happiness
We present a discussion on “the meaning of life as happiness,”the Greatest Happiness Theory,” “the Good Life,”the Pursuit of Happiness,” and Virtue Theory.
There are Different Types of Bullshit (BS)
There are different types of bullshit (BS). BS can be a lie, a half-truth, or truth. The goal of BS is influence, truth and lies are simply the tools of the bulls**tter.
There are Different Types of Good and Evil
There are different types of good and evil. The way to understand the types of good and evil differs by culture and text, but we can find general similarities by looking at major works and belief systems.
Arete Explained
Areté roughly means “moral virtue”. It refers to an innate “excellence” or “essence” in all things, and the striving toward that potential or purpose.
The More You Do Something, the More You Value it
The more time and energy you put into something, the more you value it. This Escalation of Commitment phenomenon (or commitment bias) relates to a number of other decision making biases.
What is a Useful Idiot?
“Useful Idiot” is a political insult that describes a person who, through manipulation or not, is useful to a political cause that is not their own despite not fully realizing their role.
In-groups and Out-groups Explained
An “in-group” is a group you are part of (genetically, culturally, or ideologically), while an “out-group” is a group you aren’t part of.
Hardwired Versus Softwired (Brain)
In pop-science, in reference to the brain, you’ll hear the terms “hardwired” and “softwired”, hardwired means genetically programed and softwired means learned.