I read this this morning and then took it to a coffee shop this afternoon to sit down and read it again. This was so cathartic to read. It felt like it organized a lot of jumbled and frustrating questions that I’ve been asking into a clearer perspective that I can actually work with. Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t wait to read Nadia’s book!
This is fascinating! I love this breakdown. “A portfolio of antimemes” really clicked for me.
It was really interesting to learn more and reflect on your writing approach and why the Pathless Path *did* potentially spread so much. Fascinating. Thanks Paul
"I want to annoy readers who wanted confirmation bias and attract readers who appreciated nuance and contradiction instead." - I appreciate the contradiction and tension you're willing to uphold within a piece of writing and across your writing. This gave me a name for something I've felt to be true for me. I'd definitely identify myself as the antimemetic type. Yet, I still get drawn in by the lures of the memetic. I suppose living in this world with the kind of social media + attention economy structure makes it so we can't be 100% divorced of it all. Thanks for sharing this and always taking the courageous step of being "a little weird and meandering". :)
This was such a great read - not often I come across entirely new ideas, but Nadia's idea of antimimesis is definitely one. Off to get her book! Thanks Paul
Can we bait memetic people into becoming antimemetic?
Like—use ego bait, sprinkle in ‘desired outcome’, hit meme-frequency on the outside…
But then hit them with something deeper in the long form that challenges their thinking and dismantles their shallow beliefs.
The reason many people resonate with meme frequency is because they haven’t woken up yet. And if nobody wakes them up, they’ll never get attracted into the meaningful depths of the antimemetic.
I had to wake myself up. But can we somehow facilitate that transition/waking up? Trojan horse wise
Maybe I’m too noble/idealistic here. Curious to hear your ideas.
I really found this framing useful and added the book to my list. I think I am also fairly Antimemetic but have at times been lured by the shiny memes. So this is a useful lens through which to see.
Hi Paul - I thought I saw you a couple times around Chiang Mai but underestimated my ability to recognize people off the internet - turns out it is you!
I'm Akshata, and I found your podcasts and book at a time when I was contemplating leaving my full-time consulting role in 2023. Needless to say, they were quite pivotal to me quitting and now it's been 2 years of leading my solo independent practice and a remote-first lifestyle, with my partner and I just having come to Chiang Mai this week.
Great to see you around, and thank you for giving me the push (shove) I needed into the pathless path. :)
As a Taiwanese who recently got in touch with your books and writing - I’m super excited about the Chinese version launch! Already shared The Pathless Path with my roommate, and soon I can share the ideas with my friends in Taiwan with the Chinese version😄
I hadn’t heard the term “antimemetic” before, but I’ve been wondering if there’s overlap with neurodivergence here. I’ve been asking myself “why are my titles so different than everyone else’s?” plus I feel physically unable to type a sentence that’s neat and tidy (in a non-satirical way). this was very interesting!
The end of the newsletter gave me fight club vibes - I'm halfway through the book and I didn't think of antimeme as an identity but in some ways it makes sense
Appreciate this --> "...when I started attracting too many people who loved simple answers and were a bit too “amped up” about a certain way of seeing the world, I would try to muddy the waters. . . . I want to annoy readers who wanted confirmation bias and attract readers who appreciated nuance and contradiction instead."
I read this this morning and then took it to a coffee shop this afternoon to sit down and read it again. This was so cathartic to read. It felt like it organized a lot of jumbled and frustrating questions that I’ve been asking into a clearer perspective that I can actually work with. Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t wait to read Nadia’s book!
Ah that’s awesome. It took me a while to work through this too
This is fascinating! I love this breakdown. “A portfolio of antimemes” really clicked for me.
It was really interesting to learn more and reflect on your writing approach and why the Pathless Path *did* potentially spread so much. Fascinating. Thanks Paul
"I want to annoy readers who wanted confirmation bias and attract readers who appreciated nuance and contradiction instead." - I appreciate the contradiction and tension you're willing to uphold within a piece of writing and across your writing. This gave me a name for something I've felt to be true for me. I'd definitely identify myself as the antimemetic type. Yet, I still get drawn in by the lures of the memetic. I suppose living in this world with the kind of social media + attention economy structure makes it so we can't be 100% divorced of it all. Thanks for sharing this and always taking the courageous step of being "a little weird and meandering". :)
Yeah I mean I still shared this essay publicly and on LinkedIn and X too 😂
This was such a great read - not often I come across entirely new ideas, but Nadia's idea of antimimesis is definitely one. Off to get her book! Thanks Paul
I feel like I understand myself a little better after reading this. Thank you!
Got me wondering:
Can we bait memetic people into becoming antimemetic?
Like—use ego bait, sprinkle in ‘desired outcome’, hit meme-frequency on the outside…
But then hit them with something deeper in the long form that challenges their thinking and dismantles their shallow beliefs.
The reason many people resonate with meme frequency is because they haven’t woken up yet. And if nobody wakes them up, they’ll never get attracted into the meaningful depths of the antimemetic.
I had to wake myself up. But can we somehow facilitate that transition/waking up? Trojan horse wise
Maybe I’m too noble/idealistic here. Curious to hear your ideas.
Hmmm maybe. I think Tim Ferris’s was always pointing in that direction even if he wasn’t early on
His rejection of going HAM on video is antimemetic.
Other people on YouTube who have bold thumbnails but deeper ideas. Matt D’Avella comes to mind.
Hmm right Tim and Matt are indeed good examples.
I’ll go explore and experiment with this🤓
I really found this framing useful and added the book to my list. I think I am also fairly Antimemetic but have at times been lured by the shiny memes. So this is a useful lens through which to see.
Hi Paul - I thought I saw you a couple times around Chiang Mai but underestimated my ability to recognize people off the internet - turns out it is you!
I'm Akshata, and I found your podcasts and book at a time when I was contemplating leaving my full-time consulting role in 2023. Needless to say, they were quite pivotal to me quitting and now it's been 2 years of leading my solo independent practice and a remote-first lifestyle, with my partner and I just having come to Chiang Mai this week.
Great to see you around, and thank you for giving me the push (shove) I needed into the pathless path. :)
Haha no way. Say hi or send me a message next time.
I’m here for the nuanced takes! Enjoy chiang mai!!
As a Taiwanese who recently got in touch with your books and writing - I’m super excited about the Chinese version launch! Already shared The Pathless Path with my roommate, and soon I can share the ideas with my friends in Taiwan with the Chinese version😄
I’m probably doing some events in Taipei in the coming months. Do you live there? Can share info
Currently living in Bay Area but will be in Taiwan till mid July! Plz let me know the info. Will be down to attend the events! 😊
I hadn’t heard the term “antimemetic” before, but I’ve been wondering if there’s overlap with neurodivergence here. I’ve been asking myself “why are my titles so different than everyone else’s?” plus I feel physically unable to type a sentence that’s neat and tidy (in a non-satirical way). this was very interesting!
Some overlaps in tendencies I could see!
Right on Paul, this is a very good assessment of why what you’re doing works.
The end of the newsletter gave me fight club vibes - I'm halfway through the book and I didn't think of antimeme as an identity but in some ways it makes sense
It's a choice to get growth hacky with your ideas
Yeah antimeme personality, antimeme ideas is a whole mood
Appreciate this --> "...when I started attracting too many people who loved simple answers and were a bit too “amped up” about a certain way of seeing the world, I would try to muddy the waters. . . . I want to annoy readers who wanted confirmation bias and attract readers who appreciated nuance and contradiction instead."
Your work is always a effective shortcut to pull myself back into deep and slow reading.
I guess you could be proud of that.
Whenever I’m writing more I find myself reading more too!
This was great Paul! Just paid the customs fee for Antimemetics and hope I’ll get it to me in a few days.