15 FEB 2015 by ideonexus
The Artilect Perspective of a Human Intelligence
It is not exaggerating to say that there is quite a close analogy between an artilect trying to communicate with a human being, and a human being trying to communicate with a rock.
To make another analogy, consider your feelings towards a mosquito as it lands on the skin of your forearm. When you swat it, do you stop to consider that the creature you just killed is a miracle of nano-technological engineering, that scientists of the 20th century had absolutely no way of building. The mosquito...16 AUG 2014 by ideonexus
Orwell Notes Hitler's Rigidity of Mind
It is a sign of the speed at which events are moving that Hurst and Blackett’s unexpurgated edition of Mein Kampf, published only a year ago, is edited from a pro-Hitler angle. The obvious intention of the translator’s preface and notes is to tone down the book’s ferocity and present Hitler in as kindly a light as possible. For at that date Hitler was still respectable. He had crushed the German labour movement, and for that the property-owning classes were willing to forgive him almost...He notes that Hitler's ideas did not change at all over 15 years and that is a mark of madness.
29 DEC 2013 by ideonexus
E-Prime Communication
Alfred KSCorzybski, the founder of the discipline of general semantics, thought that the verb "to be" could lead to confused thought, confused action, and even fascism. Because so much of fascism consists of vilification of the memy, and because so much of vilification of the enemy consists of calling hem subhuman, identifying them with the forces of evil, and so on, fascists might find it hard to write propaganda without "to be.
Korzybski considered the use of "to be" as an aipciliary verb...Eliminate "to be" verbs and further clarify your statements. A good cognitive tool for detecting propaganda.
05 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Hitler Decries Atheism and Avows Nazi Allegiance With Chr...
No, it is not we that have deserted Christianity, it is those who came before us who deserted Christianity. We have only carried through a clear division between politics which have to do with terrestrial things, and religion, which must concern itself with the celestial sphere. There has been no interference with the doctrine (Lehre ) of the Confessions or with their religious freedom (Bekenntnisfreiheit ), nor will there be any such interference. On the contrary the State protects religion,...Hitler should never be used as an example of any ideology or as an extreme of any belief. I post this here only to refute the argument that Hitler was motivated by Darwinism and Atheism. If he was, then he used Christianity to motivate his troops.