Life

Throughout history, the demonization of others has always served as the chief justification for the theft of land, resources, and sovereignty. The labels, however, have changed: once barbarians, heretics, and savages – now terrorists.

The convenience offered by technology is never free. We pay for it with our autonomy, as we lose the ability to carry out tasks delegated to machines, and with our free will, as adopting technology becomes mandatory to participate in society.

The power of the media lies in its ability to shape what we think about, not how we think.

To understand a society, look not at its rulers, but at the systems that shape, control and discipline its people.

The mechanization of life leaves little room for the soul to breathe.

To understand a society, look not at its rulers, but at the systems that shape, control and discipline its people.

By nature, democracy is incompatible with the existence of an exploitative ultra-wealthy elite. If one exists, the other cannot.

The American entertainment culture has proven more effective at eliminating intellectuals, than Pol Pot’s gunmen and jails.

Most modern governments are based on a set of constructs that are hardly distinguishable from religion: founding figures, immutable sets of written rules and institutions dedicated to spreading, updating and enforcing those rules.

The industrial revolution marks the moment when the primary focus of science shifted from knowledge expansion, to productivity expansion.

The ties between humans and primates become evident when looking at how poorly we navigate the trade-offs between climate apocalypse, and short-term comfort.

Wherever there is a millennia-old rule, there is a natural human tendency to do otherwise.

Order is a self-fulfilling prophecy – it manifests when most believe that it will be enforced.

A good definition of power: the ability to reward loyalty and punish dissent.

If you put your enemies through hell, be prepared to fight demons.

The difference between intelligence and education becomes most evident at business school parties.

Bravery is to no longer fear certain outcomes. Wisdom is to no longer care.

Boredom is one of the most ubiquitous states. It is both the root of all progress, and all evil.

Natural disasters are Earth’s attempts to cleanse its surface from the parasites that feed from it.

The recent trajectory of humanity resembles that of cancer cells, which replicate exponentially until they eventually kill both their host and themselves.

Impermanence in the essence of life – everything that is, is meant to go away.