Weekly Roundup #61

I have found the recent US election fascinating for many reasons. Many of these are psychological rather than political, especially since I feel I can't truly appreciate the political landscape of a country that is actually quite different from my own (I think the shared language and popular culture often obscures this fact). A particular psychological observation is our unending capacity to believe the stories that we tell ourselves. I have enjoyed listening to some of analysis of the result (see below) but, especially when compared to the discussions beforehand, you are really struck by the sand upon which much punditry is built. It seems that much of the shock around the Trump victory was principally due to a degree of group-think and confirmation bias. And I include myself in this. Yes, many of the ultimate factors involved here are essentially unknowable, but it is still a reminder of the importance of cultivating the skills to resist such biases.

Reading

As a prompt for though, I’ve enjoyed this short article from Erik Hoel reflecting on the problem of consciousness. The problem is that it is a particularly challenging concept to study, given its deeply subjective nature. I am less convinced that the problem is so intractable, perhaps especially since anaesthesia is my profession. But also because I think the window of subjectivity is how we all view the world. Insisting it is a problem is a path to radical skepticism, which doesn’t allow you to get very far.

Listening

As noted, there has been a reasonable amount going on in the political world this week. The limitations of punditry notwithstanding, I’ve enjoyed the discussions on “The Rest is Politics” podcast the week. At the very least, it helps provide some frame to understand the different factors involved.

Quote

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."

- H. L. Mencken.