Ideas, opinions, politics, humanities
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Will smartphones one day listen to us all the time?
Every few months, someone experiences the same unsettling coincidence. They discuss a holiday with a friend, mention a new car, or casually talk about buying a coffee machine. Hours later, advertisements for exactly those products appear on their phone. Many people immediately reach the same conclusion: the smartphone must have been listening. Despite countless anecdotes,…
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Make Orwell Fiction Again
George Orwell never intended Nineteen Eighty-Four to become a prophecy. He wrote it as a warning. Published in 1949, the novel reflected his fears after witnessing fascism, Stalinism, and the rise of modern propaganda. Orwell believed that freedom could disappear not only through military conquest but also through gradual political and technological change. A society…
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The forces that created Donald Trump
Donald Trump is one of the most polarizing political figures of the twenty-first century. To his supporters, he is the man who challenged a corrupt establishment, defended national interests, and gave a voice to ordinary Americans. To his critics, he represents populism, division, and an assault on democratic norms. Both camps often make the same…
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How average IQ may have risen by 30 points: From medieval peasants to modern Europeans
Walk through a medieval European village. Most people cannot read. Childhood diseases are everywhere. Food shortages are common. Parasites, contaminated water, and recurring epidemics shape everyday life. Children work from an early age instead of attending school. Scientific thinking barely exists outside monasteries and a handful of universities. Now compare that world with modern Europe.…
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Americans think the US spends 25% on foreign aid. It spends 1%
Ask the average American how much of the federal budget goes to foreign aid, and the answer will often be astonishing. Around one quarter. For decades, surveys have repeatedly found that Americans believe roughly 25% of the federal budget is spent helping other countries. The real number is nowhere close. Before the recent reductions in…
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Organized Illuminati and Deep State? They exist to some extent
Evidence, evidence, evidence. I am the first one who demands it nearly in every claim. Did Jesus Christ exist? Does God exist? And so on. It is highly unprofessional for me to dive into unproven claims, but logic and statements by highly-ranking officials may give us clues. While there is massive documentary evidence of the…
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Inherited wealth, little innovation, lower taxes?
Capitalism has always been sold as a system of competition. The idea appears straightforward. Anyone with talent, determination, and a good idea can build a successful business. Consumers choose the best products. Inefficient companies disappear. New inventions replace old ones, while every entrepreneur has an opportunity to challenge the market leaders. Wealth, in this view,…
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How the right-left spectrum disappeared in Europe
The everlasting, vigorous fight between the left and right in Europe is beyond the memory of those born in the 2000s. Who has more scandals? Who steals more? Whose political marketing is better? The debate revolved around changing taxes and sometimes even reforming the economy and health care. Everything followed either right-wing or left-wing policies.…
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Is philosophy merely waiting to become science?
There is another explanation for why philosophy still exists. It is one of the most controversial ideas in the philosophy of science. According to this view, philosophy has not failed because it cannot answer questions. Rather, it continuously transforms into science whenever reliable methods become available. In other words, philosophy is not a permanent discipline.…
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Philosophy cannot define itself: 2,500 years and still no definition
What is philosophy? It sounds like one of the simplest questions imaginable. Ask a physicist what physics studies. They will tell you it investigates matter, energy, forces, and the laws governing the universe. Ask a biologist what biology studies. They will answer that it examines living organisms and the processes of life. Ask a linguist…