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Aug 16Liked by Samuel Arbesman

That portage paper is amazing, but I was frustrated they didn't talk about Atlanta at all, which sticks out like a sore thumb in Figure 1, bigger than all the fall line cities put together.

Apparently, Atlanta was founded in the 1830s as a railroad city. So I guess that's mostly irrelevant to their hypothesis, but still should be in the discussion #Reviewer3

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Samuel, your [always insightful] blog highlights how Western and Eastern cultures have developed different views on human distinctiveness due to their religious and ecological contexts.

This makes me wonder: how should a society reconcile a religious belief in human dominion over nature with a cultural experience that emphasizes ecological interdependence and sustainability? How can individuals and communities balance these often conflicting narratives?

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Interesting question. I believe that E.O. Wilson’s book “The Creation” might try to do this, though I have not read it.

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Great thread as always but I just have a question. Being that you and Brian Klaas have both published in the Atlantic what is your take regarding the head of the Atlantic allowing openai to have access to the Atlantic’s vast archives?

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I haven't followed this closely but here is an interesting exploration of some aspects: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/06/chatgpt-citations-rag/678796/ (from a writer at The Atlantic)

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I generally take issue with analyses that separate the world into 'West' and 'East' due to the underlying bias (and lack of global awareness) inherent. In this case, did he test his hypothesis by looking at South America and across the various cultures of the African continent?

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Good question! I don't know...

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