James Coleman's bathtub (or boat) is a useful illustrative framework for any theory about society, economics or finance that tries to connect the dots between the big picture, and the small picture. The bathtub aims to illustrate how a macro situation (X) creates constraints on actors, which changes their micro-level…
"Truly being with another person means being experientially with them, picking up countless tiny signals from the eyes and voice and body language and context, and reacting, often unconsciously, to every nuance. These are our deepest social skills, which have been honed through the aeons. They are what make us…
Tao points out that "[t]he data that are really precious are from when someone tries something, and it doesn’t quite work, but they know how to fix it."…
"To roll inwards" or "involution" (內捲 nèi juǎn) became a popular phrase in China the last couple of years as a signifier of the intense zero-sum competition in Chinese society between individuals. Matches Western ideas of the rat race, burnout and diminishing returns, when putting more effort into something only…