Author: Jochen

The Case For Social Media

Much has been written and said in recent years about the downsides of social media. In “The Social Dilemma,” former Google Design Ethicist Tristan Harris talks about how algorithms maximize corporate profits while capturing our brains and minds. NYU professor Jonathan Haidt has warned about the deleterious effects that growing up with social media has… Continue reading The Case For Social Media

Gravity, Chaos, and Conscious Choice

The inspiration for this post comes from a recent conversation between Jordan Peterson, Steven Pinker, and Jonathan Haidt. During the first half hour of the video, they explore moralization as a source of violence justification. The more people frame an issue in terms—that is, impose a narrative—of good and evil, the greater the chance that… Continue reading Gravity, Chaos, and Conscious Choice

Empathy as a Prison Key

A few days ago, I decided to watch the recently released, and already very controversial, Netflix Special of comedian David Chappelle, “The Closer”. The final segment—in which Chappelle references Daphne, an aspiring comedian transgender woman, who killed herself—is particularly poignant. And through some conversations I had with friends, I realized how deeply this segment connected… Continue reading Empathy as a Prison Key

The Goodhart-Sinclair Trap

Have you heard of Goodhart’s Law? If not, I have come to believe it is a crucial piece in understanding why complex systems in which intelligent agents adapt their behavior can easily deteriorate over time: If agents are rewarded for optimizing a proxy, and they have limited resources to spend on improving their condition across… Continue reading The Goodhart-Sinclair Trap

How to do Empathy?

Books published recently have made the case either for or against empathy. A former colleague and friend, Jamil Zaki, published “The War for Kindness“, subtitled “Building Empathy in a Fractured World.” Paul Bloom, a researcher at Yale University, published “Against Empathy“. They even engaged one another on occasion. This question still remains for me: when… Continue reading How to do Empathy?

The Cost of Hyper Sensitivity

The idea of being more— rather than less—sensitive seems intuitively appealing. Take COVID tests for instance: humanity has put enormous amounts of effort into making sure the disease is brought under control. So, more sensitive tests sound like a great idea. As I tried to express in my previous post, however, there are costs involved.… Continue reading The Cost of Hyper Sensitivity

The Terror of Suspicion

The other day, I watched Jordan Peterson having a conversation with Michael Malice, the author of “Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il“. I really recommend watching the video. One core aspect that Michael talks about is people eliminating their own freedom through self-censorship. They choose conformity, become small and unobtrusive, and hide… Continue reading The Terror of Suspicion

Wanting, Liking, and Loving

The other day, I was on a weekly call with three other people I am taking an online course with. Going through this experience together, I sense that we have become really good friends. I expressed to them my anxiety about everything that could go wrong with the apartment my husband and I are about… Continue reading Wanting, Liking, and Loving

Capitalism and Faith

This may seem like a pair of strange bedfellows. I expect people to generally consider faith superfluous when it comes to how the market operates: contracts and legal authorities regulate its function. During the search for an apartment, however, I considered the following hypothetical alternatives: First, imagine a broker—regardless of whether working for a seller… Continue reading Capitalism and Faith