Having set out in this series my personal interest in trying to get to the root of why, in the words of Kevin Owocki , "we can't have nice things", and how we can potentially cooperate our way out of this situation, in this third part I would like to dive into what I see as the fundamental issue relating to what appears to be the problem of evil in this world. No pressure, then. ;) As Darren Allen has written about the Coronavirus pandemic , (highlighted by Daniel Pinchbeck here ), but w...

Having set out in this series my personal interest in trying to get to the root of why, in the words of Kevin Owocki , "we can't have nice things", and how we can potentially cooperate our way out of this situation, in this third part I would like to dive into what I see as the fundamental issue relating to what appears to be the problem of evil in this world. No pressure, then. ;) As Darren Allen has written about the Coronavirus pandemic , (highlighted by Daniel Pinchbeck here ), but w...

So, why do I — fifty-one years old, tall, skinny, bald, bearded, English — care about Moloch, Ahriman, or the Solid State Entity (see part one for an introduction to these characters)? I apparently came into this world with a desire to understand it, and with some ember of faith that answers are worth pursuing burning inside me. This despite the often overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and my own tumbles into, and scrambles out of, rabbit holes such as nihilism, conspiranoia, spiritual em...

So, why do I — fifty-one years old, tall, skinny, bald, bearded, English — care about Moloch, Ahriman, or the Solid State Entity (see part one for an introduction to these characters)? I apparently came into this world with a desire to understand it, and with some ember of faith that answers are worth pursuing burning inside me. This despite the often overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and my own tumbles into, and scrambles out of, rabbit holes such as nihilism, conspiranoia, spiritual em...

The question everyone has after reading Ginsberg is: what is Moloch? My answer is: Moloch is exactly what the history books say he is. He is the god of child sacrifice, the fiery furnace into which you can toss your babies in exchange for victory in war.He always and everywhere offers the same deal: throw what you love most into the flames, and I can grant you power.As long as the offer’s open, it will be irresistible. So we need to close the offer.Scott Alexander, Meditations on Moloch'...

The question everyone has after reading Ginsberg is: what is Moloch? My answer is: Moloch is exactly what the history books say he is. He is the god of child sacrifice, the fiery furnace into which you can toss your babies in exchange for victory in war.He always and everywhere offers the same deal: throw what you love most into the flames, and I can grant you power.As long as the offer’s open, it will be irresistible. So we need to close the offer.Scott Alexander, Meditations on Moloch'...

Our legends tell we came from a seed That travelled at a whirlwind speed 'Til it came to rest upon this land That once was green and is now all sand That buried us up to our eyes And made us watchers of the skies 'Til the shadow wings came for our sight And left us to conspire with nightHawkwind – Fable of a Failed Race lyrics by Robert CalvertDaniel Pinchbeck: Technology in itself might be a form of consciousness, like there's a Solid State Intelligence which is actually using...

Our legends tell we came from a seed That travelled at a whirlwind speed 'Til it came to rest upon this land That once was green and is now all sand That buried us up to our eyes And made us watchers of the skies 'Til the shadow wings came for our sight And left us to conspire with nightHawkwind – Fable of a Failed Race lyrics by Robert CalvertDaniel Pinchbeck: Technology in itself might be a form of consciousness, like there's a Solid State Intelligence which is actually using...