Posts on Kelvin Ou
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Transcendental Idealism, as clearly as possible
Immanuel Kant is one of the most influential, and unreadable, philosophers in the Western tradition. This post offers a gentle introduction to his central idea, Transcendental Idealism, aimed at intelligent lay readers who want clarity without sacrificing philosophical depth. Transcendental Idealism, briefly There is the world we experience (the phenomenal world) and the world as it exists…
Rest intentionally
Today I realized most of my rest is unintentional. Intentional rest is scheduled and proactive. It’s taking a break before reaching failure on tough intellectual tasks — before my willpower runs dry. Unintentional rest is what happens when I can’t stand doing whatever I’m working on anymore. Intentional rest comes from knowing it’s essential to boost my performance. Unintentional rest feels…
An opinionated guide to Classical Chinese Philosophy
An introduction to the three main schools in classical Chinese philosophy, and spelling out the parts that don’t make sense. Rough timeline We’ll focus on three foundational texts: the Analects, the Daodejing, and the Mozi. These works represent the core ideas of Confucianism, Daoism, and Mohism, respectively. The Analects is a collection of sayings attributed to Confucius, compiled by…
A Socratic dialogue
This is a fun Socratic dialogue I wrote for a Greek Philosophy class. There’s a logical fallacy hidden inside that Socrates also made in one of his dialogues. I hope you enjoy reading this! Being authentic on social media On a sunny afternoon in a trendy café, Bella and Ava, two social media influencers known for their sharp style and even sharper opinions, were discussing the latest trends…
The gym is an absurd place
Today, I realized just how absurd the gym is. When you first start going to the gym, you might see someone doing a lat pulldown and wonder, “What muscle does this work?” You try it out, and it feels awkward. Initially, you feel all the muscles from your midsection to the handles working—forearms, biceps, lats, traps, core. This isn’t ideal, you hear. As you refine your form and…
How I built an artificial sun in my room
Why? I’ve always worked better (read: more willpower to focus on hard problems) in libraries and offices compared to at home. It seems worthwhile to investigate what constitutes a good working environment, so that I can skip the commute and sip on better coffee while working from home. One significant difference between offices/libraries and my room (other than the social aspect of being…
Things that have helped my nutrition
Do the basics well and consistently. Look for evidence-based advice. Good examples: Dr Mike Israetel , Jeff Nippard , “What’s the scientific consensus on x and cite your sources.” , examine.com . Eat a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods. I find these tier lists useful — the fruit and vegetable ones are especially enlightening. Minimise heavily processed, highly-palatable foods…
Hello world
Introduction More coming soon.