Seth Goldin
WorkWriting

Essays You Should Read

Thought-provoking pieces from around the web
May '25

These are essays I've bookmarked over time that have in some way influenced my thinking. I generally enjoy pieces with insights on research methodology, continuous learning, and technological progress.

Some recommendations (some short, some verbose, some popular, some lesser-read) are compiled below:

How to Understand Things

Daggers, Swords, and Maps

The Rage of Research

Observations from MIT's best neuroscience lab

Arm Yourself with Specific Knowledge

You and Your Research

Writing as Thinking

How to Ask Good Questions

Define Optimism as Human Capital

Optimism Shapes Reality

Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will

Meditation in a Toolshed

Underrated reasons to be thankful

Chaos Theory

What You'll Wish You'd Known

The Anatomy of Determination

Measuring Personal Growth

Self-Reliance

This Is Water

The Opposite of Loneliness

The Bitter Lesson

The Last Question

The Egg

The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant

The Parable of Predict-O-Matic

Heuristics That Almost Always Work

Taste Games

The Trouble with Optionality

Devalue and Dismiss & Methodological Pluralism

“Give me a fulcrum, and I’ll move the world.” – Archimedes

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