TED Community » Stevan S.

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  A reply on Conversation: If communism was working the way its progenitors wanted it to, would it be better than capitalism?

  May 1 2013: Were nationalistic fires and old quarrels burning quietly, ready to explode in a moment of weakness? Was the whole concept of unity a lie?
  
  Or did the few leaders manipulate the masses, only to create unimaginable hate between yesterday's brethren, utilizing savages to pursue their ambitions?
  
  
  The outcome is tragic. Twenty years after the civil war, young people not even born in the period are still poisoned with hate, against people they never had a real confrontation with. And the older ones, being nostalgic and spiteful.
  
  Yugoslavia, as an experiment of communism, has ultimately failed.
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  A reply on Conversation: If communism was working the way its progenitors wanted it to, would it be better than capitalism?

  May 1 2013: Indeed, being in a constant state of war alert for more than 50 years bends the collective mind.
  
  Yugoslavia, unlike the majority of other communist states, was in relative peace after WII. Interestingly enough, it is the only communist state to break of from the grasp of USSR (which, of course, enraged Stalin so much he nearly invaded the Balkans in the mid 60s). In the grand scheme of things in the Cold war, Yugoslavia was meant to be a buffer zone between the West and the East. Churchill openly supported Tito, and didn't help reinstate the royal family of Kingdom Yugoslavia (that fled to England when the war broke out).
  
  After WWII ended, Tito, the supreme leader, thoroughly obliterated the middle class in every Republic, as it was seen as a prime threat to the stability of a communistic state. In the last days of the war, students and intellectuals were deliberately sent to the front lines, only to be mowed down by the Germans. Infamous secret services had a tight grip on everyone's life during the 60s.
  
  However, things began to cool down during the 70s. Democratic freedoms were far from being fully implemented, but the entire population had it's basic existential needs met, unemployment was more or less non existent and there was a significant economical progress.
  
  In the 80s, Yugoslavia looked a lot like a decently developed Western state, with an interesting cultural scene. For example, despite the omnipresence of communistic ideology there was a strong and widely accepted rock/punk scene fairly similar to the equivalents in the UK or US. Multi-ethnicity was embraced, but religion was looked down upon. Nevertheless, Orthodox, Catholics and Muslims co-existed peacefully. Yugoslavia was supposed to be one of the first states to enter the (today known as the) EU.
  
  Tito died. Then the 90's came.
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  A comment on Conversation: If communism was working the way its progenitors wanted it to, would it be better than capitalism?

  Apr 30 2013: Human collective intelligence is not developed enough to fully implement a social system of complete equality.
  
  I believe that USSR/Eastern bloc states/North Korea are actually bad examples to use when discussing the implementation of communism.
  
  Yugoslavia, however, had a different story to tell. If anyone cared to discuss this theme, I would gladly join.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: Can we train our intuition to be more effective at solving problems?

  Nov 30 2012: Is intuition brilliance in reserve?
  
  Or a remnant of primitive cognition?

• A comment on Conversation: Debate: The Future of Biomedical Engineering - Prosthetics

  Nov 17 2012: Aren't we already "augmented" through healthcare? The average lifespan has doubled in the past 200 years, which is by itself a huge feat.
  
  However, when talking about augmentation which is not related to battling illness (eg. replacing healthy body parts with robotic ones):
  
  The question we should be asking ourselves is "Are our designs better than the ones of nature?".
  In most cases - they are not. Natural biological structures and systems are being constantly tested and tweaked to perfectly fit environmental challenges, and audited by evolution during the course of thousands of years. Therefore, in their own way, they are perfect.
  
  However, I agree that our race might, at a certain time in the future, reach a point where the abilities and adaptability of our bodies will not suffice.
  
  As an answer I proposing building augmentations externally, while keeping vanity in check.

• A reply on Conversation: Myths about classical music . Misconceptions about classical music are common in society .

  Oct 10 2012: I must say I disagree.
  
  Percussion is simply used in a different way in classical music. I am certain that some classical musicians disapprove of the metronomical nature of modern drumming.
  
  In addition, drumming is practically non-existant in some types of jazz (for example jazz manouche), without an effect on popularity.
  
  I agree, though, that percussion has reached its pinnacle in jazz.

• A reply on Conversation: Myths about classical music . Misconceptions about classical music are common in society .

  Oct 10 2012: I am happy to see that there are large scale jazz projects for youngsters, that will certainly help introduce fresh talent into the genre.

• A reply on Conversation: Myths about classical music . Misconceptions about classical music are common in society .

  Oct 10 2012: I would like to add one more issue: musical education.
  
  Classical and jazz might require a basic understanding of music when it comes to theory and technical prowess. Possession of such elemental knowledge allows people to understand, enjoy and awe the genius of the composer, as well as the musicians performing the piece.
  
  
  Classical music requires involvement of its audience and this is something that requires time. Sadly, time is a luxurious commodity in the modern age.
  
  My fear is that, as a result, classical music and jazz will die off slowly for "being unfitting" in our times.

• A comment on Conversation: Is there a biological basis of ego and anger?

  Oct 1 2012: Interesting. However...
  
  I feel uneasy to accept that one neuron type is responsible for complex constructs such as ego and anger. It's in fact the extremely intricate connections between different neurons, of differing parts of the brain, that enable thought.
  
  Keep in mind that more that 90% of all neurons are multi-polar (such as vENs), and that more than 95% of those fall into the category of "interneurons"(neurons that connect with other neurons, rather than a different cell type). Therefore this morphological trait can't be really be considered as an argument that helps the theory that vENs are the bearers of ego.
  
  
  This is why modern neuroscience has difficulty pinpointing the functions of even entire areas of the brain and it's especially true for the Limbic system and cortex cerebri. Advanced cognitive abilities (such as ego and anger) are particularly problematic to localize.

• A comment on Conversation: Should blasphemy be outlawed by the UN?

  Sep 30 2012: Hindering freedom of speech would be heinous, but...
  
  ...what is the borderline between freedom of speech and slander, offense and impoliteness? One should not abuse his/hers own freedom to trample upon the beliefs of others.