Simon Gray
@protexblue.bsky.social
Part-time philosopher & historian.
Full-time Student Adviser at University College Dublin. 🇮🇪
Blogger 🖊 / Podcaster 🎤
Husband, brother, playlist-&-bad-jokes lover
(he/him; all views my own)
Full-time Student Adviser at University College Dublin. 🇮🇪
Blogger 🖊 / Podcaster 🎤
Husband, brother, playlist-&-bad-jokes lover
(he/him; all views my own)
But it may well have long-term benefits. My epistemology class (in 2nd year of my undergrad) left me similarly brain dead. But 20-odd years later I remember its tenants better than I do many other classes.
November 19, 2025 at 5:41 PM
But it may well have long-term benefits. My epistemology class (in 2nd year of my undergrad) left me similarly brain dead. But 20-odd years later I remember its tenants better than I do many other classes.
Outcome 3: AI stays; the companies fall.
AI is the next great infrastructure project. Most companies which built railroads and the internet are now footnotes in history, while their creations stayed on.
The economy may suffer; AI is here to stay. Is this the best outcome? Comments welcome!
[5/5]
AI is the next great infrastructure project. Most companies which built railroads and the internet are now footnotes in history, while their creations stayed on.
The economy may suffer; AI is here to stay. Is this the best outcome? Comments welcome!
[5/5]
The Missives | Simon Gray | Substack
A free blog approaching unreasonable ideas with reasonable philosophy. (Plus bonus material). Click to read The Missives, by Simon Gray, a Substack publication. Launched a year ago.
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Outcome 3: AI stays; the companies fall.
AI is the next great infrastructure project. Most companies which built railroads and the internet are now footnotes in history, while their creations stayed on.
The economy may suffer; AI is here to stay. Is this the best outcome? Comments welcome!
[5/5]
AI is the next great infrastructure project. Most companies which built railroads and the internet are now footnotes in history, while their creations stayed on.
The economy may suffer; AI is here to stay. Is this the best outcome? Comments welcome!
[5/5]
Outcome 2: AI fails to deliver.
Those bets go sour (as does a good chunk of the economy, your investments included) and debt overwhelms the global economy. AI is a bust: our current worries about it and investors' "godlike" predictions are mostly unfounded.
(For more on those threats see:
[4/5]
Those bets go sour (as does a good chunk of the economy, your investments included) and debt overwhelms the global economy. AI is a bust: our current worries about it and investors' "godlike" predictions are mostly unfounded.
(For more on those threats see:
[4/5]
Is the US an emerging market?
open.spotify.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Outcome 2: AI fails to deliver.
Those bets go sour (as does a good chunk of the economy, your investments included) and debt overwhelms the global economy. AI is a bust: our current worries about it and investors' "godlike" predictions are mostly unfounded.
(For more on those threats see:
[4/5]
Those bets go sour (as does a good chunk of the economy, your investments included) and debt overwhelms the global economy. AI is a bust: our current worries about it and investors' "godlike" predictions are mostly unfounded.
(For more on those threats see:
[4/5]
Outcome 1: The companies make good.
Over time, the companies somehow make money from AI (likely through a combination of accounting fidgeting and marketing). They pay off their debts. Your pension fund is in the black. AI is ubiquitous and permanent, everywhere from your car to your computer.
[3/5]
Over time, the companies somehow make money from AI (likely through a combination of accounting fidgeting and marketing). They pay off their debts. Your pension fund is in the black. AI is ubiquitous and permanent, everywhere from your car to your computer.
[3/5]
November 18, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Outcome 1: The companies make good.
Over time, the companies somehow make money from AI (likely through a combination of accounting fidgeting and marketing). They pay off their debts. Your pension fund is in the black. AI is ubiquitous and permanent, everywhere from your car to your computer.
[3/5]
Over time, the companies somehow make money from AI (likely through a combination of accounting fidgeting and marketing). They pay off their debts. Your pension fund is in the black. AI is ubiquitous and permanent, everywhere from your car to your computer.
[3/5]
Big tech companies are investing vast amount of money into AI -- much of which they borrow.
All this debt and spending will have 1 of 3 outcomes.
Each of them impacts us differently as citizens, consumers, workers, educators, artists, thinkers.
[2/5]
All this debt and spending will have 1 of 3 outcomes.
Each of them impacts us differently as citizens, consumers, workers, educators, artists, thinkers.
[2/5]
November 18, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Big tech companies are investing vast amount of money into AI -- much of which they borrow.
All this debt and spending will have 1 of 3 outcomes.
Each of them impacts us differently as citizens, consumers, workers, educators, artists, thinkers.
[2/5]
All this debt and spending will have 1 of 3 outcomes.
Each of them impacts us differently as citizens, consumers, workers, educators, artists, thinkers.
[2/5]
Thanks for clearing that up!
November 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Thanks for clearing that up!
This tells me more about the show than the odd trailer did. Thanks!
November 9, 2025 at 5:48 PM
This tells me more about the show than the odd trailer did. Thanks!
Missive no.14 was a mostly uncritical look at Hayek, which challenged the reader to decide where their political preferences lie – and challenged me to do the same! It is available on audio and in text. Find them both at linktr.ee/themissives
[14/14]
[14/14]
The Missives (by Simon Gray) | Instagram | Linktree
View themissives’s Linktree to discover and stream music from top platforms like Spotify here. Your next favorite track is just a click away!
linktr.ee
November 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Missive no.14 was a mostly uncritical look at Hayek, which challenged the reader to decide where their political preferences lie – and challenged me to do the same! It is available on audio and in text. Find them both at linktr.ee/themissives
[14/14]
[14/14]
The second is the “slippery slope”.
A government which intervenes in the marketplace or society (even just a little) in order to serve their vision of justice will create problems. It will try to fix those problems by expanding its power until eventually it becomes totalitarian.
[13/14]
A government which intervenes in the marketplace or society (even just a little) in order to serve their vision of justice will create problems. It will try to fix those problems by expanding its power until eventually it becomes totalitarian.
[13/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The second is the “slippery slope”.
A government which intervenes in the marketplace or society (even just a little) in order to serve their vision of justice will create problems. It will try to fix those problems by expanding its power until eventually it becomes totalitarian.
[13/14]
A government which intervenes in the marketplace or society (even just a little) in order to serve their vision of justice will create problems. It will try to fix those problems by expanding its power until eventually it becomes totalitarian.
[13/14]
This presses on 2 key thoughts underlying Hayek’s system.
The first is epistemological. Even if there were a right/wrong way to administer a marketplace or society, no individual or supra-individual organisation can know what it is. What government could distribute cars fairly?
[12/14]
The first is epistemological. Even if there were a right/wrong way to administer a marketplace or society, no individual or supra-individual organisation can know what it is. What government could distribute cars fairly?
[12/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM
This presses on 2 key thoughts underlying Hayek’s system.
The first is epistemological. Even if there were a right/wrong way to administer a marketplace or society, no individual or supra-individual organisation can know what it is. What government could distribute cars fairly?
[12/14]
The first is epistemological. Even if there were a right/wrong way to administer a marketplace or society, no individual or supra-individual organisation can know what it is. What government could distribute cars fairly?
[12/14]
So Hayek’s system is egalitarian – but only to a point.
Not everyone has access to a vehicle: they must buy them in a market -- if they can.
Hayek can see no other way but the market. If everyone were given a car, what government could confidently and competently ensure that this happened?
[11/14]
Not everyone has access to a vehicle: they must buy them in a market -- if they can.
Hayek can see no other way but the market. If everyone were given a car, what government could confidently and competently ensure that this happened?
[11/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:56 PM
So Hayek’s system is egalitarian – but only to a point.
Not everyone has access to a vehicle: they must buy them in a market -- if they can.
Hayek can see no other way but the market. If everyone were given a car, what government could confidently and competently ensure that this happened?
[11/14]
Not everyone has access to a vehicle: they must buy them in a market -- if they can.
Hayek can see no other way but the market. If everyone were given a car, what government could confidently and competently ensure that this happened?
[11/14]
Everyone has an equal right to enter and participate in Hayek’s market / society, as consumers, producers and participants – no matter their gender, creed, colour, etc.
Every vehicle has equal access to the road, no matter its size, speed, age, etc.
[10/14]
Every vehicle has equal access to the road, no matter its size, speed, age, etc.
[10/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Everyone has an equal right to enter and participate in Hayek’s market / society, as consumers, producers and participants – no matter their gender, creed, colour, etc.
Every vehicle has equal access to the road, no matter its size, speed, age, etc.
[10/14]
Every vehicle has equal access to the road, no matter its size, speed, age, etc.
[10/14]
(“Nudging” is not a Hayekian idea. It was formalised by Thaler & Sunstein, 2008. It seems to broadly allow for justice to exist without coercion – but it also seems to rely on manipulating people subconsciously.)
[9/14]
[9/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:55 PM
(“Nudging” is not a Hayekian idea. It was formalised by Thaler & Sunstein, 2008. It seems to broadly allow for justice to exist without coercion – but it also seems to rely on manipulating people subconsciously.)
[9/14]
[9/14]
A responsible Hayekian government also regulates itself: it understands where it can(‘t) and should(n’t) intervene.
On the roads, the government nudges us through road signs and markings. Nudges don’t tell us what to do, but they do help us to do the right thing.
[8/14]
On the roads, the government nudges us through road signs and markings. Nudges don’t tell us what to do, but they do help us to do the right thing.
[8/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:54 PM
A responsible Hayekian government also regulates itself: it understands where it can(‘t) and should(n’t) intervene.
On the roads, the government nudges us through road signs and markings. Nudges don’t tell us what to do, but they do help us to do the right thing.
[8/14]
On the roads, the government nudges us through road signs and markings. Nudges don’t tell us what to do, but they do help us to do the right thing.
[8/14]
Drivers and Hayekian citizens tend to regulate themselves out of self-interest. To act recklessly is to cause damage mostly to oneself (one’s car and one’s insurance policy).
Ethics do not come into it: with freedom comes responsibility, and a free society relies on responsible citizens.
[7/14]
Ethics do not come into it: with freedom comes responsibility, and a free society relies on responsible citizens.
[7/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Drivers and Hayekian citizens tend to regulate themselves out of self-interest. To act recklessly is to cause damage mostly to oneself (one’s car and one’s insurance policy).
Ethics do not come into it: with freedom comes responsibility, and a free society relies on responsible citizens.
[7/14]
Ethics do not come into it: with freedom comes responsibility, and a free society relies on responsible citizens.
[7/14]
The free society is just because it is self-regulating.
It is self-regulating because its citizens and its government regulate themselves.
Likewise, our roads are mostly self-regulating when all (or most) drivers exercise care.
[6/14]
It is self-regulating because its citizens and its government regulate themselves.
Likewise, our roads are mostly self-regulating when all (or most) drivers exercise care.
[6/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The free society is just because it is self-regulating.
It is self-regulating because its citizens and its government regulate themselves.
Likewise, our roads are mostly self-regulating when all (or most) drivers exercise care.
[6/14]
It is self-regulating because its citizens and its government regulate themselves.
Likewise, our roads are mostly self-regulating when all (or most) drivers exercise care.
[6/14]
The Missive rests mostly on Hayek’s two books, “The Road to Serfdom” and “The Constitution of Liberty”. Here, Hayek lays out his “free society”: a market-driven entity which is free, and therefore just (so his logic goes), but not equal.
[5/15]
[5/15]
November 1, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The Missive rests mostly on Hayek’s two books, “The Road to Serfdom” and “The Constitution of Liberty”. Here, Hayek lays out his “free society”: a market-driven entity which is free, and therefore just (so his logic goes), but not equal.
[5/15]
[5/15]
This is the first of 4 parallels that the Missive draws between driving and Friedrich Hayek’s free society. That positive freedom of the individual is paramount for Hayek.
Expressed as a negative freedom, it is the freedom *from* coercion by an individual or a supra-individual entity.
[4/14]
Expressed as a negative freedom, it is the freedom *from* coercion by an individual or a supra-individual entity.
[4/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:51 PM
This is the first of 4 parallels that the Missive draws between driving and Friedrich Hayek’s free society. That positive freedom of the individual is paramount for Hayek.
Expressed as a negative freedom, it is the freedom *from* coercion by an individual or a supra-individual entity.
[4/14]
Expressed as a negative freedom, it is the freedom *from* coercion by an individual or a supra-individual entity.
[4/14]
Driving is a liberating experience. (Even in my old Renault Clio I feel like Ryan Gosling in “Drive” or Steve McQueen in “Bullit”. Comedic but true.)
Driving encapsulates the idea of positive freedom: you are (usually) free *to* drive wherever you want, and to decide what route to take.
[3/14]
Driving encapsulates the idea of positive freedom: you are (usually) free *to* drive wherever you want, and to decide what route to take.
[3/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Driving is a liberating experience. (Even in my old Renault Clio I feel like Ryan Gosling in “Drive” or Steve McQueen in “Bullit”. Comedic but true.)
Driving encapsulates the idea of positive freedom: you are (usually) free *to* drive wherever you want, and to decide what route to take.
[3/14]
Driving encapsulates the idea of positive freedom: you are (usually) free *to* drive wherever you want, and to decide what route to take.
[3/14]
“Driving Home for Christmas” might be a terrible pop song but it still connects me to two loves: Christmas & driving.
The former is the only conceit remaining from my childhood. The latter is newer: I learned to drive recently and have all the zeal of a new convert. Here’s what I’ve learned.
[2/14]
The former is the only conceit remaining from my childhood. The latter is newer: I learned to drive recently and have all the zeal of a new convert. Here’s what I’ve learned.
[2/14]
November 1, 2025 at 4:50 PM
“Driving Home for Christmas” might be a terrible pop song but it still connects me to two loves: Christmas & driving.
The former is the only conceit remaining from my childhood. The latter is newer: I learned to drive recently and have all the zeal of a new convert. Here’s what I’ve learned.
[2/14]
The former is the only conceit remaining from my childhood. The latter is newer: I learned to drive recently and have all the zeal of a new convert. Here’s what I’ve learned.
[2/14]