{"id":7682,"date":"2025-05-23T18:44:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T01:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7682"},"modified":"2025-05-23T18:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T01:44:07","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-505-porn-divorce-and-a-delightful-philosopher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/05\/23\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-505-porn-divorce-and-a-delightful-philosopher","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 505: porn, divorce, and a delightful philosopher"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><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 Fri\u00addays I share articles\/resources about broad cul\u00adtur\u00adal, soci\u00adetal and the\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal issues. Be sure to see the expla\u00adna\u00adtion and dis\u00adclaimers at the bot\u00adtom. I wel\u00adcome your sug\u00adges\u00adtions. If you read some\u00adthing fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading please pass it my 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\/05\/19\/opinion\/pornography-harm-society.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Delu\u00adsion of Porn\u2019s Harm\u00adless\u00adness<\/a> (Chris\u00adtine Emba, New York Times): \u201cDespite sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant evi\u00addence that a del\u00aduge of pornog\u00adra\u00adphy has had a neg\u00ada\u00adtive impact on mod\u00adern soci\u00adety, there is a curi\u00adous refusal, espe\u00adcial\u00adly in pro\u00adgres\u00adsive cir\u00adcles, to pub\u00adlicly admit dis\u00adap\u00adproval of porn. Crit\u00adi\u00adciz\u00ading porn goes against the norm of non\u00adjudg\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adism for peo\u00adple who like to con\u00adsid\u00ader them\u00adselves for\u00adward-think\u00ading, thought\u00adful and open-mind\u00aded.\u2026 But a lack of judg\u00adment some\u00adtimes comes at the expense of dis\u00adcern\u00adment. As a soci\u00adety, we are allow\u00ading our desires to con\u00adtin\u00adue to be mold\u00aded in exper\u00adi\u00admen\u00adtal ways, for prof\u00adit, by an indus\u00adtry that does not have our best inter\u00adests at heart.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nber.org\/papers\/w33776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Divorce, Fam\u00adi\u00adly Arrange\u00adments, and Chil\u00addren\u2019s Adult Out\u00adcomes<\/a> (Andrew C. John\u00adston,&nbsp; Mag\u00adgie R. Jones&nbsp; &amp; Nolan G. Pope, NBER): \u201cWe find that parental divorce reduces chil\u00addren\u2019s adult earn\u00adings and col\u00adlege res\u00adi\u00addence while increas\u00ading incar\u00adcer\u00ada\u00adtion, mor\u00adtal\u00adi\u00adty, and teen births.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This paper will have sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant influ\u00adence \u2014 expect to see its find\u00adings quot\u00aded in op-eds and pub\u00adlic debates. The authors are at UT Austin, the Cen\u00adsus Bureau, and U of Mary\u00adland. Excerpt is from the abstract. It\u2019s a 30 page paper with about 30 more pages of graphs and charts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two per\u00adspec\u00adtives on AI:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/ai-everyones-cheating-thats-good-news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Everyone\u2019s Using AI To Cheat at School. That\u2019s a Good Thing.<\/a> (Tyler Cowen, The Free Press): \u201cUnlike many peo\u00adple who believe this spells the end of qual\u00adi\u00adty Amer\u00adi\u00adcan edu\u00adca\u00adtion, I think this cri\u00adsis is ulti\u00admate\u00adly good news. And not just because I believe Amer\u00adi\u00adcan edu\u00adca\u00adtion was already in a pro\u00adfound crisis\u2014the result of ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal cap\u00adture, polit\u00adi\u00adcal mono\u00adcul\u00adture, and extreme conformism\u2014long before the LLMs. These mod\u00adels are such great cheat\u00ading aids because they are also such great teach\u00aders. Often they are bet\u00adter than the human teach\u00aders we put before our kids, and they are far cheap\u00ader at that. They will not union\u00adize or attend pro-Hamas protests.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/16\/technology\/what-is-agi.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why We\u2019re Unlike\u00adly to Get Arti\u00adfi\u00adcial Gen\u00ader\u00adal Intel\u00adli\u00adgence Any\u00adtime Soon<\/a> (Cade Metz, New York Times): \u201cIt is indis\u00adputable that today\u2019s machines have already eclipsed the human brain in some ways, but that has been true for a long time. A cal\u00adcu\u00adla\u00adtor can do basic math faster than a human. Chat\u00adbots like Chat\u00adG\u00adPT can write faster, and as they write, they can instant\u00adly draw on more texts than any human brain could ever read or remem\u00adber. These sys\u00adtems are exceed\u00ading human per\u00adfor\u00admance on some tests involv\u00ading high-lev\u00adel math and cod\u00ading. But peo\u00adple can\u00adnot be reduced to these bench\u00admarks.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordonfire.org\/articles\/remembering-alasdair-macintyre-1929-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Remem\u00adber\u00ading Alas\u00addair Mac\u00adIn\u00adtyre (1929\u20132025)<\/a> (Christo\u00adpher Kac\u00adzor, Word on Fire): \u201cMac\u00adIn\u00adtyre was proud nev\u00ader to have earned a PhD: \u2018I won\u2019t go so far as to say that you have a deformed mind if you have a PhD, but you will have to work extra hard to remain edu\u00adcat\u00aded.\u2019 How\u00adev\u00ader, his pro\u00adlif\u00adic research won him ten hon\u00adorary doc\u00adtor\u00adates and appoint\u00adments as Cor\u00adre\u00adspond\u00ading Fel\u00adlow of the British Acad\u00ade\u00admy, an Hon\u00adorary Mem\u00adber of the Roy\u00adal Irish Acad\u00ade\u00admy, and Fel\u00adlow of the Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Acad\u00ade\u00admy of Arts and Sci\u00adences. He held aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic posi\u00adtions at Oxford, Yale, Man\u00adches\u00adter, Leeds, Essex, Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Copen\u00adhagen, Aarhus, Bran\u00addeis, Boston Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty, Welles\u00adley Col\u00adlege, Van\u00adder\u00adbilt, Lon\u00addon Met\u00adro\u00adpol\u00adi\u00adtan Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty, Duke, and three appoint\u00adments at Prince\u00adton. But he found a last\u00ading home at the Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Notre Dame.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Full of delight\u00adful anec\u00addotes about an amaz\u00ading Catholic philoso\u00adpher.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/default.blog\/p\/an-efilist-just-bombed-a-fertility\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">An Efil\u00adist Just Bombed a Fer\u00adtil\u00adi\u00adty Clin\u00adic. Was This Bound To Hap\u00adpen?<\/a> (Kather\u00adine Dee, Sub\u00adstack): \u201cIn 2006 the South African philoso\u00adpher David Benatar pub\u00adlished <em>Bet\u00adter Nev\u00ader to Have Been<\/em>, argu\u00ading that exis\u00adtence itself is harm, because, accord\u00ading to him, the absence of pain is always good while the absence of plea\u00adsure mat\u00adters only to some\u00adone forced to miss it. His book sup\u00adplied the term <em>anti\u00adna\u00adtal\u00adism<\/em> and the asym\u00admet\u00adri\u00adcal equa\u00adtion that sus\u00adtains it: any new birth inevitably adds suf\u00adfer\u00ading to the ledger.\u2026 To make a long sto\u00adry short\u2014too short, in fact, there\u2019s a doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adtary worth of sto\u00adry in this\u2014Gary Mosh\u00ader, an iras\u00adci\u00adble vlog\u00adger and erst\u00adwhile ama\u00adteur physi\u00adcist best known as Inmend\u00adham, end\u00aded up coin\u00ading <em>efil\u00adism<\/em>\u2014\u2018life\u2019 spelled backwards\u2014during this peri\u00adod to insist that every sen\u00adtient organ\u00adism is a fac\u00adto\u00adry for pain and ought to be snuffed out.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Actu\u00adal\u00adly wild. I often crit\u00adi\u00adcize util\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan\u00adism and its off\u00adshoots, this sto\u00adry illus\u00adtrates the things I warn about in a trag\u00adic way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/22\/opinion\/souter-biden-resignation-age.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Man Who Knew When to Step Down<\/a> (David French, New York Times): \u201cWe live in a coun\u00adtry that is pos\u00adi\u00adtive\u00adly obsessed with career suc\u00adcess and thus defines peo\u00adple through their work more than through their fam\u00adi\u00adly \u2014 or even their indi\u00advid\u00adual virtue. In many of America\u2019s elite cir\u00adcles, you are your career, and when your career is over, how much of you remains? Again, this isn\u2019t sim\u00adply a prob\u00adlem for judges and politi\u00adcians. The prob\u00adlem isn\u2019t sole\u00adly how the pow\u00ader\u00adful define them\u00adselves; it\u2019s how we define them. It\u2019s how we choose whom to respect and hon\u00ador. It takes a per\u00adson of real for\u00adti\u00adtude and self-respect sim\u00adply to walk away.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.siliconcontinent.com\/p\/the-myth-of-the-single-market\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The myth of the sin\u00adgle mar\u00adket<\/a> (Luis Gar\u00adi\u00adcano, Sub\u00adstack): \u201cThe IMF puts the hid\u00adden cost of trad\u00ading goods inside the EU at the equiv\u00ada\u00adlent of a 45% tar\u00adiff. For ser\u00advices the fig\u00adure climbs to 110%, high\u00ader than Trump\u2019s \u2018Lib\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion day\u2019 tar\u00adiffs on Chi\u00adnese imports\u2014measures many saw as a near-embar\u00adgo.\u2026 As a result, actu\u00adal trade between EU coun\u00adtries is less than half that between US states.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The author is a pro\u00adfes\u00adsor of pub\u00adlic pol\u00adi\u00adcy at the Lon\u00addon School of Eco\u00adnom\u00adics and a for\u00admer EU mem\u00adber of par\u00adlia\u00adment.<\/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.mashed.com\/1836188\/only-all-you-can-eat-chick-fil-a-america-oklahoma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hid\u00adden In Okla\u00adhoma Is The Only All-You-Can Eat Chick-Fil\u2011A In Amer\u00adi\u00adca<\/a> (Natal\u00adie Avi\u00adla, Mashed): \u201cSince 2005, the Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Okla\u00adhoma has offered its stu\u00addents all-you-can-eat Chick-fil\u2011A, serv\u00ading chick\u00aden sand\u00adwich\u00ades, nuggets, waf\u00adfle fries, and sauces. It\u2019s locat\u00aded inside the Couch Restau\u00adrants Din\u00ader, a food hall attached to a fresh\u00adman dorm that always offers unlim\u00adit\u00aded bites. The din\u00ading hall wel\u00adcomes cur\u00adrent uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty stu\u00addents, employ\u00adees, and guests of both.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/looseparts\/2025\/05\/21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Move Toward The Light<\/a> (Loose Parts)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/gently\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gen\u00adtly<\/a> (SMBC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar pro\u00adduced shrewd war\u00adriors \u201cwho under\u00adstood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (1 Chron 12:32). In a sim\u00adi\u00adlar way, we need to become wise peo\u00adple whose faith inter\u00adacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may con\u00adtin\u00adue the tra\u00addi\u00adtion of Issachar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chi Alpha is not a par\u00adti\u00adsan orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion. To para\u00adphrase anoth\u00ader min\u00adis\u00adter: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agen\u00adda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agen\u00adda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agen\u00adda. Hav\u00ading said that, I read wide\u00adly (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal Tur\u00ading test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fair\u00adly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI dis\u00adagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI under\u00adstand\u201d) and may at times share arti\u00adcles that have a strong par\u00adti\u00adsan bias sim\u00adply because I find the arti\u00adcle stim\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with every\u00adthing an author says in an arti\u00adcle I men\u00adtion, much less things the author has said in oth\u00ader arti\u00adcles (although if I strong\u00adly dis\u00adagree with some\u00adthing in the arti\u00adcle I\u2019ll usu\u00adal\u00adly men\u00adtion it). And to the extent you can dis\u00adcern my opin\u00adions, please under\u00adstand that they are my own and not nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly those of Chi Alpha or any oth\u00ader orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion I may be per\u00adceived to rep\u00adre\u00adsent.\n\nAlso, remem\u00adber that I\u2019m not report\u00ading news \u2014 I\u2019m giv\u00ading you a selec\u00adtion of things I found inter\u00adest\u00ading. There\u2019s a lot hap\u00adpen\u00ading in the world that\u2019s not mak\u00ading an appear\u00adance here because I haven\u2019t found stim\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading arti\u00adcles writ\u00adten about it.\n\nIf this was for\u00adward\u00aded 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 Fri\u00addays I share articles\/resources about broad cul\u00adtur\u00adal, soci\u00adetal and the\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal issues. Be sure to see the expla\u00adna\u00adtion and dis\u00adclaimers at the bot\u00adtom. I wel\u00adcome your sug\u00adges\u00adtions. If you read some\u00adthing fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading please pass it my way. Things Glen Found Inter\u00adest\u00ading Less Seri\u00adous Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen Why Do You Send This Email? In \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/05\/23\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-505-porn-divorce-and-a-delightful-philosopher\" class=\"more-link\">Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Inter\u00adest\u00ading, Vol\u00adume 505: porn, divorce, and a delight\u00adful philoso\u00adpher\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_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16],"tags":[219,270,226,189,120,136],"class_list":["post-7682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-divorce","tag-europe","tag-family","tag-famous-christians","tag-pornography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1ZU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7682","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=7682"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7684,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7682\/revisions\/7684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}