Ghostless Machine
Overcoming polarization with philosophy
I’m Ariel Pontes and I think political polarization is one of the biggest problems of our time. That’s why I started a series of dialogues where I have friendly disagreements over controversial topics with a variety of guests. These conversations are guided by three core principles: scout mindset, non-violent communication, and radical honesty. When I’m not discussing with guests, I write about philosophy, science, rationality, and sociopolitical issues. I have a bachelor’s in computer engineering, a master’s in analytic philosophy, and I am a co-founder at Humanists Brazil and Effective Altruism Romania, where I do community building. Read more →
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Latest
Why I write in English
This is a question I have been asked a couple of times since I moved to Romania and started writing in English. The answer I give is that now that…
Differences between Brazil and Romania
Everyone who has a blog and lives abroad for a while has a post like this, so I thought it was about time to write my own. It should be…
The tragic consequences of biological determinism
There probably are biological differences between groups of people, but the moral cost of making the wrong assumptions should keep us skeptic. Read More »The tragic consequences of biological determinism
Why do Brazilians refuse to speak English?
I have always noticed that Brazilians have a certain aversion to English. A certain tendency to switch to Portuguese whenever the majority is Brazilian, a severe reluctance to make a…
Everyday hate speech in Romania
In Romania it’s common for people to condemn the accent from other regions without any pudency. And many don’t do it jokingly, they really mean it. They call people with…
Is freedom of speech really the issue?
Worse than hearing bad arguments from your opposer is hearing bad arguments from people on your side. And of course it shouldn’t surprise anyone that, after a hideous international event,…
Slaves to the DNA?
Since its discovery in the early 20th century, the DNA has become a huge center of attention in biology. It has sparked new interest in the field of genetics, become basic knowledge…
National Day
On the first day of this month, Romanians celebrated their “National Day”, the day Transylvania united with the rest of the country. According to the state-owned national channel TVR1, it…
Atheism is becoming politically incorrect and we have to stop it
The atheist movement has seen a somewhat recent boom. Some say it was triggered by the 9/11 attacks and call it the “New Atheism” movement. There are many great things…