This captures my thoughts almost perfectly except I have more of a walls closing in feeling. Copying manuscripts in a cave or cultivating a garden with fellow travelers somewhere remote seems appealing, a ranch called Nuance? Meanwhile thanks for keeping up the good fight in the world of ideas. It makes a difference.
I'm pretty darn tired of talking and hearing about any of this stuff. The problem, at this point, is plain: the "major voices" on both "sides" haven't read a real book or had an independent thought since twitter came out. None of them give a damn about literally anything other than "winning" as measured on an internet-points-per-minute basis. There is no more use for theorizing about their motives or intentions.
The internet reaching normal people has been like alcohol reaching an indigenous population. At this point, it's just a matter of waiting til they all pass out. Then the resistant few can start to pick up the pieces. Until that day, protect yourself & your family, by any means necessary.
Thank Huxley (Thomas H) for your tenacious efforts to apply reason to these issues, Dr Jones.
It is so valuable to feel unalone on this “windy isthmus”, as you so poetically put it. My pitons and crampons are sturdy & well-fixed, but still it can get lonely.
Thank you for this piece. I agree identitarianism is central to where we are. Identity groups tempt us with the promise of meeting needs of belonging, acceptance, connection which they can't fulfill as they are by definition 'othering'. I find Renee Gerlich's work very insightful on this, that our real belonging can only be to all of life and not to an identity including a political party or ideology.
Frankfurt School and first gen post structuralist lived this very moment, they know. Glad to see you reaching for them. Excited to see what you do now!
Interesting use of a pendulum to start your essay. An important mechanism and principle, though there are some sticky wickets involved and that have some relevance to the situations you discuss. Notably that the amplitude swings can become greater and greater with each (4 year?) cycle such that whole system eventually collapses in a pile of rubble.
A classic case of how not to design bridges:
"Watch "Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse "Gallopin' Gertie"" on YouTube"
Interesting comparison; it's not unplausibile on its face that every cicle may increase the amplitude of oscillations instead of decreasing it. It's not a comforting thought, though, because in a collapse there is a lot of collateral damage.
You might have some interest in a more or less painless introduction to the related concept of positive feedback:
Wikipedia: "Positive feedback (exacerbating feedback, self-reinforcing feedback) is a process that occurs in a feedback loop where the outcome of a process reinforces the inciting process to build momentum. As such, these forces can exacerbate the effects of a small disturbance."
But "metaphorical" works for me. I've often argued, even prior to the election, that Trump is, at best, something of a bull in a china shop -- some crockery clearly needed breaking, gender ideology in particular which feminists in general -- including JCJ -- bear some responsibility for. He may well be a cure worse that disease but some reason to argue the patient was on, is still on, death's doorstep.
And at the same time, all of quantum physics and the tech it supports (including the transistors which make this post/comment/response possible) and much more of physics generally is founded upon the idea of simple harmonic oscillators:
In a previous life I was an electronics technologist -- two year diploma, 30 years before the mast, now retired. 🙂
But my studies included Fourier analysis -- and then Laplace transforms -- both of which I thought, still think, to be the greatest things since sliced bread. Though still haven't "plumbed the depths" there or in related fields despite noodling about on the edges since retirement -- at least it keeps me out of the pool halls. 🙂
Yes indeed, Fourier & Laplace are the bee’s knees!
It sounds to me like a self-paced BSc Physics course of study (actual or informal) might be right up your alley … Quantum Mechanics 401 & Statistical Mechanics 401 still resonate with me, 33 years & a career in information security later! ⚛️
“Out of pool halls” or, as my dear departed Manx 🇮🇲 step dad (a former police chief & senior instructor at the Atlantic Police Academy) used to say, “That’ll keep you off the streets!” 😹
This captures my thoughts almost perfectly except I have more of a walls closing in feeling. Copying manuscripts in a cave or cultivating a garden with fellow travelers somewhere remote seems appealing, a ranch called Nuance? Meanwhile thanks for keeping up the good fight in the world of ideas. It makes a difference.
I'm pretty darn tired of talking and hearing about any of this stuff. The problem, at this point, is plain: the "major voices" on both "sides" haven't read a real book or had an independent thought since twitter came out. None of them give a damn about literally anything other than "winning" as measured on an internet-points-per-minute basis. There is no more use for theorizing about their motives or intentions.
The internet reaching normal people has been like alcohol reaching an indigenous population. At this point, it's just a matter of waiting til they all pass out. Then the resistant few can start to pick up the pieces. Until that day, protect yourself & your family, by any means necessary.
Thank you for, apart from everything else, adding the word 'immured' to my personal lexicon. Had to google that one.
Me too — sits nicely beside “inure” in my personal lexicon now!
Thank Huxley (Thomas H) for your tenacious efforts to apply reason to these issues, Dr Jones.
It is so valuable to feel unalone on this “windy isthmus”, as you so poetically put it. My pitons and crampons are sturdy & well-fixed, but still it can get lonely.
Thank you for this piece. I agree identitarianism is central to where we are. Identity groups tempt us with the promise of meeting needs of belonging, acceptance, connection which they can't fulfill as they are by definition 'othering'. I find Renee Gerlich's work very insightful on this, that our real belonging can only be to all of life and not to an identity including a political party or ideology.
Frankfurt School and first gen post structuralist lived this very moment, they know. Glad to see you reaching for them. Excited to see what you do now!
Interesting use of a pendulum to start your essay. An important mechanism and principle, though there are some sticky wickets involved and that have some relevance to the situations you discuss. Notably that the amplitude swings can become greater and greater with each (4 year?) cycle such that whole system eventually collapses in a pile of rubble.
A classic case of how not to design bridges:
"Watch "Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse "Gallopin' Gertie"" on YouTube"
https://youtu.be/j-zczJXSxnw?si=0Q7BZGL_V0DjqBUp
Interesting comparison; it's not unplausibile on its face that every cicle may increase the amplitude of oscillations instead of decreasing it. It's not a comforting thought, though, because in a collapse there is a lot of collateral damage.
"collateral damage", indeed.
You might have some interest in a more or less painless introduction to the related concept of positive feedback:
Wikipedia: "Positive feedback (exacerbating feedback, self-reinforcing feedback) is a process that occurs in a feedback loop where the outcome of a process reinforces the inciting process to build momentum. As such, these forces can exacerbate the effects of a small disturbance."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_feedback
I have a degree in physics but in this context was metaphorical
Sorry if it looked like I was trying to "teach my grandmother how to suck eggs" ... 😉🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaching_grandmother_to_suck_eggs
But "metaphorical" works for me. I've often argued, even prior to the election, that Trump is, at best, something of a bull in a china shop -- some crockery clearly needed breaking, gender ideology in particular which feminists in general -- including JCJ -- bear some responsibility for. He may well be a cure worse that disease but some reason to argue the patient was on, is still on, death's doorstep.
And at the same time, all of quantum physics and the tech it supports (including the transistors which make this post/comment/response possible) and much more of physics generally is founded upon the idea of simple harmonic oscillators:
https://youtu.be/bmGqhM-tUk4
In a previous life I was an electronics technologist -- two year diploma, 30 years before the mast, now retired. 🙂
But my studies included Fourier analysis -- and then Laplace transforms -- both of which I thought, still think, to be the greatest things since sliced bread. Though still haven't "plumbed the depths" there or in related fields despite noodling about on the edges since retirement -- at least it keeps me out of the pool halls. 🙂
Yes indeed, Fourier & Laplace are the bee’s knees!
It sounds to me like a self-paced BSc Physics course of study (actual or informal) might be right up your alley … Quantum Mechanics 401 & Statistical Mechanics 401 still resonate with me, 33 years & a career in information security later! ⚛️
“Out of pool halls” or, as my dear departed Manx 🇮🇲 step dad (a former police chief & senior instructor at the Atlantic Police Academy) used to say, “That’ll keep you off the streets!” 😹
Unless you say the trans position is bullshit you come across as a fence sitter bemoaning the state of things.
Damn, this is good!