Back to Home

Essays

Long-form reflections and thinking on various subjects.

status: In Progress

Status Indicator

The status indicator reflects the current state of the work: - Abandoned: Work that has been discontinued - Notes: Initial collections of thoughts and references - Draft: Early structured version with a central thesis - In Progress: Well-developed work actively being refined - Finished: Completed work with no planned major changes This helps readers understand the maturity and completeness of the content.

·
certainty: likely

Confidence Rating

The confidence tag expresses how well-supported the content is, or how likely its overall ideas are right. This uses a scale from "impossible" to "certain", based on the Kesselman List of Estimative Words: 1. "certain" 2. "highly likely" 3. "likely" 4. "possible" 5. "unlikely" 6. "highly unlikely" 7. "remote" 8. "impossible" Even ideas that seem unlikely may be worth exploring if their potential impact is significant enough.

·
importance: 6/10

Importance Rating

The importance rating distinguishes between trivial topics and those which might change your life. Using a scale from 0-10, content is ranked based on its potential impact on: - the reader - the intended audience - the world at large For example, topics about fundamental research or transformative technologies would rank 9-10, while personal reflections or minor experiments might rank 0-1.

Against the Desire for Solipsism2025.08.11
status: Draft·certainty: possible·importance: 6/10

on the advantages, and drawbacks of leading a solipsistic lifestyle

epistemologydesiresolipsism
In Defense of the Malfeasant2025.08.11
status: in progress·certainty: possible·importance: 2/10
ethicswrongdoingdefense
That to Live is to Be Evil2025.08.11
status: in progress·certainty: possible·importance: 1/10
ethicslifeevil
That Lust Cannot Be Sated2025.07.18
status: Notes·certainty: certain·importance: 9/10

a moral letter to those who indulge in excessive, and unprincipled lust

ethicsdesirelust
Boy, Interrupted2025.07.14
status: Notes·certainty: certain·importance: 9/10

a meditation on interrupted boyhood, the loss of innocence, trauma, modernity, neglect, precocity, and repression

autobiographydevelopmentinterruption
Letter to the Licentious2025.07.13
status: Notes·certainty: certain·importance: 9/10

a moral letter to those who indulge in excessive, and unprincipled lust

ethicslettersexuality
On Being Wounded2025.06.16
status: Notes·certainty: certain·importance: 9/10

Considering what it means to be wounded, physically or emotionally, and how pain shapes perception.

sufferingtraumahealing
On Learning Serious Things2025.06.16
status: Notes·certainty: certain·importance: 8/10

Examining the difference between passive knowledge and transformative learning.

learningpedagogyseriousness
On the Learning of Difficult Things2025.06.16
status: Notes·certainty: certain·importance: 8/10

A reflection on the mental and emotional labor of serious study, and why the hard things matter most.

learningdifficultypedagogy
Reflections on Lifelong Study2025.06.16
status: Notes·certainty: certain·importance: 7/10

On the virtues, limits, and meaning of dedicating one’s life to continuous learning.

learningautobiographystudy

in Naperville, IL
Last visitor from Mitaka, Japan