Powerup Your Mind Newsletter
A weekly summary of content from 'Intellectual Freedom' to next level your thinking.
Welcome back! I've been gone for a long minute. However, now that I am publishing podcasts and articles again, I've changed the format from emailing you every time I post to a once-a-week newsletter to respect your inbox. I hate getting bombarded with emails during the week, and I'm sure you do, too.
This weekly newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest and greatest content on Intellectual Freedom. Consume what interests you and scroll on by what doesn't. I hope you find a few minutes on a Sunday morning or afternoon to read, listen, or both.
Each week, I'll share articles, podcasts, recommended artists, or books across the cultural landscape to help you gain knowledge, expand your perspective, and better understand this crazy world we live in.
Enjoy the newsletter! Let me know what you think.
David D. Hopkins, PhD
Whispers from the Grave: Holly Butcher's Profound Lessons on Life
In this podcast, I reflect on the profound impact of life's unpredictability. Wisdom is often found not in textbooks but in the words of ordinary people with extraordinary perspectives. I share and discuss the final moving comments of Holly Butcher on Facebook, of all places. She was a young woman who passed away at 27. Her message underscores the importance of appreciating life's simplicity, cherishing loved ones, and embracing moments. Holly's wisdom is a powerful reminder to prioritize what truly matters in a world filled with distractions and unnecessary complexities.
Embracing Unpleasant Truths: Why Erasing History Isn’t the Answer
Cancel culture is toxic in many ways. However, erasing history in its various forms is especially dangerous. As a society, we need to confront uncomfortable truths. This article discusses how erasing or sanitizing history, driven by a desire for comfort, is detrimental to societal growth and understanding.
One example is the well-intentioned renaming of military installations as a valid path to progress. I argue genuine change comes from studying and learning from history, especially its darkest chapters, rather than attempting to erase them. I advocate for embracing discomfort to achieve enlightenment and shape a more informed and enlightened future. Inside the blog post is an accompanying podcast discussing the toxicity of cancel culture from a humanistic perspective in great detail. You can read and listen!
What I Am Reading
I am currently reading "End Times" by Peter Turchin. It's a fascinating read so far. I highly recommend it! He argues that all complex societies go through cycles of growth and collapse. He calls these cycles "secular cycles," typically lasting about 500 years.
Turchin bases his theory on the idea that complex societies are driven by two main forces: inequality and conflict.
Inequality refers to the gap between the rich and the poor. Turchin argues that inequality increases over time as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This increase in inequality leads to conflict as the poor become increasingly dissatisfied with their lot in life.
Turchin uses historical data to support his theory. He shows that all complex societies, from ancient Egypt to modern-day China, have undergone secular cycles. He also shows that the timing of these cycles is closely related to society's inequality level.
Turchin's theory has important implications for the future of our society. He argues that we are currently in the midst of a secular cycle and that the level of inequality is increasing. This suggests that we are at risk of a significant conflict in the near future.
His method of inquiry, called cliodynamics, is a different kind of historical perspective than I am used to studying. It uses data science methods, treating the historical record compiled by generations of historians as Big Data. From a data-driven perspective, it's fascinating to see prior civilizations compared to today's modern world.
It’s entertaining, easy to read, and a bit scary too.
Somebody to Check Out…
I first heard David Pinsolf on a podcast. He has a PhD in Psychology from UCLA. But trust me. He isn't your ivory tower academic. The premise of his Substack Page, minus the colorful language, is that our daily lives often operate on autopilot. We are far too often unaware of the underlying forces influencing our actions.
However, when asked to explain our behavior, we rarely admit uncertainty; instead, we fabricate convenient explanations and rationalizations. This tendency extends to how we perceive and describe the actions of others.
In essence, much of our conversation about personal life, relationships, politics, culture, and economic conditions revolves around fabrications that we tell ourselves. A significant portion of what we discuss is unfounded. Consequently, the reasons we provide for our behavior are often inaccurate and self-serving, suggesting that a substantial part of our interactions is built on "bullshit."
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