Thought

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Things that make you go, “hmmm…”, or at least made me mentally think it, and write about it.


Philosophy

Embrace the shake

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Earlier this year, I saw Phil Hansen speak in person (at Adobe MAX). His speech hit me profoundly. It’s a fantastic speech/story about how limitations can expand us. Definitely worth the time to watch (the video).

Main article: Embrace the shake

Ends and means

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Ends and the means: which justifies which?

Many people believe that the ends can justify the means. That if you are doing a really good thing, or stopping a really bad thing, that you can use any means to achieve or stop those ends; since the ends are or so severe. Sounds reasonable; but they are wrong. What that really says is that they want their goals so bad that they will compromise their beliefs to get there, or don't have the right beliefs in the first place. They'll probably only succeed in achieving the wrong end in the process.

Main article: Ends and means

Genius is Insanity

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I.Q., E.Q, A.Q., and B.S.

  • What is sanity? It basically means, "being reasonable" and "normal", as judged by the masses (or "in accordance with how the majority think").
  • What is Genius? It basically means an abnormal IQ, to the point where the person is ≈1.5 times as "logical" as the average person, or basically testing beyond the 98th percentile (3rd or 4th deviation).

Do you notice any conflict between these two definitions? If you are that much smarter or different in how you think, what are the chances that you will think and perceive things the same as the "average"? The answer is, "not bloody likely".

Main article: Genius is Insanity

Law of the henhouse

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Chicken coops and society. In a hen house (chicken coop), chickens set a "pecking order" (who is the king of the roost), and who is beneath them. They also can get weird, and will see any "difference" from the norm as a "bad" thing. Weakness not only means attack by one, but sometimes by many. And any weakness or uniqueness is often responded to by a gang attack. Often chickens will not stop until the "deformed" or injured are killed, and genetic normalcy is safeguarded.

Humans are not so different.

Main article: Law of the henhouse

Malevolent liberty or benevolent tyranny

Malevolent liberty is better than benevolent tyranny. A lot of this boils down to the Trolly Problem: a thought experiment in ethics that goes like this: a runaway trolley is going to kill five people tied to one set of tracks, or you can flip a level where it will go to a side track and kill one person. Which is more ethical? For me, the victims not having a say in what you do, is where much of the problem is. In Liberty, they choose. In Tyranny, you choose for them.

Peace in the New Year

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Here's a simple resolution for the new year (and every New Year): World Peace (or at least heading towards it).

While, "no war at all" is a near impossible, we could certainly strive to make the world (or at least our part of it) a better / more harmonious place. And contrary to what many will tell you, this isn't even that hard of a goal.

Q: How?
A: First, think about what causes conflict: then stop doing it. It's not rocket surgery.

Q: So what causes all conflicts?
A: One individual or group, trying to tell another, what to do and/or how to do it.

That's kind of it. You can't stop them from resisting your rules, but you can stop making them (and trying to enforce them). And if you don't try to force them into doing something they don't want to do, there's almost no conflict.

Main article: Peace in the New Year

Thinking outside the box

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People will tell you to "think outside the Box". I learned early on, they don't mean it. Or more often they mean "not too much outside the box".

You broke it, you bought it

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"You broke it, you bought it" is a bullshit (a fallacy) from the start. It makes society worse, and guarantees failure for both sides (outsiders and insiders).

You are what you do

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If you haven't read it, I suggest you read my article "Ends and means". The point is that humans have the ability to rationalize anything, for the sake of the greater good, but it their actions are how we measure them, not the ends they achieved. That gets us into this article's point; my personal belief that "you are what you do". Your actions, and your persona are inseparable.

It doesn't matter what you think you are, or wish you were, it matters what you are doing. If you steal, for whatever reasons, then you are a thief. If you assault someone, or intimidate someone, then you are a bully. If you lie, it doesn't matter why; you are still a liar. We will always have reasons and rationalizations for our actions; but what matters is what our actions are. Your actions define who you are at a given time in your life.

Main article: You are what you do

Critical Thinking (Skepticism)

4 Stages of Scientific Discovery

Some folks idealize science and give it a credit for objectivity and integrity that it doesn't deserve. But like politics, business, industry, school, and research, it’s made of people. People have egos, frailties, emotions, blind-spots, bigotries and so on. So if someone is claiming that science is pure and that scientists follow the scientific method, they're in denial... or so deep into a belief system of faux objectivity in science, that they might as well belong to a cult.

The 4 stages of scientific discovery are:

  1. Denial in its existence
  2. Denial in its significance
  3. Misattribution to who did the work
  4. Refutation

Allegory of the Apes

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Apes in a cage will remember lessons, long after they're applicable. An allegory about how Apes are victims of systems-memory, and that they will remember to follow rules, even after they've forgotten why they were doing them in the first place (and why it might be OK to stop). Humans fall prey to the same false assumptions.
Main article: Allegory of the Apes

Driving by watching the rear view mirror

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A common mistake I've seen businesses repeat, over and over again - or more accurately I've seen many companies do once or twice until they go out of business or the idiots doing it are fired, is to "drive by watching the review mirror".

Instead of analyzing and thinking, learning technology (and markets and customers), they decide, "someone else is doing it, and since it worked for them, it'll work for us".

I want to head-smack them.... and then point out the first rule of Italian racing; "what's behind you, is not important". You're not them, they're not you: different timing, resources, talents, markets, culture, personalities, and so on -- so crushing brilliant new ideas (e.g. my ideas) because that's not what someone else is doing, is just stupid. I have no problems being told "no", if you have an intelligent reason for it, and can back it up. But "that's not what everyone else is doing" is called a bandwagon fallacy, and isn't intelligent or support. So, "everyone else does it that way", makes as much sense to me, as driving while watching all the cars behind you. By the time they slam on their brakes or swerve (and you notice and react), it is already too late. I prefer to keep my eye's on the road, and not try to lead by following.

Chesterton's Fence

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"Don't ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up"
~ C.K. Chesterton
Main article: Chesterton's Fence

Rants

Fake Hate

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None of this is to diminish that there still is real hate in America. But it is rare, and often directed at the right, while here's a few dozen (hundreds) of examples of Faked hate for political gain. Fake Hate still feels like hate. The reason FakeHate happens is partly to incite violence and convince others on the left that anything they do back, is justified, because "they did it first" (even when they didn't). In order to instigate change ("progress") you have to convince people that things are so bad, that they need violence, revolution or change, so the left has always been more willing to go there. And the media has been willing to suppress the side of stories they don't like. The WSJ published a study that fully 66% (2/3rds) of "Hate Crimes" turn out to be faked, and only 1/3rd are real. That surge in hate crimes after Trump's election was more by the left than the right. If anything in here is News to you, then the News hasn't been doing its job.
Main article: Fake Hate

Unintended Consequences

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Every action causes a reaction. Some reactions are pleasant surprises, many are negatives, some are counter productive (perverse) and make the problem worse. Since consequences matter more than intentions, we have a social obligation to plan for them (and avoid them). The phrase "unintended consequences" is used as either a wry warning against the hubristic belief that humans can control the world around them, or more often against a really bad implementation of not-so-smart ideas or implementations. Those that deny unintended consequences are denying science (reality).

Fool or Fraud

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I tend not to think in the world as black or white, where big issues are absolutely right or wrong, good or bad. Most people are trying to do the right thing, and selectively looking at evidence to support their view (with the best of intentions). But there's still quite a few issues that are more clear -- where if you know the topic and you aren't offering the best counter-points, you either don't know them (and are a fool on the topic), or you're intentionally omitting them (and you're a fraud as an honest person).
Main article: Fool or Fraud

Anti-Science Party

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Republicans are the anti-science party, unless we're talking about any of the following things the left believes that are anti-science: Beepocalypse, Biofuels, Black Conspiracy Theology, Carpool lanes, Corporate Personhood & Citizens United, Evolution and Creation, Gender Wage Gap, Gender is a choice, Global Cooling Scare, Green Energy, Keynes, Leftonomics, Life Begins at..., Light Rail, Nuclear Energy, Organic food fraud, Paranormal beliefs​, Peak Oil Theory, Plastic Bag Bans, Recycling, Science and Religion, Secondhand Drinking, Secondhand Smoke, Smoking, Smoking and Healthcare costs, Straw Bans, The Population Bomb, Unintended Consequences, War on Science, Wind Power, and so on. The right isn't immune to being anti-science, it's just that democrats/left/media pretends they are better, when the informed know that as a group, they definitely are worse. Of course I treat individuals as individuals and not a group, but any democrat/leftist individual that broad brushes conservatives for being anti-science is demonstrating hyper-selective blinders (hypocrisy).
Main article: Anti-Science Party

LGBTQ

Gender Dysphoria

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There's a quote, "never be so open-minded that your brains fall out". And the continuation that was, “the real aim of education, is to acquire a philosophy of life, intellectual honesty, and a constant search for truth.” That's the difference between recognizing the malady of Gender Dysphoria and treating trans folks with respect, and demanding that the entire world play along with their delusion.
Main article: Gender Dysphoria

Charlotte and Restrooms

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support trans-folks being able to use whatever bathroom they want. Right up until they try to bully others and pass laws forcing others to adapt to their delusion. That's where they jump the shark and go from defending the little guy, into being the bullies. This article documents how the timeline went down, and where the bullied became the lying bullies.

Transgender NatGeo

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I don't like people exploiting children. NatGeo, the parents, and the LGBTQ community is exploiting this child for their agenda (or advertising). We know that most kids with gender dysphoria grow out of it, most that don't, are in for a lifetime of depression and challenges, and gender re-assignment doesn't help. So this to me is like celebrating and sensationalizing childhood schizophrenia, I'm not sure that helps anyone.
Main article: Transgender NatGeo

Race/Sexism

What is an 'ism?

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The more you dilute/expand and abuse a word, the weaker the meaning becomes. And the crybullies are abusing words like Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Islamophobia, and so on, by either not understanding the meaning, or putting their agenda above the truth. This article tries to explain what is (and is NOT) an 'ism. Because obviously a lot of people seem to be getting their understanding wrong.
Main article: What is an 'ism?

How do you start a race war?

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Let's review the basics of what happened: (a)Two people were shot for being stupid (b) Race baiters and FakeNews conspire for agenda and clickbait (c) the ignorant (like Obama) jump on board based on no hard information (d) cops get retaliatory backlash as the igno-inflamed react (e) the press sensationalizes that backlash too. The only people "winning" in this, are politicians/press who are prey on these ignorant constituencies to incite more violence, for either money, attention, or votes/views.

Gender Wage Gap

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This one is many myths (lies) in one: (a) Women get $.77-.82 cents on the dollar compared to what men make (this injustice is called the "Gender wage/pay gap" or GWG) (b) We need big government (politicians) and new laws/regulations/taxes to fix it (c) Democrat politicians motives are all sincere, anyone that opposes is a sexist/misogynistic/bigot. All false, and debunked here.
Main article: Gender Wage Gap

Black Conspiracy Theology

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I'm not black, but my Step-Dad is black, I did live and work in black communities. What I saw as an outsider was the black community is disenfranchised (duh!), and that leads to distrust of the system, often Whites, and they prefer their gossip circles and communities opinions to News and fact... to the point that there are many more conspiracies. Events that go through that lens, don't often resemble what I saw, or the objective facts of the case. And the DNC either starts, fosters or panders to many of these wacky views of America or the world, feeding the hate/unrest for votes.



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