18 hours ago: The religion does not need to be explicit, you only need for its leaders to be. If the catholic church declares itself against birth control it matters not what the bible originally said on the matter. If Islamic leaders declare educating women to be un-Islamic it matters not what the Q'ran says on the matter. Both the catholic church and many islamic sects as well as many burgeoning christian sects are actively promoting women's "return" to a child and family based life.
18 hours ago: I agree, but only if people following those religions are willing, like many american catholics are, to disobey the teachings of their religion. Some will, some will not.
18 hours ago: I do not disagree with one iota of this data set. I do disagree with the conclusion of its predictive nature. Specifically because religion does have an impact on birth rates. Good, easily accessible family planning has really only been around for 40 years. And, the data shows the sharp drop in fertility rates. What the data does not show is the number of religions that are actively campaigning against the use of family planning methods. Those religions recognize that their conversion rate cannot meet the needs left by their falling fertility rate, so they try to curtail the methodology which curtails the fertility of their followers. Some religions like Mormonism actively promote high birth rates quite successfully. I think it is too soon to make the connection between religion and birth rates until this backlash has played out for another 2 or 3 decades. What people need to watch for is each group, fearing that they will be out-bred by their rival, ramping up pro-high fertility rate ideologies.
2 days ago: Part of me hopes that we will learn to use oil to manufacture those things as we give up burning it for energy and transportation..... But I fear that I am overly optimistic.
2 days ago: Apperently, this has created some controversy. I have noticed in speaking that when people are defensive they end their sentences in a down tone of finality. Ms. Diller's presentation unfortunately had that tone. Each sentence ended in a down tone. I think people reacted to her presentation rather than the basic idea.
Sadly, the basic idea is also questionable. It is not a permanent structure. And it is art's position in society to challenge us and our preconceptions. If they can do this it may be the cutting edge of new methods of constructing large temporary structures to respond to a wide variety of needs.
2 days ago: What does p = 2 x (l+w) mean? This is a problem my daughter has in 6th grade algebra.
To me in my own learning of math and in watching her try to learn it, it was the connection between objects and the symbols (numbers) that helped. I could not see for the longest time as a child that these symbols represented a three dimensional logical underpinning of things. That additional and multiplication where all really the same constructs of manipulating data to get to the same places......
2 days ago: When we are struggling over how we are important, we are still being centered on self. Start with altruism. Make your life less centered on your self. Focus on how your existence can make the world better for some one else. When you start doing that eventually your own purpose will become clear.
Do small things ask yourself each day if anyone's life has been made better today because you lived. It can be easy. Hold open a door, smile at some one who is down, be kind. If you can answe that question at the end of the day and say yes some one's life is better because I lived you will have the answer to your larger question.
2 days ago: If you can go to sleep each night and say that some one some where's life was better today because you have lived then it is all worth while. If you are self centered and mean you will get more of what you sow and you will end up isolated and alone. There are many days when being the good person will mean you will appear to "lose". But, if everyone in a given society decidees that nice guys finish last then everyone is imporverished both financially and morally. Just look at the US these days.
2 days ago: Patriotism is a form of nationalism. It is a good thing to help give people a sense of identity and unity. It is a bad thing when it becomes unthinking compliance and hatred for anything that is "other". If there is and "us" then there must be a "them".
It is a double edged sword to be weilded carefully.
2 days ago: Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are so many reasons this would not work I do not have the space here to addess them all. Consider the book Jihad vs. McWorld by Benjamin Barber. He discusses the pulling that is already going on between the globalizing influences of technology and the desire of humans to remain distinct and separate. Look around the world. People are pulling into smaller and smaller governments and tribal groups as they feel their culture is threatened. Complex systems corrupt and corrode. In the busines world we have "too big to fail" which really is "too big to manage". If there was one government it would truly be too big to manage and too big to control.
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A reply on Talk: Hans Rosling: Religions and babies
A reply on Talk: Hans Rosling: Religions and babies
A comment on Talk: Hans Rosling: Religions and babies
A comment on Conversation: What are we going to make stuff out of when we run out of oil?
A comment on Talk: Liz Diller: A giant bubble for debate
Sadly, the basic idea is also questionable. It is not a permanent structure. And it is art's position in society to challenge us and our preconceptions. If they can do this it may be the cutting edge of new methods of constructing large temporary structures to respond to a wide variety of needs.
A comment on Conversation: What are some of the problems that your kids have in maths at school. Please mention grade and age.
To me in my own learning of math and in watching her try to learn it, it was the connection between objects and the symbols (numbers) that helped. I could not see for the longest time as a child that these symbols represented a three dimensional logical underpinning of things. That additional and multiplication where all really the same constructs of manipulating data to get to the same places......
A comment on Conversation: What Makes Life Worth While?
Do small things ask yourself each day if anyone's life has been made better today because you lived. It can be easy. Hold open a door, smile at some one who is down, be kind. If you can answe that question at the end of the day and say yes some one's life is better because I lived you will have the answer to your larger question.
A comment on Conversation: Why be a good person?
A comment on Conversation: A patriotism have disadvantages?
It is a double edged sword to be weilded carefully.
A comment on Conversation: The World would be a better place with one government.