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More About Me

I'm passionate about

blind faith = (usa) greatest country;; (germans) master race;: (muslims) jihad: (britain) racial and cultural superiority; (jerusalem) the chosen people; (christianity) convert them or kill them.

An idea worth spreading

Belief controls behavior. Take a marriage for example. If you believe your wife is cheating, you behave as though she was. The result - strain, possible. divorce, sometimes death. We are fortunate to live in an age that may be known as a second renaissance.The difference is that it is global not simply regional Licklider/Gutenburg. From time immemorial we have tried to understand and control the forces around us. We have used several ways to influence the outcome of the game such as wearing the same socks, i.e.,superstition, Next we come to witchcraft, then religion, then science. Wouldn't it be nice if we acted only on knowledge and not belief. .Wouldn't it be nice if we learned to demand of ourselves a level of integrity that required us to justify our actions (personal, national and global) based on reality and not fantasy.

Talk to me about

what you know that I don''t, and that's a lot

People don't know that I'm good at

I am good at being myself. Now that doesn't mean I am good, I am narcissistic , insensitive, and hopelessly incompetent.. I am also good at controlling the negative effects of these flaws on others.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1.60 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Talk: Taryn Simon: The stories behind the bloodlines

  Jan 10 2013: It's happening! It's really happening!

• A comment on Conversation: Would religion exist if the first humans had our scientific knowledge?

  Jan 5 2013: Given your caveat yes. Humans long for the transcendent. For me, the Cassini Mission was such an experience, but then I believe that religion trivializes the miracle of life. The problem with religion is that if you assume knowledge of ultimate truth then you have a justification for imposing your belief on others and human history is full of examples of what happens when large groups of people buy into tthis kind of fairy tale. But it does have benefits. It deepens our intelligence, and makes us think beyond the immediate. But, in order to buy into the theistic program you must believe in things that are not verifiable.and accept things that are obviously impossible and counter to the best interests of humankind. Religion was our first attempt at defining ourselves and the world we live in. But as we grew as a race of primates we began to question reality and we discovered that revelatory religious philosophies do not explain the world,, the universe, we live in. But religious institutions whose main interest is in maintaining their power base, manipulate their doctrine, dogma and commands to attain their goals regardless of the cost. Religion has played an important part in the moral, ethical, and intellectual growth of mankind. But we have changed. We are not children and we no longer check under the bed at night to make sure there are no monsters there. God is one of the two gods of christianity. The other is satan. Candy from god, a bribe, fear of damnation from the devil a threat. If we were talking politics you would reject out of hand such hypocritical manipulation. The Allies won the battles in WW2,but facism won the war. It's still here..
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  A comment on Conversation: Life is a game, I write to you as a fellow player...

  Jan 4 2013: I agree with everything I understand in your offering, but I disagree with your implied condemnation of the race. You wouldn't define your son by his negative characteristics would you? So why are you so keen to condemn humanity because they didn't get it right the first time. We may all be doomed to being the wretched survivors of the colllapse of our global civilization....but maybe not. Forget all the buildings and monuments and institutions, forget all the culture and science; It's the ideas that will remain. All but two, religion and money. Wishful thinking? About money, yes but religion is dead if the balloon goes up unless jesus, or the last immam check in to watch the show. Humanity has faced greater obstacles than this turmoil amongst ourselves. Tragedy unifies humanity and a unified humanity is a mighty thing indeed.

• A comment on Conversation: Would religion exist if the first humans had our scientific knowledge?

  Jan 3 2013: Religion waas our first real attempt at explaining and controlling the world around us. Without those primitive beginnings we would have no knowledge.
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  A comment on Conversation: A school where fees depend on wealth,where students can borrow books instead of buying them and learn through games,music,acting and debates

  Dec 28 2012: I love your model but I would like to ask for two considerations: 1 - a kid will and can learn at an astounding rate if he is interested. Finding that field for any individual is the problem. My solution, sit the kid in his parents lap in front of an internet link and let the kid sift through all that information until he finds some gold. Start real young, a couple of sessions a week. By the time he hits puberty he'll know less about more things rather than more about fewer. 2 - All men are not created equal. I think the latest election proves that point. The first things an education should do is teach the child how to learn.encourage the child to design his own curriculum and most importantly to guide the student over the inevitable obstacles one faces on any journey.My obstacle, math. Couldn' go over, had to go around.

• A comment on Conversation: Debate: Video games are the drug of the century

  Dec 10 2012: If you can't change the kid, change the game. Here's a scenario that might work. Build a first person shooter game whose advancement and achievement requires not a body count but rather a count of hostages saved. Now, I'm just a silly old man cackling over his computer and watching western civilization tear itself apart just as it did in the dying days of fuedalism when mankind was able to change from the landlord/peasant economy to a money economy. Design games in which the reason for the conflict is part of the gaming format. By the time these kids grow up they will have an understanding of their tool which far surpasses any in our own time.

• A comment on Conversation: Sweatshops: justified or not?

  Dec 2 2012: the proper question might be is it moral for one person to profit from the suffering of another.

• A comment on Conversation: Sweatshops: justified or not?

  Nov 28 2012: You're asking the wrong question. Ask whether it is right or wrong for one man to profit from another man's labor. Justification here would be simple obfuscation.

• A comment on Talk: Richard Baraniuk on open-source learning

  Nov 26 2012: You're probably a favorite in the publishing industry. Some months ago a TED gust said that it would be possible to provide each child in the third world countries a cheap internet capable laptop. Putting all that information in the hands of many people who not only could but would grow culturally, economically and personally when the wonders of the world and sciencee were openend up to them.
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  A comment on Conversation: I have the dream, now what?

  Nov 8 2012: Talk to your government. We have a new administration, one that owes its existence in large part to women. Make some noise. You deserve an income. Without you everything stops. You consume what they produce but they're not producing anything. You are. Get mad. If you history minded, we've just won the battle of bullrun but the wars far from over.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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