I noticed this unfamiliar George Orwell quote on page 48 of Robert Galbraith's (a.k.a. J.K. Rowling) latest book: The Running Grave. This quote feels related to my recent blog: Philosophy – our most dangerous belief? The best example of this George Orwell quote is communism; also see my 2015 blog. Apart from (instinctive) romantic love, all ideas are rooted in...
Conspiracy thinking
Is stupidity at the Left feeding conspiracies at the Right?
15 Dec, 2022
Last week, I had an epiphany: what do (alleged) conspiracies (eg, Covid-19, EU, Trump, WEF) at the conservative-right have in common? Those all followed policies embraced by the liberal-left. In my view, the conservative-right overestimates the "intelligence" of the liberal-left. In my view, the World Economic Forum (WEF) is a left-liberal joke. The idea that those...
What is the “Great Replacement” right-wing conspiracy theory? (the Economist)
22 May, 2022
Introduction by LO: Rather than a right-wing conspiracy theory, the Great Replacement "theory" is - most of all - another example of Philosophy, as a Belief system (eg, my blogs of 2015 Black Twitter versus White Supremacy, and of 2016 White supremacy-2), Of all our beliefs, ideology might be the most stupid one (eg, my 2021 blog: Is ideology responsible for...
Why are anti-vax and pro-Russia linked?
20 Apr, 2022
Several articles (eg, EurActiv, Guardian, Politico) have already pointed out that the former anti-(Covid)-vax movement is now protesting pro-Russia, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. What do these people have in common? And why? The media refer to conspiracy groups (eg, Politico). That might be true but it's an oversimplification - in my view. These...
Are we wasting a good crisis?
7 Dec, 2021
Allegedly, Winston Churchill came up with the phrase "never let a good crisis go to waste". Quora: "Churchill was referring to Yalta and the alliance forged between himself, Stalin and Roosevelt, an unlikely trio that would lead to the formation of the United Nations, creating opportunities in the midst of a crisis." Some might argue that the WHO is working on a...
Where indifference is bliss, solutions are near
11 Nov, 2021
In his 1742/1768 poem, Thomas Gray wrote two famous last lines: “[..] where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise”. The old English word "folly" means foolish; bliss is "a state of complete happiness or joy". My blog’s title is a paraphrase of those two lines. Small human problems often arise from misunderstandings and/or wrong assumptions. Both can be solved...
Recent Comments