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] Different ways of doing life — 18 Apr 2023
[marginalium] Serotonin as the habit signaller — 17 Apr 2023
[marginalium] Is the internet information overload — 16 Apr 2023
[article] Saving the planet is an illusion — 15 Apr 2023
Sustainability discussions often prioritise saving the planet, missing the fact that the planet doesn’t care about climate change. Maybe we should focus on the imminent death and disease instead of the planet’s feelings.
[marginalium] How To Speak Honeybee — 15 Apr 2023
[marginalium] Pass or fail grading is a good thing — 14 Apr 2023
[marginalium] Reminder that TikTok is spyware — 13 Apr 2023
[marginalium] The decline of ‘old masters’ in art — 12 Apr 2023
[marginalium] On the unnecessary nature of human space adventures — 11 Apr 2023
[marginalium] On profiling 911 callers to see if they were murderers — 10 Apr 2023
[marginalium] The fake neuroscience of God — 9 Apr 2023
[marginalium] We are underinvesting in boredom’s creative potential — 6 Apr 2023
[marginalium] A millenial trend away from aged-in conservatism — 5 Apr 2023
[marginalium] Dog breed differences in cognition — 4 Apr 2023
[marginalium] More ideas for efficient hot water bottle use than I thought possible — 3 Apr 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); a decade of clinical practice; Gates Cambridge Scholar; PhD cognitive neuroscience, University of Cambridge (2018–2024); currently Associate Professor, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he runs the ethical leadership module. Research interests: neural basis of intelligent behaviour; ritual formation and breakdown; ethical decision-making and leadership; judgement and intent when decisions are shared with AI; wellbeing.

External projects (links also available via Analects):

Neurotypica: Brain science guide for non-scientists

Black Cortex: Leadership consulting

Analects

btrmt. (text-only version)

Resources

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