btrmt.

Analects

filter by:

Everything

stuff from all anthologies

show:

article

How poverty stops you thinking straight (and other things)

article

The Weekly Dispatch

We curate the best psychological dirt from all over the web each week so you don’t have to. Get a jumpstart on the week, over your cup of morning coffee or on the way to work with The Weekly Dispatch.

<a href=…

Check it out

filed under:

article

One simple sentence literally doubles your persuasiveness - But-You-Are Free

article

Wish you could get more people to say ‘yes’? Well, according to thirteen years of research, by adding one sentence to your arsenal of persuasive techniques, you could literally double your success in almost any context. Seriously, it has that robust an…

Check it out

filed under:

article

How a dodgy source will persuade you better - the sleeper effect

article

Do you believe in subliminal messaging? The idea of secret messages influencing our thoughts without our knowledge is a scary idea. Fortunately, the research indicates that although it might have some effects, it won’t make you do anything you didn’t <…

Check it out

filed under:

article

Photoshop for the mind - the halo effect

article

This one phenomenon makes you ignore people’s flaws. It’s the reason that you will pay as much as double for a brand name or ignore the flaws of certain people. It’s called the ‘halo effect’ and although it was discovered as early as 1920, it has just …

Check it out

filed under:

article

Why you aren't as happy as you could be

article

You could be as happy as a lottery winner (without winning the lottery) according to science. Since David Gilbert and his colleagues’ sem…

Check it out

filed under:

Newsletter | About

btrmt.

A text-only version of this site is available at txt.btr.mt — same content, zero JavaScript, minimal presentation.

btrmt. (betterment) examines ideologies worth choosing. Created by Dorian Minors—Cambridge PhD in cognitive neuroscience, Associate Professor at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Core philosophy: humans are animals first, with automatic patterns shaped for us, not by us. Better to examine and choose.

Core concepts. Animals First: automatic patterns of thought and action, but our greatest capacity is nurture. Half Awake: deadened by systems that narrow rather than expand potential. Karstica: unexamined ideologies (hidden sinkholes beneath). Credenda: belief systems we should choose deliberately.

The manifesto. Cynosure (focus): betterment, gratification, connection. Architecture (support): inner (somatic, spiritual, thought) and outer (digital, collective, wealth).

Mission. Not answers but examination. Break academic gatekeeping. Make sciences of mind accessible. Question rather than prescribe.

Writing style. Scholarly without jargon barriers. Philosophical yet practical—grounded in neuroscience and lived experience. Reflective, discovery-oriented. Literary references and metaphor. Critical of systems that narrow human potential. Rejects "humans are flawed"—we're half awake, not broken.

Copyright. BTRMT LIMITED (England/Wales no. 13755561) 2026. Dorian Minors 2026.

Resources

The Manifesto: "Half Awake" - the complete philosophy
About: Dorian's background and the btrmt. story
Animals First: Guide to understanding btrmt.
Analects: Collection of writings/audio examining ideologies

Optional

About Dorian Minors. Started btrmt. in 2013 to share sciences of mind with people who weren't studying them. Background: six years Australian Defence Force (Platoon Commander, Infantry); Gates Cambridge Scholar; PhD cognitive neuroscience, University of Cambridge (2018-2024); currently Associate Professor, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Research interests: neural basis of intelligent behaviour, decision intelligence, ritual formation/breakdown, ethical leadership, wellbeing.

External projects (links also available via Analects):

Lectures: Podcasts exploring ideologies
Neurotypica: Brain science guide for non-scientists
Black Cortex: Leadership consulting