5 Must-Reads From The Past
On modern work, revolutions, and more
Hi friend,
I try to think hard throughout the week and let the process of mental diarrhoea result in new articles every Sunday.
ICYMI, check out the recent one on why having kids is a great idea- it certainly ruffled a few feathers (but also motivated some people to get the process going with unabated enthusiasm).
If you’re reading this, there’s a high chance that you joined Learning Machine only in the last year or so. But the thing is, your boy’s been writing these atrocious pieces for more than a thousand days now.
And in that process, I think a lot of the older pieces haven’t received nearly as much attention as the stuff I’ve written in 2025.
So instead of writing some new crap, I want to point you to 5 old pieces that are as relevant as ever and will certainly give you something to think about. Many have said that they like binge-reading and reading 3-4 articles together. If that’s you, just click on all 5 links, finish them today, and let me know what you think.
Here are those 5 pieces from topics as diverse as AI and politics to nature and evolution:
Mind-Boggling Ideas On Modern Work: Based on the legendary book ‘Bullshit Jobs’, this one shares 7 whacky observations on modern work culture (which most are already sick of). But this isn’t just the usual, generic-ass rant about how bosses are terrible and shifts are longer than ever. It goes into important ideas like ‘pleasure at being the cause’ and pay inversion.
A World Without Work: When the machines take up all our work, the problem won’t just be economic- that’ll just be the tip of the iceberg. What about the problem of power and meaning? Read, think, reflect, prepare.
The True Believer: And as AI creates a massive disruption in politics and power, we can certainly predict the rise of demagogues who’ll exploit the roiled-up emotions of angry masses to foment violent revolutions. How exactly does this process work, and can we learn from Hitler and Mussolini? This piece breaks it down (but read the book for a much deeper exposition).
Did we evolve to exercise? Okay, enough of confronting the dark times ahead of us. Here’s a fun, illuminating read on the relatively recent idea of ‘working out’. Just pause for a second and think of how a person a few thousand years ago might’ve reacted to our habit of gymming: they’d simply be stupefied and wonder why the hell we were putting ourselves through the boring process of lifting iron in a closed room for 30 minutes.
The Hidden Life Of Trees: And let’s end with a real eye-opener. Did you know that trees can communicate with each other, collaborate and share resources, and have an ‘internet’ of their own? Of course you didn’t. Nobody does, and we’re all loath to look at those wonderful lives as static, inert pieces of wood. End the ignorance. Read on.
That’s enough for a Sunday or two. I hope you dive into these pieces from the past and share your intelligent comments (as you always do) to start a conversation.
Until next weekend.