## Notes from 8 April 2025 [[2025-04-07|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-04-09|Next note →]] Today I recently came across Luis Garicano’s piece [Free the Universities](https://www.siliconcontinent.com/p/to-win-the-war-for-talent-free-the), and I found it sharp and really great. His comparison between U.S. and European universities is an echo of a view I increasingly subscribe to.: that state capacity depends on three things. First, public organizations with high agency — meaning fewer rigid procedures and a stronger focus on results. Second, the right institutional resources — such as the freedom to design their own recruitment, procurement, and management processes. And third, high-capacity leaders — people who not only _can_ make decisions because the system allows them to, but who _do_ make them well, because they were selected based on their ability to lead. Garicano shows how American universities operate more like autonomous actors, able to compete for funds, reward performance, and attract talent. European universities, in contrast, function more like civil service bodies, often blocked by layers of procedure and a lack of individual or institutional incentives. His analysis of how autonomy and competition shape outcomes in higher education reflects broader lessons for public management. Also, I had the opportunity to read one of the [most beautiful texts of the year](https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/the-colors-of-her-coat). Of course, it had to be by [[Scott Alexander]]. It’s about AI art, but also about how technology slowly desensitizes us. What once felt sublime becomes ordinary, just because it’s now easy to access. And that keeps happening — over and over, with every wave of progress. What touched me most is the idea that we can _train ourselves_ to see beauty even when it’s not rare. That wonder isn’t only about novelty, but about attention. That’s something we can choose. And I loved how he points out the joy people feel when using these tools. It’s nice to see people having fun, being playful, creating things... ... so why are the ludits so focused on sharing bitterness about all this?