Forging a sense of collective identity and finding common values is vital.
“Mass social movements based on coalitions of a broad range of groups will be needed to drive political support as individual issue groups are not strong enough on their own. Forging a sense of collective identity and finding common values is vital.” — Zero Carbon Britain
A Tragedy of the Commons
“The fears of embracing digital democracy and how to overcome them” — or — “How I learned to stop worrying and love democracy” “There is a mass of sense lying in a dormant state which good government should quietly harness” — Thomas Paine, 1791 What would you do if you could redesign Government for a ...
Anybody can become angry – that is easy
To recall before updating your status, whether IRL or in conversation: Anybody can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy. ...
Authoritarians tell the truth about the future. Authoritarians lie about the past.
Authoritarians tell the truth about the future. They speak openly about what they are going to do. When they say things that seem absurd — we’ll build walls, ban those people, and so on — believe them. Authoritarians lie about the past. They lie about the consequences of what they have done. They lie about the magnitude and scale ...
Exponential organisations
Here are my notes from Exponential Organisations, a book recommended to me this weekend by a VC in Paris. Have a “massively transformative purpose (MTP)” (ie a worthwhile mission) Don’t plan more than 1 year ahead. Measure your metrics. Acronym alert: the first letters of the next 5 characteristics make up the word SCALE. Staff on ...
This town ain’t big enough for the both of us – or .. oh. wait yes it is!
In my silver-lining head, this is how it goes: 1. Israel and Palestine fight for decades. Nothing seems to change. 2. Trump makes a bold and antagonising move. 3. Other side realises this is the end game. 4. Some negotiations about logistics. 5. Everyone who wants Jerusalem as a capital decides to share it. 6. ...
Procedural language: The importance of going through the motions.
In the film Arrival, the aliens basically see time as another dimension – there are no surprises for them since they see it all laid out in front of them. (Kurt Vonnegut does the same thing with the Tralfamadorians in Slaughterhouse Five.) This is why they can write semasiographically because the whole idea is fully formed ...
Capitalism analogy.
Capitalism, like nuclear power, has been one of our most successful ideas for creating order from chaos, but left unchecked it will swiftly create chaos from order. It demands our constant vigilance in order not to fail catastrophically. It can go wrong very quickly – and costs for a fortune to clean up when it does ...
Man’s search for meaning
After some light experiences with coaching and therapy style conversations, I have 2.5 conclusions: 1. It doesn’t matter much if you’re happy or sad, the key thing is to be doing something worthwhile. If you prioritise happiness, you’re selfish. If you prioritise money, you’re a fool. If you prioritise beneficial impact for others*, you’ll at ...
What rules should govern AI?
Many people know Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics (basically humans come before robots), but as they develop more and more capabilities it’s time to look deeper at the guidance and governance which should apply to artificial intelligence (AI) to keep us safe and maximise benefits. The UN has already discussed (but not yet concluded) international ...
The unbearable lightness of politics
Politics feels like EastEnders: hyperbolic soap-opera melodrama in which seems to be the entire world, but it just a small square in London. Football tribalism for broadsheet readers. Until you remember it’s real and creating increasingly existential threats to humanity via its actions and inactions. Arse.