Best of Twitter week of September 16-22, 2024 (1/2)

Innovation is the backbone of modern economic growth, and without the Protestants, we probably wouldn't have it🧵

Consider the period of the Counter-Reformation. During this time, the Catholic Church set science back in the territories it governed:

— Crémieux (@cremieuxrecueil)
6:26 PM • Sep 20, 2024

In plain language:

Because Protestants were ineffective at expressing their anti-scientific will, they gave us the modern world. The Protestants could not muster the force to prejudice their realms against science, so it prospered under their governance.

Thank God!

— Crémieux (@cremieuxrecueil)
6:26 PM • Sep 20, 2024

Cliff Asness of AQR has written an interesting paper available online.

Basically he asserts markets are now less efficient due to index funds, low interest rates, and most importantly the influence of access to technology that encourages memes and meme philosophy that increases… x.com/i/web/status/1…

— Bill Gross (@real_bill_gross)
8:28 PM • Sep 12, 2024

VCs in China now spend most of their time suing the startups they invested in to get their money back.

Founders are also now required to be personally liable for their company’s loans.

Hard to imagine why anyone would start a company under these conditions.

— Alec Stapp (@AlecStapp)
12:07 PM • Sep 12, 2024

Typical Abrahamists. They are all the same.

— Thulêan Sorcerer 🍃🧙‍♂️ (@BornLik23266)
11:26 PM • Sep 12, 2024

Extraordinarily whitepilling if this gambit is real and works out

I disagree with Elon about a lot but for him to even be able to strike such a deal would already disprove a large chunk of my pessimism about possibility of change for good

— Teortaxes▶️ (@teortaxesTex)
5:03 AM • Sep 18, 2024

— Alexey Guzey (@alexeyguzey)
5:21 PM • Sep 17, 2024

Lee Kuan Yew:

— Bryan 🥮 (@bryancsk)
6:19 AM • Jun 20, 2024

I think a more accurate model is:
Leopold meme will gracefully outcompete YudStrom meme, and few live players in AI safety will be eager to talk about the now-obsolete origins of the field.
To the onlookers, it'll be «Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia about safe AGI»

— Teortaxes▶️ (@teortaxesTex)
10:18 PM • Sep 20, 2024

Cloth washing is so labor intensive, that even among the Amish almost all communities allow the use of washing machines.

— LiorLefineder (@lefineder)
10:56 AM • Sep 20, 2024

my therapist gave me this and said, "that's you"

— charles r. davis (@charizardavis)
6:56 PM • Sep 12, 2024