Paul Jorion's Blog

Category: Essential questions

  • Nirvana, Obviously

    Illustration by ChatGPT Nirvana has long been described as an Eastern mystery, a spiritual beyond, or an ideal reserved for the enlightened. This is likely a matter of perspective. If we take seriously what we now understand about information and decoherence, the definition of Nirvana follows almost automatically. The universe is not a thing, but…

  • A NEW “US” FOR NEW TIMES. XV. Updating the “us” within a technological context

    Illustration by DALL·E Updating the “us” within a technological context In the same way as Linnæus positioned us among the anthropoid apes, now the existence of intelligent machines sets us in a family of intelligent beings where living creatures and machines rub shoulders and share similar brain architectures. The better we understand how these LLMs…

  • A review of « L’avènement de la Singularité. L’humain ébranlé par la Singularité » by the two chatting IAs at NotebookLM

    L’avènement de la Singularité. L’humain ébranlé par la Singularité was released by Textuel publishers in Paris in March of this year. Here is what the chatting IAs at NotebookLM, a Google product think about it.

  • The State of Play, By Blake McInerney

    The State of Play Dogma, theory, law instruct us all There’s them that’s got and them that’s not That, without the readies or the wherewithal, People are nothing but fodder, fit just for the pot. So strip Creation, Nature, down to the bone, privatise life ‘til all expire, unbeknown to all ( save God, whose…

  • Statesmanship is back! China and Saudi Arabia

    Comments can be made here. José d’Acosta, a Jesuit, was a missionary in Peru and Mexico in the second half of the 16th century. His contact with the Aztec culture was the cause of his profound disarray. “What is the meaning of the abominable cruelty taking place every day in front of me?”, he wondered.…

  • Paul Jorion at San Patrignano, April 10, 2015

    The great challenges of our time, San Patrignano 2015

  • THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR PLANET IS PROGRAMMED

    Translated from the French by Tim Gupwell. In our capitalist system, the « advances » which are consented to by some, the holders of capital or « capitalists », in order to render a production process possible or to allow a consumer to consume are remunerated by interest payments. In my book Le prix (2010), I showed,…

  • QUESTIONS STILL IN NEED TO BE SOLVED (VI) PREDICAMENT OF PRIVATE PROPERTY

    An English translation by Bernard Bouvet of the post  “QUESTIONS À RÉSOUDRE (VI) DILEMMES DE LA PROPRIÉTÉ PRIVÉE”. Private property, as we saw previously, allows you or I to selfishly take advantage of our planet’s generosity towards us and claim ownership of what she bears within her or what she produces spontaneously thanks to the…

  • QUESTIONS STILL IN NEED TO BE SOLVED (I) ARE ALL EARNINGS TRULY DESERVED?

    An English translation of my post QUESTIONS À RÉSOUDRE (I) TOUS CEUX QUI SONT RÉMUNÉRÉS LE MÉRITENT-ILS VRAIMENT? There is a question that neeeds to be answered at all costs; 19th century thinkers have devoted much thought towards its solution. Here it is: when we consider rent obtained by a landowner or by the owner…

  • “No Matter What We Do, It Will Still Be The Same”

    An English translation by Bernard Bouvet of my « QUOI QU’ON FASSE, CE SERA LA MÊME CHOSE ! » of March 11.   77% of you, my dear blog readers, not all of you, but a “comfortable majority” of you, happens to be French. Your country is now in full “election showbiz” mode, and the…

  • IT IS TIME TO RESTRUCTURE CAPITALISM

    An English translation which can be read here of my post “Refonder le capitalisme”: Le moment est venu by Frankly. It Is Time to Restructure Capitalism Is there anything more depressing than the spectacle of the short-term remedies that are being applied at present with a view to saving the capitalist system, in the absence…

  • MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: About “The network of global corporate control”, by S. Vitali, J. B. Glattfelder, S. Battiston

    A passionate discussion has started on my French blog about the article The network of global corporate control, by S. Vitali, J. B. Glattfelder, S. Battiston. I’m hoping that a parallel discussion in English starts here. Here an excerpt of the paper to whet your appetite: … nearly 4/10 of the control over the economic…

  • The fall of the Roman Empire, live on the Internet!

    Frankly Francophone has just translated one of my recent French posts into English. Thanks Franky! The original post is here. They wanted to extend market logic to absolutely everything. In attempting to do so they disregarded the domain of ethics which had governed human affairs up to that point. The trader – the quintessential victim…

  • The Madoff Affair : Crime and Punishment

    Original French version at rue89.com. Does the name “Donald Crowhurst” ring a bell? He was one of the contenders in the Golden Globe Race a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race held in 1968–1969. While he was ahead and therefore a potential victor, his radio signals stopped abruptly. His craft was later located but it was…

  • LA, 1999

    At Latitude 33 in Laguna Beach, CA 92651, I saw this book called Exile or Exiles with writings about Los Angeles by famous people. I read the preface waiting for Brenda at the end of her shift at the bookstore. It said that intellectuals don’t choose LA: those who lived there had no such intent…

  • Galactic Report XYZ 00098887

    Sir, I need to report to you what might be a case of acute poisoning while on mission on planet Terra. Yesterday, in the course of my duty, I happened to hold very tight for a couple of minutes a human female (from now on HF). Today, as a consequence of this I developed disturbing…

  • Gold fish

    I just had an odd vision. It happens on Judgment Day and I am shocked at the questions being asked from me: “How many gold fish in your care died of neglect? How many babies did you leave crying in the dark? Who were they? How many daisies did you trample?” I say “I feel…

  • Optimistic and pessimistic views on immortality

    Religions are most often associated with a representation of the after-life where immortality, which is clearly unattainable in the nether-world, is ultimately achieved. Other widely held belief systems don’t share that view, in particular Taoism, the “atheistic religion” or “philosophy” of the Chinese people over the ages. Indeed, some disparagingly called “superstitious” versions of Taoism…