Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/the-worst-book-ive-ever-read/
John Seel Jr.'s book, The New Copernicans, is the worst book I have ever read. He puts forth a dubious premise. In support of which he provides no data to back it up, nor any anecdotes which illustrate it actually occurring. To the extent there is anything backing it up, it's provided by extensive misrepresentation of other books.
Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/worthy-of-our-sufferings/
Dostoevsky wrote, "There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings." What does that mean? I think he meant that whatever suffering we’re experiencing it’s suffering God felt we were capable of handling. We need to prove worthy of that trust. This has always been hard to do, and now that we have numerous ways of mitigating suffering, it's not only hard, but confusing.
Transcript: https://www.wearenotsaved.com/p/can-we-eliminate-struggle-2023
Humanity has struggled and suffered for so long that we might be unable to survive without them. We dream of such elimination through technology, but will that dream turn into a nightmare?
Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/tragedies-truths-and-technologies/
Historically we didn't worry about wars in far away places because we weren't aware of them. Now we're aware of them, but with the rise of AI we're going to have a similar difficulty acquiring accurate information. This is going to complicate our ability to intervene righteously.
Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas by: Natasha Dow Schüll
The Evolutionary Limits of Liberalism: Democratic Problems, Market Solutions and the Ethics of Preference Satisfaction by: Filipe Nobre Faria
A Language Older Than Words by: Derrick Jensen
WTF?!: An Economic Tour of the Weird by: Peter T. Leeson
Blowback (Second Edition): The Costs and Consequences of American Empire by: Chalmers Johnson
The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds by: Caroline Van Hemert
So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by: Cal Newport
Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by: Jostein Gaarder
The Sandman 4 by: Neil Gaiman
American Gods by: Neil Gaiman
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 6 by: Matt Dinniman
Letters to a Young Mormon by: Adam S. Miller
Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/would-you-wager-on-pascals-mugging/
Imagine that someone walks up to you and demands all your money. If you fail to comply they threaten to kill all the inhabitants of some far off planet. How would you react? And is this similar to Pascal's Wager?
Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/betting-on-the-future/
There are three obvious paths forward: religion, atheism and transhumanism. But each of these paths must be chosen. There's also a fourth path, that of apathy. Which should we choose?