Eric Lee
@saintgimp.bsky.social
Software engineer, science enthusiast, long-distance hiker trash. Reluctantly monitoring the attempted destruction of democracy.
Reposted by Eric Lee
I understand that the West’s rampage of enslaving and exploiting the rest of the world relied on racial mythmaking and sheer denial, and also that American culture is drenched in Calvinism and its insidious insistence that people can only be purely good or purely evil. (bsky.app/profile/swin...)
American society made so much more sense to me once I learned about Calvinism.
Calvinist philosophy, in a nutshell: most people are irredeemably evil and going to Hell. Some people are unshakably good and going to Heaven. This was decided before they were born, nothing they can do about it.
Calvinist philosophy, in a nutshell: most people are irredeemably evil and going to Hell. Some people are unshakably good and going to Heaven. This was decided before they were born, nothing they can do about it.
December 4, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I understand that the West’s rampage of enslaving and exploiting the rest of the world relied on racial mythmaking and sheer denial, and also that American culture is drenched in Calvinism and its insidious insistence that people can only be purely good or purely evil. (bsky.app/profile/swin...)
Reposted by Eric Lee
the point being that Buddhists are humans like everybody else and humans are real fucking shitlords sometimes
December 4, 2025 at 10:38 PM
the point being that Buddhists are humans like everybody else and humans are real fucking shitlords sometimes
Reposted by Eric Lee
One of my most conservative-coded opinions is that one of the reasons we're in this mess is because of the profound decadence, solipsism, moral rot, and general lack of personal virtue afflicting much of the upper PMC / bourgeoisie.
December 4, 2025 at 6:08 PM
One of my most conservative-coded opinions is that one of the reasons we're in this mess is because of the profound decadence, solipsism, moral rot, and general lack of personal virtue afflicting much of the upper PMC / bourgeoisie.
Reposted by Eric Lee
it's the same thing I keep pounding the table about: the way you use the tools reflects on you, not the tool
the product teams for these tools should be pushing harder towards epistemologically sound uses of them, but the door is there and it's unlocked whether they're pointing at it.
the product teams for these tools should be pushing harder towards epistemologically sound uses of them, but the door is there and it's unlocked whether they're pointing at it.
December 4, 2025 at 2:58 PM
it's the same thing I keep pounding the table about: the way you use the tools reflects on you, not the tool
the product teams for these tools should be pushing harder towards epistemologically sound uses of them, but the door is there and it's unlocked whether they're pointing at it.
the product teams for these tools should be pushing harder towards epistemologically sound uses of them, but the door is there and it's unlocked whether they're pointing at it.
Reposted by Eric Lee
This is how I feel about the AI learning paper. Autodidactism is very broad, you can absolutely use AI to teach you about a subject with active engagement, checking citations, follow-ups.. or you can turn half your brain off and call it good.
December 4, 2025 at 2:56 PM
This is how I feel about the AI learning paper. Autodidactism is very broad, you can absolutely use AI to teach you about a subject with active engagement, checking citations, follow-ups.. or you can turn half your brain off and call it good.
Reposted by Eric Lee
But at a broader level—do we regularly deploy police in ways that often prioritize aggressive social control of disliked groups over public safety—Trump 2.0 fits into a well-known pattern, and should be framed that way.
December 4, 2025 at 3:00 PM
But at a broader level—do we regularly deploy police in ways that often prioritize aggressive social control of disliked groups over public safety—Trump 2.0 fits into a well-known pattern, and should be framed that way.
Reposted by Eric Lee
The state could do so much more to support employers and get more people into work. Frankly I think it’s time to level society by seriously increasing tax on millionaires and billionaires then paying universal basic income.
December 4, 2025 at 8:12 AM
The state could do so much more to support employers and get more people into work. Frankly I think it’s time to level society by seriously increasing tax on millionaires and billionaires then paying universal basic income.