Author: janus

The title of this piece is somewhat of a mixed metaphor, but it does convey an immediate message which is that if you build spanning a geological fault then, no matter how imposing and useful the building, it is almost certain to collapse. The term “broad church” is often used about the Labour Party, and…

When John F. Kennedy said in his inaugural address “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate” he was stating one of the most basic political truths, which is that there are always differing and often contradictory views on everything and that, outside of an outright dictatorship, the only…

Preamble Nobody can predict the future with certainty, however systems of government and social organization remain static, considered as philosophies such as Autocracy, Representative Democracy etc., even though their details may vary considerably both between implementations and over time. The rapid and exponentially accelerating progress in science and technology do now and will in the…

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ― Lao Tzu Exponential Growth “An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense “intuitive linear” view. So we…

“Why should we only toil, the roof and crown of things?Death is the end of life; ah, why/ should life all labor be?” Tennyson, deep in the golden age of the Protestant work ethic, saw attitudes like those expressed in the above quotes from “The Lotos Eaters” as inherently sinful, brought on by indulgence in…