Machiavellian Reflections (Part 4)
149: “People are more motivated by the relative inequality, than by the absolute level of well being.” –Brett Weinstein People are more motivated by their level of relative wealth, than by their absolute level of wealth. Why? Because it isn’t about money or wealth. It’s about status and power. 150: Men who engage in extreme […]
Machiavellian Reflections (Part 3)
100: If they talk a lot and say nothing, they are either hiding something (Politicians and Lawyers) or they are so dumb that they can’t articulate a clear point (masses). In either case, don’t trust that they will take actions that advance your interests. 101: God cannot change the past. A decent lawyer can. 102: […]
Machiavellian Reflections (Part 2)
50: Men who have sterling reputations are simply masters of advertising their greatest moments and hiding their worst moments. “Many men seem great, until you get to know them personally.” –Baltasar Gracian Men who are viewed as great by the public, are usually viewed as mediocre by their families. Why? The public only see’s their […]
Machiavellian Reflections (Part 1)
Preamble: What follows are the reflections of a machiavellian somewhere in the corporate world. The order is arbitrary; stream of consciousness style. Reflections: 1: Most people think of ‘Honor’ and ‘Cunning’ as being mutually exclusive, but they are not. The greatest men have both. Honorable men are rare. Cunning men are rare. A man who […]
Leftwing Communists and Rightwing Libertarians
Preamble: Wise men make decisions and form policies on the basis of realistic options and real world consequences. Fools make decisions and form policies on the basis of what their ideology tells them should work in theory. Communists and Libertarians are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, at least so far as economic matters […]
Transformation of America
Preamble: America changed drastically from 1960 to 2010. 3 very different societies are detailed: America in 1960, America in 1990, and America in 2010. 1) 1960 America: 1A) Economic Environment: Gentle Inequality. Low Gini Coefficient. There is a large middle class, a minority of people are rich, and a minority of people are poor. The […]
Maxims and Reflections (Francesco Guicciardini)
Preamble: What follows are notes on Francesco Guicciardini’s Maxims and Reflections. Quotes from the book are in bold, my own commentary is in Normal Text. Wisdom from Francesco Guicciardini: “Unless necessity requires it, avoid saying anything which if repeated would displease others. In ways you could not possibly foresee, what you say will be repeated […]
The Art of Worldly Wisdom (Baltasar Gracian)
Preamble: What follows are notes on Baltasar Gracian’s book The Art of Worldly Wisdom. Direct quotes from Gracian are in bold, commentary is in normal text. Notes on The Art of Worldly Wisdom: xix: Arouse no Exaggerated Expectations on Entering Expectations can rise to infinity, but results cannot. To keep people satisfied you must keep […]
Peterson Content Worth Having
Preamble: On YouTube you will find thousands of hours worth of content Jordan Peterson has created. Below I have listed out content Peterson has created that is the most valuable.Note: I have included URLs of the videos rather than hyperlinks, for fear of hyperlinks becoming dysfunctional. 0) Introduction to Peterson: Hierarchies, Inequality, Big 5https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sSe6FSrylc&feature=youtu.be Money, […]
Men And Women Are Different
1) Preamble: What follows are a list of gender differences you ought to be aware of. They are all driven by biology and genetics, not cultural training. Gender is not just a social construct; behavioral and psychological differences between men and women exist due to different evolutionary pressures being put on male and female humans. […]