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Four essays, in this order, that show the whole idea in miniature: for every "why people act," there's a "who profits" waiting right behind it.

1Ulysses — On Choice
The tyranny of the open tab

We mistake having options for having freedom. A look at why more choices reliably make us less happy, and what the brain is actually optimizing for when it stalls.

↓ Now see who profits from exactly that ↓
2Ilias — On Attention
You can’t buy attention, only rent it

The market for eyeballs is a lease with rising rent. Why every channel eventually turns against the people who depend on it.

3Ulysses — On Philosophy
The myth of the rational actor

Economics assumes a person who has never existed. What happens to a theory when its central character is fiction.

↓ And the machinery built to exploit it ↓
4Ilias — On Pricing
The most expensive number is the first one

Every price after the first is read in relation to it. How anchoring quietly decides what a thing is worth before anyone does the math.

That's the whole shape of it. Everything else is the long version.

See all Ulysses →See all Ilias →