Homepage
Open in app
Sign in
Get started
GentlySerious
Serious topics, gently treated.
All Articles
About
Follow
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Philip Hellyer
Aug 22, 2019
Real work versus legibility
Real work versus legibility
Aidan Ward and Philip Hellyer
Aidan Ward
Feb 12, 2018
About GentlySerious
Latest Stories
Archive
About Medium
Terms
Privacy