Four extremely bad ideas that have been popular

Here are four incredibly bad ideas (that are still commonly believed): 1) That people should be judged for, blamed for, or feel shame about the behavior of their ancestors. Of course, if your ancestors did bad things, you should condemn those acts. And if you directly benefit from something bad your family member did, you should consider if you can make amends. But, logically, people cannot be morally responsible for events that they were unable to affect. This bad idea (th...
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Four reasons art is made – and how they shape the art world

There is something very strange about the art world, which, I think, has to do with art stemming from four different motivations that often come into tension with each other.  More specifically, I suspect that art is created mainly for four reasons: 1) Urge: many artists seem to have a compulsion to create (sometimes, to create oddly specific things). They make art to satisfy this urge. In this category, I would also include art that is mainly motivated by helping the artist ach...
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The Nine Causes of Disagreement

There are an incredible range of subjects that people disagree about, but only a small number of core reasons that people disagree. When we encounter complex and difficult to resolve disputes, it can be helpful to break them down in terms of these reasons. This process can help give us insight into what is preventing a consensus from being reached. Disagreements can be caused by: 1. Facts. People have access to different information. One person has studied physics, another hasn't. One has spen...
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