21 APR 2017 by ideonexus
How Our Grandparents Perceive the World as Unchanging
Men can know a thing and yet know it quite ineffectively if it contradicts the general traditions and habits in which they live.
[...]
ONE of the most striking differences between the outlook of our grandparents and that of a modern intelligence today is the modification of time values that has occurred.
By the measure of our knowledge their time-scale was extremely shallow. They had scarcely any historical perspective at all. They looked back to a past of a few thousand years and at the v... 1 
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notes10 MAR 2017 by ideonexus
Workspace is Gamespace
It's not surprising that gamespace has become a workplace for hundreds of thousands of "gold famers" who undertake dreary, repetitive labor to produce virtual wealth that's sold to players with more money and less patience than them. The structural differences between in-game play and in-game work are mostly arbitrary, and "real" work is half a game, anyway. Most of the people you see going to work today are LARPing an incredibly boring RPG called "professionalism" that requires them to alter... 1 notes
notes08 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Morals are Natural
It would appear... that moral phenomena, when observed on a great scale, are found to resemble physical phenomena; and we thus arrive, in inquiries of this kind, at the fundamental principle, that the greater the number of individuals observed, the more do individual peculiarities, whether physical or moral, become effaced, and leave in a prominent point of view the general facts, by virtue of which society exists and is preserved.Folksonomies: civilization
Folksonomies: civilization
1 notes
notesThat's what I take from this quote, which talks about the normative nature of habits that appear when our sample size is large enough and those habits make civilization possible.
29 MAY 2012 by ideonexus
Geology is a Healthy Science
Apart from its healthful mental training as a branch of ordinary education, geology as an open-air pursuit affords an admirable training in habits of observation, furnishes a delightful relief from the cares and routine of everyday life, takes us into the open fields and the free fresh face of nature, leads us into all manner of sequestered nooks, whither hardly any other occupation or interest would be likely to send us, sets before us problems of the highest interest regarding the history o...Folksonomies: geology
Folksonomies: geology
1 notes
notesIt gets you out in the open air and trains you in virtues of observation.
03 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Jaron Lanier's Suggestions for Taking Action Online
Every save-the-world cause has a list of suggestions for “what each of us can do”: bike to work, recycle, and so on.
I can propose such a list related to the problems I’m talking about:
Don’t post anonymously unless you really might be in danger.
If you put effort into Wikipedia articles, put even more effort into using your personal voice and expression outside of the wiki to help attract people who don’t yet realize that they are interested in the topics you contributed to.Po... 1 notes
notesThese are habits you can adopt to maintain your individuality. Seems like good advice for lots of people on Facebook and other sites.
28 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Science is Self-Isolating
Still, it is undeniable that the troubling disconnect between the i scientific community and society stems partly from the nature of scientific training today, and from scientific culture generally. ). some ways science has become self-isolating. The habits of specialization that have ensured so many research successes have also made it harder to connect outside the laboratory and the ivory tower. As a result, the scientific community simultaneously generates ever more valuable knowledge and ...Folksonomies: memetics science communication
Folksonomies: memetics science communication
1 notes
notesThe nature of science is quiet isolation; therefore, its memes are less capable of venturing into other minds.
20 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
The Evolutionary Arms Race
Before asserting that the deceptive appearance of a grasshopper or butterfly is unnecessarily detailed, we must first ascertain what are the powers of perception and discrimination of the insects'
natural enemies. Not to do so is like asserting that the armour of a battle-cruiser is too heavy, or the
range of her guns too great, without inquiring into the nature and effectiveness of the enemy's
armament. The fact is that in the primeval struggle of the jungle, as in the refinements of civiliz... 1 notes
notesAdaptations are based on the senses and abilities of the predators.
