Weekend Reads: December 5, 2020

Welcome to Lowercase Weekend Reads. Our weekend reads highlight the most important articles of the week.

In times of crisis, the arts are weapons for the soul

This is a remarkable proof that human beings are capable of incredible things when we least expect them. I am pretty sure that finding art in a concentration camp was a beacon of light for a lot of these prisoners. This shows that art transcends the comprehensible and it has an ability to reach our souls. 

“Recall Frankl’s observation that some people were willing to forgo their meagre ration of food and forget their fatigue to attend the artistic performances in the concentration camp. For me this is a potent reminder to challenge crude approaches to ranking basic human needs and the components of a decent human life. Of course, we need food and shelter in order to survive but, as Frankl points out, we also need reasons to live.”

Bitcoin and China Are Winning the Covid-19 Monetary Revolution

Bitcoin is misunderstood by a lot of people. The fact that Neill Ferguson is writing about it is a big deal and tells you why people should care. With countries getting into crazing levels of debt and inflation could come back and do a lot of damage in people’s lives. Bitcoin is loved by anarchists and libertarians but could end up being like gold was to the previous generation. 

Five Lessons From Dave Chappelle.

This is fantastic. Chappelle is a genius. I love the parallels the author makes here in relation to how content is delivered these days. Plus, Chapelle is hilarious so two for one on this one. 

How the Supreme Court Champions 'Religious Liberty'

It is interesting to see how the line between secularism and religious freedom shifts in society. Secularism is great but some religions are more active on the public spheres than others and this can cause a lot of problems. My bet is that we will see increasing tensions in western democracies in the years to come. 

Do COVID-19 Racial Disparities Matter?

This is a sobering article and highlights the danger of identity politics. Must read.