Name Conspiracies

Things, Names, And Numbers

James Propp | Mathematical Enchantments | 17th February 2023

What real numbers are, how you get to them by way of rational numbers, and why they are needed in mathematics. A lively and discursive essay that makes a demanding topic more approachable by using lots of helpful analogies and not too much algebra. There is some algebra, and I fell at several fences, but well worth the effort, not least for the insights and asides along the way (6,900 words)

Conspiracies Are The Price Of Freedom

Terry Eagleton | Unherd | 17th February 2023

Conspiracy theories are the insecure person's defense against a confusing world with too many competing narratives. Conspiracy theories allow believers to claim a position of relative strength: They alone know what is going on. This hidden truth is always sinister, not because conspiracy theorists need more to fear, but because they need an explanation for the fear in which they already live (1,500 words)