Zigging to the bottom
How can a free, competitive market collapse into every player offering the same unsatisfactory offer? A story of three proverbs
Department
Psychology.
Understanding the mind and behavior.
Lately on the shelf
30 of 435Official Corruption, Obsession, Hidden Crimes
Links and recommendations
The creative power of not knowing
Austin Kleon on embracing uncertainty
Is parenthood selfish or selfless? It’s both.
Guest post by Darby Saxbe
Some Beliefs Are Load-Bearing
In the activist-app-maker scene of the 2010s, I was the guy handed the unsavory job of “make enough money to keep everyone else’s ramen-eating hovel artist commune lifestyle afloat.”
She's the Monster. He's the Villain.
Review of Obsession (2026)
The tide and the waves of social change
How social conceptions about justice change over time
Academics Must Wake Up on AI (with Alexander Kustov)
Is AI already better at many research tasks than humans? And if so, is this a reflection of how good AI is, or how bad much existing research is?
Why You Should Be a Techno-Skeptic
In his most urgent TED Talk yet, Jon Haidt reminds us that human connection is not optional.
A quick update!
(And apology for the silent treatment)
Why Some Smart People Never Get Anywhere
1984 and Brave New World
Utopian Dystopias, Silicon Valley, and Authoritarians
The Luxury-Belief Class Has a New Word for Theft
"Microlooting"
Give me strength!
There is a limit to our physical capacity, but how close can we get to it… and how do we tap into our reserves?
In Europe, There Is No Simple Immigration-Crime Story
Here are some statements that you might have heard at different times and in different venues concerning immigrants and crime in Europe:
Joblessness, Moneyball, Antidepressants
Links and recommendations
You're Not Better Than the Screen Watchers
Greetings dear readers.
Only insane people use the internet
OR: hit me with your Honda
Does Looksmaxxing Give Women the Ick?
The male beauty arms race is getting weird
The shocking truth about fairness
The deep origin of fairness norms is bargaining power
The Female Choice Fertility Paradox
The price of a principle
When we make a purchase, we often pay a surcharge for our principles. But how much precisely we are willing to spend on them is a mystery – even to ourselves
Are We Building Conscious AI Servants?
Was Richard Dawkins right to attribute consciousness to Claude? Can we turn to consciousness "experts" to settle such questions? Is it ethical to design AIs that love being servants?
Treasure Your Attention
Jonathan Haidt's advice to the NYU Class of 2026 on how to flourish in a world that raises many obstacles to human flourishing.
Hypocrites, Michael Jackson, Parkinson’s Law
Links and recommendations
Moneyball for book publishers and Substack writers
Why it will never work
Without Pity or Platitude
The guardrails were dismantled by the people who never needed them
"Speaking Truth to Power" Is Bad Epistemology
If intellectuals want to hold power accountable, they should focus less on power and more on truth.
Decision making at the highest stakes
Lessons from grad school — and one of the best poker players in the world, Jason Koon
The End of Loneliness
A live performance of my New Yorker article