What Do We Actually Mean By Language?

I just realized I don’t truly understand what language is. In session 1 of my Indonesian Language course, there was this discussion forum question: tutor's question in the discussion forum I answered it normatively using information from the university module. However, that answer actually triggered several questions in my head about the true nature of language. ...

September 14, 2026 · mus

What Gives Us Reason to Trust a Model?

A continuation of my question about model complexity, leading me to think about the word “true”, empirical evidence, and how our reasons for trusting a claim may depend on the kind of claim being made.

August 21, 2026 · mus

Is a More Complex Explanation More True?

On model complexity, the appeal of explanations that sound sophisticated, and why having more variables does not automatically make an explanation more true.

August 20, 2026 · mus

Cosmos bipinnatus: A Red Flower in the Yard

An observation note about one dark red Cosmos bipinnatus individual that appeared among pink and white flowers in my yard.

June 24, 2026 · mus

Why Thinking Alone Is Not Enough: Notes and Reflections on Scientific Temper

Notes and reflections on Prof. Iwan Pranoto’s explanation of the difference between thinking and reasoning, and the importance of cultivating scientific temper.

June 12, 2026 · mus

Time Knot Part II: Two Arrows in One Cup of Coffee

A note on the meeting of two temporal orientations, local entropy conflict, and the possibility of time as a cyclic form.

June 1, 2026 · mus

Why Are We Obsessed with Asking “Is This AI?”

Warning: If, after reading this essay, your first thought is “This was definitely written by AI,” then this essay may be talking about you. When I scroll through content on the internet lately, the question I see most often in the comments is not “What might the artist have felt?”, but a much cooler question, at least from the commenter’s point of view, (perhaps): “Is this AI?” Funny, isn’t it? ...

May 31, 2026 · mus

When Destruction Becomes Growth

An essay on how ecological destruction can appear as growth when economic measurement systems count transactions, but fail to see the biological losses behind them.

May 26, 2026 · mus

The Economy Is Not the Enemy of Ecosystems. It Is Their Derivative

An essay on the illusion that the economy can be decoupled from the ecosystem, exploring how all human financial activities rest upon biological and ecological foundations.

May 24, 2026 · mus

Time Knot Part I: Getting a Whiteboard Eraser Thrown by an Old Professor

Notes on the limits of the linear model in understanding the intersection of two opposing arrows of time.

May 12, 2026 · mus