Sublime
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I count myself among a growing number of scientists who believe that the construction of self identity is not much better than the Lo-fi representations of other people we hold in our heads.
Gregory Berns • The Self Delusion
Taylor called this authenticity, and it became the unreachable horizon of modern life. It’s a concept that makes sense only in its absence; we recognize inauthenticity, phoniness, when someone’s clearly being a poseur. Yet the struggle to feel authentic—this is very real, even if we know better. In Taylor’s telling, everyone becomes a kind of artis
... See moreHua Hsu • Stay True: A Memoir (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
- "the concrete practices of the tech industry now structure identity and individuality in ways that support its own hegemony. While it presents endless avenues for expression, it sees us as wholly reducible to market logic, where we are real to the degree that our consumption habits are rational. This vision of selfhood promotes uniformity and bou... See more
Emma Stamm • Who Can It Be Now — Real Life
For me, it became crucial to notice what is in fact "illusory" about the self. It's not an illusion in the sense of being a completely useless, even malignant, deception. It's a complex of narratives, judgments, and strategies that developed to help me maintain some relatively reliable social-emotional standing. It served, and serves, a purpose.
Waking Up - A New Operating System for Your Mind

Chris Rock Talks to Frank Rich About Ferguson, Cosby, and What ‘Racial Progress’ Really Means
Chris Rockvulture.com
Szaszians hold on to a fantasy where an objective definition of “disorder” not only exists, but it also successfully covers recognized disorders in general medicine while conveniently excluding mental illnesses as faux-disorders. Szaszians also commit themselves to some version of the idea that medical authority only applies to genuine disorders, a... See more
Reviewing Paul Bloom on Psychopathology

I mention the above because via writing online (how else?!) I met writer, podcaster, and cryptophile extraordinaire Jason Levin who kindly invited me to discuss the interesting times in which we find ourselves.Amongst other things, we explore:Friendship before, during, and after collegeThe origins of White NoiseForthcoming White Noise pieces"Ode to... See more