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Hi friends, Absurdity here with the latest installment of the unfolding existential crisis that is my life. What is authenticity? What does it mean to be authentic? Obviously the dictionary and thesaurus would say it means to be true, genuine, sincere, etc., which really doesn't help very...

Inspired by this Slatestarcodex post (for the love of god read it, it's short). Also, just to make it clear, this isn't necessarily about genetics - although it could be. If people want to go down that route, I'm more interesting in empirical evidence than ill-informed prejudice. Anyway, I...

When it comes to learning about a topic I am unfamiliar with but intensely curious about, I have trouble striking a balance between trying to muster the patience to slog through material that proceeds to slowly, and leaping straight into the deep end where I eventually get frustrated and burn...

The people have spoken and we have begun reading Moby Dick. This thread shall serve as the venue for discussion. Have at ye! It appears I'm further ahead than everyone else so I won't remark on the plot. I am surprised though by how funny it is - definitely was not expecting to find myself...

Maybe you've heard of it before. I hadn't until the other day, when I stumbled upon it here, and found it fascinating in a very unsettling way. Below is an excerpt that covers the thrust of the idea in a relatively easy to understand way.

In the past month or so I've made the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back three and a half times. The quickest way is to take the 5 freeway for 200-odd miles through the barren wasteland of central California, which can be hypnotically dull. Since I'm not cultured enough to have a...

There's a lot of good stuff out there. Let's start a list with short summaries. All topics welcome. http://unenumerated.blogspot.com/ - Nick Szabo's blog on law, cryptography, history, and other topics. Szabo's a brilliant guy, and one of the top suspects for the real identity of Satoshi...

If you don't have a Twitter, you should get one. If you do have one, you should follow Venkatesh Rao. He sent out a string of tweets earlier today on identifying your itches. Itches are not passions and not skills or talents. They are more fundamental than that, and they are not constrained by...

Some kid launched a Kickstarter campaign with a target of $10 to make potato salad. In the six days the campaign has been up, the guy has raised over $70k. There are now some who are condemning this virulent and absurd comedy act by demanding the money be given to charity. These folks note...

Bitcoin is something that has been on the periphery of my radar for some time now, and as a result has never been given the attention I feel it deserves. I am hoping that this thread could serve as a sort of library for Bitcoin-related articles and papers. Ideally, I would like the focus to be...

Not an expert in this area by any means, but can anyone explain to me how this premise could ever be taken seriously? I'm (perhaps irrationally) skeptical of the prospect of super-intelligent AI in my lifetime, but I do think that if it ever was realized, the entity would most likely be...

From Business Insider: Whether it's true or not, this guy is scary smart. Check out his personal site and blog.

A very long but excellent post on narcissism by the Last Psychiatrist blew my mind today so I felt like sharing.

From The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq

I have an idea for something I want to write (not sure specifically about length and ideal medium) and the main character is a high school-aged girl. I've never written from a girl's point of view though and want to make sure I don't do a terrible job of it. I've read that women often have an...

I've had a desire recently to start reading poetry, something I have never really done before unless forced to. As a result my knowledge of poetry and poets is hilariously limited. I've generally only read one or two of the poems of a dozen or so big names. There really is no consistent...

Source (click through to view links embedded in the article)

Begin huge quote-wall: Source This still has me reeling a bit. Discussion welcomed.

Rogue British philosopher Nick Land has been up to no good recently (as usual). First, some background: Essentially all modern theories of ethics depart from either a consequentialist or deontological framework, where the former judges actions by their outcomes and the latter by the type of...

La Passione Franco's new artsy short film. Thoughtful commentary appreciated.

http://vimeo.com/55426796 Source I find myself agreeing with Scruton's sentiment: that beautiful art fulfills a deep human need, and that the modern world is largely devoid of this sort of art. If I were to point a finger, it would be at the currents of egalitarianism rippling through...

Source (approximately halfway down the page) Thoughts?

kantor1003 I really liked your response in this thread and decided it deserved one of its own. This is a good point, a great one even, and I just wanted to reflect on it along with the topic of ambition generally. I've noticed that ambition comes in at least two varieties, and they are not...

Full Article Interesting tidbits:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdHK_r9RXTc

Procrastination and disinterest in studying are recurring themes on this forum. As a 4th year undergraduate at an American university, I know that it is still something I struggle with (like right now, considering I have an exam in 5.5 hours...). However, I was tremendously fortunate to stumble...

Excerpted from Seneca's "On Tranquility of Mind" This is something I grapple with, and I doubt I am alone in that respect. Looking at my peers I find myself overcome with disgust at their shallow aspirations, their dearth of creativity, and the howling chasms of insecurity they paper over with...

http://hplusmagazine.com/2010/01/04/chinese-singularity/ [Note: This article is three years old] Thoughts?

I'm a Californian living in temporary exile in Washington, DC, and I am a little nervous about this whole Hurricane Sandy/Frankenstorm deal that is supposed to last from tomorrow until after Halloween. Plans are to hide away from any windows with plenty of alcohol and pray the power doesn't go...

Sorry haven't read the rest but, in light of Mr. Dreaming's recent thread, this made me laugh uncontrollably.

Found this tumblr dedicated to the INTP type and MBTI cognitive functions more generally. This post about the eight Winnie the Pooh characters and the cognitive functions they embody was great (especially after reading The Tao of Pooh). Understanding Cognitive Functions with Winnie the Pooh...

This thought process stems from a conversation I had last night with a housemate. How hard must it really be to take a life? We came to the conclusion that it must not be as difficult as it is portrayed in movies and books and what not, but obviously neither of us have physically killed...

I know that the INTP archetype (and indeed, a forum member's username) is the "Architect," but I have always read that in a metaphorical sense. INTPs devise abstract, theoretical systems, which explains why so many of us gravitate toward designing software. My question then is how would an...

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ amirite?

Hello everyone. First time posting. I'm in a tricky situation at the moment and I was hoping my fellow INTPs for advice. I am looking at the possibility of taking the semester off. I have a few options, and I would appreciate any thoughts regarding them. The first option is to try and get...