013: In Defense of Attacking Virtue Signaling

When I first got wind of the term “virtue signaling,” it was as though I suddenly found a word that had been on the tip of my tongue for years. There were people, they were saying things that were annoying, I wasn’t sure why, or what to call the spade—only that it felt really scuzzy to be around. What was that stupid thing George Clooney was doing at his Oscar acceptance speech all those years ago? How come the more glowing character traits this job interview candidate lists about himself, the less I want to hire him? Why is that one lady always shouting “Amen!” after everything the preacher says? Yeah we know, Amen!
( Read more... )

Slow Havamal: 10

In the tenth verse, wisdom is described as the best burden a traveler can carry. It will prove useful in new places, and grants comfort to the poor.

The fact that wisdom is referred to as a burden is another of Havamal’s jokes, I think. Later in the poem it’ll be spoken of as something that doesn’t necessarily bring joy. But for now, the metaphor of the burden compares it to the physical belongings of the traveler. Nothing he can pack, in any quantity, will exceed the value of the wisdom he carries with him. I’ve already defined wisdom as a structure of experiences and their relationships. It provides context for our situation. No matter how little wisdom we have, we will always use it to fit the current situation to a narrative and make judgments and decisions about it. The quality of those judgments and decisions improve with the quality of our wisdom.
( Read more... )