The Wayward Axolotl

Book recommendations, organized by category. Physics Hidden Unity in Nature's Laws by John C. Taylor This is an excellent overview of theoretical Physics. It is not pop science, but it is readable and it does not assume that you have a background in the sciences, just that you are intelligent and can handle a few equations. It goes over all the major theories of physics and shows how they fit together into the conceptual framework of modern physics. QED by Richard Feynman This is a really good introduction to quantum theory. It discusses the observations that quantum theory explains, and then it shows how quantum theory explains those observations. It gives you the empirical basis for quantum theory in everyday observations and simple experiments. If you want a basic understanding of quantum theory, read this book, not some pop-science book on the "multiverse". Chaos by James Gleick This is a book I read when I was around 20 years old, and I really enjoyed i...

The recent controversy over the Nazi LARPing at the NPI conference got me thinking about how we can save the West. As I have said before, I am not a white nationalist or member of the alt-right. But I am a biological and cultural realist. I share some of their views and some of their goals. I agree with them on the dangers of mass immigration and Islam. I disagree with some of their views, and in this case, I definitely disagree with their methods. I don't think we can save the West by LARPing as Nazis. The big issues facing the West right now are demographic: immigration, low fertility, dysgenics, Islam, etc. We have the power to solve these problems, but we lack the will. The reason we lack the will to solve them is that we are morally required to pretend that they don't exist, or don't matter. The religion of the modern West, Humanism, is based on Utopian fantasies about life and human nature. When reality contradicts Humanist delusions, we are required to ignore reali...

On the night of the election (US 2016) I was elated. I haven't felt that good in a long time, and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I had been depressed during the day, because I expected Hillary to win. If that had happened, it would have been the end of the United States as we know it. There wouldn't have been an immediate disaster, but the establishment would have consolidated its grasp on power and the US would have accelerated down its trajectory toward anarcho-tyranny. That evening I walked home under grey skies, made myself dinner, and then opened up twitter to see what was happening. I was expecting bad news, so I was pleasantly surprised that people were posting predictions of a Trump win. Still, it was early on, and I didn't want to get too optimistic. As the results rolled in, I stated to get excited. Could Trump actually win? Could he? As the predictions flipped from Clinton to Trump the cucks and progs started getting more and more nervous. Wa...