Thread by @Helenreflects

Things I learned this decade, that weren't obvious to me but that I cherish, knowing now (little New Year's Eve thread)...
1/ The European Union is a marvelous institution. I had no idea though I grew up in Belgium what it all did for us. I'm aware of it now, esp in the US

2/ I learned what it's like to be openly despised and scapegoated by a government (UK calling EU citizens "queue jumpers", "too long treated the UK as part of their own country" and "bargaining chips".) Though I encountered lots of racism growing up, I was unprepared for this

3/ Tech giants don't have our best interests at heart and unclear how they will be reined in. It seemed so wonderful, all that information at our fingertips. But they've ended up distracting us and distorting our vision. Check out this book (OA): cambridge.org/core/books/sta…

4/ It's a bad idea to do any of those fun genetic tests. You're basically paying for your data to be sold away. This applies to so many other things.
Basically, I've learned to be very wary of companies.

cnbc.com/2018/06/16/5-b…

5/ The tobacco strategy, sowing doubt about the carcinogenic effect of tobacco by spreading your own misinformation kept risks of tobacco hidden for decades. It's being recycled now for climate science etc. Check out this cool book:
yalebooks.yale.edu/book/978030023…

6/ I used to hear stories of World War II from my grandparents and other older people, growing up in Belgium. It struck me as surreal at the time, especially that this was enabled by ordinary voters. I often wondered how it could happen. I wonder no longer.

7/ Now a few more personal things: I've become more acutely aware of what Nussbaum calls "the fragility of goodness"--the fact that our flourishing depends to an important extent to factors beyond our control. But how do we handle that? My sense is a couple of things...

8/ We owe it to others to help them flourish, to create conditions so that lack of good fortune isn't utterly devastating. A good social safety net, good healthcare system, mitigating effects of climate change are so important

9/ But for the rest, all we can do is enjoy the things that fragile good life brings us, we can't insulate ourselves from potential hurt that comes from loving and risking. So we just need to accept that risk and go on. More particularly...

10/ You need to retain a capacity for sorrow if you will be able to delight in good things. It's all in the Zhuangzi, undoubtedly one of the most profound books I read this decade, see also here:
philpapers.org/rec/ELDZOF

link.springer.com/article/10.100…

11/ People are morally complex, a fact that partisanship has occluded. We need to be able to find a way to navigate this moral complexity, while still holding true to the values we cherish. We have not been able to do this throughout the decade (or the previous for that matter)

12/ We need to find a way to restore some faith in ourselves, in our institutions, and in humanity at large. I'm convinced by this excellent paper that it is virtuous to do so. But I'm looking for a path on how we can achieve this, and it's unclear how philpapers.org/rec/PREFIH-2

13/ Anyway - that's it for this year. I enjoyed engagements here on Twitter with lots of people - hope it will be good for you this coming year!