Understanding Humans

your Saturday roundup

Professionally, I focus on creating social benefit startups. In my Saturday morning emails I share what I’m learning and thinking. Topics range from better living and parenting to business and philosophy.

• Genetic Questions. I have so many questions about genetics. For example, why doesn’t sexual reproduction break more things? If you randomly mix computer code you are going to get garbage. Even if you only randomly mix the parameters, my intuition is your more likely to make things worse. Why aren’t there more interactive effects? I’ve heard that height is largely heritable and influenced by many separate genes. And they are generally additive in their effect. Are other traits like this? Why? What does that say about the distribution of traits in a population? What has genetics learned from information theory? But my most important question: what’s the best source for a layman to understand human genetics that is quantitative in reasoning without reading like a math proof? 

• Assessing the Assessments.  I recently came across a blog post by Graham Duncan about hiring and understanding yourself. A wonderful summary of decades of work seeking to evaluate talent. Reference made to ghSmart, Lencioni, Enneagram, pysch Big Five, High vs Low Self-Monitors and much more. Great stuff!

• What’s Our Problem? The author of the Wait But Why blog has a book out called What’s Our Problem - a self-help book for societies. “As technology soared ahead, it seemed like we were going backwards in wisdom. Tribalism was flaring up everywhere, mass shaming campaigns were roaring back into fashion, politicians were increasingly clown-like, public discourse had become a battle of one-dimensional narratives…The book introduces a new framework for thinking about our complex political environment.” That framework is largely In defense of classically liberal and enlightenment values. Things like thinking like a scientist (open to evidence, seeking to understand) and less like an attorney (my client is always right) or a zealot (debate isn’t legitimate). I like the idea that we should have no forced political speech and (very little?) forced listening. Check it out and let’s discuss. Did I mention there are 303 drawings?

by DALL-E

Until next week,

Miles

P.S. If you live in CT, I hope you’ll support rank choice voting legislation to empower voters, encourage positive campaigning and improve choice and competition.