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← Abstract empiricism of the Yglesias kind tells us almost nothing about what really happened in history.
17 connected korrents · 15 moments from 4 Jan 2017 to 23 Oct 2026.
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investing Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: Abstract empiricism of the Yglesias kind tells us almost nothing about what really happened in history. Abstract empiricism of the Yglesias kind tells us almost nothing about what really happened in history. Last stated a week ago
23 Oct 2026
JG
John Ganz — holds since 2026-10-23 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Everything has evolved, so there are no eternal facts and no absolute truths — tap to centre the map on it Everything has evolved, so there are no eternal facts and no absolute truths
FN
Friedrich Nietzsche — holds since c. 1878 — tap for who they are
Same subject: History teaches complexity rather than prediction: it can explain the mechanisms of change without licensing any claim about what comes next. — tap to centre the map on it History teaches complexity rather than prediction: it can explain the mechanisms of change without licensing any claim about what comes next. Last stated 10 years ago
4 Jan 2017
AP
Ada Palmer — holds since 2017-01-04 — tap for who they are
Same subject: History has no predetermined path: its course turns on unpredictable contingencies rather than on deep currents that would have produced the same outcome anyway. — tap to centre the map on it History has no predetermined path: its course turns on unpredictable contingencies rather than on deep currents that would have produced the same outcome anyway. Last stated 4 years ago
26 Aug 2022
BD
Bret Devereaux — holds since 2022-08-26 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Major historical events do not necessarily have deep intellectual or ideological causes; assuming so is a common fallacy. — tap to centre the map on it Major historical events do not necessarily have deep intellectual or ideological causes; assuming so is a common fallacy. Last stated a month ago
17 Sept 2026
MY
Matthew Yglesias — holds since 2026-09-17 — tap for who they are
Same subject: What matters in judging technological progress is the trend over time, not the state at any single moment. — tap to centre the map on it What matters in judging technological progress is the trend over time, not the state at any single moment. Last stated 7 months ago
21 Mar 2026
TG
Tanner Greer — holds since 2026-03-21 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Market history teaches why things behave as they do, never what happens next, because the details never repeat. — tap to centre the map on it Market history teaches why things behave as they do, never what happens next, because the details never repeat. Last stated 3 years ago
7 Apr 2024
MH
Morgan Housel — holds since 2024-04-07 — tap for who they are
Same subject: All history is really biography, verified in private experience — tap to centre the map on it All history is really biography, verified in private experience
RE
Ralph Waldo Emerson — holds since c. 1841–1847 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The truth of a historical narrative cannot give us knowledge or love of God — tap to centre the map on it The truth of a historical narrative cannot give us knowledge or love of God
BS
Baruch Spinoza — holds since c. 1670 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A coalition from the US and EU to Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority should take Gaza from Hamas, rebuild it and demilitarise it — tap to centre the map on it A coalition from the US and EU to Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority should take Gaza from Hamas, rebuild it and demilitarise it Last stated 3 years ago
12 Oct 2023
YH
Yuval Noah Harari — holds since 2023-10-12 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company doing something at the edge of the Overton window has to hold two cultures at once — the true believers and the serious professionals who think they are crazy — and integrating them is what makes it work. — tap to centre the map on it A company doing something at the edge of the Overton window has to hold two cultures at once — the true believers and the serious professionals who think they are crazy — and integrating them is what makes it work. Last stated 3 months ago
7 Aug 2026
MH
Max Hodak — holds since 2026-08-07 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A heavily centralised state is the most fragile kind: when Rome’s centre failed, its successors were left without the resources or administration to do what it had done. — tap to centre the map on it A heavily centralised state is the most fragile kind: when Rome’s centre failed, its successors were left without the resources or administration to do what it had done. Last stated 5 years ago
28 Jan 2022
BD
Bret Devereaux — holds since 2022-01-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: "Lots of anonymous people worked it out by trial and error" is never the real story of an invention: on closer investigation, identifiable people always turn out to be responsible. — tap to centre the map on it "Lots of anonymous people worked it out by trial and error" is never the real story of an invention: on closer investigation, identifiable people always turn out to be responsible. Last stated 3 years ago
25 Oct 2023
AH
Anton Howes — holds since 2023-10-25 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use. — tap to centre the map on it A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use. Last stated 5 months ago
2 Jun 2026
JJ
Justin Jackson — holds since 2026-06-02 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A capability existing is not the same as a capability being absorbed: how fast a technology changes the world is not set by how fast the technology improves. — tap to centre the map on it A capability existing is not the same as a capability being absorbed: how fast a technology changes the world is not set by how fast the technology improves. Last stated 3 months ago
21 Jul 2026
RT
Ruxandra Teslo — holds since 2026-07-21 — tap for who they are
Same subject: 'As long as it takes' lacks urgency, and it is a formula available to Ukraine's allies precisely because they are not the ones doing the fighting. — tap to centre the map on it 'As long as it takes' lacks urgency, and it is a formula available to Ukraine's allies precisely because they are not the ones doing the fighting. Last stated a year ago
10 Oct 2025
LF
Lawrence Freedman — holds since 2025-10-10 — tap for who they are
Same subject: 9/11 and Osama bin Laden's actions fundamentally shaped the world we live in today. — tap to centre the map on it 9/11 and Osama bin Laden's actions fundamentally shaped the world we live in today. Last stated 2 months ago
11 Sept 2026
MY
Matthew Yglesias — holds since 2026-09-11 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A ceasefire along the current lines would end the killing and still leave a long-term settlement between Russia and Ukraine possible. — tap to centre the map on it A ceasefire along the current lines would end the killing and still leave a long-term settlement between Russia and Ukraine possible. Last stated 2 months ago
26 Aug 2026
BM
Branko Milanovic — holds since 2026-08-26 — tap for who they are
At the centre
Abstract empiricism of the Yglesias kind tells us almost nothing about what really happened in history.
Holds Read this korrent →
Everything has evolved, so there are no eternal facts and no absolute truths
Last stated c. 1878
Holds
History teaches complexity rather than prediction: it can explain the mechanisms of change without licensing any claim about what comes next.
Holds
History has no predetermined path: its course turns on unpredictable contingencies rather than on deep currents that would have produced the same outcome anyway.
Holds
Major historical events do not necessarily have deep intellectual or ideological causes; assuming so is a common fallacy.
Holds
What matters in judging technological progress is the trend over time, not the state at any single moment.
Holds
Market history teaches why things behave as they do, never what happens next, because the details never repeat.
Holds
All history is really biography, verified in private experience
Last stated c. 1841–1847
Holds
The truth of a historical narrative cannot give us knowledge or love of God
Last stated c. 1670
Holds
A coalition from the US and EU to Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority should take Gaza from Hamas, rebuild it and demilitarise it
Holds
A company doing something at the edge of the Overton window has to hold two cultures at once — the true believers and the serious professionals who think they are crazy — and integrating them is what makes it work.
Holds
A heavily centralised state is the most fragile kind: when Rome’s centre failed, its successors were left without the resources or administration to do what it had done.
Holds
"Lots of anonymous people worked it out by trial and error" is never the real story of an invention: on closer investigation, identifiable people always turn out to be responsible.
Holds
A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use.
Holds
A capability existing is not the same as a capability being absorbed: how fast a technology changes the world is not set by how fast the technology improves.
Holds
'As long as it takes' lacks urgency, and it is a formula available to Ukraine's allies precisely because they are not the ones doing the fighting.
Holds
9/11 and Osama bin Laden's actions fundamentally shaped the world we live in today.
Holds
A ceasefire along the current lines would end the killing and still leave a long-term settlement between Russia and Ukraine possible.
Holds