Top all-time · #12479
Maarten Boudry
Personal blog · maartenboudry.substack.comphilosophyscience
Maarten Boudry's personal blog at maartenboudry.substack.com covers philosophy and science. Since 2025, 6 different Hacker News readers have linked it 7 times, most often “How Europe Became the World Champion of Heat Deaths”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-10-24, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (2) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN commenters link Maarten Boudry's Substack essays on air conditioning, heat policy and heat deaths in Europe versus the US. Comments cite the posts as sources and do not judge the writing.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 2 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
How do we make the future (even) better than the present? By using science, evidence and reason. Progressives need to embrace progress again.
Most-linked posts?
- How Europe Became the World Champion of Heat Deaths4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2026-06-25
What Hacker News says?
>...In the Swiss canton of Geneva, installing an air conditioner requires an exceptional permit demonstrating “real need” (such as a doctor’s certificate). During the recent energy crisis, Spain and Italy barred public buildings from cooling below 27°C—hot enough to dull your cognitive powers by 5 percent. In the midst of the current deadly heat wave, my own city of Ghent is officially advising people to “avoid air-…
Comment linking /p/how-europe-became-the-world-champion
on “Federal judge orders Texas to air condition all prisons by the end of 2029”Submitted Why HAL 9000 Feared Death (and Real AIs Don't) as a story · 3 points
HN discussionYou're avoiding the point and wrong in assuming the analogy is incorrect. The US has around 1/5th the heat related deaths that Europe does despite being hotter, more often and mostly of European background. https://maartenboudry.substack.com/p/how-europe-became-the-w...
Comment linking /p/how-europe-became-the-world-champion
on “Waymo – Dallas Open to All”Submitted How Europe Became the World Champion of Heat Deaths as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted The Selfish Machine as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Europe Became the World Champion of Heat Deaths as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Are the Brooms Multiplying Yet? as a story · 1 points
HN discussion