For the past few years, I have been hosting an annual audit on the morning of New Year's Eve. I will continue the tradition this year but with some philosophical innovations. This year's audit will span a little over three hours, divided into three distinct parts:
A yearly recap. We'll review the year, month-by-month, showcasing noteworthy occurrences, significant wins, and valuable insights gained. This review is an excellent way to process the year while bidding it farewell.
Minimum viable philosophy. We will participate in a "flash philosophy" exercise, during which we will jot down our life philosophy to serve as our guiding document for 2024. This document can live with you throughout the year, allowing for edits as necessary.
Virtues, vibes, and ventures. We'll sense into the virtues you aspire to express, the vibes you desire to embody, and the ventures you are called to embark upon. Each represents unique facets of how an individual's philosophy manifests in the world.
Each of these exercises will be approximately 60 minutes in duration and will be conducted in a manner similar to Collective Journaling, meaning we will come together in a Zoom room and write in silence as a group. After each exercise, there will be optional breakout rooms for further discussion, as well as social rooms for mingling.
Leveraging the "fresh start effect" is wise, but the basic "setting SMART goals you'll give up on in a month" approach is not. This session will be a less foolish way to cultivate an agile readiness for 2024. You'll be introduced to a philosophically coherent approach that weaves science-based methods with other field-tested techniques such as the WOOP system, the 12-week Year, the three horizons, and PACT Goals.
December 31st @ 8 AM Eastern. Less Foolish paid subscribers can RSVP behind the paywall at the bottom of this entry.
The two significant changes in my "second self" (digital persona) career for 2023 have been changing this Substack's name to Less Foolish in April and saying goodbye to The Stoa in June.
I did not formally conclude The Stoa but discontinued the free public events. I found it necessary to do so from a creative perspective because I began to sense a creeping "audience capture," and the alignment with the gift economy no longer felt creatively conducive. The Stoa may make a comeback in a different guise, although I am still determining what that will look like. Nevertheless, I am proud of The Stoa's body of work, which encompasses a substantial and diverse philosophical archive of 685 videos.
Concerning this Substack, I have authored over 500 posts since its inception in 2020. I stopped writing in the summer of 2022 but returned at the beginning of 2023, writing 78 entries this year. On April Fools' Day, I renamed this Substack to Less Foolish, which is the foundational premise of my "minimum viable philosophy." I am satisfied with my output this year, both in amount and quality, and I am encouraged to continue writing in 2024.
For those who have recently come across my writing, here are seven entries from this year that I found particularly enjoyable to write. They also provide a good introduction to the spirit of this newsletter:
How to Properly Answer the “Do You Believe in God?” Question - I felt more compelled to express my philosophical viewpoints openly this year; this post is a good example. Regarding topics concerning God, I operate under the motte-and-bailey theology of Ignosticism-Panentheism.
Transperspectival Masturbation - "Transperspectival" implies the ability to embrace multiple perspectives without becoming exclusively entrenched in any one of them. I maintain the belief that not only is this achievable, but it also forms the bedrock of wisdom. However, it also has the potential to devolve into a masturbatory cope.
The “Terrible Communities” series - A 5-part series unpacking the premise that "all communities are terrible communities." The series explores terrible outcomes of consciously communing (tyranny of structurelessness, cult states, and intimacy without friendships), terrible people within communities (sneaky fuckers, unconscious gaslighters, and conversational narcissists), and advocates for a widespread power literacy. You can read a good summary of the series by
from Emerge.Minimum Viable Philosophy - I was mentioned in a New York Times article last year, labeled as a "dedicated Stoic," which is total misinformation. Yet, my "minimum viable philosophy" (MVP) is indeed Stoic-esque, and in this piece, I recommend everyone develop their own bespoke MVP. Complementary read: Rather be Stoic than Cool.
How to Disagree With a Friend - This post provides guidance on how to disagree with your friends of virtue (who you should be disagreeing with often).
Fuck You Happiness - A new spiritual north star to replace the "fuck you money" attractor.
All Philosophers Are Charlatans - Part confessional, part dunking on academic "philosophers," this entry busts out the memes to trace one motivational trajectory of doing philosophy. Complementary read: The Dildofication of Philosophy.
I also honor all the articles I've read that have impacted my thoughts this year. Here are my seven favorites:
- and . This essay is the best of 2023. I believe that Caroline and LIL Internet are plugged into the "true name" of the Internet, offering new models for making sense of it and the cultures it influences. Understanding "platform physics" and the emerging "community-as-media" landscape will prove highly beneficial for sensemaking on the Internet in 2024. Complementary read: The Unreasonable Sufficiency of Protocols by and co.
- ’s “The Platform Wars” series. Another critical perspective for comprehending the evolution of the internet and culture is through the “platform wars," as defined by Joshua: "a phase of social media characterized by intense competition among platforms to secure data and users, often by restricting features and the ability to transition between these now separate domains."
“Because Physical Wounds Heal” by
. I was introduced to Jak's work this year through , and glad I was. Jak is a talented artist and cultural commentator who has written many solid cultural analyses. My favorite of his this year is his musings into "psyop realism," which details the rise of conspiracism and the paranoia that everyone on the Internet is a glowie engaged in psychological operations. Complementary reads: Psyop Realism and the Crisis of Authenticity by and Yalcinkaya’s DAZED essay.- Asparouhova. Nadia consistently delivers insightful cultural commentary, and her piece in Tablet Magazine serves as a prime illustration of this. In this article, she examines a conflict between two factions of elites: the Davos class and the "counter-elites" exemplified by figures like Elon Musk and Andreessen Horowitz. I particularly valued her exploration of the philosophies held by these elite groups and their trickle-down influence on the broader population. See also Nadia's "Mapping Digital Worlds to Understand Our Present and Future" presentation at The Stoa earlier this year.
- . This essay is an excellent deep-dive into the response of the emerging post-rationalist movement to the meaning crisis and the broader cultural shift towards what Tara calls the "postrational turn." Whether we like it or not, the future is destined to be post-rational. See also Tara’s “Self-Creation in the Internet Age” panel appearance at The Stoa early this year with , , and .
The Cancelled Will Inherit the Earth by Charlotte Fang. This is an entertaining post by Milay's Charlotte Fang, in which she contends that those who have been "cancelled" (or are unafraid of it) will be the ones influencing culture, a viewpoint I concur with. Key passage: “Being cancelled was supposed to mean social and financial isolation, and it worked for a few years—but today, you and all your friends are cancelled, half your favorite artists are cancelled, anyone you know with a spine is cancelled.”
From Feeding Moloch to 'Digital Minimalism' by
. is one of my favorite Substacks. Ruth is a prominent figure within the "cognitive liberator" community on Substack, alongside her husband ,, and . Her article on Moloch and digital minimalism is an excellent entry point to this community and offers a compelling motivator to reduce our online time in 2024.
I attempted to co-host a podcast series called NEW CULTURE this year that focused on culturally influential articles, interviewing many of the authors above. Unfortunately, the project was abandoned due to creative differences, but I will incorporate excerpts from those interviews into upcoming Substack entries.
Bonus #1. A playlist of the songs I enjoyed the most in 2023 while writing alongside my Collective Journaling crew:
Bonus #2. Inspired by how Katherine ended her 2023 recap post, I will provide my culture war forecasts for 2024, listing them without additional elaboration. However, these predictions are way too controversial to remain outside the paywall...
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