TED Community » James Burns

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Food production and preserving natural habitats.

People don't know that I'm good at

The study of ancient languages.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1.80 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +2

  A reply on Talk: Meg Jay: Why 30 is not the new 20

  May 13 2013: Your fifties are the decade of doing all the things you missed in your twenties!
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  A comment on Conversation: Does the scientific establishment unwittingly suffer from paradigm bias? Does it assume incorrect axioms of existence?

  Mar 29 2013: I will say this much for Mr. Sheldrake though, he is bold enough to toss his ideas out in plain view of the scientific community where they are open for verification or falsification, if there are tools to measure them.

• A reply on Conversation: Does the scientific establishment unwittingly suffer from paradigm bias? Does it assume incorrect axioms of existence?

  Mar 27 2013: I think you are right, the ancients have stolen all our best ideas! :)
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  A comment on Conversation: Does the scientific establishment unwittingly suffer from paradigm bias? Does it assume incorrect axioms of existence?

  Mar 27 2013: I don't know everything, but I do know enough to know that I don't know enough to know that I can discount everything that doesn't fit neatly into my little box of ideas.
  
  Do we know enough to say with certainty for instance, that uniformity of natural causes can not be acted on by something that we do not yet understand? Could there yet be something that we have not discovered, something that we can not yet measure that could change our current outlook?
  
  Having said that, some of Mr. Sheldrake's theories do seem to stretch the fabric a bit.

• A comment on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 26 2013: I doubt that we can do much to improve human nature. People will be what they are. The best economic system to work within the framework of human inconsistencies is capitalism. It provides the chance to have something other than government sanctioned poverty. That being said, what can we do to make capitalism a more fair and sustainable system?
  
  1. We can support and encourage the prosecution of those who use capitalism as a tool to cheat others.
  2. We can support laws that will aid in that prosecution.
  3. We can support candidates who will do the 2 things mentioned above.
  4. We can work toward convincing, and educating people that economics is not a zero sum game, that taking everything means losing in the long run.
  
  Those are my modest suggestions, anyone have more or better ideas?
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 26 2013: It would improve the trasffic around Waco Mike. Be a great source of beef for the boys at Ft. Hood!

• A reply on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 26 2013: Max, I think that gets to the crux of the matter. What is the nature of human kind. If it is always basic goodness, any system, or no system will work well, but if we have a tendency toward madness, selfishness, lust and greed, no system works perfectly. You have to settle on one that takes the human condition into account. Capitalism works better than the other systems in this regard. It may not always be a level playing field, but at least it offers the opportunity to get in the game, a chance for people to escape the forced equality of poverty offered by the alternatives.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 26 2013: The value of biodiversity should not be underestimated. I am a capitalist, but also a conservationist. We need to be able to convince people that this is not a zero sum game, whether in commerce, or environment. We don't have to have just one winner.
  
  On the subject of environment, there is a great Ted video from Alan Savory that covers some of the global warming issues her: http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change.html

• A reply on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 25 2013: I understood Bart, just throwing some more info into the pot. I actually agree. It is the productive places that are doing well. I would like to see tak rates go down, everywhere, especially mine! :)

• A reply on Conversation: Is capitalism sustainable?

  Mar 25 2013: It is fair to note that the countries you mentioned, the ones that are doing well, also actually have measurable production of products and services. They are also taxed at high rates, and are edging away from elected socialism to the right as time goes on. Your examples are slightly Germanic, you could add Norway and Denmark, and for a little ballance throw in Ireland which has managed to stay the course and seems to be returning to a vibrant economy.