Adam Carter > Recent Status Updates

The influence of “the Native American critique” of western societies on enlightenment values, if true, is profound not least in because it exposes the utter arrogance with which political theorists have recast enlightenment values as essentially European. This book has many interesting ideas but it drags on so long that it is difficult to put energy into evaluating all the claims.

The books attention to the sheer diversity of social/political structures amongst different peoples throughout history is fascinating but the book is repetitive and dances around the questions it poses. For example, it talks about agricultures early failures but doesn’t ever explain why it become so successful (mere potential for surpluses or colonial expansion?)

It’s ok. Rules of ownership are fascinating and everywhere. But have found the analysis in the book so far a bit juvenile.

Interesting so far, main idea being that there is a trade-off between multicellular organisms resisting cancer and healing, living longer, reproducing more.

I’m a little disappointed, so far Waldron has done little to add to the debate on the distinctive moral worth of humans.

Good history of the 🧬’s 👁 view debate so far. However, this book is littered with typos, I have never seen anything quite like it.

The main idea so far has been the importance of an independent legislature, how it contributes to the rule of law, how an upper house may contribute to its independence, and how it rather than the courts should determine what the constitution means for today.

I find myself oscillating between “these are fantastical arguments, an exercise in taking reason to an extreme” and “perhaps I should take these arguments seriously” 🤪

One of the more strange books I’ve every read. Has been modest in its conclusions so far: there are no good reason to reject a number of theistic arguments for the existence of God.

Looking forward to getting into the substantive chapters. Seems at once perineal (canonical)—dealing with questions like the existence of god and objectivity of value—and idiosyncratic (autobiographical)—being torn between two multifaceted but contrasting views, Mulgan combines the arguments for each that he finds convincing.

The collision that killed the dinosaurs is what Powell calls a non-merit based selective event because it picks winners that would otherwise not have an adaptive advantage. Gould believes such events send evolution down an otherwise unpredictable path. Powell claRifies this idea. Only criticism: analogies and examples which would help orient the reader are unhelpfully given at the end of a section.

Good so far, nice balance between science and philosophy. Enjoyed learning about the speed at which life arrived when conditions on earth were habitual.

First three essays were all interesting and perfectly concise

Abandoned because the book is filled with too much anecdote and the author overstates the ‘evolutionary’ lens he uses to understand exercise (and a absence of exercise).