TED Community » Jacky Tang

More About Me

I'm passionate about

My passion lies within the boundaries of the human species and its development as a superorganism much like how the cells within our own bodies form our own individual identities.

An idea worth spreading

What does the evolution of the human species entail? The traditional Darwinist perspective focuses mainly on the passing of and acquisition of traits whilst leaving behind ones that are no longer applicable, and that such a process occurs over many generations gradually. But this perspective of evolution needs to change.

As the world has grown smaller with the human population growing larger more and more of the traits traditionally deemed as worth keeping are shifting from the realm of the biological to the realm of the social. We are no longer evolving biologically. We are evolving socially. If anything we are reversing the trends of biological evolution through the advancement of medicine, which allows those that would previously perish to survive.

The future of social evolution entails that the preservation of life becomes a primary goal meaning cooperation will begin to exceed competition in the biological sense. Where competition will shift to is the social realm.

Talk to me about

I am most interested in the future of humanity as a collective being and how cooperation will change the way we evolve and develop because it will allow the true potential of humanity to flourish.

People don't know that I'm good at

Some people might be surprised that I am a good cook but not such a great cleaner. I also love to write music, play video games, watch films, and create things. I am a creator.

Comments

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• A reply on Conversation: Alien invasions signal the next step in the evolution of religion and religious principles beyond convention

  May 7 2011: I think he means we're too well protected and trigger happy for any so-called creatures to conquer us. =D

• A reply on Conversation: Alien invasions signal the next step in the evolution of religion and religious principles beyond convention

  May 7 2011: I agree that religious tolerance should be increased. At the same time I also believe that religion is a means of obtaining knowledge, a means that isn't always sufficient. Over time it's importance is being eroded by other means and maybe one day other modern 'religions' or schools of thought might be more appropriate. Maybe we can disprove god's principles one day.

• A reply on Conversation: Is there a more efficient way to focus sunlight besides tracking the sun across the sky?

  Mar 17 2011: Can you explain the SPS further? That seems even more expensive though...
  
  All I was wondering was if there was a possible alternative to the stationary rooftop solar panels that wouldn't be as complex as a solar tracking device. Something that can condense/refract maximal amount of sunlight while being stationary.

• A reply on Conversation: Should Euthanasia be legalized in every Country?

  Mar 16 2011: Though I agree with the basic principle of individual choice we still have to keep in mind that our lives are interconnected. All choices have a social impact and that impact is greater now more than ever before. So I would still disagree that suicide in general is acceptable. I still find that ultimately selfish.
  
  So though I think euthanasia should be an available option, I don't agree that people simply have a right to do what they wish even if it is their own body. We have to be mindful of the impact of our actions on others.

• A reply on Conversation: Should Euthanasia be legalized in every Country?

  Mar 16 2011: I don't mean for it to be a cold calculated assessment of monetary value or even of time, but euthanasia should be an available option. Just like the equally controversial topic of abortions having the option is better than not having it and facing the horrible alternatives. Self operated and underground abortions caused just as much, if not more, death than having professional clinics.
  
  Having the choice of assisted suicide would provide those with chronic insufferable conditions an option, a choice. Any choice that deals so closely with death is never an easy one. Whether it concerns the life of a fetus or of a life at the end of its line the choice will be difficult to make, but it is better to have a choice than not.

• A reply on Conversation: Should Euthanasia be legalized in every Country?

  Mar 14 2011: I find this argument typically very narrow. It is assuming that all levels of chronic pain, whether psychological or physical, can be remedied and all will be well. Unfortunately there are many conditions which are beyond repair with the mind fully intact and fully reasonable. For these situations it just becomes forced suffering for the person in pain.
  
  Sometimes even when the person suffering has social support they would still wish to die because they are a burden on the people supporting them as well as the system at large. Elderly patients who know they will die from a terminal illness will only burden their family, burden the healthcare system, and place unnecessary suffering on themselves for no reason. Not providing the option of euthanasia is simply placing stress on everyone involved with no benefit to anyone and incurring extra costs for everyone.
  
  Would it not be better to allow this patient to end his/her suffering through their own choice, allow them to have a proper goodbye with their family, and place less stress on the system all at the same time? Or would you rather the person suffer, surprise their entire family with their sudden and painful death, incur extra costs for hospital stay, plus waste time in a hospital bed that someone else would have had better use for?

• A reply on Conversation: What does the future of globalization look like?

  Mar 14 2011: Well if the circumstances surrounding the process of globalization aren't kept in check then it can always be taken advantage of. Regardless of whatever system emerges nothing is perfect. There are always ways to work the system and abuse the loopholes. The main topic I wanted to address is whether or not despite all of these obstacles would we still progress as a whole and improve as a whole. For me the answer is yes.
  
  Social stratification will always exist. It is a natural phenomenon that emerges from complex systems with any form of hierarchy. Even if you look within those 'spiky' cities each one has a wide range in levels of income and quality of life. New York City is probably one of the best examples of the kind of diverse living conditions. Nothing can ever be truly 'flat' unless it was through an absolute top-down government, but even then there would be a power differential between the government and the people. Extreme communism never was meant to be realized.
  
  The world is getting 'flat' on a global scale through the spread of markets and the sectors that fuel the growth of markets, which are namely cities. More and more focus is being redirected to cities because of the need for close knit communications and organization. Companies are just easier to organize when it's all in the same building. But just as China, and India to a lesser extent, rose through the displacement of jobs from the United States I believe the focus China is placing on Africa will eventually push more opportunities into that region as well.
  
  So, as the world grows and beomes increasingly globalized disparity at the international level will begin to decline but disparity at other scales aren't necesary for this to happen. Just like organs in a body, the different individual cells have different needs and requirements but the body as a whole is in a state of balance. I don't think we are quite at that homeostatic state yet but it will come in time.
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  A comment on Conversation: What is the nature of consciousness? Is consciousness merely a by-product of the physical brain?

  Mar 8 2011: Consciousness is an emergent phenomenon generated from the stream of information that flows between the brain and the external world. I specifically mention the brain because that is where the information accumulates and is networked into what we consider to be consciousness. I believe that this continuous stream of information is what constitutes conscious thought. Only when the stream is active do we engage in thought. When we sleep this stream is closed off by the brainstem and the senses, which tie the body to the external environment, are desensitize and we become unconscious. Along those same lines, various events that happen within the body and the brain do not reach the conscious stream. Things like digestion, involuntary movement, and what we call the subconscious consists of information that are automated by the nervous system yet never enter the stream of consciousness.
  
  Another way to think about it is that the senses tie the internal environment to the external despite a physical barrier. Though we have a physical body our senses allow information from outside the body to be continuous with the inside of the body without disruption. Perceptually we, as conscious beings, believe we are independent units separate from our environment, but we often forget that we are an accumulation of individual cells. Our consciousness is a result of the organization of these cells into a system where a grand stream of information and complex process of this information is possible.
  
  To me, consciousness is about information. Humans are conscious through what their senses can perceive. Cells are conscious of their chemical environments. And civilizations are conscious of social phenomena. Consciousness is not specific to the brain. It is simply an organized stream of information.