Category: research

Business Models, Economics, Growth, research, Social_evolutionLeave a comment

The wrong prescription for liberal democracy’s ills

Colin Henderson

Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu’s call for a ‘working-class liberalism’ fails to address the underlying cause of liberal democracy’s woes: a lack of productivity. ~MARC LEVINSON SEPTEMBER 25, 2026~ Empty highway in the direction of Munich on a car-free Sunday during the oil crisis. What Happened to Liberal Democracy? Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity, Daron Acemoglu, Profile Books, £25 With a congressional election looming in November, Sarah Longwell, an American political consultant who is a voice for Republican opponents of Donald Trump, recently offered some unwelcome advice. Those who hope to deprive the president of his congressional majority, she … Continue reading The wrong prescription for liberal democracy’s ills

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Adapted with permission from Inside the Next Transition: Seeing Systemic Change Before Pathways Harden by Frank Diana.

Colin Henderson

SourceL Time piece based on exciting new book upcoming from Frank Diana. Can Studying Daily Life Help Us Envision the Future? Frank Diana Diana is a Futurist at Tata Consultancy Services. JUL 30, 2026 10:00 AM ET The morning begins before anyone is fully awake. One parent is packing lunches while the other is answering a work message from the kitchen counter. A child cannot find a shoe. The school app says the bus is delayed. A phone buzzes with a reminder about a prescription refill for an aging parent, followed by another message from the care aide asking whether … Continue reading Adapted with permission from Inside the Next Transition: Seeing Systemic Change Before Pathways Harden by Frank Diana.

AI, Progress, research, Social Theory

UPDATED Mar 05/ 25: The Evolution of Human Thought ….

Colin Henderson

and the Emergence of AI: A Historical Synthesis Abstract This report traces humanity’s evolving relationship with reality, knowledge, and reason from antiquity to the digital age, culminating in the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Across epochs, societies have grappled with the tension between faith, reason, and technological innovation, each era refining—or contesting—the role of human cognition in shaping understanding. The classical world elevated reason and idealized forms; medieval theology subordinated inquiry to divine revelation; the Renaissance and Enlightenment recentered human agency and empirical observation. Modernity’s scientific revolutions destabilized classical physics and philosophy, revealing reality’s inherent subjectivity. Today, AI challenges the … Continue reading UPDATED Mar 05/ 25: The Evolution of Human Thought ….

Progress, research, Sociology2

The Concept of Freedom: Origins and Evolution

Colin Henderson

Ancient Foundations The concept of freedom has its roots in ancient civilizations, particularly in classical Greece and Rome. In these early societies, freedom was primarily understood as a political concept closely tied to democratic self-rule and participation in civic life[1][3]. Greek City-States The Greek city-states, especially Athens, developed a notion of freedom that emphasized: Liberation from political bondage Participation in democratic decision-making Self-rule by male citizens This conception of freedom was inherently collective, focusing on the ability of citizens to govern themselves rather than individual rights[1]. Roman Republic The Roman Republic continued and expanded upon the Greek ideal of political … Continue reading The Concept of Freedom: Origins and Evolution

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Levels of Thinking: How to Make Better Decisions with Second-Level Thinking

Colin Henderson

Anne-Laure Le Cunff •   Reading time: 4minutes Skipping meals to save time, but finding yourself exhausted and unproductive by the afternoon. Choosing a cheaper apartment to save money, but the long commute ends up costing you time and energy. You tried to make the most sensible choice, and yet… What went wrong? It’s easy to get carried away when making a decision. We look at the current situation and extrapolate what we consider to be the most likely future outcome. But we often fail to consider the complex ramifications of the decisions we make. For instance, let’s say you’re offered a job … Continue reading Levels of Thinking: How to Make Better Decisions with Second-Level Thinking

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things I read yesterday … 06/25/2008

Colin Henderson

Canada Gazette tags: Canada gazette, deposit taking institution “regulated deposit-taking institution” means an entity that is supervised or regulated by a Canadian or foreign financial services or banking regulator and is authorized to accept deposits from the public. (institution de dépôt réglementée) NYSBD Staff Interpretations 2002 memo in connection with an assertion that Paypal were illegally conducting banking activity. Result was no action taken. tags: nysbd, paypal certain of PayPal’s services constituted illegal banking activity and that those services should not be provided to New York customers Continue reading things I read yesterday … 06/25/2008

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things I read yesterday … 06/23/2008

Colin Henderson

Yahoo’s Ymail: Don’t really get it » mathewingram.com/work | Anyone younger than about 30 doesn’t seem interested in having an email address period, let alone caring whether it’s hermanzweibel@rocketmail.com or whatever. My teenaged daughters and their friends never use email anyway — they text message (in which case all you need is a phone number) or they use Facebook messages as a way of communicating. I send them email and they never get it. Do they have email addresses? Yes, and they are a combination of their names, underscores, numbers and nicknames, and so on — and they couldn’t care … Continue reading things I read yesterday … 06/23/2008

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things I read yesterday … 06/20/2008

Colin Henderson

FT.com / Columnists / Martin Wolf – How imbalances led to credit crunch and inflation tags: inflation, ft.com, big picture Inflation is a sustained rise in the price level: the result of too much money (or purchasing power) chasing too few goods and services. A one-off jump in commodity prices is not inflation. Nor need such a jump cause inflation. But a continuous rise in the relative price of commodities is a symptom of an inflationary process. FT.com / Credit bubble – FBI eyes big business in mortgage fraud probe Federal investigators are homing in on 19 “large corporations” – … Continue reading things I read yesterday … 06/20/2008