Links
The first images from the JWST look amazing. See also this comparison with Hubble
Helion Energy is hiring. “Clean, continuous energy for 1 cent per kilowatt-hour”
Lant Pritchett on the difference between anti-poverty programs and poverty reduction. To paraphrase Rutherford, all poverty reduction is either economic growth or stamp collecting
Joel Mokyr reviews Koyama & Rubin’s How the World Became Rich
Potential for a vaccine against a broad category of SARS-like coronaviruses (in Science; see also the announcement from Wellcome Leap which funded this)
Threads
Many waste byproducts were developed in Britain during the Industrial Revolution (@VincentGeloso). See also: In capitalism they use every part of the animal
“Reclosers” on electrical utility poles (@HillhouseGrady)
Queries
Why is hating humanity acceptable? (@CineraVerinia)
Why doesn’t washing hands create hand-washing resistant bacteria? (@_brianpotter)
Tweets
Retweets
Terraform Industries can convert H2 and CO2 into natural gas (@TerraformIndies)
Montessori on the need to teach “the highest discoveries” of science (@mbateman)
There’s an Industrial Revolution board game set in 18th-c. Lancashire (@dkedrosky)
Why is hating humanity acceptable?
A good starting point to answer this would be to ask another question, “Is misanthropy more common today than in the past?”
I suspect three factors play a big role:
Lack of historical weight—Genocide and ethnic hatred only became acknowledged as the evils they are after the horrors of the 20th century. Run-of-the-mill misanthropy has rarely been the driving force behind large-scale atrocities. This makes the taboo it holds much weaker.
Doomer mindset—The average person today, particularly those in young adulthood, seems to have a more negative outlook on society, progress, and life in general. Frustration over climate change and other manmade disasters may also contribute. Misanthropy can easily manifest from these feelings.
Isolation—Speaking of society, misanthropy is probably closely correlated with a sense of disconnectedness from society. With civic engagement dropping and loneliness rising, misanthropy may be an outlet to vent frustration.