Attaining a deep understanding of the world, how things work, history and our place in it, and how to live well.
- Understand scientific rational thinking, reasoning, epistemology and methods.
- Understand how key parts of our world works.
- Understand history and our place in it.
- Understand and leverage appropriate mental models and philosophy to live well.
Wisdom is knowing the long-term consequences of your actions.
Judgement is applying wisdom to external problems (to capitalize on making the right decision).
Scientific Rational Thinking, Reasoning, Epistemology and Methods
How Key Parts of Our World Works
- 📈 How the Economic Machine Works
- 🎬 Video (43:42 min): Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Ray Dalio
- 🕮 Book: How Countries Go Broke: Principles for Navigating the Big Debt Cycle, Where We Are Headed, and What We Should Do by Ray Dalio
- 🕮 Book: Landet som ble for rikt – hvordan Norge endte i oljefondets felle by Martin Bech Holte (2024 | in Norwegian)
- 🎙️ Podcast (3:08:45 h): Joe Rogan Experience #2234 – Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen expresses optimism about Trump’s election win, viewing it as a timeline split following an assassination attempt survival. He criticizes Biden’s regulatory crackdown on tech, like crypto and AI, citing de-banking and startup suppression as steps toward China-like control. He praises Trump’s team, incl. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, for pushing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut bureaucracy and boost growth. Andreessen notes cultural shifts, like the left’s radicalization and RFK Jr.’s health focus, hinting at a Democratic shift to moderation. Once a Democrat, he now backs a freer tech landscape, eyeing a “Golden Age” of innovation, wary of AI’s government misuse. - 🕮 Book: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Eric Jorgenson
- 🕮 Book: The Anthology of Balaji: A Guide to Technology, Truth, and Building the Future by Eric Jorgenson
- 🕮 Book: The Network State: How To Start a New Country by Balaji Srinivasan
- Network states propose a model in which wealthy individuals or corporations could establish their own communities or even micro-nations, built on ideals of economic freedom and technological independence.
- Network states propose a model in which wealthy individuals or corporations could establish their own communities or even micro-nations, built on ideals of economic freedom and technological independence.
- 📄Essay on AI: Machines of Loving Grace (2024) by Dario Amodei (co-founder and CEO of Anthropic)
- 📄Essay on AI: The Adolescence of Technology (2026) by Dario Amodei (co-founder and CEO of Anthropic)
- 📄 Planned Obsolescence: The Truth About Why Your Products Don’t Last
- 🎬 Documentary (1h 24m | 2024): Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy
- 📄 What Moneyball-for-Everything Has Done to American Culture
- 📄 Why is the World Losing Color?
- Stop using the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, it is bullshit and is not serving you.
- If not convinced, read this paper by Dr. Laith Al-Shawaf who is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, specializing in evolutionary psychology with a focus on personality, cognition, and emotion. He holds a Ph.D. and has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by the Association for Psychological Science. His academic journey includes affiliations with the Arab-German Young Academy, and he has received numerous awards at UCCS, such as the Faculty Award for Excellence in Research and the Students’ Choice Educator of the Year. Dr. Al-Shawaf has over 80 publications, has been a Visiting Fellow at prestigious institutes like the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin, and serves as an adviser for various international research centers. His work is widely cited and has been featured in prominent media outlets.
Parenting
- 🕮 4 Great and very Practical Books on Parenting by Hedvig Montgomery
- The Time of Miracles
- The Kindergarten Age
- Parental Magic
- The Elementary School Age
- 🌐 Website: Character Lab: Actionable advice for parents and teachers – based on science
- 📄 How Parental Tone During Childhood Shapes Your Inner Dialogue
- 📄 How to Understand and Manage Children’s Screen Time to Reclaim Their Future influenced by thoughts from Jonathan Haidt
- 📄 Healthy Childhood Development (coming soon) influenced by thoughts from Dr. Gabor Maté. In the meantime, see his latest book “The Myth of Normal“, and watch him on the Joe Rogan Experience #1869 – Dr. Gabor Mate. Dr. Gabor Maté is a physician, speaker, and author regularly sought for his expertise on a range of topics including addiction, stress, and childhood development.
History and Our Place in It
- 🕮 Books: History and Society
- 📣 Be Inspired by the Transcript of Some the Best Speeches in History
- 🎬 Video Series: “History 101” on Netflix
- 🎬 TED Talk: How We Will Survive on Mars
- 🕮 Book: The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must by Dr. Robert Zubrin
- 📄 Forbes article: NASA, SpaceX And Scientists Speed Up Human Race To Colonize Mars
Political History
- 📄 Video Summary: Overview of the appalling crimes of the post-war US presidents
- 📄 What Steps and Historical Moments Lead Trump to Become President?
Controversial
- President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele’s, Prison Reform
Since 2019 significant prison reforms has been implemented as part of his broader anti-gang and security strategy. The reforms are often tied to his declaration of a state of exception, mass incarcerations, and the construction of the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) mega-prison, alongside efforts toward inmate rehabilitation.
- 🎙️ Podcast (2:43:51 h): Joe Rogan Experience #2237 – Mike Benz
Mike Benz is a former State Department official and current Executive Director of the Foundation For Freedom Online. He explains the evolution of government censorship and disinformation strategies. Benz elaborates on how government entities and social media platforms have increasingly collaborated in what he describes as a “whole of society” approach to manage information. He particularly highlights how this strategy was refined post-2016 to counter populism and maintain what is referred to as the “rules-based international order.” The conversation also covers the complexities of censorship mechanisms, including the involvement of NGOs, tech companies, and academia in creating a coordinated front against what they define as disinformation. - 🎙️ Podcast (3:22:26 h): Joe Rogan Experience #2272 – Mike Benz
Mike Benz exposes USAID’s inner workings, comparing its targeting by Trump’s White House to a bold prison confrontation, revealing the foreign policy “Blob’s” domestic influence through funding NGOs, media, and censorship globally, often masked as “judicial reform” or “democracy promotion,” with oddities like $200 million for transgender monkey studies. He ties this to CIA precedents from the 1960s and modern cases like USAID’s sway over Brazil’s judiciary against Bolsonaro and its use of hip-hop to destabilize regimes, hinting at drug network ties. Benz warns this “USAID Truman Show” warps institutions, media, unions, even music, forecasting a 50-year reform fight despite USAID’s staff dropping from 14,000 to 290.
- 📄 How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline by Seymour Hersh (Pulitzer Price winner)
- 📄 COVID Origin: WCW investigation proves U.S. Govt Funded “Patient Zero”
- 🕮 Mysteriet i Wuhan. Jakten på covid-pandemiens opphav by Sigrid Bratlie (2025 | in Norwegian)
- Through this book, Sigrid Bratlie provides a very convincing argument that a lab leak is the most credible explanation.
Miscellaneous
Mental Models and Philosophy
Understand and leverage appropriate mental models and philosophy to live well.
Mental Models
- 🧠 Mental Models
- 🕮 Books: Useful and Effective Mental Models
- 📄 How to Think Critically and Avoid Logical Fallacies
- 📄 Practicing Mental Hygiene
Philosophy
Basics of Philosophy
- Metaphysics: How things are
- Ontology: What there is
- Epistemology: How we know
- Ethics: How we act
- Aesthetics: What beauty is
- Logic: How reasoning works
- Phenomenology: How things appear
- Axiology: What values are
- Semantics: What language means
- 🕮 Books: Philosophy and Psychology
- 📄 Video Summary: How to Transform Unpleasant Experiences & Thoughts into Opportunities
- 📄 Video Summary: 7 Top-notch TED Talks Everyone Should Watch
- 🎙️Podcast: Sam Harris Discussing Life’s Big Questions on the Lex Fridman podcast
- 📄 How to Think About the Understanding a of Golden Nuggets of Insight
- 📄 Agrippa’s Trilemma and the Quest for Life’s Meaning
To Keep in Mind
- 📄 No Regrets, but Purposeful Reflection
- 📄 Reframing Certain Feelings through Powerful Definitions
- 📄 Optimistic & Wrong > Pessimistic & Right
- 📄 3 Short Mental Shifts to Dramatically Improve Your Life
- 📄 How to Instantly Feel Better
- 📄 A Short Course in Human Relations
- 📄 Integrity: the Cornerstone of Trust
- 📄 Knowledge Conquers Fear
- 📄 Intermittent Fasting for the Mind
- 📄 Be Mindful of Your Internal Knee-jerk Feeling
- 📄 What is the Positive Interpretation of This?
- 📄 Impatience with Actions, Patience with Results
- 📄 “Luck”
- 📄 Desire
- 📄 Transform Desires: Find Peace Beyond External Outcomes
- 📄 Habits & Influence
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