Had a quick look, and can't figure out what this post is about.
The cartoon at the beginning makes it appear this is about the decline of the US.
Then there's a bunch of meta background I don't care about.
Then this:
> 1) Seeing in 2D. Getting to know what I see as the core human struggle: the tension between our genes’ will to survive—a primal flame that burns brightly in everyone—and the human capacity to override that flame when it makes sense to do so, with rationality, self-awareness, and wisdom. ...
Huh? Is this written by an AI? It's an honest question.
I kept scanning looking for something - anything - concrete. Nothing.
Apparently, the author has a following, but I can't understand why.
I shouldn't need to read the last 8 chapters to figure this out. It's not my responsibility as a reader. It's the responsibility of the writer to ensure that when a reader jumps into a chapter, there's enough context and substance to figure out if it's worth reading.
> I shouldn't need to read the last 8 chapters to figure this out. It's not my responsibility as a reader. It's the responsibility of the writer to ensure that when a reader jumps into a chapter, there's enough context and substance to figure out if it's worth reading.
What an absurd thing to say. Would you say this about jumping into chapter 9 of a book? What about part 9 of a guide to learning a new programming language?
>> It's the responsibility of the writer to ensure that when a reader jumps into a chapter, there's enough context and substance to figure out if it's worth reading.
On the one hand I see your point, I could open a random chapter of a physics textbook and likely get some context or motivation for what follows.
On the other, opening a novel to a random chapter would have me totally lost. Did the author fail in their responsibility?
This is chapter 10 of a series of long form posts, and the author explicitly asks you to start at the beginning. I don't think they're beholden to an expectation for a quick recap and justification.
I agree with you. I wish for a tl;dr summary for most articles on HN (and I'm tired of explaining why "you should always read the full article" is a stupid suggestion).
The cartoon at the beginning makes it appear this is about the decline of the US.
Then there's a bunch of meta background I don't care about.
Then this:
> 1) Seeing in 2D. Getting to know what I see as the core human struggle: the tension between our genes’ will to survive—a primal flame that burns brightly in everyone—and the human capacity to override that flame when it makes sense to do so, with rationality, self-awareness, and wisdom. ...
Huh? Is this written by an AI? It's an honest question.
I kept scanning looking for something - anything - concrete. Nothing.
Apparently, the author has a following, but I can't understand why.
I shouldn't need to read the last 8 chapters to figure this out. It's not my responsibility as a reader. It's the responsibility of the writer to ensure that when a reader jumps into a chapter, there's enough context and substance to figure out if it's worth reading.