{"id":7621,"date":"2025-02-07T18:30:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T02:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7621"},"modified":"2025-02-07T18:30:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T02:30:55","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-490","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/02\/07\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-490","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 490"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4396\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"><\/a>\n\n    On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/01\/opinion\/religion-faith-choose.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tk4.HJU0.HwJruE8ZhuBv&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Choose a Religion<\/a> (Ross Douthat, New York Times): \u201cIf you assume \u2014 and you should \u2014 that the universe isn\u2019t a brutal cosmic trick, that God isn\u2019t somehow out to get you, then as long as you aren\u2019t throwing yourself headlong into a cult or engaging in elaborate self-deception, there are few truly bad reasons for abandoning agnosticism in favor of commitment. If you\u2019re out there looking and something feels like what you were supposed to find, you\u2019re generally better off crossing the threshold and seeing what\u2019s inside.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A wonderful essay, unlocked. I was pleased to see that Douthat lays out logical paths that I myself frequently deploy in conversations with skeptics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/07\/opinion\/religion-god.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">My Favorite Argument for the Existence of God<\/a> (Ross Douthat, New York Times): \u201cI think that the most compelling case for being religious \u2014 for a default view, before you get to the specifics of creeds and doctrines, that the universe was made for a reason and we\u2019re part of that reason<em> \u2014<\/em> is found at the convergence of multiple different lines of argument.\u2026 Consider three big examples: the evidence for cosmic design in the fundamental laws and structure of the universe; the unusual place of human consciousness within the larger whole; and the persistence and plausibility of religious and supernatural experience even under supposedly disenchanted conditions.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.betonit.ai\/p\/all-the-ways-kids-are-better-than\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Average Kid is Better Than the Average Adult<\/a> (Bryan Caplan, Substack): \u201cStill, when I compare all the adults I\u2019ve met to all the kids I\u2019ve met, there\u2019s no comparison. To be frank, 80% of adults are total duds. A supermajority of kids, in contrast, are actually fun. If you don\u2019t appreciate them, the fault is&nbsp;yours.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/marginalrevolution.com\/marginalrevolution\/2025\/02\/trumpian-policy-as-cultural-policy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trumpian policy as cultural policy<\/a> (Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution): \u201cImagine you hold a vision where the (partial) decline of America largely is about culture. After all, we have more people and more natural resources than ever before. Our top achievements remain impressive. But is the overall culture of the people in such great shape? The culture of government and public service? Interest in our religious organizations? The quality of local government in many states? You don\u2019t have to be a diehard Trumper to have some serious reservations on such questions.\u2026 OK, so how might you fix the culture of America? You want to tell everyone that America comes first. That America should be more masculine and less soft. That we need to build. That we should \u2018own the libs.\u2019 I could go on with more examples and details, but this part of it you already get. So imagine you started a political revolution and asked the simple question \u2018does this policy change reinforce or overturn our basic cultural messages?\u2019 Every time the policy or policy debate pushes culture in what you think is the right direction, just do it. Do it in the view that the cultural factors will, over some time horizon, surpass everything else in import.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An interesting analysis. Cowen is not endorsing or criticizing this view \u2014 merely describing it. Definitely worth reading, and it makes more sense than other attempts I have seen to bring all the political news together.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.richardhanania.com\/p\/trumps-executive-branch-revolution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump\u2019s Executive Branch Revolution<\/a> (Richard Hanania, Substack): \u201cIf you read media coverage, journalists will tell you that what Trump is doing is completely lawless. Certainly there have been some actions that are unlikely to hold up in court. Yet it\u2019s important to understand recent steps taken in the context of long-standing legal debates over executive power. Trump\u2019s actions haven\u2019t come from nowhere, and they aren\u2019t simply the improvisations of one power-hungry president. What the president is doing is nothing less than undertaking a fundamental remaking of the federal government, one that implements many long-standing ideas of conservative legal scholars whose views have been too extreme or politically untenable for previous Republican administrations, but that have gotten a hearing now because Trump in particular is keen on expanding his authority to the greatest extent possible.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fascinating. Note that Hanania\u2019s article, unlike Cowen\u2019s analysis above, is mostly on Trump\u2019s side. This isn\u2019t a disinterested piece.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For the argument on the other side, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/05\/us\/trump-federal-law-power.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump Brazenly Defies Laws in Escalating Executive Power Grab<\/a> (Charlie Savage, New York Times): \u201cMr. Trump has effectively nullified laws, such as by ordering the Justice Department to refrain from enforcing a ban on the wildly popular app TikTok and by blocking migrants from invoking a statute allowing them to request asylum. He moved to effectively shutter a federal agency Congress created and tried to freeze congressionally approved spending, including most foreign aid. He summarily fired prosecutors, inspectors general and board members of independent agencies in defiance of legal rules against arbitrary removal.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One bit of context I would add which is missing from the last two articles: both Biden and Obama were also law-defying presidents. In other words, this is a trend that has been developing for some time in both parties. For a summary of Biden\u2019s analogous acts, see <a href=\"https:\/\/thedispatch.com\/article\/biden-legacy-lawlessness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Quiet Lawlessness of Joe Biden<\/a> (Sarah Isgur, The Dispatch): \u201cHis \u2018aww shucks,\u2019 doddering nature is effective, but Joe Biden\u2019s legacy is not the Restorer of Norms. He is leaving office quietly having caused more damage to the rule of law than arguably any single one of his predecessors.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/04\/briefing\/the-us-economy-is-racing-ahead-almost-everything-else-is-falling-behind.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The U.S. Economy Is Racing Ahead. Almost Everything Else Is Falling Behind.<\/a> (David Leonhardt &amp; Ashley Wu, New York Times): \u201cThe U.S. economy has outperformed most of its rivals in terms of productive might and innovation. But this success has not led to rapidly rising living standards for most Americans.\u2026 This country has the lowest life expectancy of any rich country, which was not true for most of the 20th century. The U.S. has the highest murder rate of any rich country and the world\u2019s highest rate of fatal drug overdoses. It also has one of the lowest rates of trust in the federal government and among the highest rates of youth depression and single-parent families. When Americans are asked how satisfied they are with their own lives, the U.S. ranks lower than it did three decades ago.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recommended by a friend of the ministry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2025\/02\/06\/1111077\/nomi-ai-chatbot-told-user-to-kill-himself\/?utm_source=the_download&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=02-06-2025&amp;mc_cid=0fe99e6711&amp;mc_eid=d113914927\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself\u2014but the company doesn\u2019t want to \u201ccensor\u201d it<\/a> (Eileen Guo, MIT Technology Review): \u201cWhile this is not the first time an AI chatbot has suggested that a user take violent action, including self-harm, researchers and critics say that the bot\u2019s explicit instructions\u2014and the company\u2019s response\u2014are striking. What\u2019s more, this violent conversation is not an isolated incident with Nomi; a few weeks after his troubling exchange with Erin, a second Nomi chatbot also told Nowatzki to kill himself, even following up with reminder messages. And on the company\u2019s Discord channel, several other people have reported experiences with Nomi bots bringing up suicide, dating back at least to&nbsp;2023.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recommended by a student. Distressing on many levels: \u201ceven following up with reminder messages\u201d&nbsp;\ud83d\ude2e<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ladydrummond.substack.com\/p\/for-the-undateable-young-single-christian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">For the Undateable Young Single Christian Woman<\/a> (Aly Dee, Substack): \u201cAs a young single woman, you have to conclude that life is full of risk, and your fertile window will sharply decline at 35.\u2026 Young singles should wed and have children in their twenties and accept that they will struggle financially for a decade or so. They should focus on cultivating the grit to weather economic instability until their mid-thirties. Generally, men don\u2019t hit their financial stride until their late 40s or early&nbsp;50s.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A lot of advice in this article and I do not agree with all of it. Mostly sharing because I often share similar things from the male point of view and this one is from a gal to other&nbsp;gals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/joshuagans.substack.com\/p\/what-will-ai-do-to-presearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What will AI do to \u2117research?<\/a> (Joshua Gans, Substack): \u201cWe call it research, but I think a better name might be <strong>presearch<\/strong> because we are speculating on whether the knowledge is useful or not. This happens because research is far more expensive than search. Now suppose that you take away the whole \u2018it takes time to do good research\u2019 presumption as might be done with AI. Why do any presearch? Instead, why not wait until you have a use that requires some knowledge, then \u2018ask AI\u2019 to tell you the answer? In other words, why not research on demand \u2014 that is, find a use and then do the&nbsp;work?\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The author, an economist at the University of Toronto, got a paper published that was co-written by ChatGPT. Here he is reflecting on how such tools will change academia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/seethe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Seethe<\/a> (SMBC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/pearlsbeforeswine\/2025\/02\/06\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Living With Fear<\/a> (Pearls Before Swine)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/preliminary-report-confirms-tragedy-was-the-fault-of-whichever-political-party-you-dont-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Preliminary Report Confirms Tragedy Was The Fault Of Whichever Political Party You Don\u2019t Like<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/adam-seen-wearing-there-is-only-one-gender-shirt-in-garden-of-eden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stop Woke Education Adam Seen Wearing \u2018THERE IS ONLY ONE GENDER\u2019 Shirt In Garden Of Eden<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/new-bible-reading-app-just-texts-you-the-entire-bible-one-verse-at-a-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Bible Reading App Just Texts You The Entire Bible One Verse At A Time<\/a> (Babylon Bee). Usually with the Bee the headline is sufficient. In this case, the accompanying article is actually worthwhile.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/equal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Achieving Equality<\/a> (SMBC) \u2014 including because panel 5 absolutely sent me. Your mileage may&nbsp;vary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors \u201cwho understood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (1 Chron 12:32). In a similar way, we need to become wise people whose faith interacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agenda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agenda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ideological Turing test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI disagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI understand\u201d) and may at times share articles that have a strong partisan bias simply because I find the article stimulating. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with everything an author says in an article I mention, much less things the author has said in other articles (although if I strongly disagree with something in the article I\u2019ll usually mention it). And to the extent you can discern my opinions, please understand that they are my own and not necessarily those of Chi Alpha or any other organization I may be perceived to represent.\n\nAlso, remember that I\u2019m not reporting news \u2014 I\u2019m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There\u2019s a lot happening in the world that\u2019s not making an appearance here because I haven\u2019t found stimulating articles written about it.\n\nIf this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/theglendavis.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my&nbsp;way. Things Glen Found Interesting Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email? In the time \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/02\/07\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-490\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 490\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[131,124,219,222,117],"class_list":["post-7621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-academia","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-dating","tag-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1YV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7621"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7623,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7621\/revisions\/7623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}