Thinking For Yourself (Generalisations)
The only true generalization is the generalization that every generalization is incorrect. When we generalize we take leaps in logic and rationality based upon very little evidence. The worst kind of generalization, therefore, is a generalization based upon a single instance; where we have encountered something to be one way once, and then proceed to ...
Thinking For Yourself (Admitting Ignorance)
In modern day life we are viewed as idiotic if we admit that we do not know exactly what we are talking about. In common parlance we are told to “take a stab at the answer”, “have a guess” or “have a go at it”. In performance tests (at school, university and work) we are ...
I Don’t Care If You’re a Terrorist on the Weekend as Long as You Make me Money
A friend recently attended a graduate career seminar and was told by an anonymous investment banker: “I don’t care if you’re a terrorist on the weekend, as long as you make me money”. This kind of sentiment was backed by anecdotal stories of those who have experienced rampant sexism and racism within the banking and ...
The Architecture of Suffering
My newest prisoner, “Robinson”, is currently in solitary confinement after stabbing a guard with a plastic fork. His cell is just about as large as he is, and he’ll be there for a couple hours until he cools down. I basically lock him up, bash him up and then deprive him of food. Welcome to ...
Quidditch Soc as a Metaphor for Dumb, Anti-intellectual Photogenic “culture” at O-Week
If I could summarize the mantra of O-Week in 2014 I would say: only things worth sharing are worth doing. Basically, you should only do something that can easily be captured in a photograph. Said photograph can then be shared online, to prove how successful your event was, and form part of a monoculture of similar photographs – where ...
