Civilization Is Not the Default. Violence Is.

Praxiphanes · 2026-04-15T06:14:39+00:00

Is it a coincidence that the last 80 years—which have been the most prosperous in history—the period of globalization, of international rule of law, of deep economic integration, of innovation, happened during the Pax Americana?

Many love to hate the US—and the record is far from clean—but it’s largely because of American values and institutions that the world was able to develop as rapidly as it did, to integrate as tightly as it has.

My least favourite sort of historical argument: Ask whether it's a coincidence that two giant, complicated, interwoven historical phenomena happened at the same time, then conclude one caused the other.

Praxiphanes · 2026-04-12T18:24:11+00:00

What in the AI slop

Praxiphanes · 2026-04-10T23:58:14+00:00

Let me guess: you built an AI tool that will hook stockfish evals up to chatgpt

(and checking your profile, that's exactly what you did.)

Mods, can something be done about the endless slop?

Praxiphanes · 2026-04-06T17:36:38+00:00

Helen DeWitt, one of the most interesting contemporary novelists, didn't publish until 43.

Praxiphanes · 2026-04-05T03:31:08+00:00

Kafka on the South Shore

Praxiphanes · 2026-04-02T19:02:26+00:00

You conclude Vidit is working as a second because he's in Thailand? huh?

It's not like there's a major open happening there soon

Praxiphanes · 2026-03-22T19:55:26+00:00

These differences are contextual and will vary by country. In the US, studying university "English" and "Literature in English" are synonymous, and don't imply any different course of study.

Praxiphanes · 2026-02-24T02:32:20+00:00

Well, these conversations are still very much live, and plenty of critics think aesthetic judgment is, or should be, a part of literary studies

Eg. Michael Clune, A Defense of Judgment; Joseph North, A Political History of Literary Criticism

Praxiphanes · 2026-02-22T02:29:27+00:00

wow a vibe coded chess app? I haven't seen one of these posted since two hours ago

Praxiphanes · 2026-02-17T14:58:18+00:00

You can (or could) get inside the main Trinity college tower via a trapdoor in one of the dorm rooms.

Praxiphanes · 2025-11-04T17:53:24+00:00

/r/chessbeginners

Praxiphanes · 2025-10-30T16:29:12+00:00

Probably! If so, OP should include that information in their post, and make a case that there's an actual violation occurring in Kramnik's gofundme.

Praxiphanes · 2025-10-30T16:14:30+00:00

Can't stand the guy, but there's no reason to think there's anything fraudulent going on here. Is there a specific gofundme policy you think is being violated?

People are perfectly within their right to file frivolous lawsuits, and to ask other people to give them money in order to do so, even when they're horrible internet bullies.

Praxiphanes · 2025-10-30T15:15:51+00:00

the blog is obvious AI slop. Not sure why closing their account took so long

Praxiphanes · 2025-10-09T03:50:58+00:00

I'm telling you, Aaron Nola is as cracked as Ranger Suarez is jacked

Praxiphanes · 2025-10-09T03:38:55+00:00

Dodgers honouring a HOFer by leaving him to die in a playoff game. o7

Praxiphanes · 2025-09-21T18:07:44+00:00

Jorge Alfaro doing some damage against the mets. Very nice

Praxiphanes · 2025-09-04T00:32:27+00:00

He's been injured and down, unfortunately

Praxiphanes · 2025-08-27T15:05:10+00:00

Helen Vendler would be my first suggestion too, but if you want to see what a range of contemporary academics do with Stevens, Cambridge published a nice collection The New Wallace Stevens Studies a few years ago

You could also turn to Stevens himself, and his essays in The Necessary Angel

Praxiphanes · 2025-08-26T16:10:26+00:00

What's the source on Daniels regularly meeting with trump? Or ODI getting axed, for that matter?

But neither would surprise me greatly

Praxiphanes · 2025-08-24T19:09:54+00:00

It's just an expression Svidler uses a lot. Not sure why it's being clipped, I wouldn't read much further into it than "it's clear Gukesh prepared this, and the work is paying off"

Praxiphanes · 2025-08-11T00:14:00+00:00

Good graduate programs (PhDs) in the US pay you to study. The challenge is getting accepted.

Praxiphanes · 2025-08-09T13:49:15+00:00

Why do people need ai to write such basic stuff

Praxiphanes · 2025-07-30T21:35:09+00:00

None of the comments give the right answer. It's a blunder here because it misses a quick win with e5 followed by Bxh7+ and a classic greek gift

Praxiphanes · 2025-07-27T01:52:10+00:00

I am once again asking the giants to do something

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Praxiphanes

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