The Garden of Forking Paths

The Garden of Forking Paths

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The Myth of the Secret Genius
 • Brian Klaas
10
The Evolution of Stupidity (and Octopus Intelligence)
 • Brian Klaas
26
From Patrons to Plutocrats: Why Superyachts are the New Cathedrals
 • Brian Klaas
30
Is American democracy doomed?
 • Brian Klaas
28
Against Optimization
 • Brian Klaas
27
The Mirthful Assyriologist, the Real Noah's Ark, and the Oldest Writing in the World
 • Brian Klaas
34
An Ode to Life at Richelieu Rock
Evolutionary dispatches from a hidden world, as I explore one of the most fascinating underwater sites on the planet.
 • 
Brian Klaas
24
"Knowingness" and the Politics of Ignorance
Much ink has been spilled about "polarization." Most of it ignores a major cause: the widespread, misplaced faith that we already know that which we do…
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Brian Klaas
39
Is American democracy doomed?
How to understand the concept of "competitive authoritarianism" and why it's crucial to push back now to avoid it.
 • 
Brian Klaas
28
Brain Food
A buffet of intellectual ideas you never knew you wanted to know.
 • 
Brian Klaas
24
DOGE and the Coming Tsunami
Elon Musk is aggressively and foolishly courting catastrophic risk. We'd be wise to learn from the wisdom of the Moken people to stave off…
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Brian Klaas
34
The False Gospel of Stuff and Status
We have become disciples of a flawed creed. To chase passion and value people is a much wiser way to live; or Ikigai, Detectorists, and the real meaning…
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Brian Klaas
33
The Superb Owl and Nature's Stealth Wisdom
The Super Bowl is today, but why not first learn about the superb owl, and what they have to teach us about the ingenious wisdom of evolution.
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Brian Klaas
19
From Patrons to Plutocrats: Why Superyachts are the New Cathedrals
In our historic past, the ultrawealthy invested in public goods. Today, billionaires buy superyachts to escape public duties. It raises an urgent but…
 • 
Brian Klaas
30
The Democratization of Information Production is Killing Democracy
The way we receive information about our world is unlike any previous generations of humanity. Paradoxically, it's destroying democracy—and Trump's…
 • 
Brian Klaas
37
The Garden of Forking Paths
The Garden of Forking Paths
Wandering around an infinitely complex, ever changing world.
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The Garden of Forking Paths

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