Harry Potter, Robots, and Happiness

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🤖 I. A Fear That Never Dies

In last week’s newsletter, I shared some thoughts about the AI doomers who are making lots of noise on the interwebs about the dangers of artificial intelligence. My conclusion was that while it’s important to consider the risks of new technologies, it’s better for your soul and humanity to bet on optimists who believe we can create solutions for potential threats.

This week, I discovered an article that adds to the discussion: Robots Have Been About to Take All the Jobs for 100 Years. It’s a short piece by Pessimists Archive (a great Twitter follow) that is a good reminder that our many fears about the dangers of technology are a story as old as time.

While the whole article is interesting, I really enjoyed the conclusion:

“As in the past, the debate isn’t about whether technology will take jobs, it is about how fast it will take them and how many it will create. It is much easier to imagine someone losing their job to a new technology, than it is to imagine many people gaining jobs that haven’t been invented yet.”

😁 II. What Makes You Happy

Morgan Housel (one of my favorite writers) recently published a short essay on happiness that’s worth reading. In it, he makes a case that your expectations are the biggest determinant of your happiness and that contentment is a more worthy goal than happiness.

You can find the essay here.

🎙️ III. Podcast Series I Enjoyed

Harry Potter is the best-selling book series of all time. And the peak of its popularity arrived during my youth, a time when people could not get enough of the series. I’m not sure if kids still read Harry Potter today, but the story has had an undeniable impact on a huge number of people.

In the last few years, J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, has received a lot of backlash for things that she has said about gender and sex. From time to time, I’ve heard friends and strangers discuss the controversy around Rowling, but I never knew enough to chime in.

This week, I decided to learn more, starting with a podcast series about the topic: The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling.

Despite its edgy title, the series is a fairly balanced deep dive that uses the controversy around Rowling as a way to explore the broader (and often contentious) societal discussion about gender and sex. I learned a lot from the series and came away with a better understanding of the many different perspectives shared.

I recommend listening to the series in the following order: 1, 3, 4, 6, 5, 7, 2. That may seem weird (and it probably is), but I think it helps introduce the different perspectives and topics in a better order.

Here’s a full description of the series: “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling is an audio documentary that examines some of the most contentious conflicts of our time through the life and career of the world’s most successful author. In conversation with host Megan Phelps-Roper, J.K. Rowling speaks with unprecedented candor and depth about the controversies surrounding her—from book bans to debates on gender and sex. The series also examines the forces propelling this moment in history, through interviews with Rowling’s supporters and critics, journalists, historians, clinicians, and more.”

🧠 IV. Something I’m Thinking About

That's all for now. See you next Sunday.

— Cal

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2. Foundations. Looking for good books to read? Check out Foundations, a growing digital notebook with notes & lessons from 100+ timeless books.

3. Listen to the Podcast: Feel like school didn't prepare you for adulthood? The Sh*t You Don't Learn in School podcast exists to help make up for this societal failure.