analects noun, pl

/ˈan.ə.lɛkts/

a collection of ideas, extracts, or teachings.

Moral Terrain

stuff On ethics in the wild

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analects under the categories btrmt. believes in, as set out in the manifesto

analects organised according to the fundamental questions of philosophy

sequences of articles gathered around a more focused idea

  • against mcaskillian longtermism 10 Jul 2025 [marginalium] Against McAskillian Longtermism: Whatever is wrong with utilitarians who advocate the murder of a million for a 0.0001 percent reduction in...
  • critiquing utilitarianism 2 Jul 2025 [marginalium] I think a lot of people intuitively like the kind of “calculus of pain and pleasure” that utilitarianism offers. But it often falls short of...
  • on zoophilia 12 Jun 2025 [marginalium] “only in very recent years that some people have begun to undermine the absolute prohibition on zoosexuality. Are their arguments dangerous,...
  • preferring skilled migration enhances xenophobia 7 Jun 2025 [marginalium] Preferring skilled migration appears to make us less amenable to migrants more broadly. This is an email about the Australian situation—we o...
  • policy-oriented political philosophy 1 May 2025 [marginalium] Policy-oriented political philosophy. The article frames it best: how does political philosophy relate to policy? What I found interesting...
  • on kahneman's assisted suicide 10 Apr 2025 [marginalium] On Kahneman’s assisted suicide. WSJ, so need paywall buster. No particular angle here, but interesting to see people try to apply all the bi...
  • the roots of democratic legitimacy 3 Apr 2025 [marginalium] The Roots Of Democratic Legitimacy. This is a technical article, but you can skim it to draw out the main point. We balance majority (repres...
  • is democracy strong enough for trump? 27 Jan 2025 [marginalium] Fukuyama asks ‘is democracy strong enough for Trump’? Honestly, you could just skip to the last paragraph: I don’t think his policies will...
  • tools for thinking about censorship 9 Jan 2025 [marginalium] Tools for Thinking About Censorship: But for this particular reflection, please remember these five points: The majority of censorship is...
  • we’re not death phobic, we’re death complacent 20 Dec 2024 [marginalium] We’re not death phobic, we’re death complacent: Our culture is routinely diagnosed with an excessive fear of mortality. A calm look at the...
  • a taxonomy of modern ethical values 6 Dec 2024 [marginalium] A taxonomy of modern ethical values. Here’s the summary of thinking—interesting: A person is in a constant and unremitting evolutionary st...
  • thought-police britain 20 Nov 2024 [marginalium] On Thought-Police Britain One vital function of bureaucracy is as a substitute for social trust, especially at scale. And as “post-liberal”...
  • australia banning social media for under-16s 8 Nov 2024 [marginalium] Australia banning social media for under-16s. The implied identity checks, though a distinct privacy concern, will probably reduce anonymous...
  • what happens if americans claim asylum from a trump regime? 1 Nov 2024 [marginalium] What happens if Americans claim asylum from a Trump regime? Heartening, it is not.
  • the end of the nfl’s concussion crisis 30 Oct 2024 [marginalium] The End of the NFL’s Concussion Crisis. Interesting account of the silence: Fans, it seems, have chosen to believe the NFL has largely done...
  • is surveillance capitalism not that bad? 23 Oct 2024 [marginalium] Is surveillance capitalism not that bad? The value in monetising user data, or at least a critique of the dangers. Largely, the argument is...
  • the horizon of desire 11 Oct 2024 [marginalium] The Horizon Of Desire. Thoughtful piece on the benefits gained out of our recent fraught attempts at developing new narratives around sex an...
  • la system that covers up police misconduct 20 Sep 2024 [marginalium] LA system that covers up police misconduct. Not just terrifying, but also what good website design.
  • a touching suicide pact? 10 Aug 2024 [marginalium] A touching suicide pact? Scientists Pat and Peter Shaw died in a suicide pact. Here, their daughters reflect on their parents’ plan - and th...
  • hypocrisy is not a real problem in world politics 21 Jun 2024 [marginalium] hypocrisy is treated as some kind of cardinal sin — sometimes even to the exclusion of more serious crimes. This is, after all, an arena tha...
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