thank you for linking to my post about everyone getting drunk on proteins. for the very few people not speaking french, the article is also available in English.
More important, with the experience of writing something important to me, I needed to push my article on socials. The experience was not good for me. Hence, I decided to be more diligent with my consumption of content. Sounds like a ritournelle on our feeds right ? ;)
So i kept your newsletter to read this morning and not parse quickly. And the dots are connecting here : this morning my wife asked me to go for an event and meet someone there, my reflex was : uh I pass, I have my swimming training. "I must swim". Then I read your newsletter and changed my mind to go for the event :)
Also for kids, you know as much summer holidays are something in France. Don't begin to count the number of summer holidays before your kids do their own holidays with friends, it's scary !
On AI & LLM, I must admit I am more afraid than in awe in front of my computer. I am especially afraid by the consequences for our children. Maybe it's a bad sign of me turning old and not being as mush enthusiastic on tech ! So I must say that the technical issues on learning that are underlined give me a little bit of relief ;)
The romantic view of a never ending conversation with ones significat other is beautiful.
Quant à Kierkegaard, je n'arrête pas de le dire aux patients qui restent au lit !
Hi there - I'm generally a big fan of your newsletter. I really enjoy the curation of content around science (yikes, lead!), economics (populism!), and the occasional mind blowing piece (time jumping!). In general I've found it really refreshing to see a longevity-focused newsletter that also addresses social dynamics like friendship and listening, and challenges things like the grind mentality and body image. I was then pretty surprised to see the inclusion of the Great Feminization piece with just "thought provoking" as the comment. I find this to be pretty inconsistent with your curation of balanced perspectives. Especially in this political climate, and I think it's dangerous to be amplifying this misogynistic message that rooted in antiquated gender constructs. If I misunderstood your stance on diversity, human rights, and women, please say so and I'll be happy to unsubscribe.
Thanks for sharing your view, Lara. I include a wide range of perspectives, some I agree with, some I don’t, because engaging with different ideas helps sharpen our thinking.
I don’t expect readers to agree with or like all 30+ links I share each week
In fact, I try to include varied sides, so it’s normal to disagree with a few of them.
Appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment!
There's an important distinction between presenting diverse perspectives and amplifying harmful ideology, especially without context. The Helen Andrews piece doesn't offer a different lens on longevity or health — it argues that women's rights and participation in public life are social problems to be reversed.
When you include 30+ links weekly on topics like lead exposure or friendship, you're helping readers navigate complex evidence and philosophies. But presenting this piece with only "thought provoking" as commentary feels different — it treats the question of women's rights and equal participation in society as if it's equivalent to a debate about optimal sleep schedules or supplement efficacy. By staying neutral on this particular piece, you're implicitly suggesting this is a question still worth debating rather than a settled matter of human rights.
In the spirit of sharpening our thinking -- I'm genuinely curious: What thoughts did this piece provoke for you? What aspects do you find worth engaging with, and where do you disagree? I'd very much appreciate your context and in general, I'm grateful for even this exercise of articulating my thoughts on the subject.
Your newsletter has been a trusted resource precisely because it challenges conventional thinking while promoting human flourishing. I hope you can see why this particular choice feels inconsistent with that mission.
Hi Mehdi, whilst I had already seen that feminisation thing, I think it certainly belonged here.
Of course there are trade offs. I am personally much better off in the more feminised world of my adulthood than I was in the more masculine world of my childhood. But I'm not so blind (nearly!) as to not see that I have lost some things, nor to miss that I lost some things in that environment.
On a broader scale, one could, albeit imperfectly, describe America as less feminised and Europe as more feminised. The analogy is imperfect, of course, but helps highlight that there are trade offs.
And it is _essential_ that we highlight and consider these tradeoffs. As you might put it: "pair with" your other linked piece on why elites are sometimes wrong.
Not discussing and considering tradeoffs, for all the well-motivated and bien-pensant reasons Lara has outlined, is exactly how we got to the "far right" being the most popular single political movement in almost Europe. I'd suggest that this is not a healthy path.
Hello Mehdi,
thank you for linking to my post about everyone getting drunk on proteins. for the very few people not speaking french, the article is also available in English.
More important, with the experience of writing something important to me, I needed to push my article on socials. The experience was not good for me. Hence, I decided to be more diligent with my consumption of content. Sounds like a ritournelle on our feeds right ? ;)
So i kept your newsletter to read this morning and not parse quickly. And the dots are connecting here : this morning my wife asked me to go for an event and meet someone there, my reflex was : uh I pass, I have my swimming training. "I must swim". Then I read your newsletter and changed my mind to go for the event :)
Also for kids, you know as much summer holidays are something in France. Don't begin to count the number of summer holidays before your kids do their own holidays with friends, it's scary !
On AI & LLM, I must admit I am more afraid than in awe in front of my computer. I am especially afraid by the consequences for our children. Maybe it's a bad sign of me turning old and not being as mush enthusiastic on tech ! So I must say that the technical issues on learning that are underlined give me a little bit of relief ;)
The romantic view of a never ending conversation with ones significat other is beautiful.
Quant à Kierkegaard, je n'arrête pas de le dire aux patients qui restent au lit !
Bonne journée Mehdi !
Amazing! Thank you for your great comment, I love it 🙏
Lots of great stuff to chew on this w/e
happy you liked it!
Hi there - I'm generally a big fan of your newsletter. I really enjoy the curation of content around science (yikes, lead!), economics (populism!), and the occasional mind blowing piece (time jumping!). In general I've found it really refreshing to see a longevity-focused newsletter that also addresses social dynamics like friendship and listening, and challenges things like the grind mentality and body image. I was then pretty surprised to see the inclusion of the Great Feminization piece with just "thought provoking" as the comment. I find this to be pretty inconsistent with your curation of balanced perspectives. Especially in this political climate, and I think it's dangerous to be amplifying this misogynistic message that rooted in antiquated gender constructs. If I misunderstood your stance on diversity, human rights, and women, please say so and I'll be happy to unsubscribe.
Thanks for sharing your view, Lara. I include a wide range of perspectives, some I agree with, some I don’t, because engaging with different ideas helps sharpen our thinking.
I don’t expect readers to agree with or like all 30+ links I share each week
In fact, I try to include varied sides, so it’s normal to disagree with a few of them.
Appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment!
There's an important distinction between presenting diverse perspectives and amplifying harmful ideology, especially without context. The Helen Andrews piece doesn't offer a different lens on longevity or health — it argues that women's rights and participation in public life are social problems to be reversed.
When you include 30+ links weekly on topics like lead exposure or friendship, you're helping readers navigate complex evidence and philosophies. But presenting this piece with only "thought provoking" as commentary feels different — it treats the question of women's rights and equal participation in society as if it's equivalent to a debate about optimal sleep schedules or supplement efficacy. By staying neutral on this particular piece, you're implicitly suggesting this is a question still worth debating rather than a settled matter of human rights.
In the spirit of sharpening our thinking -- I'm genuinely curious: What thoughts did this piece provoke for you? What aspects do you find worth engaging with, and where do you disagree? I'd very much appreciate your context and in general, I'm grateful for even this exercise of articulating my thoughts on the subject.
Your newsletter has been a trusted resource precisely because it challenges conventional thinking while promoting human flourishing. I hope you can see why this particular choice feels inconsistent with that mission.
Hi Mehdi, whilst I had already seen that feminisation thing, I think it certainly belonged here.
Of course there are trade offs. I am personally much better off in the more feminised world of my adulthood than I was in the more masculine world of my childhood. But I'm not so blind (nearly!) as to not see that I have lost some things, nor to miss that I lost some things in that environment.
On a broader scale, one could, albeit imperfectly, describe America as less feminised and Europe as more feminised. The analogy is imperfect, of course, but helps highlight that there are trade offs.
And it is _essential_ that we highlight and consider these tradeoffs. As you might put it: "pair with" your other linked piece on why elites are sometimes wrong.
Not discussing and considering tradeoffs, for all the well-motivated and bien-pensant reasons Lara has outlined, is exactly how we got to the "far right" being the most popular single political movement in almost Europe. I'd suggest that this is not a healthy path.