The perils of ranking people’s worth by their intelligence
Content warning: racism, sexism, and ableism (Originally written in late 2017 or early 2018. Major edits in summer 2024.) It is laudable to honour intelligence as a positive attribute. The same...
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On autism, early diagnosis and identity
(Originally written in 2018) I suppose this is an unorthodox Autism Acceptance Month post, but so was my previous one. This is an expansion of a Facebook status I wrote about two weeks ago. I have a...
View ArticleAsides and aphorisms
Paper may only be processed wood pulp and pencil strokes only smears of graphite mixed with other materials, but it is the information they convey that is important. The same applies to digital media,...
View ArticleSimplify your language, leftists!
(originally posted ca. 2017) There is a pervasive misconception, especially on the right, that using blunt, politically incorrect or offensive language means that an argument is intrinsically valid....
View ArticleExistential aggression: the connective tissue of bigotry
(reposted from 2018) Racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, disablism and xenophobia are forms of existential aggression. Existential aggression is behaviour that indicates that people don’t...
View ArticleThe problems with authoritarians (plain-language article)
(reposted from 2018) (Content warning: I talk about some hurtful things in this article, like killing and discrimination.) If you’ve read the news over the past few years, you may have heard about...
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A Weighty Issue: Enough with the O-Word.
(content warning: weight stigma, ableism, insulting medical terms in linked content) A photo of a doctor’s scales. Reading anything to do with weight and health is similar to reading twentieth-century...
View ArticleThe shape of my (non-Marxist) leftism
(ca. 2019) The ideas of Karl Marx and his ideological descendants are not and should not be the sole foundation for left-wing political thought. They’re certainly not the sole foundation of mine. I am...
View ArticleThe Banuala Language (conlang draft)
Banuala literally means ‘tongue of the people’ or ‘the people’s tongue’: tongue(NOM) people(GEN). ‘Banu’ means tongue, language or speech. Syntax Banuala is usually a verb-subject-object language....
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15 Rules for Writing Generic Scholarly Articles, White Papers, and Annual...
A graphic that says, "15 rules for writing generic scholarly articles, white papers, and annual reports that absolutely no one will enjoy reading." The passive voice must always be used. Avoid simple...
View ArticleHow Not to Write
Prior to the inception of this paper, input was sought by all relevant stakeholders with regard to the maximisation of reader frustration, boredom and agony. Most intriguingly, there was a...
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Intelligence exists, but it’s more complex than you think
(originally posted in 2018) Via Joshua Fuller @ Unsplash First, let’s clear up some misconceptions about what intelligence is and isn’t. Intelligence is a collection of mental abilities—pattern...
View ArticlePaneuropa: a European language mashup that’s less ugly than Esperanto
(Draft of a conlang started in 2018) Combining the most aesthetically pleasing aspects of languages we speak (so an Indo-European mashup, mostly, based primarily on Germanic and Romance languages, but...
View ArticlePlain-language philosophy: Epistemic injustice
(originally posted in 2018) This post is part of a series of posts in which I’ll attempt to translate philosophical ideas into understandable language to reach a wider audience. I firmly believe that...
View ArticleFamily relationships and moral reasoning
I wrote this in April 2006; for context, I was still living with my parents, with whom my relationship was growing increasingly strained for a number of reasons. While I still agree with the premise...
View ArticleEducation, Parenting, and Change for Tomorrow.
(originally written in late 2004, when I was 18. Very minor edits in 2018. Most of my beliefs haven’t changed much in this regard: I am vehemently against disproportionate discipline and oppose...
View ArticleSimplify your language, leftists!
(originally posted ca. 2017) There is a pervasive misconception, especially on the right, that using blunt, politically incorrect or offensive language means that an argument is intrinsically valid....
View ArticleI’m autistic. But what does that MEAN?
(content warning: including child sexual abuse, bullying, harassment, slavery, and exploitation) I’m autistic. But that explains everything and nothing about me. I1 am also thirty-five years old, live...
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Wordsight
(the word “Wordsight” written on a dusty-blue background) In a word I see the world. Written symbols—not just words, but letters, punctuation, essays, books, numerals—have personalities, sounds,...
View ArticlePosition Statement on the ASAN Open Letter
(long form of this Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/phineasfrogg/status/1406307615605411846) I signed the open letter to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s board of directors to point out that...
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