Steve Patterson

Category: Culture and Life

  • Paradox, Nonsense, and California

    Any sentence can be phrased a thousand ways. Any paragraph can be phrased a million; it depends on your intention. Scientists use different rhetoric than politicians. Businessmen write differently to colleagues than to family. A rhetorical flourish might be appropriate on the campaign trail, but probably not at the dinner table.

    In the world of ideas, writers and speakers want to be taken seriously. So, they choose their rhetoric accordingly. One popular method is the use of paradox. It’s become quite fashionable. Paradoxes are used to convey intellectual depth and mystery, highlighting the contradictions and murkiness in the world. Indeed, if you want to sound “deep”, contradict yourself as brazenly as possible:

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  • The Death of Skepticism

    Skepticism is dying. Or at the very least, its definition is changing. A skeptic used to be a critical thinker, full of doubt, and wary of popular opinions. Now, “skeptics” form a fashionable clique. Skepticism used to be a methodology – a way of thinking. Now, it’s a particular set of beliefs. I will refer to this distinction as “pop-skepticism” versus “proper skepticism”, because I am biased.

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  • My Bachelor’s Degree Means Nothing

    My shiny bachelor’s degree holds a secret: graduating from college isn’t impressive. It’s embarrassingly easy. Not because I’m smart, but because the standards are so low. For the last few semesters of my college life, I mostly wrote bullshit and got straight A’s. And after talking to hundreds of other students and professors, I don’t think my experience was unique. Here’s my story:

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