On intellectual integrity

This is something I quickly wrote into notepad about two years ago. It isn't rigorous nor is it meant to be treated as rigorous but it still reflects my current thinking.

Intellectual integrity. It's rare, it's valuable, and nobody wants anything to do with it. People value pursuing the goals of their ideologies more than the pursuit of truth. And why not, who has time to work out the details when the earth, your soul, your freedom, your country hang in the balance? How often do we tell ourselves we know we're right when we merely assume we're right? Answer: every single time.

On fickle things

One of my hobbies is playing the table top game Warhammer 40k. The game is dependent on dice rolls and players will often make references to "the dice gods". Superstition regarding the dice gods is seen but isn't overly extensive, half serious rituals involving the "sacrifice" of french fries are popular among my friends. I don't consider myself superstitious but I did have my smaller dice arranged as a sort of pedestal for my larger dice. It was a shrine of sorts dedicated to the fickle dice gods. I've learned since then from other non dice related experiences that fickle things should not venerated or put anywhere near a pedestal. Fickle things, even when powerful, should not be held in great esteem. My dice are presently kept in an unceremonious pile. Other fickle things receive the same treatment, and I think to do otherwise would be unwise.