PinnedMember-onlyHow Social Media Has Made Us All RivalsIt’s a Chamber of Desire from which there is no escape — In the isolation of the pandemic, our need for social media has been especially acute. It helps us to make sense of who we are. We didn’t know what to desire. So we turned to other people, on our phones, to tell us: Watch Tiger King, drink negronis, adopt dogs…Social Media8 min readSocial Media8 min read
2 days agoMember-onlyThe Mortification of Ornette ColemanA Personal Story of Transcending the Transactional — The Triumph of Art Over Content — Art is often misunderstood; content is always optimized. The passage from content to artistry involves resisting optimization. Just before the American jazz legend Ornette Coleman was set to take the stage for his 1974 benefit concert at the Trieste psychiatric hospital, located at the far eastern point of Italy on…Jazz18 min readJazz18 min read
Sep 18Member-onlyThe Art of DisengagementMidsommar, Scapegoating, and the Anti-Mimetic Mind The French social theorist René Girard once remarked that the Egyptian pyramids — stone monuments constructed over the tops of dead kings — were architectural designs that symbolized something more profound in human behavior. The pyramids, he said, are a reflection of what a…Film10 min readFilm10 min read
Sep 14Member-onlyThe Church of A.I.On the reduction of reason and the urgent need to broaden it — I spoke at an event for Quilt.AI in The Times Center in New York City over this past week. It was a beautiful venue and an awesome gathering of people — including at least one twitter follower and substack reader who unexpectedly tracked me down to say “hi” afterwards. You…Artificial Intelligence7 min readArtificial Intelligence7 min read
Sep 4Member-onlyWhat Friday Night Lights Has to Teach UsHigh School Is Hard—And In Some Sense, We’re All Still Living It — It’s that time in Michigan: early season Friday night lights. It’s not Texas, but high school football here is damn serious: we have cool fall weather, local newspapers profiling players and teams, and cars parked outside huge stadiums for three-quarters of a mile down country dirt roads, alongside cornfields —…Football9 min readFootball9 min read
Aug 26Speaker Lineup Announced for NOVITATE 2023Join me in Washington, DC on November 3, for a groundbreaking event — I’m excited to finally be able to announce the initial list of speakers, panelists, and presentation sessions for the first ever NOVITATE experience, which I will be hosting in Washington, DC, on November 3, 2023. This year’s theme, “Be Not Conformed”, will bring together the metaphorical three cities of Athens…Conference3 min readConference3 min read
Aug 22Member-onlyTo Whom It Is GivenGivenness as the Antidote to Abstraction — “Fortunately the world around us is real,” wrote Václav Benda, dissident in the former Czechoslavakia, friend of Václav Havel, and signer of Charter 77. “The family really does exist, it is together or divided, has its joy and woes, its friends and interests. We should continue to surround their totalitarianism…Philosophy8 min readPhilosophy8 min read
Aug 21On Contemplative HobbiesA Jon Franzen-Inspired Reflection on the Joy of Passivity Author Jonathan Franzen has written about his love of bird-watching for a very long time. Recently, he published this wonderful essay in the New Yorker (by far my top read from last week) on “The Problem of Nature Writing”, which is…Hobbies And Interests3 min readHobbies And Interests3 min read
Aug 15Member-onlyContent Vs. Art—Transcending the Transactional, Part IIA continuation of my dialogue with writer Thomas J. Bevan — Below is a conversation about Content vs. Art which I began with writer and friend Thomas J. Bevan, which I began last summer. You can find Part I of this conversation here. I’ve removed the paywall from the archived post for those new to the topic. A Dialogue with Thomas J. Bevan (Continued) Luke: A lot has…Politics15 min readPolitics15 min read
Aug 13Member-onlyLamborghini vs. Ferrari—The Hidden Story of DesireWhy rivalry drove Ferruccio Lamborghini into a new business, and how he knew when it was time to slam on the brakes and exit — The following is an excerpt from the bestselling book Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life (St. Martin’s Press, 2021), published with permission. Ferruccio Lamborghini first made his name by building tractors. He saw it as important and noble work for Italy’s large population of farmers. But that…Cars11 min readCars11 min read
