Primer

Last updated January 2, 2026

A primer is a concise, entry‑level document that explains the fundamentals of a subject, often serving as a first point of contact before deeper resources like textbooks, handbooks, or technical standards. It prioritizes clarity over completeness and orients readers to key ideas, terms, and why the topic matters.

I use primers whenever I want to look into a new topic or when I want to get a fresh overview of a topic I’ve been dealing with for a long time. The goal is to get a comprehensive view and be able to link to it whenever I refer to a topic in another note or want to provide a quick introduction to someone.

I create these primers in Obsidian using Claude Code, which connects to my knowledge graph and uses Perplexity for web research.

Linked References

Anticipatory Governance

This is a Primer primer on Anticipatory Governance.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

This is a Primer primer on AGI.

Butlerian Jihad

This is a Primer primer on the Butlerian Jihad, on what Frank Herbert’s text says about it, and on the...

Center for Humane Technology

This is a Primer primer on the Center for Humane Technology and its co-founder Tristan Harris.

Collingridge Dilemma

This is a Primer primer on the Collingridge Dilemma.

Dark Enlightenment

This is a Primer primer on the Dark Enlightenment (DE) and Neoreactionary Movement (NRx).

Effective Altruism

This is a Primer primer on Effective Altruism.

Foresight vs. Forecasting

This is a Primer primer on the difference between foresight and forecasting.

From the Californian Ideology to the Texan Ideology

This is a Primer primer on the shift from the Californian Ideology to the Texan Ideology.

Futurism

This is a Primer primer on the word “futurism” and on the hundred-year argument about who gets to use it....

Imagination Economy

This is a Primer primer on the Imagination Economy.

Legal Foresight

This is a Primer primer on Legal Foresight.

Metamodernism

This is a Primer primer on metamodernism. Related note: Metamodernism and Futures Studies

Neo-Integralism

This is a Primer primer on Neo-Integralism.

Neo-Luddism

This is a Primer primer on neo-Luddism and on the two-hundred-year career of the insult it is built from.

The Overton Window

This is a Primer primer on the Overton Window.

Permanent Underclass

This is a Primer primer on the permanent underclass, the phrase that has organized how Silicon Valley talks about everyone...

Physical AI vs. Embodied AI

This is a Primer primer on the difference between physical AI and embodied AI.

Rationalists

This is a Primer primer on the Rationalist movement.

Scenario Planning

This is a Primer primer on Scenario Planning.

Trends

_This is a Primer primer. A related note is Trend Report This is not a trend report._

Utopia

_This is a Primer primer on utopia. Related notes: Utopia as Method, Real Utopias_