Freedom đŚ
Why Substack refuses to censor its writers
Substack is a newsletter publishing platform that has taken a hardline position in favor ot free speech. Lulu Meservey, the VP of Comms at Substack, wrote a viral twitter thread on why her company has a hand-off approach with what writers publish on Substack.đ
What is a âWaldenâ experience?
Whenever you hear someone say theyâve had a âWaldenâ experience, they are referencing Henry David Thoreauâs famous essay.
What is the âopen societyâ and who was its enemy?
In an âopen societyâ the citizens enjoy real personal freedoms, and the stateâs role is consciously limited.
Say ânoâ to conformity: John Stuart Millâs theory of freedom explained
Imagine doing whatever you like as long as it doesnât harm others. This is the central idea of John Stuart Millâs On Liberty. It may sound simple enough, but how many people truly accept this idea? How many people can respect everyoneâs right to live free
Is liberal democracy the ultimate form of government?
In 1992, Francis Fukuyamaâs book The End of History and the Last Man caused a storm and turned him into a major public intellectual.
Danger: big, clever ideas in politics can kill
Famed philosopher of science Karl Popper was wary of any social theories that tried to divine a direction in human history. These âspecific historical or evolutionary laws whose discovery would enable us to prophesy the destiny of manâ were not just bunkum â they were dangerous.
What's your (for now) deal? And what can you hop into next?
Gone are the days of pensions and cushy retirement guarantees. The gold standard of security and status, the pension promise, started to dwindle in the 80s and beyond. One factor could be the creation of 401Ks, which shifted the financial responsibility onto the employee.
Krishnamurti's philosophy of freedom: A crash course
At age 13, Jiddu Krishnamurti was heralded as the next great spiritual teacher by a religious movement called the Theosophical Society. In 1929, aged 34, he famously rejected that role, gave back all donations, and became one of the most influential think
Beware the people who want to improve you
Sir Isaiah Berlin was a political philosopher and a historian of ideas, one of the great intellectuals of the 20th century. His essay âTwo Concepts of Libertyâ (1958) is a brilliant exploration of what freedom really means, personal and political.
Modern Philosophy 101: Sartre
Central to Jean-Paul Sartreâs thinking is the view that people have no essential âessenceâ. In fact, when humans analyze their own being, what they find at the heart of it is nothing.