TED Community » Stephen Lewis

About Me

I'm just an average dude.

Location:
United States, Santa Rosa, CA
Gender:
Prefer not to say


More About Me

I'm passionate about

Changing the current paradigm.

An idea worth spreading

"Life" can change for the better. In fact it has changed for the better, it's just occurred over such a long expanse of time that it hardly seems as if that's true but; Life expectancy is longer, methods of diplomacy are better, racial injustices are better. Not at all perfect, not even close to a finished product, yet better. I reject "That's just life, deal with it" I accept "This is life, work with it.

Talk to me about

Peaceful worldview solutions, we already have enough information of the problems.

People don't know that I'm good at

I'm a musician. Not professionally, I no longer make money doing it.

Comments

  • TEDCred score: +6.40 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

  • +1

    A comment on Talk: Adam Davidson: What we learned from teetering on the fiscal cliff

    Jan 6 2013: This guy needs to get out and try finding work using his hands, as do a lot of us in the US. Things are not as simple as he leads on. You can not continue unsustainable practices. Sooner or later, other countries will demand retribution. Both of those claims are deep subjects on their own but you know it's true.
  • +2

    A comment on Talk: Israel and Iran: A love story?

    Jan 6 2013: Simply beautiful!!!
    Ronny, You have started a "Graphic Design Meme", which may deter war. Your images are worth a thousand beautiful words each.

    I say it like that because of the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words."
    Nicely done.
  • A reply on Conversation: The bottom line is rooted in the physical and NOT in the spiritual.

    Feb 6 2012: HEY, DAMN IT, KEEP YOUR TONE DOWN.

    ''WE CAN NEVER DENY THE EXISTANCE OF THE SPIRITUAL ELEMENT IN THE WORLD, ""

    Since evidence is necessary in order to draw a conclusion about anything, then I can neither accept nor deny a spiritual element. I am saying I can not know. You seem to be saying that somehow, you do know.
  • +1

    A comment on Conversation: The bottom line is rooted in the physical and NOT in the spiritual.

    Feb 5 2012: Yes Adriaan, I would and so does everyone else. If she says she loves me and then does many things that contradict that statement, although I am not asking for proof, it is proof that she does not in fact love me.

    And No ""sudden explosion of light "" this would not be evidence of her love. Loyalty, honesty, understanding, these are evidence of love and this evidence is discovered over time and shared experiences together.

    Nope. I have absolutely no idea what love is, as it takes many forms. I do know that when I see something I "love", I have a warm, tingly sensation inside my body. I believe (not know) that this sensation comes from the same place that interprets all my sensations. The neurological system.

    ""if this is all so physical and material, how come science can tell us THAT we think but not WHAT we think? (and please do not say 'Well, give them time'
    Even a lie-detector is not based on our thoughts but how our body reacts to them.""

    Science does not tell me THAT we think. I am thinking, that's what tells me that we think. Why would I be interested in science telling me what I think? I already know what I think. and That's right, a lie detector does not detect the lie, it detects your heart rate (and other stuff above my knowledge level), which is a physical response to the question being asked.

    In the long run, my disbelief in religion or supernatural is based on the fact that the origins of our religious beliefs are very dubious and filled with many culturally based superstitions.
  • +1

    A reply on Conversation: The bottom line is rooted in the physical and NOT in the spiritual.

    Feb 4 2012: Adriaan

    God? Spirits? I do not claim to know. The only one telling me about God is man and I absolutely do not trust a word that a man can say about a place he has never ever been.

    "Swedenborg had an argument one time with a man in the world of spirits."

    Really? Just because you want it to be true, does not make it so.
  • A comment on Conversation: The bottom line is rooted in the physical and NOT in the spiritual.

    Jan 29 2012: Daniel

    Your comment is exactly why I need science s explanation. You move freely through words and because they make sense to you, you think your words are truth and fact. We all speak from the position of (I am right), even though I know that some of the things I believe are incorrect. At least admit that you may be incorrect about your beliefs.

    ""The plant has something different than the stone. It is alive. It grows.""
    Dirt, essentially the building block of stones, has more microbial life in a shovel scoop than there are people on this planet. The stone, to me, is just like our own skeletal system. It provides a structure on which the more fleshy systems operate. Are you suggesting the skeletal system may not be alive? I hope not.

    ""Mankind is different than the stone, the plant and the animal. We have the material element. We have the life element. We have feelings as well. What we have over and above these first three things is self-consciousness and thinking.""
    You have to get in back of the line of people trying to tell me what animal has "consciousness" or not. Really well trained scientists, in all fields, and the religions have been discussing "consciousness" for a very long time, and a conclusion is not drawn.

    I think it is safe to say that humans have an ability to recognize patterns. If you are thinking of an elephant with polka dots, you are merely placing a pattern over an already existing form. It's called absurdity and it doesn't make that elephant or the idea real. We need this type of ability in order to survive in a constantly changing environment. (Evolution) Although I as well think that our ability to think and create is astonishing, I do not "guild the lily" by adding some unobservable outside force and then use empty arguments as proof.

    (" it doesn't make that elephant or the idea real.") The electrical contacts, the chemical exchanges, even thought itself is very real and can be used in some way, but not the polka dotted elephant.
  • A reply on Conversation: The bottom line is rooted in the physical and NOT in the spiritual.

    Jan 29 2012: As I look back on your question, I see the obvious was overlooked. We are made of nothing more than material so yes I see ideas coming from material all the time.
  • A reply on Conversation: The bottom line is rooted in the physical and NOT in the spiritual.

    Jan 25 2012: This is actually an absurd argument.

    '': a fish is in water, never aware that it is in a wet environment as we see it.''

    You are actually telling me what a fish perceives and then basing your understanding on that fact. Your evidence is lacking reality.
  • +1

    A comment on Conversation: How do we get corporations out of government.

    Jan 24 2012: One of My hero s is Tankman. He did not stand in front of those tanks for money. (unless of course someone said I'll give you 50 bucks to go stand in front of that tank.)haha

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-nXT8lSnPQ

    He's a fine example of One man saying volumes without saying a word.
  • A reply on Conversation: Videoing campaign speeches, viewing and then discussing the issues here on TED. All of them (not repeats of the same speech)

    Jan 24 2012: I disagree here Krisztian. There is to much information on the internet. I can find information that supports and disputes every subject. How is this helping me to make an informed decision. All of you are at the mercy of the same information overload. So this idea is not just for me because many people are voting on subjects they have no business voting on. I have said this before; What am I ever going to know about nuclear power plant safety? How many registered voters really understand the healthcare system issues? How many times has Congress voted on bills, the size of San Francisco s phone book, in a week or less?

    We all need better, peer reviewed, information. When we have that we will all be able to make a more informed choice.

    I'm not sure I follow about the framework, so I can't say I agree or disagree there, and I agree with you about the TED community.

    http://www.ted.com/talks/defend_our_freedom_to_share_or_why_sopa_is_a_bad_idea.html

    However, that was helpful to me in deciding my position on what was just another vote on some acronym and probably just some mud slinging campaign slogan anyway. I would have been wrong to just leave it at that.

    I think this idea would shine a light right at the candidates, exposing what they hide in the shadows.
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