Category Archives: Society

The Fertility Rate: the Best Dam(n) Wellbeing Index Going Around?

Valiant attempts have been made to measure happiness and wellbeing. People much smarter than me have developed fancy indices, and people even smarter than that, such as our own Nicholas Gruen, has called bullshit on many of them. What I … Continue reading

Posted in Ethics, Health, Life, Philosophy, Social Policy, Society | 13 Comments

Why AI isn’t coming for us any time soon

As some of you may know, I am now publishing a weekly substack of articles I’ve found interesting on the net and in some cases offering some summary commentary. In an unprecedented move, the kind of once in a 1,000 … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural Critique, Philosophy, Political theory, Social, Society | Leave a comment

Hidden Unpersuaders: How we mistook the digital giants for all-powerful manipulators

The twin threats of “hidden persuasion” and artificial intelligence have now convinced most of us that Google and its ilk are almost uniquely powerful. These threats are overrated. The digital giants can do less than we fear – and we … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Information, IT and Internet, Media, regulation, Society | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Science and the universe of is: Design and the multiverse of what might be

From a recent podcast interview with Tyson Yunkaporta This post began as a comment on David Walker’s post on David Card’s Nobel Prize for his study which showed that at least in the situation he investigated a smallish rise in … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural Critique, Economics and public policy, Philosophy, Science, Social Policy, Society | 3 Comments

Where are the Chinese reforms going?

Let us look at the extraordinary non-covid changes now happening in China. The country has been reforming rapidly the last 20 months and I want to muse about the trajectory these reforms are setting China upon. Many commentators see in … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural Critique, Politics - international, Social Policy, Society | 12 Comments

The Great Covid Panic: now out!

It’s here, the booklet I am sure you have all been waiting for. The one which Gigi Foster and Michael Baker slaved over for 10 months. It is also on Kindle. It is dedicated to all the victims of the … Continue reading

Posted in Bargains, Coronavirus crisis, Dance, Death and taxes, Democracy, Economics and public policy, Education, Employment, Ethics, Health, History, Humour, Inequality, Isegoria, IT and Internet, Journalism, Law, Libertarian Musings, Life, Literature, Media, Medical, Parenting, Philosophy, Political theory, Politics - international, Politics - national, Print media, Public and Private Goods, Religion, Review, Science, Social, Social Policy, Society, Sortition and citizens’ juries, Terror, Theatre, Travel, WOW! - Amazing | 7 Comments

On censorship in Australia and elsewhere

What do you do as an Australian parliament when a foreign company censors mainstream media content in Australia, undermining free speech? Do you organise an inquiry to hold those foreign companies to account and to see how you might prevent … Continue reading

Posted in Coronavirus crisis, Cultural Critique, Democracy, Films and TV, IT and Internet, Journalism, Media, Politics - international, Politics - national, Print media, Society | 12 Comments