TED Community » Jason Slover

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  A reply on Conversation: Banning science because of racist origins

  Nov 24 2011: I think you may be missing one of the crucial differences here. Society in general rejects things like child pornography, but we don't unilaterally reject anatomy textbooks. I think we are rational enough to see the difference. Yes, atrocities were committed in both cases, but the presentation and intended use is quite different. The larger point here is that an organization or government is deciding to ban certain things and not others. In my view, when we start limiting freedoms, it can become a slippery slope. What would come next, banning documentaries on the holocaust? Burning books? That's not what a civilized society does. We can't turn away from atrocities or ignore history; we have to do our best to learn from them, so that future ones can be prevented. Banning this book isn't going to retroactively prevent the holocaust, nor will it incite people to follow the practices of the writer, but it could help people become interested in the medical sciences and go on to save lives. What better way to pay tribute to those who suffered than to use this text to do good?
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  A reply on Conversation: How do we solve the problem of overpopulation?

  Nov 23 2011: .
  "Where do we draw the line between accountability/responsibility and freedom and individual liberties?"
  
  Where indeed. I think the solution there is that you can't decide it for other people. However unlikely it may be, we have to have faith that people (and governments) will all realize the responsible thing to do for themselves, and live their lives accordingly.

• A comment on Conversation: Banning science because of racist origins

  Nov 23 2011: .
  I agree these types of documents should not be banned. Knowledge is knowledge. Certainly, you don't want to encourage unethical scientific practices, but once the knowledge is out there, keeping it from people could do more harm than good.
  
  It's not like banning this is teaching that dead Nazi guy a lesson or anything! The same way punishing current USC athletes for what former students did is going to do any real good there.
  
  Having said that. There is something to be said about upholding a certain set of principles as a people. For instance, if you ran a charitable organization, would you accept a large donation knowing that it came from an organized crime syndicate? I realize that is a flawed example, but you get the idea. Allowing this type of thing can be a violation of our core principles, so I see where they are coming from.
  
  I would be very interested to know who banned that though. Was it your local library, Amazon.com, your government?
  
  Good topic by the way. Thanks.
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  A reply on Conversation: There are many websites calling for Bush and Cheney to be put on trial for war crimes and to still be impeached. What do you think?

  Nov 23 2011: .
  "As to Iraqi civilian deaths from the war, they were too many, but fewer died annually during the war than from Saddam's ongoing terrors before the war, and by now the number of civilian lives saved by being rid of Saddam must be very considerable"
  
  Careful here. That's dangerously close to "the ends justify the means". Fewer may have died during our campaign, but those deaths are on our hands, and that's hard to accept.
  
  But, I suppose you you have to be pragmatic about most things, and the lesser of two evils, and all that.
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  A comment on Conversation: The true problem with education is ___________?

  Nov 23 2011: The true problem with education is how we don't take it seriously. This is especially the case here in America. In Japan, education is a top priority in the culture as a whole. Many students actually take entrance exams to get into better High schools. The truth is, there are actually a lot of factors causing problems in education today, but one thing is certain, and that's that our culture is not one that takes pride in education anymore. Whether it's kids being spoiled into not having a strong work ethic, parents not taking a vested interest in their child's development, under-funding by the government, or socioeconomic factors, the problems all start with the way our society views education. Unfortunately, changing the culture is no easy task.
  
  On a side note, for anyone who doesn't think there is a problem. . . Remember that we once had a TV show called "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?", and people rarely won. W. . .T. . .F!! That's entertainment? "look how dumb we are?", is prime time TV? There's your problem.

• A reply on Conversation: How do we solve the problem of overpopulation?

  Nov 22 2011: Thanks. That was extremely helpful!

• A comment on Conversation: Why cant the united states actually come tiogether dispite differences and get things done? Why not cut big government salaries ?

  Nov 22 2011: First things first, our government was designed to be slow and ineffective for a reason (so that the policies we do let through, are good ones). Unfortunately, not all of the blame goes to the system, our elected officials are failing us, and cannot seem to debate anything meaningful in an intelligent, and pragmatic way until good policy can be agreed upon. This is of course due to the fact that their interests are, by and large, not our own. They cater to special interests, lobbyists, and their own personal agendas. Not to attack them too much either (power will always corrupt), but a lot of the blame goes to the voters. They allow these people to be elected, because they don't do their due diligence as far as learning about the candidates, and staying informed on the issues. They let some shouting person on the TV tell them what to think, and who to vote for. All that is a perfect storm for getting nothing meaningful done. The only way out of it, is to vote out the bad one's, and vote in better alternatives. To do this, you have to start with the voters.
  
  As far as the salary issue goes, I don't think that's out of hand (maybe a little misplaced frustration on your part). Yes, certainly many members of congress are independently wealthy, or do well enough not to need that salary too, and they should do the right thing, and reject it (but they won't). I don't think it would be right to cut their salaries at this point, and I don't really see it affecting our bottom line if we did. The real bandits are the CEO's that get million dollar bonuses and pensions, even after leaving the job. Income inequality is a real thing and needs to be addressed. I'm all for getting rich, and amassing wealth, but do you think a lot of these fat cats really earned those huge salaries for what they contribute to the companies they work for? No. Meanwhile, millions of other Americans are below the poverty line working 3 jobs.
  
  Why attack the ineffective ones? Replace them

• A reply on Conversation: How do we solve the problem of overpopulation?

  Nov 22 2011: Nice! lol
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  A reply on Conversation: What is the point of human kind? Seriously, what's our ultimate goal as a people?

  Nov 22 2011: .
  Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it, and I hope I get some great responses. This is my first Ted Conversation (that I started at least).
  
  On a personal note, I dig the spectacles! It's a good look. :)

• A reply on Conversation: What are the Top 5 things you can teach/share with a 6 year old?

  Nov 22 2011: I really like # 5.
  It is important to listen to what kids have to say. If they learn that their voice and their opinions are getting heard, and taken seriously, they will be less likely to act out for attention. This should help them to grow into an adult that thinks and acts more rationally and reasonably. Also, they should be more likely to listen to the concerns of others.