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GentlySerious

Serious topics, gently treated.

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  • Recent stories, written together by Aidan Ward and Philip Hellyer
    An economy of nothing

    An economy of nothing

    Is there anything quite so depressing and deadening as the requirement to be positive and upbeat? Bright-eyed and bushy tailed? Can do…
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Mar 16
    Landscapes co-evolve with Community

    Landscapes co-evolve with Community

    What might it mean for a community to be shaped by its function in the landscape? We have lost the sense that the landscape has its own…
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Feb 8
    Societal madness

    Societal madness

    How would we know if society was mad? If it had lost touch with reality and was simply deluded much of time? But I get ahead of myself…
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Jan 18
    Can you control use of your medical data?

    Can you control use of your medical data?

    Your medical data is being used without your permission in ways that will undermine your health — it just is — and there is nothing you…
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Jan 2
    Popular stories
    Boundaries? Are you sure?

    Boundaries? Are you sure?

    The English language insists that there are things, objects, creatures, all sorts of discrete stuff. This is what we teach our children…
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Jul 24, 2018
    Axiomatic Nonsense

    Axiomatic Nonsense

    Last week we wrote about consciousness and the underpinnings of symbols. This week we look at some symbols that stubbornly fail to degrade…
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Jan 8, 2019
    Risk Aversion in Ecosystems

    Risk Aversion in Ecosystems

    Risk aversion leads to increased risk — we need to take risks actively if we are to navigate between possible harms. Odysseus’ perilous…
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Dec 18, 2019
    What Really Matters

    What Really Matters

    As the world darkens we can see our connections glow. All the smart people talk about context, context, context: about how meaning is lost…
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Apr 17, 2018
    Perpetual Chicken Feed

    Perpetual Chicken Feed

    How do you feel about flies? Do you think we depend on them? Would the world be better with less flies? We can have a look at this…
    Go to the profile of Philip Hellyer
    Philip Hellyer
    Aug 22, 2019
    Real work versus legibility

    Real work versus legibility

    Aidan Ward and Philip Hellyer
    Go to the profile of Aidan Ward
    Aidan Ward
    Feb 12, 2018
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