The pursuit of excellence has infiltrated and corrupted the world of leisure.
The Case for Lowering Your Expectations
It may be the key to happiness and sustainable performance
Opinion | Love People, Not Pleasure (Published 2014)
What do fame, wealth and lots of sex bring? Exactly the opposite of what you think.
Research – Open Heart Mind
We’re developing Metavaluation — a participatory framework for recognising and rewarding the value of diverse contributions, from creative work and care to logistics and leadership.
Giving What We Can, 80,000 Hours, and Meta-Charity - Less Wrong
Disclaimer: I’m somewhat nervous about posting this, for fear of down-voting on my first LW post, given that this post explicitly talks in a positive light about organisations that I have helped to set up. But I think that the topic is of interest to LW-ers, and I’m hoping to start a rational discussion. So here it goes…
A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning.
The Imperfectionist: Navigating by aliveness
I’m amazed and very pleased to say that the UK paperback of Meditations for Mortals entered the Sunday Times bestsellers at number 9 this week, after being selected as a Waterst...
The Times are Urgent: Let’s Slow Down • Writings – Bayo Akomolafe
An Open Letter to CONCORD-DEEEP, CIVICUS, GCAP, Civic Society Organizations and Activists Working for a ‘Better’ World. This article is co-authored by Bayo Akomolafe and Marta Benavides. With deep gratitude for the stories of transformation now emerging across the planet, and for the renewed hope we share for a different kind of world, we greet you from our hearts.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and…
An explosive memoir charting one woman’s career at the …
A More Perfect Meritocracy
Two new books take aim at the moral failures of meritocracy. But we can advocate for a more just society without giving up on merit.
The Imperfectionist: Interest is everything
Interest is everything Each time I sit down to choose a topic for this newsletter, there’s a moment when my self-important inner judge – who loves to involve himself in such mat...
More Everything Forever
This "smart and wonderfully readable" (New York Times) exposé shows why Silicon Valley’s heartless, baseless, and foolish obsessions—with escaping death...
The Joy of Becoming Worthless…except to each other — Douglas Rushkoff
My last piece, The Intentional Collapse, seems to have agitated a few people. I know it came off a bit dark. I talked about how the Uber wealthy believe the world as we know it is ending and that there won’t be enough essential resources to go around, so they need to take control of as much money and stuff and land as possible in order to position themselves for the end of days.
Performance Reviews Are the Scorecard of Capitalism (And Why That Should Free You)
Credit: Daniel Dalea / Unsplash Every review season is an emotional rollercoaster. Anxiety. Self assessments. Anticipation. Disappointment. As an IC, I felt like how much it impacted me was a perso…
Expecting researcher taste and judgement to become increasingly valuable (this is from Anthropic's Opus 5.5 system card) anthropic.com/claude-opus-5-5-system-card
