analectnoun
a fragment or passage selected from a literary work;

Analects

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Filter by anthology: All · Betterment · Gratification · Connection · Somatic Architecture · Spiritual Architecture · Thought Architecture · Wealth Architecture · Digital Architecture · Collective Architecture

[marginalium] Interesting piece—normal people becoming killers — 2 Jun 2023
[marginalium] Why human societies developed so little for 300,000 years — 1 Jun 2023
[marginalium] Marilyn Monroe’s Psychoanalysis Notes — 31 May 2023
[marginalium] The disadvantages of having a developed state too early — 30 May 2023
[marginalium] No-bullshit democracy — 29 May 2023
[marginalium] On the growing importance of ‘middle powers’ in the modern age — 28 May 2023
[marginalium] We are in the age of average — 27 May 2023
[marginalium] An example of how we construct our reality — 26 May 2023
[marginalium] Brain density is the key to intelligence — 25 May 2023
[marginalium] Adolescent unhappiness a result of learning intensity — 24 May 2023
[marginalium] Average IQ is going down — 23 May 2023
[marginalium] Smarter entities are less coherent — 22 May 2023
[marginalium] On the alien characteristics of LLMs — 21 May 2023
[marginalium] Link between IQ and income is also positive but underwhelming — 20 May 2023
[marginalium] Is social media making us miserable — 19 May 2023

btrmt. (text-only version)

The full site with interactive features is available at btr.mt.

btrmt. (betterment) examines ideologies worth choosing. Created by Dorian Minors—Cambridge PhD in cognitive neuroscience, Associate Professor at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Core philosophy: humans are animals first, with automatic patterns shaped for us, not by us. Better to examine and choose.

Core concepts. Animals First: automatic patterns of thought and action, but our greatest capacity is nurture. Half Awake: deadened by systems that narrow rather than expand potential. Karstica: unexamined ideologies (hidden sinkholes beneath). Credenda: belief systems we should choose deliberately.

The manifesto. Cynosure (focus): betterment, gratification, connection. Architecture (support): inner (somatic, spiritual, thought) and outer (digital, collective, wealth).

Mission. Not answers but examination. Break academic gatekeeping. Make sciences of mind accessible. Question rather than prescribe.

Writing style. Scholarly without jargon barriers. Philosophical yet practical—grounded in neuroscience and lived experience. Reflective, discovery-oriented. Literary references and metaphor. Critical of systems that narrow human potential. Rejects "humans are flawed"—we're half awake, not broken.

Copyright. BTRMT LIMITED (England/Wales no. 13755561) 2026. Dorian Minors 2026.

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About Dorian Minors. Started btrmt. in 2013 to share sciences of mind with people who weren't studying them. Background: six years Australian Defence Force (Platoon Commander, Infantry); Gates Cambridge Scholar; PhD cognitive neuroscience, University of Cambridge (2018-2024); currently Associate Professor, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Research interests: neural basis of intelligent behaviour, decision intelligence, ritual formation/breakdown, ethical leadership, wellbeing.

External projects (links also available via Analects):

Lectures: Podcasts exploring ideologies

Neurotypica: Brain science guide for non-scientists

Black Cortex: Leadership consulting

Analects

btrmt. (text-only version)

Resources

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