06 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
It is Not Enough to Have Faith and Devotion
In order to imbue civilization with sound principles and enliven it with the spirit of the gospel, it is not enough to be illumined with the gift of faith and enkindled with the desire of forwarding a good cause. For this end it is necessary to take an active part in the various organizations and influence them from within. And since our present age is one of outstanding scientific and technical progress and excellence, one will not be able to enter these organizations and work effectively fr...Religious must understand science to truly appreciate the creation.
14 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Denuciation of the Paleodiet
One of the commonest dietary superstitions of the day is a belief in instinct as a guide to dietary excellence ... with a corollary that the diets of primitive people are superior to diets approved by science ... [and even] that light might be thrown on the problems of human nutrition by study of what chimpanzees eat in their native forests. ... Such notions are derivative of the eighteenth-century fiction of the happy and noble savage.Wallace Ruddell (W.R.) Aykroyd compares it to the idea of the noble savage in this 1835 quote.
28 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Decline of Science in Media
A 2008 analysis by the Project for Excellence in Journalism found that if you tune for five hours' worth of cable news you will probably catch only one minute's coverage of science and technology—compared with ten minutes of "celebrity and entertainment," twelve minutes of "accidents and disasters," and "26 minutes or crime." As for newspapers, from 1989 to 2005 the number featuring weekly science or science-related sections shrank by nearly two-thirds, from ninety-five to thirty-four. Thes...Newspapers killing their science sections and television showing less and less science content.
08 JAN 2011 by ideonexus
The Samurai, or "Voluntary Nobility"
I reflected. "What else may not the samurai do?"
"Acting, singing, or reciting are forbidden them, though they may lecture authoritatively or debate. But professional mimicry is not only held to be undignified in a man or woman, but to weaken and corrupt the soul; the mind becomes foolishly dependent on applause, over-skilful in producing tawdry and momentary illusions of excellence; it is our experience that actors and actresses as a class are loud, ignoble, and insincere. If they have not ...Folksonomies: voluntary nobility
Folksonomies: voluntary nobility
The voluntary nobility of H.G.Wells Utopia may not sing or act, as professional mimicry is undignified.
01 JAN 2010 by ideonexus
Nothing is Fun Until You're Good at It
What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, ...Folksonomies: parenting
Folksonomies: parenting
A meme about the difference between Chinese and Western mothers, where Chinese mothers force their children to keep at tasks until they master them.