ThenkaiThenkai
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social structures

9 posts

An old wooden gate set into a weathered metal fence in the countryside
Behavioral ScienceJune 21, 202610 min readEvergreen

Tradition Is Evidence, Not Authority

Inherited rules can preserve hard-won knowledge, reduce decision costs, and protect against biased exceptions. They can also survive through inertia and serve interests we no longer endorse. Age creates a reason to investigate—not a duty to obey.

authoritycognitive biasescritical thinkingcultural differences
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A grayscale photograph of an empty, abandoned interior
Political ScienceMay 9, 20268 min readEvergreen

The 401(k) Doesn't Exclude You. It Scales With What You Already Have.

The usual story about the pension shift is that coverage collapsed. It didn't. Participation hit its highest level since 2010 and increased across the whole income distribution — while the mean balance for the bottom half of earners fell, during a stock market boom.

economic growthevidencefiscal policymacro
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A person seen as a dark reflection in a wall mirror beside a window
Behavioral ScienceMarch 22, 20269 min readEvergreen

Being Seen as a Body Is Not the Same as Being Reduced to One

We use objectification as if it named one obvious wrong. Philosophy and psychology point to a narrower problem: bodily attention becomes corrosive when it displaces agency, subjectivity, and every other kind of value.

dignitygenderidentitypsychology
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An aircraft wing above a patchwork of green fields, roads and small settlements
Political ScienceFebruary 28, 202611 min readEvergreen

Most of Your Income Was Decided Before You Did Anything

'How much of success is luck' is unanswerable as posed. 'How much is explained by circumstances nobody chose' is a regression, and it has been run. Country of residence alone accounts for nearly three-quarters of the variation in individual incomes across the world.

economic developmentethicsevidenceglobal north
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A red 'Home For Sale' sign staked in the gravel yard of a newly built house
Political ScienceJanuary 23, 202612 min readEvergreen

The Gap Isn't Income. It's Whether You Already Own Something.

Two countries, one mechanism. When assets appreciate faster than wages, the price of joining the owning class rises faster than the means of paying for it — and the same salary buys a smaller claim on the future every year. The US and Canada fail at this in mirror-image ways.

economic growthevidencemacropolitical economy
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A gopuram at the Meenakshi temple in Madurai, densely covered with painted sculpted figures
Behavioral ScienceJanuary 14, 20269 min read

Sanskritization on Screen

Explore how Indian films often reframe Adivasi and Dalit-Bahujan cultures as Hindu traditions, a process termed "Sanskritization." This erases real histories and promotes an upper-caste friendly national fantasy.

adivasicastecultural appropriationdalit
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Excavated brick structures and trenches at the Keezhadi archaeological site in Tamil Nadu
ArchaeologyJanuary 8, 20267 min read

Keezhadi to Kumari Kandam

Explore the archaeological evidence from Keezhadi and Adichanallur revealing early Tamil urban civilization. This post contrasts verifiable data with the mythical continent of Kumari Kandam, examining what constitutes historical proof.

ancient historyarchaeologyevidencehistory
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The domed main reading room of the Library of Congress, ringed with desks
Behavioral ScienceDecember 30, 20255 min read

The Captive Intellect

When empirical frameworks are absent, analytical minds redirect their reasoning towards faith. This post explores how social confinement and neural reward systems make faith intellectually rich and psychologically satisfying, and how cognitive foundations and social ecology contribute to this phenomenon.

cognitionfaithneurosciencepsychology
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An aerial view of a dense Indian market street packed with stalls and people
Behavioral ScienceDecember 27, 20259 min read

The Interconnectedness of Power

Explore the intricate dance of power across micro, meso, and macro levels. This post delves into how individual and family dynamics intertwine with institutional structures and broader societal forces, creating complex feedback loops that shape our world.

macromesomicropower
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