29 NOV 2013 by ideonexus
Propagating Genes VS Memes
I have been a bit negative about memes, but they have their cheerful side
as well. When we die there are two things we can leave behind us: genes
and memes. We were built as gene machines, created to pass on our
genes. But that aspect of us will be forgotten in three generations. Your
child, even your grandchild, may bear a resemblance to you, perhaps in
facial features, in a talent for music, in the colour of her hair. But as
each generation passes, the contribution of your genes is halved. ... 1 
notes
notesOur genes will only last in recognizable form for three generations or so, being halved with each generation; our memes, however, have the potential to live far beyond our lifetimes and have greater influence.
12 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Each Scientists Adds Their Own to What Came Before
The advancement of science is slow; it is effected only by virtue of hard work and perseverance. And when a result is attained, should we not in recognition connect it with the efforts of those who have preceded us, who have struggled and suffered in advance? Is it not truly a duty to recall the difficulties which they vanquished, the thoughts which guided them; and how men of different nations, ideas, positions, and characters, moved solely by the love of science, have bequeathed to us the u...Folksonomies: shoulders of giants
Folksonomies: shoulders of giants
1 A search for truth continuing from century to century.
05 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Knowledge Can be Transferred, but Not Wisdom
Positive, objective knowledge is public property. It can be transmitted directly from one person to another, it can be pooled, and it can be passed on from one generation to the next. Consequently, knowledge accumulates through the ages, each generation adding its contribution. Values are quite different. By values, I mean the standards by which we judge the significance of life. The meaning of good and evil, of joy and sorrow, of beauty, justice, success-all these are purely private convicti... 1 notes
notesWisdom relies on an accumulation of personal experiences.
25 APR 2012 by ideonexus
The Promotion of the Apollo Program
The success of Apollo was mainly due to the fact that the project was conceived and honestly presented to the public as an international sporting event and not as a contribution to science. The order of priorities in Apollo was accurately reflected by the first item to be unloaded after each landing on the Moon's surface, the television camera. The landing, the coming and going of the astronauts, the exploring of the moon's surface, the gathering of Moon rocks and the earthward departure, all...Folksonomies: space exploration nasa
Folksonomies: space exploration nasa
1 notes
notesIt was carefully choreographed and promoted like a sporting event.
28 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Scientists Must Remain Modest
Vulnerable, like all men, to the temptations of arrogance, of which intellectual pride is the worst, he [the scientist] must nevertheless remain sincere and modest, if only because his studies constantly bring home to him that, compared with the gigantic aims of science, his own contribution, no matter how important, is only a drop in the ocean of truth. Because they must know that their contributions to the body of knowledge are just drops in an ocean.
12 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
The Engineer is the Key Figure in the Material Progress o...
The engineer is the key figure in the material progress of the world. It is his engineering that makes a reality of the potential value of science by translating scientific knowledge into tools, resources, energy and labor to bring them to the service of man ... To make contribution of this kind the engineer requires the imagination to visualize the needs of society and to appreciate what is possible as well as the technological and broad social age understanding to bring his vision to reality.Folksonomies: engineering
Folksonomies: engineering
He translates scientific knowledge into tools, resources, energy and labor.
20 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
I Think; Therefore, I Am
I suppose, then, that all the things that I see are
false; I persuade myself that nothing has ever existed of all
that my fallacious memory represents to me. I consider that I
possess no senses; I imagine that body, figure, extension,
movement and place are but the fictions of my mind. What,
then, can be esteemed as true? Perhaps nothing at all, unless
that there is nothing in the world that is certain.
But how can I know there is not something different from
those things that I have just... 1 notes
notesDescartes most important contribution to philosophical thought.
