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Oskar Hedin's avatar

This series has been most helpful in providing a frame of reference which other life advice can be related to and analysed through (such as the conflicting advice found in self help books you mention). I was happily suprised that the complex information I was looking for was provided through enjoyable metaphors, easy to follow trains of thought and clear descriptions in your articles.

I'm happy Chris Wiliamson recommended your substack.

Thoughts related to what can be deemed important and/or worthwhile pursuits has been on my mind quite a lot the past few years, and this has provided much-needed clarity for me.

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Brigid LaSage's avatar

Fascinating, helpful and thought provoking, thank you! I kept thinking about the price of non-conformity which obviously has evolutionary disadvantages. If you want to stay alive, you don't piss off your tribe. But isn't the pursuit of truth a higher ideal (kind of sky hook?) that can bring a sense of purpose and contribute to happiness? Science and human progress depend on people like Galileo insisting that facts are real (Eppur si muove!) even when the social group forces them to say otherwise.

The question of whether principled non conformity is worth the social cost seems especially timely now with communities, families and friends being torn apart by political differences. It's definitely real to me personally since social justice dogmatism took over my social circles and workplace. What would Socrates say?

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