Why does the system persist — and perhaps get worse — even though the participants all hate it? Because "things that work from a god’s-eye view don’t work from within the system."

"A vulnerable world: one in which there is some technological development at which civilization almost certainly gets devastated by default."

Will our drive to invent new things eventually destroy us?

Western values of human rights are derived from Christian values decreed by God. Where does that leave us if we lose our Christianity?

A compelling case for balancing rationalism and intuition. Rationalism is good, but granting it total supremacy much robs us of our soul.

"If life is short, its shortness should take us by surprise. And that is what tends to happen. You take things for granted, and then they're gone."

Browne’s premise is that attempting to change the world will be a futile endeavor for most. Instead, he outlines a libertarian personal philosophy for changing yourself and your immediate environment in order to achieve your goals and live the life you desire.

A great speech by Deresiewicz. He submits that solitude, deep thought, and deep work are the keys to effective leadership.

Stoicism has made a huge comeback in recent years and Letters from a Stoic is my favorite Stoic text. The letters are believed to be written by Seneca to his friend Lucilius explaining how to be a good Stoic.

Twelve lessons for how to live virtuously in the modern world. What I love about Peterson’s writing is that he weaves together what he’s learned from his psychology practice along with his deep knowledge of religious scripture. The modern Western world is deeply rooted in Christianity, so whether one is religious or not, understanding these foundational narratives is crucial to understanding modernity. Combined with Peterson’s psychology anecdotes and excellent writing, 12 Rules for Life is an incredible read.

The epic history of the decline of the Roman Republic as told by Dan Carlin.

An incredible look back at the modern economy and how it was created over the 70 years since WWII.

A deep dive on how the shift from information scarcity to information abundance has fractured established powers in commerce, education, and politics.

The flagraising on Iwo Jima is the most reproduced photograph in history. It was taken almost by accident—the photographer wasn’t even looking through the lens of his camera when he snapped the shot. After learning that his late father was one of the six flagraisers, Bradley dedicates himself to researching the story of the flagraisers, how they ended up in the famous photo, which of them survived the battle, and the often tragic later years of the survivors.

The fictional town of Nodrumia is formed by a group of drum haters (Nodrumia = no-drum-ia) who ban drums in their community. Through the lens of Nodrumia, Alexander explores NIMBYism, exit costs, and libertarian philosophy applied to local governance.

The fictional town of Nodrumia is formed by a group of drum haters (Nodrumia = no-drum-ia) who ban drums in their community. Through the lens of Nodrumia, Alexander explores NIMBYism, exit costs, and libertarian philosophy applied to local governance.

Paul Graham introduces his theory for how to win presidential elections: charisma. He discusses the 11 presidential elections since the advent of televised debates to prove that more than any single issue or party, the charismatic candidate always wins.

A beautiful New Yorker longform about life in your 90s.

Venkatesh Rao describes the premium mediocre experience at length. He dives into the traits of those in premium mediocre class, their standing in the social hierarchy, why it all matters, and how to escape it.

Deresiewicz explains the free speech crisis at college campuses. Political correctness, though well-intentioned, has stifled open dialogue. He advocates for civility—but not at the expense of free speech and open inquiry.

Crony Beliefs are beliefs that exist for the purpose of fitting in or virtue signaling, and are often at odds with reality. Simler discusses these beliefs, how to identify them, and the danger they pose when we hold crony beliefs that go unrecognized.

Hard problems intuitively feel like they require complicated solutions. But this complication is unnecessary. Artificial complexity drains us of our energy, money, and motivation. Nat explains the forces that create artificial complexity and their detrimental impact, and then demonstrates how to identify and eliminate it from our lives.

Fight perfectionism and publish more often using Nick Yoder's system to fight perfectionism. Its simple: publish everything, no matter how half-baked. At the top of each post, give it a score from 1 to 10 to denote how rough or developed the ideas are.

Tools for improving your security and privacy across the web, on your devices, and for your cryptocurrency.

An excellent resource for securing your digital life and keeping as much private as possible. The content is nicely broken into three tiers of security needs: civilian, public figure, and spy. Each set of articles walks the reader through increasingly serious privacy and security measures.

A collection of articles and guides about privacy, surveillance, and how to be better equipped to avoid it.

An extremely detailed guide for getting started with encrypted messaging and email tools.

A fun but scary look at just how closely we are tracked by Silicon Valley companies and how hard it is to avoid.

“There’s an app for that” used to be a blessing—now it’s a curse. The proliferation of touchscreen interfaces for every purpose are the problem, not the solution. Golden Krishna explores a world where designers think outside of the smartphone to build practical, delightful products.

The only typography resource you need: there are other good ones, but this is the definitive guide for learning the principles of beautiful typography.

A great starter’s guide to design thinking. More useful if you’re beginning in design, but great to reread every now and then. The original was called The d.school Bootcamp Bootleg but has since been updated with new sections and exercises.

An excellent guide by Palantir to the five levels of enterprise autonomy and how companies can navigate moving up the hierarchy and making the most of their data.

My all-time favorite book. Steinbeck explores good and evil by following two families in Salinas Valley.

John Steinbeck about East of Eden (from Wikipedia):

Beautifully written with strong philosophical underpinnings. Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence suggests that every decision will be made ad infinitum, thus making decisions difficult and meaningful, and giving them weight. But reality, as described by Kundera, occurs once and never again, which makes it “light” — but being light has its own challenges.

A short but deeply resonant book. Each of the ~30 chapters has a different conception of time, and each of these alternate universes illustrates something about our complicated relationship with time.

A graphic novel, but a novel, not a cartoon. Set in an alternate history where Nixon is elected for a third term, tensions with the Soviet Union are at an all-time high and the Doomsday Clock is almost at midnight. The titular Watchmen are a group of superheroes who are retired and outcast. When one of the Watchmen is mysteriously murdered, the remainder come out of hiding to find the killer. Interesting political and philosophical underpinnings, awesome artwork, and a gripping story.

My favorite piece of fictional writing online. Before a young father passes away, he leaves a box of letters for his son to read as he grows up.

A wonderfully written short book about a man with a beautiful face and a corrupted soul. Oscar Wilde’s writing style is fun and unique, and the end of the story is chilling.

The original revenge and adventure story. The middle drags a bit, but the. first and final thirds of the book is gripping, and it has one of the most satisfying endings of any book I’ve read.

Palahniuk has a writing style like no other, and the story is a perfect satire of modern consumerist culture and the extreme reactions to it. Fight Club is a masterpiece: the kind of book that is easy to read in a single sitting.

“The idea is this: in five minutes, you learn what the average college graduate remembers five years after he or she is out of school.”

Adorable alien cartoons.

Well-produced mini-documentaries. I especially love their videos about aviation.