that is another interesting idea, that slaving societies have more incentive to maintain free but poor citizens in some good condition, so conscripting them puts more onus for discretion on the high and mighty, and they’re not gonna arm slaves so the aristos are in some amount of double-bind:

On Hume and Montesquieu on Xenophon as Theorist of Democratic Decline open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

This is the very best advertisement for digressionsNimpressions!

On Hume and Montesquieu on Xenophon as Theorist of Democratic Decline open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

So, farewell Sonny Rollins, “Saxophone Colossus” as his album title put it www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4DT...

I do think the GCs benefit from the UK having a very friendly media environment for them, so most people are unaware that they're a legit obsessive hate group who want to bully a social minority into non existence for no better reason than quelling their vague sense of discomfort.

It’s been depressing seeing seemingly reasonable people accelerate from “let’s think about inclusion in sports” to spending all day on the internet insisting that all trans women are predators Even more depressing to see polite society just nod along as if the two were the same thing.

I am kind of sad Colbert didn't get to quote the Pope quoting Gandalf on TV

On Hobbes and Indignation; On Our Post Constitutional Moment, pt. 7. open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

I can't believe digressionsimpressions has to compete with the Pope for eyeballs, but there we are.

Another reminder: if there exists *any* class of people who don't have due process rights, then *nobody* actually has due process rights because the government can always just say you're in that class.

"The more the public is focused on the ruined lives of the victims, the more proto-revolutionary circumstances prevail. Not to put too fine point on it, the last Tarquin was driven out of Rome because he refused to punish the sex-crimes of his son." !

On Hobbes and Indignation; On Our Post Constitutional Moment, pt. 7. open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

@samuelmoyn.bsky.social, This week in Amsterdam!

I like how @Justin Smith-Ruiu re-appropiates participation. It's a neat way to channel spinoza and Leibniz and illuminate the present-future pertaining to the rise of LLMs. www.the-hinternet.com/p/rhythm-and...

It's surprisingly difficult to buy (replacable) battery-operated wet razors in the UK. After you have found a retailer that stocks them you have to show ID.

Attn @martinoneill.bsky.social.

It's probably Amsterdam or Dublin these days

On Montesquieu's citations of Mandeville open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

There is a first for everything. This morning I am speaking on Spinoza and Amsterdam to the International orbital society in the beautiful chapel at Hotel Arena- Amsterdam.

On Reaching for the Exalted when reading Spinoza. open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Reaching for the Exalted when reading Spinoza. open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Spinoza Public fidelity and Public Freedom. open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

I like this "Het doel van de staat is de vrijheid" slogan

On Spinoza Public fidelity and Public Freedom. open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Shklar, Röpke, and Montesquieu open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Shklar, Röpke, and Montesquieu open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

the overwhelming message the AI industry has sent to young people is “this will ruin any chance you have at a stable career”, of course college grads are booing it regardless of the reality of the claims, the way this technology has been sold is one of the greatest self-inflicted PR disasters ever

It's quite amazing that the US has moved ahead from EU discourse occurs when the US is altering its principles whose past effects are being measured in the recent data.

On Lenin and the Panopticon Effect and Weaponing Network Hubs. shout out to @himself.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Lenin and the Panopticon Effect and Weaponing Network Hubs. shout out to @himself.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/digressi...

On Hume and the Age of Enlightenment open.substack.com/pub/digressi...