ram_k

@MOneill225 @interintellect_ @jennfrey It’s better than nothing but doesn’t really address what the top post is talking about - which is very few people majoring in the humanities. Their decisions may be rational in isolation, but en masse, they are bad for us all.

@ramcdk @interintellect_ @jennfrey I am happy with my compromise. Give everyone a taste and let them decide what hobbies they wish to pursue.

Less than 7% of Harvard freshmen major in the humanities. Philosopher @jennfrey thinks that says a lot about how we've misunderstood what education is for, a true liberal education isn't yoked to a trade, it's the education that makes you free. From our SuperSalon "Can the Humanities Be Saved?" with host @a_n_a_berg. Watch the full conversation here → youtube.com/watch?v=75rNKu…

@nmrapport @Linahuaa Open your school. I’m betting even the smart Asians won’t want to come 😉

@Linahuaa Total nonsense. If I were in charge of college admissions I'd admit the best students, period. And if that meant admitting 100% Asians that's what I'd do.

Admission expert here: You didn't get into Harvard because your stats are top 5-10% among Asian Americans- nothing special. Your extracurriculars are basic vanilla striver stuff. Other Asians win Olympics gold, STEM Olympiad gold. Chess junior world championships. You were captain of your local boyscouts and a starter in your school's titleless volleyball team. Who cares? Your essay is also the same old cliché "I needed to prove that I'm not an Asian stereotype" whining that every Asian stereotype does. At the end of the day- we just can't admit only Asians. They'd take over America in the long-term. We need to brainwash Blacks and Hispanics too- and send them to all corners of the world to secure the empire's thought-leader dominance. You are Asian American. A typical Asian American if I may add. You compete against other Asian Americans. And you don't stand out among them. But hey, Duke is also one heck of a school. Otto- didn't you go to Duke?

@MOneill225 @interintellect_ @jennfrey I totally get why people try to maximize college ROI by focusing on studies that are directly translatable to a particular line of work. But this does diminish us and our society. And we all know very few working adults take up history philosophy or literature as a side hobby

@ramcdk @interintellect_ @jennfrey That is fine. I am criticizing the idea that college is only place to learn about such topics, particularly, when it is at the cost of large student loans and lower marketability. The single course, I suggested, is only the starting point for self-discovery AND good employment.

@MVetisan @ReddCinema @UniversityFL …we should all stress less about so called “dream schools” and just focus on performing (or excelling 😎) wherever we/our kids go

@ramcdk @ReddCinema @UniversityFL What nonsense

He had a GPA score of 97.3%, SAT score is 1560, enrolled in a top high school, and does lots of extracurricular work. He got rejected by multiple colleges. They call this equity and inclusion.

@MVetisan @ReddCinema @UniversityFL Lmao I’m actually serious about two things: (1) hegseth is an unintellectual moron and Princeton should live in perpetual shame that it graduated someone so stunted into the world (2) college admissions is a total mess, an unpredictable crapshoot, and we shd all stress less

@MVetisan @ReddCinema @UniversityFL Consider this - Pete hegseth went to Princeton. 🤷‍♂️ that should be all the evidence we need that these schools aren’t as special as they purport to be, and we should all stop sweating them so much! ✌️

@ReddCinema His voice breaking when speaks about 😞 his parents 💔. Similar experience to my white son. SAT 1570, 4.3GPA. Got rejected even by freaking UCSD. We are grateful that @UniversityFL accepted him 🙏. These racist, discriminatory unis should be sued into oblivion.

@MOneill225 @interintellect_ @jennfrey You ask the right Q: what’s the goal? But your answer is so constricted. Study of the humanities is about much more than merely finding out what intrigues and interests you. At the risk of sounding grandiose, it’s the study of what makes us human (and what makes humanity special)

@ramcdk @interintellect_ @jennfrey What is the goal? A broad overview of the "humanities" will give students enough information to know what intrigues and interests them. When they have nice, well-paying jobs due to earning a marketable degree, they will have the time and resources to explore as much as they want.

@redneckleeusmc @zovilu @SAAS1972N @PaulRDeHart I knew de Morgan’s laws without having to study logic in a cs class. Because I read. That’s my point. (Color me not shocked that my point entirely escaped you 😉)

@ramcdk @zovilu @SAAS1972N @PaulRDeHart 🤣 No. I'm anti-pseudo-intellectuals like you. Logic is at the core of the trivium. De Morgan's laws are per se part of the heart of the classical liberal arts. They aren't "rambling." Your contention to the contrary demonstrates exactly my point.

This is a huge crisis that points to the degradation of the Ivy League and of elite education in the United States but also of higher learning more generally. The University has been reduced to vocational training and converted into trade schools. Nothing wrong with those things. But that's not what universities are for. And sort of silly to think universities are well suited for it. Universities are for the sake of the human being qua human and therefore for learning for its own sake. The liberal arts--where you learn things for their own sake--are the arts of liberty. And the idea that you can have liberty without them is pure hokum.

@ZalinskyS @interintellect_ @jennfrey This is a fair critique. I do think it’s fine (even good) to take selected coursework in gender/race studies, etc. But yeah, in spite of the fact I consider myself solidly “lefty,” I don’t like the idea of revolving a whole course of study (like your major) around these topics

@interintellect_ @jennfrey I'm curious what percentage pursue a classical liberal education (Western thought), compared to some lefty aberration encompassing gender studies, etc., that is not only worthless in the market but has politically-focused subjects that haven't survived the test of time.

@MOneill225 @interintellect_ @jennfrey A single course?!?! You have no idea what she’s talking about, man.

@interintellect_ @jennfrey The humanities make you "free" except, of course, from the student loans that you will never pay off due to your lack of useful skills. A single "humanities" focused college (or high school) course could cover everything this lady is referring to and still leave room for a skill.

@SheintochM @DocLanceP @balldontstop @grok @NBA Also i thought celts had a great backup plan ready to go - give the ball to JB and let him work for a good midrange, a shot at the rim, or get to the line. Unfortunately the refs are calling the game entirely differently in the playoffs and now he can’t do what he’s done all year

@DocLanceP @balldontstop @grok @NBA I think the bigger problem is you need to have some gameplan if the threes aren't falling. You can't afford to just toss the game away like the regular season.

Celtics downfall would be analytics. Three's in the playoffs are way different than three's in the season. Closeouts are sharper, rotations quicker, nerves are higher, legs are tired, more mental pressure on each attempt etc. This is what the computers don't tell you.

@SheintochM @DocLanceP @balldontstop @grok @NBA This is exactly it. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to just suddenly replace the gameplan you’ve been living by all season midway through game 5 of a tight playoff series.

@redneckleeusmc @zovilu @SAAS1972N @PaulRDeHart Then you ramble about de Morgan’s law and Bayesian reasoning, neither of which is some rare/obscure preserve of cs majors! The average humanities major understands both concepts virtually intuitively - because they READ! It’s cool - you’re anti-intellectual - we get it 🤷‍♂️

No. The real loss is the cargo cult fads of the "humanities" usurping the mantle of the liberal arts at the expense of more rigorous fields like logic and rhetoric. Furthermore, the fact that you think personal attacks on me ("you ... are here just to pick fights") and bare assertions ("self[-]evidently true") are reasonable responses is, in itself, evidence in support of my position.

@redneckleeusmc @zovilu @SAAS1972N @PaulRDeHart Again, your responses have been unserious. First you conflate “humanities” with “things that aren’t true” which is absurd and frankly ignorant in the purest sense of the word. Your next post is one (incorrect) word: “incorrect.” (1/2)

@BonnieESpeck @PaulRDeHart You’re studying philosophy now? Cool. Care to share your thoughts about taxation? What *should* our tax dollars fund?

Why should our taxpayer dollars be funding it? Besides no one with any common sense would choose a major that puts them in debt for the rest of their lives? I chose accounting to earn a living even though I loved history, symbolic logic and philosophy more. Now I can study all of them.

@rrbelloff @PaulRDeHart Well yes, this is absolutely correct as an explanation of *why* so few people study humanities today. But it doesn’t mean this disregard for the humanities is a good thing. It isn’t - in fact, it is very, very bad. For our society, and for humanity at large. It diminishes us.

So, a person is expected to pay $250K to an Ivy League school for the sole purpose of "learning for its own sake." With respect, once you have "learned" the liberal arts and attained "liberty" your occupation will be? You see, most people will be required to obtain some from of employment, income, etc. Did you miss that as you prepared this lecture?

@redneckleeusmc @zovilu @SAAS1972N @PaulRDeHart Your entire thread is kinda a joke, man. We get it, you (like many X users) are here just to pick fights. Whatever. But the original poster’s thesis - that the dearth of people studying the humanities is a real loss for our society - a diminishment of it - is self evidently true

@zovilu @SAAS1972N @PaulRDeHart They aren't in the "humanities" so, according to the false dichotomy set up by the idiotic OP, yes.

@HHuntsmanWrites @TheCinesthetic Before Sunset was just as good imo. I think it’s really key to watch each of these movies at the “right” time of your life when it resonates most, though Before Midnight - agree it was a hard watch at times and it didn’t feel as spot on (for me) as the first two, but still good

@TheCinesthetic I’m not a mushy romantic film kind of guy… but Before Sunrise is perhaps the Best film on Human Interactions and interpersonal communication, ever made…. Its follow up isn’t bad either… The Trilogy finale is ok. In some sense very real, perhaps just hard to watch at times.

“that was really special… it was magic. each time i felt ethan looking away, i would look at him and vice versa. i almost fell in love with him right there, but then rick said cut.” julie delpy on this scene from before sunrise (1995)

@Clara_Gold This struck me as somewhat better than most of the “let me tell you about SF” posts on here, BUT can someone tell me (a non-techie, sure) wtf “building the next wave of humanity” actually means???

6 months ago, I moved to San Francisco. It’s the best place in the world to build, and one of the worst places to stay human. My unfiltered take: 1. SF is both overhyped and underrated The overhyped part: there are a lot of people with incredible resumes who are deeply unimpressive in real life. They were at the right company, at the right time, in the right market, and got carried by the wave. They made money, got comfortable, and now spend their time “exploring opportunities” over coffee, wasting your time. The underrated part: the top 1% here is insane. But almost impossible to get. Hiring in SF feels like being a guy on a dating app: everyone you want is out of your league, and everyone in your league wants someone out of theirs. The best people have unmatchable packages, endless options, and are optimizing for maximum impact: labs, frontier companies, or startups raising $100M pre-seed rounds. If you raised $10M from Tier 1 investors, you’re not hot shit here. You’re a B-player. It’s humbling. 2. There are fewer mission-driven people than I expected Especially on the application layer. A lot of people are in “secure the bag before it’s too late” mode. And honestly, it gives me the ick. The real religious builders I’ve met are often in labs, hardware, biotech, deeptech, defense — places where the work is hard enough that you can’t fake obsession. 3. The status game favors builders This is what SF does better than anywhere else. It rewards obsession. It rewards weirdness. It rewards people who make building their entire personality. Europe punishes that. SF gives it status. If you’ve felt like an outsider your whole life because you care too much, work too much, think too radically, or refuse to be chill about things that matter, this city will make you feel less insane. 4. The market liquidity is absurd Even if you don’t build a billion-dollar company, if you manage to build a strong product with a great team, someone smart might still acquire you for $ 100M. Yeah I know, it’s not your dream outcome as a founder, but on the days you feel desperate, it helps to keep going. 5. SF does not care about the meaning crisis that’s coming Anyone paying attention here can feel that something massive is happening with AI. But I’m shocked by how little people talk about the meaning crisis coming next. Everyone wants to talk about AI liberating humanity. Almost no one wants to talk about what happens when work — the thing that gives most people identity, structure, dignity, status, and purpose — starts disappearing. The vacuum will not be peaceful. People are underestimating the chaos that comes from humans suddenly having no idea why they matter. And I really feel like no one cares. 6. Personally, I’ve never been more unhappy I moved to SF and entered the matrix. I’ve always been intense. I’ve always worked crazy hours. But here, I lost the last parts of myself that were not about building. I don’t go to events. Most networking events feel like theater for people pretending to be important. The only events worth going to are small, curated dinners with people who are actually alive. I’ve made 0 real friends. I don’t do well with transactionality. I don’t do well with people constantly performing greatness. I don’t do well with rooms where everyone is optimizing and no one is being honest. So yes, SF is lonely, transactional, delusional, addictive, inspiring, boring, extraordinary, and completely insane. But it is still the only place to be right now if you’re a founder trying to build the next wave of humanity. And for now, that’s enough.

@BCarfree @drbenway99 @JonLemire Well that’s a bit before my time - i was thinking basically Reagan presence onward Vance is utterly malleable and has zero principles or core beliefs though. Agnew was just criminal..?

@ramcdk @drbenway99 @JonLemire Vance does make Agnew look like a saint, doesn't he? Dang, had they delayed the prosecution a bit, Agnew could have been our first felon president.😂

“In closed-door meetings, J. D. Vance has repeatedly questioned the Defense Department’s depiction of the war in Iran and whether the Pentagon has understated what appears to be the drastic depletion of U.S. missile stockpiles” theatlantic.com/national-secur…