Balance of Power #

Abstract #

This is my remix of Vitalik’s Dec 30 essay of the same title.

Modern civilization depends on powerful institutions—corporations, governments, and mass movements—to drive progress, yet these same forces threaten freedom and flourishing as they concentrate power. This essay examines how Big Business, Big Government, and Big Mob each become dangerous through specific mechanisms: corporations through profit optimization that diverges from social welfare and through homogenization driven by scale; governments when they shift from neutral frameworks to active agents pursuing their own agendas; civil society when diverse institutions collapse into unified mobs.

A digital illustration of a young woman with long, wavy brown hair. She rests her chin on her fist, her expression conveying boredom or mild annoyance. She wears a pink tank top. The style is semi-realistic with soft brushwork.

LuaLaTeX Footnote Maze #

UPDATE 2025-12-04: Sidebar Footnote Collision Problem #

Testing revealed a critical issue: when a sidebar with footnotes barely fits on a page, the footnotes can collide with the sidebar content. The sidebar itself fits, but the combination of sidebar plus footnotes exceeds available space, causing collisions with page content and page numbers.

The problem occurs regardless of sidebar length. Tests with varying sidebar sizes—from compact to extended—all demonstrated collisions when the total height (sidebar + footnotes) was just over the page limit.

Subject: Request to Reconsider Ban on Synthetically Derived Cannabinoids Under HB 3000
To: [email protected], [email protected]
CC: [email protected]

I am writing as your constituent in [City], Oregon, to express my concerns about HB 3000’s ban on synthetically derived cannabinoids by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC).

The Current Problem

The OLCC has banned all artificially derived cannabinoids based on health concerns, specifically worries over consumers ingesting or inhaling the residue of chemicals used to process CBD into other cannabinoids. While I understand the intent to protect consumers, this blanket prohibition creates several significant issues:

Subject: Drug policy reform To: [email protected], [email protected]
CC: [email protected]

I am writing as your constituent to urge you to consider evidence-based drug policy reform, specifically the restoration of blanket decriminalization and exploration of regulated drug dispensaries. I base this request on the recently published Portland State University study “Examining the Multifaceted Impacts of Drug Decriminalization on Public Safety, Law Enforcement, and Prosecutorial Discretion” (2024), which provides crucial insights into Oregon’s drug policy experiences.

The Evidence Supporting Decriminalization

Dear Oregon Legislators,

I am writing to urge you to consider the full legalization of drugs in Oregon—not merely decriminalization, but a comprehensive shift away from criminal enforcement and toward a public health approach. The current strategy of criminalizing drug use continues to waste valuable police resources, fails to address the root causes of addiction, and diverts funding from effective solutions.

Despite years of debate and reform, Oregon continues to allocate significant law enforcement resources to the policing of drug possession and use[1]. Even after the partial decriminalization under Measure 110, recent legislative changes have returned us to a system where police are once again tasked with arresting individuals for minor drug offenses[3]. This approach has proven ineffective at reducing drug use or overdoses, and it diverts officers from addressing violent crime and other public safety priorities.

He walked straight out of college into the waiting arms of the Navy.

They gave him an intelligence test. The first question on the math part had to do with boats on a river: Port Smith is 100 miles upstream of Port Jones. The river flows at 5 miles per hour. The boat goes through water at 10 miles per hour. How long does it take to go from Port Smith to Port Jones? How long to come back?

...

Behind the prison bars lies a tragedy so absurd it seems fictional. Imagine a world where suicide attempts come with a bill, prisons are built on toxic waste dumps as if radiation were part of the sentence, and the government tells you that with a felony record you’re too dangerous to kill bugs professionally but could theoretically run the country. In “Seven Facts About Mass Incarceration That Sound Like April Fools’ Day Hoaxes, But Aren’t,” we journey through America’s justice system—a place where “inmate welfare funds” buy fitness trackers for guards, where the average pretrial detainee makes less annually than what’s required for bail, and where nearly half of all Americans have had an immediate family member incarcerated. Laugh to keep from crying as we explore a system so darkly comedic that reality has outdone satire. Because sometimes the cruelest jokes aren’t jokes at all—they’re policy.

Background and Significance #

While vocalization during pain (e.g., saying “ow” or screaming) has been studied and shown to potentially increase pain tolerance, the psychological mechanisms and efficacy of internal vocalization (subvocalization or “silent screaming”) during acute pain episodes remain largely unexplored. This represents a significant gap in our understanding of cognitive pain management strategies.

Previous research has established that subvocalization involves micro-movements of the larynx and speech organs that are typically imperceptible without specialized equipment. These internal speech processes have been extensively studied in reading contexts but rarely in pain management applications.

How does The Religious Case Against Belief (2008) compare with The Religious Case Against Belief (J. N. Pritikin, Trans.; 2nd ed.) (2025)?

Structure and Content #

• The second edition includes a new front matter section explaining the adaptation process
• Material is significantly reorganized, with content moved between chapters
• The Religion Beyond Belief and Coda chapters have been removed or relocated
• Overall word count reduced by 46%
• The second edition includes bibliography sections not in the original

Writing Style and Accessibility #

• Sentence structure: The second edition uses shorter, simpler sentences compared to the original’s longer, more complex constructions
• Vocabulary: Original uses more academic and specialized terminology; second edition employs more straightforward language
• Examples: Second edition includes more concrete, contemporary examples to illustrate abstract concepts
• Paragraph length: Original has longer paragraphs with multiple connected ideas; second edition breaks these into smaller, focused paragraphs
• Transitions: Second edition adds clearer transitional phrases to guide readers between concepts

Scholarly Apparatus and References #

• Citation style: Second edition uses numerical footnote references that link to a formal bibliography
• Source documentation: More extensive citations and references in the second edition
• Tables and visual elements: Second edition includes tables (like the attributes of a mature belief system)
• Academic conventions: Second edition follows more formal academic presentation conventions

Audience Considerations #

• Educational accessibility: Second edition is written at a high school rather than post-graduate reading level
• Religious audience: Second edition frames arguments in a way intended to be more respectful to religious readers
• Academic readers: Original appears more targeted toward scholarly/academic audience
• General public: Second edition attempts to make complex philosophical concepts more accessible to non-specialists

Content Organization and Development #

Structural Reformatting #

• Hierarchical organization: The original presents ideas in relatively undifferentiated prose blocks; the second edition implements a systematic hierarchical structure with numbered sections and subsections (e.g., chapters like Belief have explicit sections on Intensity, Faith, Formation of Belief Systems)
• Topic segmentation: Original flows between topics without clear transitions; second edition creates distinct sections with explicit headers (e.g., separate sections on Galileo’s Trial and Stepping Deeper into Ignorance)
• Logical progression: Second edition reorganizes material to create a more linear path through complex concepts, while the original has a more associative flow

The New Ignorance Chapter #

• Taxonomic approach: Creates a formal three-part taxonomy (ordinary, willful, and higher ignorance) that serves as a conceptual foundation
• Galileo reframing: Repositions the Galileo material as an exemplar of different types of ignorance rather than primarily as an example of belief conflict
• Conceptual scaffolding: Provides preparatory concepts that readers need before encountering the central arguments about belief
• Integration function: Connects historical examples to abstract philosophical concepts more systematically

Case Studies and Examples #

• Enhanced structure: Original presents the Martin Luther case study in an uninterrupted narrative; second edition breaks it into explicitly labeled sections like Luther’s Legacy
• Comparative examples: Second edition adds more structured comparative examples (like the parallel between religious and military language)
• Contemporary relevance: Second edition adds more explicit connections to modern issues (e.g., unlawful orders in military contexts, enhanced discussion of willful ignorance in politics)
• Visual distinction: Case studies are more clearly marked off from theoretical material in the second edition

Argumentative Architecture #

• Premise-conclusion structure: Second edition more explicitly marks the premises of arguments before presenting conclusions
• Counter-argument integration: More systematic presentation of objections and responses in the second edition
• Concept mapping: Second edition creates clearer relationships between related concepts through explicit signposting
• Summary elements: Addition of summative sections at chapter ends in the second edition

Conceptual Development and Focus #

Higher Ignorance Advancement #

• Conceptual primacy: In the original, higher ignorance is one important concept among many; in the second edition, it becomes the central organizing principle
• Definition expansion: Second edition provides a more detailed explanation of higher ignorance through extended examples
• Historical contextualization: Second edition connects higher ignorance to thinkers like Nicholas of Cusa more systematically
• Application range: Second edition shows more explicitly how higher ignorance applies across different religious traditions

Belief System Analysis #

• Formation process: Second edition adds a more detailed analysis of how belief systems form and develop (with a table of features like “Comprehensive Explanation,” “Ultimate Authority,” etc.)
• Psychological dimension: Enhanced discussion of the psychological factors that contribute to belief formation and maintenance
• Opposing functions: More systematic analysis of how belief systems define themselves against others
• Internal contradictions: More structured presentation of the contradictions inherent in belief systems

Religion-Belief Relationship #

• Boundary clarification: Second edition creates clearer distinctions between religion and the belief systems that form around them
• Identity preservation: More detailed discussion of how religions maintain their identity over millennia despite changing belief systems
• Community dynamics: Enhanced discussion of how religious communities function differently from belief-based communities
• Transcendence mechanism: More explicit explanation of how religion transcends the limitations of belief systems

Contemporary Applications #

• Modern relevance: Second edition draws more connections to contemporary religious and political conflicts
• Secularization analysis: More detailed discussion of how secular belief systems mimic religious structures
• Political religion: Enhanced analysis of how political ideologies function as pseudo-religions
• Media influence: New material on how information environments affect belief formation

Interdisciplinary Integration #

• Psychological integration: Second edition more explicitly incorporates concepts from psychology (like locus of control)
• Sociological framing: Enhanced discussion of how belief systems function socially
• Historical contextualization: More systematic use of historical examples to illustrate theoretical points
• Linguistic analysis: More detailed discussion of religious language and how it functions differently from belief statements

Practical Implications #

• Applied ethics: Second edition draws more explicit ethical implications from the theoretical framework
• Dialogical practice: More detailed suggestions for how to engage with beliefs differently
• Cultural navigation: Enhanced discussion of how to engage with various belief systems productively
• Self-examination: More explicit invitation for readers to examine their own belief systems critically