All Epsilon Theory Content

All Epsilon Theory Content

 

Everything we have published at Epsilon Theory since 2013, an archive of more than 1,000 evergreen notes.

Chapter 3: Caliban’s Garden

By Rusty Guinn | December 6, 2024 | 11 Comments

Man’s road to becoming a storyteller began with a single step.

That step kicked off millions of years of co-evolution of the human brain, society, language – and our relationship with story.

Chapter 2: What is Story?

By Rusty Guinn | December 2, 2024 | 11 Comments

There are a lot of ways to define a “story.”

But to understand how story interacts with human consciousness requires us to be more specific.

Intentional Investor #18: Jason Buck

By Harper Hunt | November 26, 2024 | 5 Comments

In this fascinating conversation, Matt Zeigler sits down with Jason Buck, co-founder of Mutiny Fund, to explore the unexpected intersections between entrepreneurship, risk management, and personal development. From selling mixtapes in rural Michigan to developing real estate in Charleston and ultimately founding an innovative investment firm, Jason’s journey challenges conventional wisdom about success and risk-taking.

Chapter 1: Overhearing Ourselves

By Rusty Guinn | November 26, 2024 | 11 Comments

Shakespeare invented the human by inventing a device which spoke the language of consciousness:

Story.

Introduction: David Bowie’s Alien

By Rusty Guinn | November 26, 2024 | 11 Comments

David Bowie was right.

Social networks aren’t a tool. They are an alien force that transforms human consciousness.

Making Sense of Markets in a Post Election World | Grant Williams and Ben Hunt

By Harper Hunt | November 19, 2024 | 1 Comment

Matt Zeigler is joined by Ben Hunt and Grant Williams for a candid discussion of the 2024 post-election landscape and its implications for markets. The guests explore how trust, or lack thereof, shapes both political and market narratives, examining the transformation of capital markets into what they describe as a “political utility” where “number go up” has become the prevailing faith.

I Think Representative Democracy is a Good Idea and We Should Give It a Try

By Ben Hunt | November 14, 2024 | 10 Comments

I am 60 years old.

I am a (very) patriotic American.

I have never felt represented by any elected official.

Never.

Cursed Knowledge #30: The Road to Hell

By Harper Hunt | November 13, 2024 | 0 Comments

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. But how often does that actually happen? Why do good intentions go so wrong? And what makes it so difficult to course correct? Those are the questions explored by Harper Hunt and Rusty Guinn in this episode of Cursed Knowledge.

Intentional Investor #17: Jared Dillian

By Harper Hunt | November 12, 2024 | 3 Comments

In this episode of The Intentional Investor, host Matt Zeigler sits down with Jared Dillian – former Lehman Brothers trader, acclaimed newsletter writer, and author – for a captivating conversation about the unexpected paths that shape a life’s work. From his early days as a Coast Guard officer to becoming a Wall Street trader, and ultimately finding his voice as a writer, Dillian shares candid insights about his journey.

Shadow Banking and the Next Financial Crisis

By Ben Hunt | November 11, 2024 | 0 Comments

Structure of Financial Crisis (the bonfire)
Necessary Conditions of Crisis (the kindling)
Catalysts of Crisis (the match)
So What Do We Do About It?

Walking Phnom Penh

By Chris Arnade | November 7, 2024 | 0 Comments

Phnom Penh is a young city chock full of kids. They are everywhere, and they bring a positive energy, warmth, and joy that no amount of adult diversions — no amount of bars, casinos, exceptional cuisine, and museums — can replicate, because nothing warms the heart like a big smile from a tiny face.

I, Nazgûl

By Rusty Guinn | November 3, 2024 | 10 Comments

Being clear-eyed and full-hearted doesn’t mean being passive, weak, or silent.

It means resisting every effort to supplant our autonomy of mind with symbols of identity, no matter the source.

Intentional Investor #16: Remi Tetot

By Harper Hunt | October 29, 2024 | 1 Comment

Join host Matt Ziegler as he sits down with Remy Tetot, the mind behind The Mad King newsletter and former co-founder of Real Vision, for a fascinating journey through the intersection of technology, finance, and personal growth. From washing dishes in Spain to revolutionizing financial media with Real Vision, Remy shares his remarkable story of constant reinvention. Learn how he transformed from a self-taught coder into a macro analyst under Raoul Pal’s mentorship, helped build Real Vision from the ground up, and navigated both spectacular successes and humbling failures in the crypto markets.

Apocalypse Always

By Rusty Guinn | October 25, 2024 | 10 Comments

Extreme language during election season isn’t anything new.

But this time it really is different. Our response must be different, too.

The Open Window

By Rusty Guinn | October 21, 2024 | 30 Comments

Creating two tightly bounded political extremes is NOT opening the Overton Window.

It just adds a second, equally closed window behind which all of our worst ideas can and will fester.

Remembering the Face of Your Father

By Ben Hunt | October 16, 2024 | 8 Comments

For the past 28 years, since the death of my father, I’ve been hearing a steady tick-tock in my head.

How do we tell our stories to our children and our children’s children before it’s too late? Before we pass as all humans must pass?

Generative AI is a communion machine.

Intentional Investor #15: Brent Donnelly

By Harper Hunt | October 15, 2024 | 1 Comment

In this episode of The Intentional Investor, host Matt Zeigler interviews Brent Donnelly, a veteran forex trader, financial writer, and mentor. Brent shares his fascinating journey from aspiring journalist to Wall Street trader, and how he eventually combined his love for writing and finance.

Cursed Knowledge #29: Allergies

By Harper Hunt | October 11, 2024 | 2 Comments

Allergies. We either have them or know some one who does. Ranging from life threatening to mildly irritating, they’re one of life’s constant annoyances. And they’re getting worse. We have more allergies now than ever before. Rusty Guinn joins Cursed Knowledge to talk about why allergies are more common, and if there’s anything we can do about it.

Manufactured Consensus

By Rusty Guinn | October 8, 2024 | 17 Comments

The more we believe the lie that social networks democratize Narrative formation, the more systematically we make ourselves part of their manufactured consensus.

No, the world doesn’t hate America

By Chris Arnade | October 7, 2024 | 6 Comments

The global mass love for the US and its culture is genuine, and isn’t being forced on people from above, but because US culture – despite all the showy glitz – is about how everyone’s story matters.