I wish that more people could feel things without rushing to a “rational” defense of the feeling. And isn’t rationality itself often simply the attempt to make our feelings contagious?
— ContraPoints, “Envy”
Hello
Well, this website is what happens when an idealist dreamer type adolesces as a web developer, does a philosophy major, and then becomes a dad and a software developer in a less-than-ideal world.
- Above shines my favourite thought that I’ve heard recently.
- Below lurk some pretty well argued radical opinions on topics I couldn’t get off my mind.
Essays
“Where are we supposed to go?” Why the 99% struggle to win elections
A progressive political candidate approaches the mic, pushes up their glasses, and recites a list of policies to benefit the 99%, with supporting facts. Then they lose the election. Why does this keep happening? I illustrate the importance of mythology in leadership by proposing we imagine the economy upside-down and backwards. (10 mins)
Let’s Talk About Bell
There’s a place for corporate citizenship, but you can’t talk about citizenship without taxes. (5 mins)
What We Talk About When We Talk About Democracy
We say democracy is now in crisis where it was thought to be most stable. We say democracy is vital; we say it’s inefficient. We call democracy the worst form of government except for all the others. Like love, this word means too much and therefore too little. How will we then know if we have lost it? A long read to renew a deceptively simple concept. I’ll shorten it when I have more time… (30 mins)
The Inconvenience of Memory
A century after Canada’s most famous and bloodiest battle, what does remembering look like, and why does it matter? What does forgetting look like? (10 mins)
Tentanda Via: why I stopped donating to YorkU, my alma mater
Okay, I was only giving five dollars a month, but I still took it pretty personally when they honoured a corrupt billionaire for $20 million. I make the argument that universities’ moral leadership will determine their level of public funding. (4 mins)