Monthly Archives: April 2023

CSER The Era of Global Risk Panel

The Era of Global Risk panel [ 20/April/23 ] Some really good stuff in this presentation; yet to me it fails to recognise the greatest class of risk: the human tendency to over simplify the irreducibly complex. One of the … Continue reading

Posted in Our Future, understanding | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Changing ourselves and others

What is a better way to save the world: trying to change others’ minds or instead focus on changing yourself? [ 20/April/23 ] We all need to do both. We are facing many new classes of risk, and the strategic … Continue reading

Posted in Brain Science, Our Future, understanding | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Surviving Global Risk

What are some reasons why people think it’s possible for our species to survive any kind of global catastrophe or Armageddon event, even though we’ve never lived through anything remotely close to that in history? [ 20/April/23 ] Agree with … Continue reading

Posted in Our Future | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nate & Kim – Climate, Fiction, and The Future”

Kim Stanley Robinson: “Climate, Fiction, and The Future” | The Great Simplification #66 [ 19/April/23 ] Burning Carbon isn’t fundamental to the economy – energy is.Carbon based chemical energy sources are very “convenient”, on a variety of metrics. Agree with … Continue reading

Posted in Climate change, economics, Ideas, Our Future, Politics, Technology, understanding | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Multipolar traps and the analogy of cancer

Daniel Schmachtenberger on The Superorganism and Multipolar Traps [ 19/April/23 ] We need to understand what cancer is.It is a failure of the communication systems between neighbouring cells that limit reproduction. When my oncologist told me 13 years ago that … Continue reading

Posted in cancer, Our Future, understanding | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mike – I don’t know, but really want to find out

I don’t know, but really want to find out [ 18/April/23 ] Agree with most of the major themes, but a few bits seem over simplified in a dangerous and misleading way. The quoted idea of “survival-enhancing range” should more … Continue reading

Posted in Our Future | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What is a scientific theory

What is a scientific theory [ 18/April/23 What is a scientific theory?(So can a philosophical theory be a scientific theory?Yes, no, ?)Definition according to Philosophy of Science | Definition, Characterization and Empirical Law | Britannica:Scientific theory, systematic ideational structure of … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy, understanding | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Platos forms

Walter asked – Is Plato’s theory of ideas (forms) just a mystical theory [ 12/April/23 Walter Asked:Is Plato’s theory of ideas (forms) just a mystical theory, misleading (“cheating”) only ontology and knowledge?Yes, no (why?), ?My opinion:There is no ontologically real … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What are the most pressing global issues facing humanity today, and how can they be addressed?

What are the most pressing global issues facing humanity today, and how can they be addressed? [ 11/April/23 ] Probably the greatest is getting people generally to accept the notions of complexity and uncertainty. Probably the greatest of those is … Continue reading

Posted in Our Future | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Correlation and causation

Athiest have Higher IQ newspaper headline [ 8/April/23 – a comment Correlation does not imply causation] Agreed, but it is a good place to start looking, and in this case, there are ample reasons for it. [followed byYes, that’s a … Continue reading

Posted in Our Future, understanding | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment