MIND

MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI ~ THE EVOLVING SELF ~ 1993

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~ ‘F’-AM-FHITW-EWME-LBCABAC-E-MS-WE ~ “Flow” – A Metaphor – For How It Felt When – Experience Was Most Enjoyable – Like Being Carried Away By A Current – Everything – Moving Smoothly – Without Effort

~ TKO-I-TGAOOS-A-TUO-WWAMO/WMDU/WGWDO-I-FOA-AUOOEP-WMTIAIDRITSUO ~ To Know Ourselves – Is – The Greatest Achievement Of Our Species – And – To Understand Ourselves – What We Are Made Of / What Motives Drive Us / What Goals We Dream Of – Involves – First Of All – An Understanding Of Our – Evolutionary Past

~ IIT-T-WSE-POD ~ It Is Together – That – We Shall Either – Prevail Or Disappear

~ BUH-HP-HDOTIRT-CCITE-WMFIP-T-AMR-T-T-IRC-DAITF ~ By Understanding How – Human Psychology – Has Developed Over Time In Response To – Changing Conditions In The Environment – We Might Find It Possible – To – Adapt More Rapidly – To – The – Increasingly Rapid Changes – Demanding Action In The Future

~ WPAHBOTI? ~ Were Past Ages Happier Because Of Their Illusions?

~ WITFOHTM? ~ What Is The Future Of Humankind To Me?

~ TCI-ATWS-AAPO-I-A-WW-I-V-A-WOL-TWM-TLOO-FAH ~ Truly Creative Individuals – Are Those Who Succeed – Against All Pressures Of – Instinct – And – Worldly Wisdom – In – Visualizing – A – Way Of Life – That Will Make – The Lot Of Others – Freer And Happier

~ C-CLETSOTD ~ Consciousness – Can Lead Either –To – Safety Or – Destruction

~ TTOI-H-INP-IINLPFM-T-BAS-I-OSHBTP-TB-LBIA ~ The Time Of Innocence – However – Is Now Past – It Is No Longer Possible For Mankind – To Blunder About Self-Indulgently – Our Species Has Become Too Powerful – To Be – Led By Instincts Alone

~ U-TCO-‘G’-A’B’-AOUFSP-A-GDTANI ~ Unfortunately – The Concepts Of – “Good” – And – “Bad” – Are Often Used For Selfish Purposes – And – Are – Given Definitions That Advance Narrow Interests

~ WLWCOTW-N-DOU ~ Whether Life Will Continue On This World – Now – Depends On Us

~ UWC-DYF-TG-SAH-?-WATONMF? ~ Under What Conditions – Do You Feel – The Greatest – Serenity And Happiness – ? – Why Are These Occasion Not More Frequent?

~ B-N-L-T-CTM-MHBA-GPFS-T-SAFATHSCB ~ But – Nowadays – Learning – To – Control The Mind – May Have Become A– Greater Priority For Survival – Than – Seeking Any Further Advantages The Hard Sciences Could Bring

~ TMWKA-H-TMW-TMWRT-TFTWWETW-HS-P-B-I-B ~ The More We Know About – How – The Mind Works – The More We Realize That – The Filter Through Which We Experience The World – Has Some – Peculiar – Built-In – Biases

~ IWLO-IC-BDB-GI-T-HBAITP ~ If We Let Our – Individual Consciousness – Be Directed By – Genetic Instructions – That – Have Been Advantageous In The Past

~ E-AVAA-MEB-AT-ASOA-B-IIFTETFTB-FP-I-R-WTADH ~ Economists – Are Very Clever At – Modelling Economic Behavior – According To – All Sorts Of Assumptions – But – It Is Foolish To Expect To Find Those Behaviors – Functioning Predictably – In –Reality – Where The Assumptions Don’t Hold

~ C-IA-FC-T-N-C-PAC ~ Civilization – Is A – Fragile Construction – That – Needs – Constant – Protection And Care

~ ATP ~ Addiction To Pleasure

~ I-ER-I-D-SI-AECI-T-WOTB ~ If – Excessive Rationality – Is – Dangerous – So Is – An Excessive Confidence In – The – Wisdom Of The Body

~ OA-HS-TAT-A-F-TTM-T-TTS-F-E-A-T-D ~ Our Ancestors – Have Switched – Time And Time – Again – From – Trusting Their Minds – To – Trusting Their Senses – First – Embracing – Apollo – Then – Dionysus

~ CBD-CBE-A-ITANS-IA-M-C-W-TWCFS-R ~ Certain Basic Drives – Cannot Be Eradicated – And – If They Are Not Satisfied – In A – Meaningful – Creative – Way – They Will Clamor For Satisfaction – Regardless

~ WNA-AW-SOI-TSB-OAR-BOO-GI-CR-A-T-UDOTS-TDAC-Y-TNTBST-F-TSTB-TL ~ We Normally Allow – A Whole – Series Of Illusions – To Stand Between – Ourselves And Reality – Built Out Of – Genetic Instructions – Cultural Rules – And – The – Unbridled Desires Of The Self – These Distortions Are Comforting – Yet – They Need To Be Seen Through – For – The Self To Be Truly Liberated

~ OC-MAL-DNJ-CUI-TA-PO-AEAO-‘N’-ID-O-DTMSOI-CSHS ~ Of Course – Myths And Legends – Did Not Just – Convey Useful Information – They Also – Passed On – An Enormous Amount Of – “Noise” – Irrelevant Details – Or – Details That Make Sense Only In – Certain Specific Historical Situations

~ M-HG-B-TTA-CP-SA-T-COTU-A-TTWOLABTAE ~ Most – Human Groups – Believe – That They Are – Chosen People – Situated At – The – Center Of The Universe – And – That Their Ways Of Life Are Better Than Anyone Else’s

~TLTGWWOI-TCT-UR-OG ~ The Larger The Group With Which One Identifies – The Closer To – Ultimate Reality One Gets

~ TSF-RTC-I-ETT ~ The Step From – Relativism To Cynicism – Is – Easy To Take

~ G-AN-OLH-II-W-WA-TS ~ Genes – Are Not – Our Little Helpers – It Is – We – Who Are – Their Servants

~ SITTM-WRTWUB-HWA-MBCITB ~ Survival In The Third Millennium – Will Require That We Understand Better – How We Are – Manipulated By Chemicals In The Body

~ K-TOOM-A-BAOOB-IT-PFF ~ Knowing – The Origin Of Motives – And – Becoming Aware Of Our Biases – Is The – Prerequisite For Freedom

~ IISTFATCOTU ~ It Is Good To Feel At The Center Of The Universe

~ IIDTTTS-TPOTW-A-PBOC ~ It Is Dangerous To Take Too Seriously – The Picture Of The World – As – Painted By One’s Culture

~ EIWA-PW-V-ILT-BTOC-A-ET-HTT-‘O’ ~ Excessive Identification With A – Particular World-View – Inevitably Leads To – Blindness To Other Cultures – And – Eventually To – Hostility Toward The – “Other”

~ TWEHIA-OPDO-WIA-A-WICB? ~ To What Extent Have I Accepted – Other People’s Definition Of – Who I Am – And – What I Could Be?

~ TMTEBIWSOTS-TMVIB ~ The More The Ego Becomes Identified With Symbols Outside The Self – The More Vulnerable It Becomes

~ WCBF-U-WLT-POFOPA-A-RFEO ~ We Cannot Be Free – Unless – We Learn To – Protect Ourselves From Other People’s Ambitions – And – Refrain From Exploiting Others

~ T-MMHA-I-TRFAOP ~ The – Most Marvelous Human Accomplishment – Is – To Refrain From Abusing One’s Privileges

~ WACDAA-‘PM’-WCTK-ASOS-TMBTT-RE-OSET ~ Whenever A Cult Develops Around A – “Perfect Master” – Who Claims To Know – A Series Of Steps – That Must Be Taken To – Reach Enlightenment – One Should Expect Trouble

~ M-OTH-COA-WTT-RT-WIIGFUON ~ Memes – Once They Have – Claimed Our Attention – Will Try To – Reproduce Themselves – Whether It Is Good For Us Or Not

~ SB-A-E-WO-PE-I-BD-A-W ~ Step Back – And – Evaluate – Where Our – Psychic Energy – Is – Being Directed – And – Why

~ WITS? ~ What Is The Self?

~ WWPAT-INTM-WAWWAT ~ What We Pay Attention To – Is No Trivial Matter – We Are What We Attend To

~ IIASTMAI-B-IE-T-B-IC ~ It Is Always Simpler To Make An Impression – By – Increasing Entropy – Than – By – Increasing Complexity

~ ITFP-IIETLT-EL-IRDNMSTGTTMOE-IODN-AAMOIAP ~ In The First Place – It Is Essential To Learn To – Enjoy Life – It Really Does Not Make Sense To Go Through The Motions Of Existence – If One Does Not – Appreciate As Much Of It As Possible

~ IWRT-MMOTO-A-IN-C-TTOO-PE-IT-BDTR-WMRLOARO-EUA-SOTOWC ~ If We Remember That – Memes Multiply On Their Own – And – If Not – Curbed – They Take Over Our – Psychic Energy – In Their – Blind Drive To Replicate – We Might Run Less Of A Risk Of – Ending Up As – Servants Of The Objects We Create

~ TFIIOH ~ The Future Is In Our Hands

DAVID GRAEBER ~ THE DEMOCRACY PROJECT ~ 2013

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~ PO-TV-P-S-MC-O-PP ~ Performances Of – TV – Pundits – Sado-Masochistic Celebrations – Of – Popular Powerlessness

~ MPAA-TTVMO-WS-P-ANLF-TFOIOC-BF-SS-A-TCO-CFI-EMT-WWIEBSSIE ~ Most People Are Aware – That The Vast Majority Of – Wall Street – Profits – Are No Longer From – The Fruits Of Industry Or Commerce – But From – Sheer Speculation – And – The Creation Of – Complex Financial Instruments – Elaborate Magic Tricks – Whisking Wealth Into Existence By Simply Saying It Exists

~ W-FHRM-I-CB-G-A-FI-TET-ALALPOC-F-DAD-ID ~ What – Financialization Has Really Meant – Is – Collusion Between – Government – And – Financial Institutions – To Ensure That – A Larger And Larger Proportion Of Citizens – Fall – Deeper And Deeper – In Debt

~ WA-T-RM-DA-E-TOI-I-TBS ~ When A – True – Revolutionary Movement – Does Arise – Everyone – The Organizers Included – Is – Taken By Surprise

~ TOOI-HH-TAH-TSWCTH ~ Transformative Outbreaks Of Imagination – Have Happened – They Are Happening – They Surely Will Continue To Happen

~ OTPOAWOAIPTFTYNQSWITTS ~ Often The Power Of A Work Of Art Is Precisely The Fact That You’re Not Quite Sure What It’s Trying To Say

~ PP:TITT-OF-TAAGT-SE-TKOSIWTC ~ Prefigurative Politics: The Idea That The – Organizational Form – That An Activist Group Takes – Should Embody – The Kind Of Society It Wishes To Create

~ TT-IW-T-TW-BHB-FC-A-DAP-TT-TCHCH * ~ This Time – It Wasn’t – The – Third World – Being Hit By – Financial Crises – And – Devastating Austerity Plans – This Time – The Crisis Had Come Home

~ AAC-I-WPUD-WTDWT-TARA ~ Appointing A Committee – Is – What Politicians Usually Do – When They Don’t Want To – Take Any Real Action

~ T-1%-W-TO-CTR-FHT-PS-W-A-HTIIOBO-LB ~ The – 1 Percent – Were – The Ones – Creating The Rules – For How The – Political System – Works – And – Had Turned It Into One Based On – Legalized Bribery

~ YAWTBATGHS-YDSTNOHEDB ~ You Always Want To Be Able To Go Home Saying – You’ve Done Something That No One Has Ever Done Before

~ VW ~ Vibes Watcher

~ WDWFDR? ~ What Did We Finally Do Right?

~ WDIW? ~ Why Did It Work?

~ WFBA-BO-NI-‘FOO’-WNHTRT-P-PB-T-DT-SQ ~ When Faced By A – Band Of – Nonviolent Idealists – “Forces Of Order” – Will Not Hesitate To Resort To – Pure – Physical Brutality – To – Defend The – Status Quo

~ LC-D-TAO-PSTE-A-AT ~ Local Courts – Declared – The Application Of – Pepper Spray To Eyeballs – An – Acceptable Tactic

~ AT-BOLAAD-I-TB-TAIOAL ~ And To – Begin One’s Life As A Debtor – Is – To Be – Treated As If One Already Lost

~ DINOH-B-D ~ Debt Is Not Only Hardship – But – Degradation

~ ILL-WS-SO-C-A-SS-WGTHTBRS ~ It Looked Like – Wall Street – Spending On – Cocaine – And – Sexual Services – Was Going To Have To Be Retrenched Somewhat

~ TOWSC-PHL-WT-WFTSFOTVPWHLHTM-A-WB-HF-TD-HJBO ~ The Only Way She Could – Pay Her Loans – Was To – Work Fulfilling The Sexual Fantasies Of The Very People Who Had Loaned Her The Money – And – Whose Banks – Her Family’s – Tax Dollars – Had Just Bailed Out

~ D-A-A-SF-TPATTR-A-W-T-FC-CFTPBTR-DTWETFS-GR-B-PAM-GI-A-AAR-WEGP-A-BTWEGHTB-W-T-A-RTALO-APH ~ Debt – And – A – Stolen Future – They Played According To The Rules – And – Watched – The – Financial Class – Completely Fail To Play By The Rules – Destroy The World Economy Through Fraudulent Speculation – Get Rescued – By – Prompt And Massive – Government Intervention – And – As A Result – Wield Even Greater Power – And – Be Treated With Even Greater Honor Than Before – While – They – Are – Relegated To A Life Of – Apparently Permanent Humiliation

~ IIC ~ Infrastructure Is Crumbling

~ B-R-‘CL’ ~ Bribery – Renamed –”Corporate Lobbying”

~ LB-IMC-PNFTAA ~ Largest Banks – In Many Cases – Paying No Federal Taxes At All

~ C-T-TVP-W-VTBTO ~ Cash – To – The Very Politicians – Who – Voted To Bail Then Out

~ AGOYP-HERTF-TDEWTWSTO-ATTR-A-GWTN ~ A Generation Of Young People – Has Every Reason To Feel – They’d Done Exactly What They Were Supposed To Do – According To The Rulebook – And – Got Worse Than Nothing

~ LMTAESOE-UBUBTPO-C/P/P-A-TGWTGTC-TPTCM ~ Little More Than An Elaborate System Of Extraction – Ultimately Backed Up By The Power Of – Courts / Prison / Police – And – The Government’s Willingness To Grant To Corporations – The Power To Create Money

~ E-SA-IP-B-GST-‘F’-P-WT-EV-IT-BS-WTMIP-I-E-CTBB-MAM-O-SE-‘S’ ~ Empires – Start As – Industrial Powers – But – Gradually Shift To – “Financial” – Powers – With The – Economic Vitality – In The – Banking Sector – What This Means In Practice – Is – Empires – Come To Be Based – More And More – On – Sheer Extortion – “Seigniorage”

~ CGD – WD ~ Circulating Government Debt – War Debt

~ ‘MC’ ~ “Mafia Capitalism”

~ TFT-MP-OATT-TW-DA-FC-AA-SN-BOE-T-SSS-REMWTTR-1%-A-OTETEMPBT-FSI-IN-BAAH-TRT-TCCH-IT-HBAWO-DI ~ The Formula The – Major Powers – Once Applied To The – Third World – Declare A – Financial Crisis – Appoint A – Supposedly Neutral – Board Of Economist – To – Slash Social Services – Reallocate Even More Wealth To The Richest – 1 Percent – And – Open The Economy To Even More Pillaging By The – Financial Services Industry – Is Now – Being Applied At Home – The Response To – The Crisis Coming Home – In Turn – Has Been A Wave Of – Democratic Insurrections

~ A-RR-MAOATLO-CS ~ A – Real Revolution – Must Always Operate At The Level Of – Common Sense

~ BI-MIP-B-DOMBSOR-T-CI-IT-T-CE ~ Buying Influence – Money Is Power – Bribery – Defines Our Most Basic Sense Of Reality – To – Challenge It – Is Therefore – To – Challenge Everything

~ YKYAITPOA-CPS-WTWDI-CCTBTPN-E-A-CW-PEAO-PD ~ You Know You Are In The Presence Of A – Corrupt Political System – When – Those Who Defend It – Cannot Call Things By Their Proper Names – Euphemisms – And – Code Words – Pervade Every Aspect Of – Public Debate

~ OTWAT-W-GPM-SATIT-P-WRTA-‘B’-A-IW-I-N-SB-HBR-‘F-R’-A-B-I-‘L’ ~ Once There Was A Time – When – Giving Politicians Money – So As To Influence Their – Position – Was Referred To As –”Bribery” – And – It Was – Illegal – Now – Soliciting Bribes – Has Been Relabeled – “Fund-Raising”– And – Bribery – Itself –”Lobbying”

~ J-F-PPP ~ Justifications – For – Preconceived Political Positions

~ EETCUWS-SRF-DWWHADTD ~ Economists Exist To Come Up With Scientific-Sounding Reasons For – Doing What We Have Already Decided To Do

~ M-O-IA ~ Manufacture – Of – Intellectual Authority

~ CTTAAML ~ Cynicism Taken To An Almost Mystical Level

~ A-ES-BO-TMO-G-A-FI-W-MITIP-WITUT-MMM ~ An – Economic System – Based On – The Marriage Of – Government – And – Financial Interest – Where – Money Is Transformed Into Power – Which Is Then Used To – Make More Money

~ HHST-VIO-W/S/DP/WL-COE-IBUB-A/P/P ~ History Has Shown That – Vast Inequalities Of – Wealth / Slavery / Debt Peonage / Wage Labor – Can Only Exist – If Backed Up By – Armies / Prisons / Police

~ WRDCAF-WRAWTD-IAB-T-SOP-STST-RTDS ~ When Regimes Do Crumble And Fall – When Revolutionaries Actually Win The Day – It’s Always Because – The – Soldiers Or Police – Sent To Shoot Them – Refused To Do So

~ WT-N-FMI-HFIAAAA-ROB-IH-IF-BRF-TFASTHOOAPS ~ While The – New – Free Market Ideology – Has Framed Itself Above All As A – Rejection Of Bureaucracy – It Has – In Fact – Been Responsible For – The First Administrative System That Has Operated On A Planetary Scale

~ AFIM-OD-V-I-BAP-TIWHIHAB-TPTOTS ~ Aside From Its More – Obvious Disadvantages – Violence – Is – Boring And Predictable – This Is Why Historically It Has Always Been – The Preferred Tactic Of The Stupid

ROB BROTHERTON ~ STORIES ~ SUSPICIOUS MINDS ~ 2015

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~ TAAMSAS-AY-WSASDTTBB-SOTB-VI-TNO-AS-ISS ~ There Are As Many Stories As Storytellers – And Yet – When Stores Are Stripped Down To Their Bare Bones – Some Of Them Become – Virtually Indistinguishable – The Number Of – Archetypal Stories – Is Surprisingly Small

~TBOCS-STB-EIOM-CT-CU-AAA-IOOA-I-S-TATW-A-TRH ~ The – Blueprints Of Certain Stories – Seem To Be – Etched Into Our Minds – Certain Themes – Crop Up – Again And Again – Independently Of One Another – In – Stories – Told Around The World – And – Throughout Recorded History

ROB BROTHERTON ~ SUSPICIOUS MINDS ~ 2015

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~ O-UOTW-IS-IA-I-TIA-IJ-MS-IOB ~ Our – Understanding Of The World – In Short – Is An – Illusion – This Is An – Inside Job – More Specifically – It’s Our Brain

~ TACTFE ~ There’s A Conspiracy Theory For Everything

~ TRHRD ~ The Rabbit Hole Runs Deep

~ TAM-CT-OT-TYME-CA-YKS-CA-YAO ~ There Are More – Conspiracy Theorists – Out There – Than You Might Expect – Chances Are – You Know Some – Chances Are – You Are One

~ CT ~ Conspiracy Thinking

~ WANATBJOWWBWWB ~ We Are Not Always The Best Judge Of Why We Believe What We Believe

~ WHS-OAC-ATB-A-ITE-DAC-WTH-WMTT-COB-O-SITI-ATOSOO ~ We Habitually Seek – Order And Consistency – And – To Be – Ambivalent – Is To Experience – Disorder And Conflict – When That Happens – We Might Try To – Change Our Beliefs – Or – Simply Ignore The Issue – Ambivalence Threatens Our Sense Of Order

~ TB-ASOAGO-BTS-OOCA-A-EBOC-WIOTB-PM-IFCOOMF ~ The Brain – All Sorts Of Activity Goes On – Behind The Scenes – Outside Our Conscious Awareness – And – Entirely Beyond Our Control – We Imagine Ourselves To Be – Puppet Masters – In Full Control Of Our Mental Faculties

~ CT-RWSOOB-B-I-BAS-A-TISOOD-D/FA-A-TW-A-TPII-WAA-N-B-CT ~ Conspiracy Theories – Resonate With Some Of Our Brain’s – Built-In – Biases And Shortcuts – And – Tap Into Some Of Our Deepest – Desires / Fears / Assumptions – About – The World – And – The People In It – We Are All – Natural-Born – Conspiracy Theorists

~ TP-WN-C-WTG-B-I ~ The Problem – Was Not – Conspiracy – Within The Government – But – Incompetence

~ RI-TTRMLAF-TP-A-TM-TD-CT Real Issues – Tend To Receive Much Less Attention From – The Public – And – The Media– Than Do – Conspiracy Theories

~ R-I-S-SOG ~ Reality – Is – Shades Of Grey

~ B-MS-O-IC-CTDAF-R-A-PRI-YCWWYFACTDE ~ By – Making Scapegoats – Of – Imagined Conspirators – Conspiracy Theories Distract Attention From – Real – And – Potentially Rectifiable Issues – You Can’t Win When You’re Fighting A Conspiracy That Doesn’t Exist

~ WTTOTB-TON-CT-DD-A-UQ ~ Whether They Turn Out To Be – True Or Not –Conspiracy Theories – Deep Down – Are – Unanswered Questions

~ TAVWSTHSOOTPOACB ~ These Are Villains Who Seem To Have Stepped Out Of The Pages Of A Comic Book

~ TWAT-CT-IOO-HS-A-MA-WAUA-EI ~ The World According To – Conspiracy Theories – Is One Of – High Stakes – And – Moral Absolutes – We Are Up Against – Evil Incarnate

~ YCF-AE-IYLFT ~ You Can Find – Anomalies Everywhere – If You Look For Them

~ WICT-CT-LOE-JM-TCIW ~ When It Comes To – Conspiracy Theories – Lack Of Evidence – Just Means – The Conspiracy Is Working

~ ATRACT-IL-NJTAW ~ Attempting To Refute A Conspiracy Theory – Is Like – Nailing Jelly To A Wall

~ SADD/PFDATSE/UMP-RDTP ~ Sometimes: Appearances Do Deceive / Powerful Forces Do Attempt To Suppress Evidence / Unimaginably Malicious Plots – Really Do Take Place

~ FO-AH-UI ~ Founded On – Anomaly Hunting – Ultimately Irrefutable

~ WAMO-SUE-T-IA-SRT ~ Weaving A Multitude Of – Seemingly Unrelated Events – Together – Into A – Single Rich Tapestry

~ TLSWL-P-AIG-A-TLCOTOCTFTH-TMLTATACT ~ The Less Satisfied With Life – People – Are In General – And – The Less Control Over Their Own Circumstances They Feel They Have – The More Likely They Are To Accept Conspiracy Theories

~ BT-SSIIC-EITDHYBIAH-IPTTTTCOULIDBNMTC-U-FR-IE-CPB-T/M/U ~ Believing That – Someone Somewhere Is In Control – Even If They Don’t Have Your Best Interest At Heart – Is Preferable To Thinking That The Course Of Our Life Is Dictated By Nothing More Than Chance – Unlike – Faceless Randomness – Identifiable Enemies – Can Potentially Be – Thwarted / Managed / Understood

~ TTOSOC-SOBIA-WB-H-W-EOTSOS ~ Threats To Our – Sense Of Control – Spur Our Brain Into Action – We Become – Hypervigilant – We – Err On The Side Of Suspicion

~ WAGA-LP-FTTT-EWWH-LCOOC-OC-SPEIMTO-A-SWGR ~ We All Get A – Little Paranoid – From Time To Time – Especially When We Have – Little Control Over Our Circumstances – Of Course – Some People Experience It More Than Others – And – Sometimes With Good Reason

~ TIFTBH-CC/STS/U-LK-ASP~ There Is Fun To Be Had – Cracking Codes / Sifting Through Signs / Lost Knowledge / Secret Plots

~ WMTW-USID-B-WICTTPOMWOMI-IOTO-OULALTBD ~ We Might Think We – Understand Something In Depth – But – When It Comes Time To Put Our Money Where Our Mouth Is – It Often Turns Out – Our Understanding Leaves A Lot To Be Desired

~ WHA-BS-WICTO-IBS ~ We Have A – Blind Spot – When It Comes To Our – Intellectual Blind Spots

~ A-L-I-EWII-BI-CMU-IO ~ A – Little – Information – Even When It Is – Barely Informative – Can Make Us – Inordinately Opinionated

~ A-CT-POA-O-GOE ~ All – Conspiracy Thinking – Plays On Archetypes – Of – Good Overcoming Evil

~ ELAW ~ Everybody Loves A Winner

~ BIRG ~ Basking In Reflected Glory

~ T-BCT-HATTOA-CUS-TEIF-LEV-H-TCHOFWLIOTSCB-ETL-TEBP ~ The – Best Conspiracy Theories – Have All The Trappings Of A – Classic Underdog Story – The Enemy Is Formidable – Like Every Villain – However – The Conspiracy Has One Fatal Weakness: If Only Their Schemes Can Be – Exposed To The Light – The Enemy Becomes Powerless

~ As A – Social Species – Our Very Survival – Depends On Cooperating With Others Without Being Taken Advantage Of – And – So – Natural Selection – Made Sure We Are Keenly Attuned To Other People’s Scruples

~ RIC-E-ARMB-PS-A-V-ANA-EI-V-IOTRO-MP-A-EH ~ Reality Is Complicated – Evildoers – Are Rarely Motivated By – Pure Sadism – And – Victims – Are Not Always – Entirely Innocent – Violence – Is Often The Result Of – Mutual Provocation – And – Escalating Hostility

~ A-B-A-W-W-PAPCFCT ~ A – Black-And-White – Worldview – Provides A – Perfect Canvas – For – Conspiracy Thinking

~ C-IATDF-EPD-IIM-I-A-SON ~ Conspiracism – Isn’t All That Different From – Everyday Political Discourse – It Is Merely – Intensified – And – Stripped Of Nuance

~ The – Best Conspiracy Theories – Are – Stories About – Manically Evil Villains – With – The Vaguest Of Motives – Wantonly Perpetrating Outrageous Evils – On – An – Innocent Unsuspecting Public

~ CT-A-AEI-CD ~ Conspiracy Theories – Are – An Exercise In – Connecting Dots

~ OALTU-I-AB-PT-SC-A-IC-FTMP-O-H-T-PAC-SUW-WACLHTWAUW ~ Our Ancestors’ Legacy To Us – Is – A Brain – Programmed To – See Coincidence – And – Infer Cause – For The Most Part – Our – Hypersensitivity – To – Patterns And Causes – Serves Us Well – We Are Constantly Learning How The World Around Us Works

~ B-WL0T-LOF-GITWOA-GS-? ~ B-WL-T-LOF-GITWOA-GS-?~ But – Why Let – The – Lack Of Facts – Get In The Way Of A – Good Story – ?

~ PP-EC-F-EC-A-MA-F-LC ~ People Prefer – Extreme Causes – For – Extreme Crimes – And – Mundane Attributions – For – Lesser Crimes

~ TAFGC-YSTTSAWDTAC-A-TUAWTWOALG ~ There’s A – Far Greater Chance – You’ll Suspect That The Successful Assassination Was Down To A Conspiracy – And – The Unsuccessful Attempt Was The Work Of A Lone Gunman

~ TP-CLAPTS-SOF-A-CT-RDC ~ Two People – Can Look At Precisely The Same – Set Of Facts – And – Come To – Radically Different Conclusions

~ OWHA-HAS-WH-ADRTTPOR ~ Once We Have A – Hunch About Something – We Have – A Deeply Rooted Tendency To Prove Ourselves Right

~ WSWWETF ~ WSWWETF ~ We Seek What We Expect To Find

~ WB-AFOPI-AOB-A-WRSO-OE-POTW ~ We Build – A Fortress Of Positive Information – Around Our Beliefs – And – We Rarely Step Outside – Or Even – Peek Out The Window

~ EW-TFAI-SP-W-FAWTCT-A-IYLT-RAAIF-NBA-CT ~ Even When – The Facts Are Incontrovertible – Some People – Will – Find A Way To Controvert Them – And – If You’re Looking To – Rationalize Away An Inconvenient Fact – Nothing Beats A – Conspiracy Theory

~ CT-IAPO-PQ-TA-BIEB-IOPI ~ Conspiracy Thinking – Is A Product Of – Psychological Quirks – That Are – Built Into Everyone’s Brain – Independent Of Political Ideology

~ OBCF-WMURFTAWGA ~ Our Beliefs Come First – We Make Up Reasons For Them As We Go Along

~ BS-O-HATMI-DNMULST-FB-S-IJMUBAT-EA-UF ~ Being Smarter – Or – Having Access To –

More Information – Doesn’t’ Necessarily Make Us Less Susceptible To – Faulty Beliefs – Sometimes – It Just Makes Us Better Able To – Explain Away – Unpalatable Facts

~ SPIP ~ Sometimes Paranoia Is Prudent

ROB BROTHERTON ~ WHY WE FALL FOR FAKE NEWS ~ 2020

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~ PHBCT-NI-FS-FN-FBALATHBA-NI ~ People Have Been Criticizing The – News Industry – For Spreading – Fake News – For Basically As Long As There Has Been A – News Industry

~ WTTTO-OP-A-LR-A-MC-T-O ~ We Tend To Think Of – Other People – As – Less Rational – And – More Conformist – Than – Ourselves

~ TMDPAFU-TMWTTTOTA-VTI ~ The More Different People Are From Us – The More We Tend To Think Of Them As – Vulnerable To Influence

~ INTWW-TWTBE-B-IWBE-WI?-A-IYWTNR-YCBFF-TTWIE-ICSL-OESO-D-FB-T-FB-A ~ It’s Not That We Want – The World To Be Ending – But – It Would Be Exciting – Wouldn’t It? – And – If You Watch The News Regularly – You Could Be Forgiven For – Thinking The World Is Ending – It Can Seem Like – One Endless Stream Of – Disaster – Followed By – Tragedy – Followed By – Atrocity

~ DT-TAE-O-TN-PIPF-DAG-IBNA-W-WG ~ Decrying The – Tropes And Excesses – Of – The News – Particularly Its Proclivity For – Doom And Gloom – Is By Now A – Well-Worn Genre

~ IIB-IL ~ If It Bleeds – It Leads

~ OPF-O-ID-CTOEIOAP ~ One Personality Flaw – Or – Ignoble Deed – Can Taint Our Entire Impression Of A Person

~ A – Bad Reputation – Is – Easy To Acquire – And – Hard To Shake – Whereas – A – Good Reputation – Is – Hard-Won – And – Easily Lost

~ TTTO-DNMYH-B-TOL-MUAL ~ Telling The Truth Once – Does Not Make You Honest – But – Telling One Lie – Makes You A Liar

~ T-BE-TBU-B-SS-A-MS-TTSOIOM-MT-GE ~ The – Bad Events – That Befall Us – Both – Small Slights – And – Major Setbacks – Tend To Stand Out In Our Minds – More Than – Good Events

~ IAFS-BT-GOAMT-GT-WR-BE-MT-G-A-WLB-W-P-F-WR-T-W-R-F-CR ~ In A Fundamental Sense – Bad Things – Grab Our Attention More Than – Good Things – We Remember – Bad Experiences – More Than – Good – And – We Learn Better – When – Punished – For – Wrong Responses – Than – When – Rewarded – For – Correct Responses

~ DOFPTTTMOI-IOT-BN-TWWT-RAS ~ Despite Our Frequent Protestations That There’s Too Much Of It – It’s Often The – Bad News – That We Want To – Read And Share

~ ‘BN’-I-T-CP-O-ET ~ “Breaking News” – Is – The – Current Pinnacle – Of – Expected Timeliness

~ PCR-A-SPOI-AAT ~ People Can Remember – Around – Seven Pieces Of Information – At A Time

~ WPH-TMC-TRS-TM-OWC ~ When People Have – Too Many Choices – The Research Suggested – They Make – Objectively Worse Choices

~ TI-IWBNTA-TATWSPTITVNWC-WBAUG-B-ICBEMTWIOAA-CM ~ The Internet – It Would Be Naive To Assume – That A Technology With Such Potential To Influence The Very News We Consume – Would Be An Unmitigated Good – But – It Could Be Equally Misguided To Write It Off As A – Catastrophic Mistake

~ INECWP-DOAAE-NUTATCTI-MWFEITPTIAT-A-TTETYCEIIMBT-IETTTNS-A-ATIIT ~ Its Not Entirely Clear Why Photos – Devoid Of Any Actual Evidence – Nudge Us Toward Accepting The Clams They Illustrate – Maybe We Find Evidence In The Photos That Isn’t Actually There – And – To The Extent That You Can Easily Imagine It Might Be True – It’s Easier To Take The Next Step – And – Assume That It Is True

~ P-C-IT-TOC-P-ROWTTUAAA-CJM-TFT ~ Photos – Can – Inflate The – Truthiness Of Claims – Photos – Regardless Of Whether They Tell Us Anything At All – Can Just Make – Things Feel True

~ ITETSW-D-WUIT-P-TA-ISU-MP-HBBTLB-FAF-STDOP ~ It’s Too Early To Say Whether – Deepfakes – Will Usher In The – Post-Truth Apocalypse – It Seems Unlikely – Manipulated Photos – Have Been Blurring The Line Between – Fact And Fiction – Since The Dawn Of Photojournalism

~IYWTMP-YDNTGTTTO-F-AP-O-AV-UI-CDTJJF-RP-CHMPB-FN ~ If You Want To Mislead People – You Don’t Need To Go To The Trouble Of – Faking – A Photo – Or – A Video – Unmanipulate Images – Can Do The Job Just Fine – Real Photos – Can Help Make People Believe – Fake News

~ WSTW-TTLO-OEB ~ We See The World – Through The Lens Of – Our Existing Beliefs

~ A-WP-LTC-T-RT-‘E’-A-MP-WT-DLTC-T-RT-E-A-W ~ Again – When People – Liked The Conclusions – They – Rated The – “Evidence” – As – More Persuasive – When They – Didn’t Like The Conclusions – They – Rated The – Evidence – As – Weaker

~ IHTAA-WN-S-I-F ~ It’s Harder To Agree About – Which News – Specifically – Is – Fake

~ FDSFT;WCTWETTOTCTBU ~ Facts Don’t Speak For Themselves; We’re Constantly Tasked With Evaluating The Truth Of The Claims That Bombard Us

~ TIOA-‘PT’-S-STWOA-GA-W-ECAA-WWT-A-WW-B-TWNTC ~ The Idea Of A – “Post-Truth” – Society – Suggests There Was Once A – Golden Age – When – Everyone Could Agree About – What Was True – And – What Wasn’t – But – That Was Never The Case

~ TI-I-A-UI ~ True Impartiality – Is – An – Unattainable Ideal

~ “Fake News” – Meaning – Outright Lies Masquerading As News – Is Just – The Highly Visible Tip Of A Much Larger Iceberg – Sensationalism / Negativity / Bias / Inaccurate Facts / Misleading Interpretations – Are – Just As Concerning – And – Far More Pervasive

~ We’re Quick To Call Bias On News That We Don’t Agree With – But – More Reluctant To Acknowledge Bias In The News That We Approve Of – We’re Slower Still To Realize How Our Own Beliefs Shape Our Perception Of The World To Begin With

~ WMNBAT-AATF-IWCEA-WF-A-WO ~ We May Never Be Able To – Agree About The Facts – If We Can’t Even Agree – What’s Fact – And – What’s Opinion

MICHAEL SHERMER ~ AN EXGESIS OF WHY AND HOW WE ARE MORAL ~ THE SCIENCE OF GOOD & EVIL ~ 2004

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~ MN ~ MORAL NATURALISM

~ WTIAGONIITTT-BISOAANO-AEH-NC-STSA ~ Whether There Is A God Or Not – Is Irrelevant To The Theory – Because – In Science Our Approach Is A Naturalistic One – All Effects Have – Natural Causes – Subject To Scientific Analysis

~ AN EVOLVED MORAL SENSE

~ MSIH-AMPIHG-E-PTTFONSOOI-A-S-TTFO-GSOOP ~ Moral Sentiments In Humans – And – Moral Principles In Human Groups – Evolved – Primarily – Through The Force Of Natural Selection Operating On Individuals – And – Secondarily – Through The Force Of – Group Selection Operating On Populations

~ AEMS ~ AN EVOLVED MORAL SOCIETY

~ HEAASPSWAAHON-F-S-SOTI-T-TEOTITTF-T-ASOBWTEF-T-TRAOTC-T-IAOS-T-SA-A-B-AAOOMOTSABCTD ~ Humans Evolved As A Social Primate Species With An Ascending Hierarchy Of Needs – From – Self-Survival Of The Individual – To – The Extension Of The Individual Through The Family – To – A Sense Of Bonding With The Extended Family – To – The Reciprocal Altruism Of The Community – To – Indirect Altruism Of Society – To – Species Altruism And Bioaltruism – As Awareness Of Our Membership Of The Species – And – Biosphere Continues To Develop

~ T-BB-HN-A-MF-ALU-BC-W-TM-SAC-HN-A-MF-ALU-CC ~ The – Most Basic – Human Needs – And – Moral Feelings – Are Largely Under – Biological Control – Whereas – The More – Social And Cultural – Human Needs – And – Moral Feelings – Are Largely Under – Cultural Control

~ TNOMN ~ THE NATURE OF MORAL NATURE

~ H-A-BN-MAI-GAE/AAS/CAC/PAB/VAN-SMTVWI-AWA-WAB-G ~ Humans – Are – By Nature – Moral And Immoral / Good And Evil / Altruistic And Selfish / Cooperative And Competitive / Peaceful And Bellicose / Virtuous And Nonvirtuous – Such Moral Traits Vary Within Individuals – As Well As – Within And Between – Groups

~ PM ~ PROVISIONAL MORALITY

~ MP-A-PT-TI-TAT-MP-I-MC-I-MC-MOTT ~ Moral Principles – Are – Provisionally True – That Is – They Apply To – Most People – In – Most Cultures – In – Most Circumstances – Most Of The Time

~ PRAW ~ PROVISIONAL RIGHT AND WRONG

~ A-FP:TFOWAAI-ROW-AF ~ Ask-First Principle: To Find Out Whether An Action Is – Right Or Wrong – Ask First

~ HP:IIAHMPTASHWSEHIM-A-NSHWILTSEU ~ Happiness Principle: It Is A Higher Moral Principle To Always Seek Happiness With Someone Else’s Happiness In Mind – And – Never Seek Happiness When It Leads To Someone Else’s Unhappiness

~ LP:IIAHMPTASLWSELIM-A-NSLWILTSELOL ~ Liberty Principle: It Is A Higher Moral Principle To Always Seek Liberty With Someone Else’s Liberty In Mind – And – Never Seek Liberty When It Leads To Someone Else’s Loss Of Liberty

~ MP:WIPD-EITDOAINV-A-MITPOEINV ~ Moderation Principle: When Innocent People Die – Extremism In The Defense Of Anything Is No Virtue – And – Moderation In The Protection Of Everything Is No Vice

~PJ ~ PROVISIONAL JUSTICE

~ AWAAST-LON-A-FO-C-A-H-TSO-TAB-WA-FMA-RFOA-TI-C-A-SJ-WHCTPFO-RAG-A-A-RAP-SATTIAL-PJ-IN-HAN ~ Although We Are All Subject To – Laws Of Nature – And – Forces Of – Culture – And – History – That Shape Our – Thoughts And Behaviors – We Are– Free Moral Agents – Responsible For Our Actions – There Is – Individual Culpability – And – Social Justice – Within Human Communities That Produce Feelings Of – Righteousness And Guilt – And – Administer – Rewards And Punishments – Such That There Is At Least – Provisional Justice – In The – Here And Now

~ EEE ~ ENNOBLING EVOLUTIONARY ETHICS

~ AA-EMOHP-T-MS-T-IAG-A-BTTS-POTIFO-E/H/C ~ As An – Evolved Mechanism Of Human Psychology – The – Moral Sense – Transcends – Individuals And Groups – And – Belongs To The Species – Products Of The Impersonal Forces Of – Evolution / History / Culture

MICHAEL SHERMER ~ THE SCIENCE OF GOOD & EVIL ~ 2004 ~ 999

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~ TBA-FFMA-OCPAMPHDBF-MP-R-MR ~ To Be A – Fully Functioning Moral Agent – One Cannot Passively Accept Moral Principles Handed Down By Fiat – Moral Principles – Require – Moral Reasoning
~ M:RAW-TAB-ITCOTROASG ~ Morality: Right And Wrong – Thoughts And Behaviors – In The Context Of The Rules Of A Social Group
~ E:T-SS-O-A-TA-M-TAB-ITCOTROASG ~ Ethics: The – Scientific Study – Of – And – Theories About – Moral – Thoughts And Behaviors – In The Context Of The Rules Of A Social Group
~ LBTW-S-ECR-FT-POBF-HDVMO-BC-T-FG-A-T-A-EX-A-A-OV ~ Long Before There Were – State-Enforced Constitutional Rights – For The – Protection Of Basic Freedoms – Humans Devised Various Mechanisms Of – Behavioral Control – To – Facilitate Goodwill – And – To – Attenuate – Excessive Greed – Avarice – And – Other Vices
~ T-RF-O-H-VAV-SAS-IF-IA-COAIP-O-MAI-B ~ The – Religious Foundation – Of – Human – Virtues And Vices – Saints And Sinners – In Fact – Is A – Codification Of An Informal Psychology – Of – Moral And Immoral – Behavior
~ HAA-HS-PS-AAS-RAM-AA-SS-T-ET ~ Humans Are A – Hierarchical Social – Primate Species – And As Such – We Need – Rules And Morals – And A – Social Structure – To – Enforce Them
~ RMS-SATEI-J/C/I-A-MO-EMS-SATEBIP(TMROOPS)A-TOMO~ Religious Moral Systems – Such As Those Expressed In – Judaism / Christianity / Islam – Are – Millennia Old – Evolutionary Moral Systems – Such As Those Expressed By Indigenous Peoples (The Modern Remnants Of Paleolithic Societies) Are – Tens Of Millennia Old
~ W-Q-ADF-H-Q ~ Why – Questions – Are Different From – How – Questions
~ AHSACH ~ All Humans Share A Common Humanity
~ WCCA-MS-TIN-DA-N-IR-A-PM-FAAOS-TP-EE-A-A-RBFB-SASOM-SAM-UAY-E-AETW-ET-W-BAS-O-MOTS-A-O-AS ~ We Can Construct A – Moral System – That Is Neither –Dogmatically Absolute – Nor – Irrationally Relative – A – Provisional Morality – For An Age Of Science – That Provides – Empirical Evidence – And – A – Rational Basis For Belief – Such A System Of Morality – Suggests A More – Universal And Tolerant – Ethic – An Ethic That Will – Ensure The – Well-Being And Survival – Of – All Members Of The Species – And – Of – All Species
~ M-ITEDO-HS ~ Morality – Is The Exclusive Domain Of – Homo Sapiens
~ AA-I-HA-A-JTTS-A-ITOT-CIAGS ~ All Animals – Including – Human Animals – Are – Just Trying To Survive – And – It Turns Out That – Cooperation Is A Good Strategy
~ IATTSOPP-R-HASAAIO-SO-A-BC-TROPMS-A-TPONO-BACRO-R-L-O;T-C-S-SAM-N-A-WT-IOW-L-C-T-I-S-SAT ~ In Addition To The Sanction Of Political Power – Religion – Has Also Served As An Institution Of – Social Order – And – Behavior Control – The Reinforcement Of Positive Moral Sentiments – And – The Punishment Of Negative Ones – Became A Central Role Of – Religious – Leaders – And – Organizations; They – Codified – Subjective – Social And Moral – Norms – And – With The – Invention Of Writing – Literally – Canonized – Them – In – Sacred – Scrolls And Texts
~ TWO-GAM ~ The Wedding Of – God And Mammon
~ B-SS-‘LTN’-M-O-IF/EF/C-‘O-G’-WTBDWC-TWT-CWF-DBWWC ~ Before State – Societies – “Love The Neighbor” – Meant – One’s – Immediate Family / Extended Family / Community – “Out-Groupers” – Were To Be Dealt With Cautiously – Trust Was Tentative – Conflict Was Frequent – Death By War Was Common
~ M-A-T-MN-150 ~ Morality – And – The – Magic Number – 150
~ LO-SGS-A-RTTCCO-HM-AT-HADEB-ITOT-150-IRTNOLD-C/G/GC-A-PC-WPIFG-AT-B-O-H-G-P ~ ~ Limits On – Social Group Size – Are – Related To The Carrying Capacity Of – Human Memory – And Thus – Have A Deep Evolutionary Basis – It Turns Out That – 150 – Is Roughly The Number Of Living Descendants – Children / Grandchildren / Great-Grandchildren – A – Paleolithic Couple – Would Produce In Four Generations – At The – Birthrate – Of – Hunter-Gather – Peoples
~ WGGL-TSISG-W?-TAI-MD-A-BC-OGE-200P-A-HS-INT-ETROC-A-TDWO-WITSGCBDWT-IPC-A-SP ~ When Groups Get Large – They Split Into Smaller Groups – Why? – The Answer Is – Moral Discipline – And – Behavior Control – Once Groups Exceed – 200 People – A – Hierarchical Structure – Is Needed To – Enforce The Rules Of Cooperation – And – To Deal With Offenders – Who In The Smaller Group Could Be Dealt With Through – Informal Personal Contracts – And – Social Pressure
~ IOTPTGO-R-YNTK-WBNS-A-WYWTTSY-TIIGTTSAOP-MCKA-G-ATO-SC-TC-CN ~ In Order To Play The Game Of – Reciprocation – You Need To Know – Whose Back Needs Scratching – And – Who You Will Trust To Scratch Yours – This Information Is Gathered Through Telling Stories About Other People – More Commonly Known As – Gossip – A Tool Of – Social Control – Through Communicating – Cultural Norms
~ M-S-A-B-WI-CI-ES-B-R-REAT-SS-T-ETROHI ~ Moral – Sentiments – And – Behaviors – Were Initially – Codified Into – Ethical Systems – By – Religion – Religion Emerged As The – Social Structure – To – Enforce The Rules Of Human Interactions
~ W-BAT-GWT-CAS-RDATP-SI-TF-CAG-ITSB-EAAS-D-EGAS-P-COC-A-RTLOCTTGT-SE-S-RR ~ ~ When – Bands And Tribes – Gave Way To – Chiefdoms And States – Religion Developed As The Principal – Social Institution – To Facilitate – Cooperation And Goodwill – It Di So By – Encouraging – Altruism And Selflessness – Discouraging – Excessive Greed And Selfishness – Promoting – Cooperation Over Competition – And – Revealing The Level Of Commitment To The Group Through – Social Events – And – Religious Rituals
~ PC-WPMB-NS-NC-A-MS-WAA-PSB-CS ~ Paleolithic Communities – Were Primarily Molded By – Natural Selection – Neolithic Communities – And – Modern Societies – Were And Are – Primarily Shaped By – Cultural Selection
~ IIAMAPO-HN-TBMAIITB-H/H/J/IL ~ It Is As Much A Part Of – Human Nature – To Be Moral As It Is To Be – Hungry / Horny / Jealous / In Love
~ TNCWGOWWAATDO-ALLTBEIYABTDY-LANLITBTL ~ The Normal Cues We Give Off When We Are Attempting To Deceive Others – Are Less Likely To Be Expressed If You Actually Believe The Deception Yourself – Liars Are Not Liars If They Believe The Lie
~ T-COMP-EAAFO-SC-TE-TSOIWG-A-TSOHGT ~ The – Codification Of Moral Principles – Evolved As A Form Of – Social Control – To Ensure – The Survival Of Individuals Within Groups – And – The Survival Of Human Groups Themselves
~ TM-O-PE ~ The Myth – Of – Pure Evil
~ TIN-SF-OOTRO-T-KL-O-N-A-HB-TWCC-E ~ There Is No – Supernatural Force – Operating Outside The Realm Of – The – Known Laws – Of – Nature – And – Human Behavior – That We Can Call – Evil
~ TCS-‘E’-DNLUTADUOTCOEB ~ To Call Something – “Evil” – Does Not Lead Us To A Deeper Understanding Of The Cause Of Evil Behavior
~ ITWNH-TWBNE ~ If There Were No Humans – There Would Be No Evil
~ WETB-M-B-HTCTB-I-SOTT-ISC-WSP-WDAOOUTIAGS-WDOA-CAOV ~ We Evolved To Be – Moral – But – Have The Capacity To Be – Immoral – Some Of The Time – In Some Circumstances – With Some People – Which Direction Any One Of Us Takes In Any Given Situation – Will Depend On A – Complex Array Of Variables
~ FW-HUA-A-FW-IFO-D-A-MC-FOTCW ~ Free Will – Holds Us Accountable – Abandon – Free Will – In Favor Of – Determinism – And – Moral Culpability – Flies Out The Courtroom Window
~ FW-AA-UF-WNAAIYDH-FW-GT-EG-A-SB-TGAWI? ~ Free Will – As A – Useful Fiction – Why Not Act As If You Do Have – Free Will – Gaining The – Emotional Gratification – And – Social Benefits – That Go Along With It?
~ CWCAESWR? ~ Can We Construct An Ethical System Without Religion?
~ IIAHLOM-TB-GFIOS-T-FTCIMB ~ It Is A Higher Level Of Morality – To Be – Good For Its Own Sake – Than – For The Consequences It May Bring
~ PMP:AFMPIMCMOTT-Y-FETAFTWDOH-B/C/C ~ Provisional Moral Principles: Applicable For Most People In Most Circumstances Most Of The Time – Yet – Flexible Enough To Account For The Wide Diversity Of Human – Behavior / Culture / Circumstances
~ B-CMBAS? ~ But – Can Morality Become A Science?
~ EUSCSAU ~ Even Unattended Stimuli Can Subtly Affect Us
~MJ-IN-CR-II-IE ~ Moral Judgment – Is Not – Calculatingly Rational – It Is – Intuitively Emotional
~ CB-PAPRIO-MI ~ Cognitive Biases – Play A Powerful Role In Our – Moral Intuitions
~ PE-A-PJ-ATBWCD-ALAHC-STWM-PTIMB ~ Provisional Ethics – And – Provisional Justice – Are The Best We Can Do – As Long As Humanity Continues – So Too Will Morality – Provisional Though It May Be
~ WCAPBM ~ We Can Also Practice Being Moral

MICHAEL SHERMER ~ PROVISIONAL RIGHT AND WRONG ~ THE SCIENCE OF GOOD & EVIL ~ 2004

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~ A-FP ~ ASK-FIRST PRINCIPLE
~ TFOWAAIROW-AF ~ To Find Out Whether An Action Is Right Or Wrong – Ask First
~ HP ~ HAPPINESS PRINCIPLE
~ IIAHMPTAWHWSEHIM-A-NSHWILTSEU ~ It Is A Higher Moral Principle To Always Seek Happiness With Someone Else’s Happiness In Mind – And – Never Seek Happiness When It Leads To Someone Else’s Unhappiness
~ LP ~ LIBERTY PRINCIPLE
~ IIAHMPTASLWSELIM-A-NSLWILTSELOL ~ It Is A Higher Moral Principle To Always Seek Liberty With Someone Else’s Liberty In Mind – And – Never Seek Liberty When It Leads To Someone Else’s Loss Of Liberty
~ MP ~ MODERATION PRINCIPLE
~ WIPD-EITDOAINV-A-MITPOEINV ~ When Innocent People Die – Extremism In The Defense Of Anything Is No Virtue – And – Moderation In The Protection Of Everything Is No Vice

NICHOLAS CARR ~ THE GLASS CAGE ~ 2014

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~ AHC-ACTATOO-W/T/L-IC-NOP-A-LOC-ICOUT-SAM ~ Automation’s Human Consequences – Automation Can Take A Toll On Our – Work / Talents / Lives – It Can – Narrow Our Perspectives – And – Limit Our Choices – It Can Open Us To – Surveillance And Manipulation

~ ACB-O-CC-O-FOH-ISWTTACLAEHT-C-WWDAWWA ~ As Computers Become – Our – Constant Companions – Our – Familiar Obliging Helpmates – It Seems Wise To Take A Closer Look At Exactly How They’re – Changing – What We Do And Who We Are

~ HDYT-TI-I-TLOC-IT-R-S-B-S-I-O-AA? ~ How Do You Translate – The Ineffable – Into – Lines Of Code – Into The – Rigid – Step-By-Step – Instructions – Of – An Algorithm?

~ MOTCTWCUH-ITO-AAB-OCGQE-TCBTMOAT-SP-MJ-A-LFE ~ Many Of The Cognitive Talents We’ve Considered Uniquely Human – It Turns Out – Are Anything But – Once Computers Get Quick Enough – They Can Begin To Mimic Our Ability To – Spot Patterns – Make Judgments – And – Learn From Experience

~ ALOTVSTTPD-DARAB ~ A Lot Of The Very Smart Things That People Do – Don’t Actually Require A Brain

~ CAA-W-OAS-IBMBS ~ Creative And Analytical – Work – Of All Sorts – Is Being Mediated By Software

~ TTWAIT-IOGUWWDN-ATCOWWD ~ The Trouble With Automation Is That – It Often Gives Us What We Don’t Need – At The Cost Of What We Do

~ E-HTA-A-O-S-C-KW-ASTWCB-D-SS-TTTMOJIA-D-PR ~ Even – Highly Trained Analysts – And – Other – So-Called – Knowledge Workers – Are Seeing Their Work Circumscribed By – Decision-Support Systems – That Turn The Making Of Judments Into A – Data-Processing Routine

~ BTODOT-CT-O-SRTTLO-TSMIELLTW-EIE-T-TOS-A-GUASO-AAS-ATO-AFUFTWMUFF ~ By Taking Over Difficult Or Time-Consuming Tasks – Or – Simply Rendering Those Task Less Onerous – The Software Makes It Even Less Likely That We’ll – Engage In Efforts – That – Test Our Skills – And – Give Us A Sense Of – Accomplishment And Satisfaction – All Too Often – Automation Frees Us From That Which Makes Us Feel Free

~ DW-A-CROU-DW-A-SUOTMCAFE-TCAHTPD-TPCAEH-HDYMTEO-AEOEAE-O-AWOAAA-O-ASDOS? ~ Deployed Wisely – Automation – Can Relieve Of Us – Drudge Work – And – Spur Us On To More Challenging And Fulfilling Endeavors – The Costs Are Harder To Pin Down – The Personal Costs Are Even Hazier – How Do You Measure The Expense Of – An Erosion Of Effort And Engagement – Or – A Waning Of Agency And Autonomy – Or – A Subtle Deterioration Of Skill?

~ TCWM-O-FTM-AWTWHOTC-A-WTKFO-ANJ-POEC-T-EC-TS-TSOOL-A-TPWMFOITW ~ The Choices We Make – Or – Fail To Make – About Which Tasks We Hand Off To Computers – And – Which To Keep For Ourselves – Are Not Just – Practical Or Economic Choices – They’re – Ethical Choices – They Shape – The Substance Of Our Lives – And – The Place We Make For Ourselves In The World

~WD-HB-M? ~ WD-HB-M? ~ What Does – Human Being – Mean?

~ TRATG ~ The Robot At The Gate

~ TEBSLTGOFTTLF-IAAS-PCWTWCTP ~ The Economy’s Bounties Seem Likely To Go On Flowing To The Lucky Few – In An Automated System – Power Concentrates With Those Who Control The Programming

~ E-TMPS-ENMCT-AH ~ Even – The Most Powerful Supercomputer – Evidence No More Consciousness Than – A Hammer

~ TMEO-AEOS/ADOP/ASOR-SGUAP-A-GC-CABA-CG ~ The Mounting Evidence Of – An Erosion Of Skills / A Dulling Of Perception / A Slowing Of Reactions – Should Give Us All Pause – *A – Glass Cockpit – Can Also Be A – Glass Cage

~ TDE-A-LSD-DJPASFSICOAJ-IATCOTET-IT-R/A/S-O-TPWTPII-ARBWAW ~ The Degeneration Effect – A – Labor-Saving Device – Doesn’t Just Provide A Substitute For Some Isolated Component Of A Job – It Alters The Character Of The Entire Task – Including The – Roles / Attitudes / Skill – Of – The People Who Take Part In It – Automation Remakes Both Work And Worker

~ IBATPI-TER-TC-ABITP-C/L-I ~ In Bringing A Third Party Into – The Exam Room – The Computer – Also Brings In That Party’s – Commercial / Legal – Interests

~ PASBDAP-A-YPDBT ~ Put A Screen Between Doctor And Patient – And – You Put Distance Between Them

~ TGINL-TRTPOHT-TSBOK-B-R-TRIR ~ The Goal Is No Longer – To Replicate The Process Of Human Thought – That’s Still Beyond Our Ken – But – Rather – To Replicate Its Results

~ TSAAEOCC-CM-LAD-IT-UD-NTM-IITDMAT ~ The Speed And Apparent Exactitude Of Computer Calculations – Can Mask – Limitations And Distortions – In The – Underlying Data – Not To Mention – Imperfections In The Data-Mining Algorithms Themselves

~ ALDSHAAOSCAWTRO-INHTBMBMC ~ Any Large Data Set Holds An Abundance Of Spurious Correlations Along With The Reliable Ones – It’s Not Hard To Be Misled By Mere Coincidence

~ TL-O-ODD-WHUSA-MD-MTTBVTO-F/H/W-B ~ TL-O-ODD-WHUSA-MD-MTTBVTO-F/H/W-B ~ The Labors – Our – Obliging Digital Deities – Would Have Us See As – Mere Drudgery – May Turnout To Be Vital To Our – Fitness / Happiness / Well-Being

~ OB-IBE-T-OIOISFOB-LUTDTIOIOWTWOT ~ Our Belief – Intuitive But Erroneous – That – Our Intellect Operates In Isolation From Our Body – Leads Us To Discount The Importance Of Involving Ourselves With The World Of Things

~ TAWT-BTGC-WL-TMBCGU ~ There Are Ways To – Break The Glass Cage – Without Losing – The Many Benefits Computers Grant Us

~ AFTP ~ Automation For The People

~ MSTFOTM-SOL0ETM-AT-W-BD/M/EACOCNA ~ Machines Share The Fallibility Of Their Makers – Sooner Or Later – Even The Most – Advanced Technology – Will – Break Down / Misfire – Encounter A – Cluster Of Circumstances – Never Anticipated

~ DA-MWGYTRDAT-MOTT-B-IYP-SOS-DFT-PP-YGTBGT-DH-W-TITER-T-RAO-T-CC ~ Doctor Algorithm – May Well Give You The Right Diagnosis And Treatment – Most Of The Time – But – If Your Particular – Set Of Symptoms – Doesn’t Fit The – Probability Profile – You’re Going To Be Glad That – Doctor Human – Was – There In The Examination Room – To – Review And Overrule – The – Computer’s Calculations

~ A-AT-B-MC-A-MI-TPSOFM-VBHTDT-TE ~ As – Automation Technologies – Become – More Complicated – And – More Interconnected – The Potential Sources Of Failure Multiply – Vulnerabilities Become Harder To Discern Too – Tested Exhaustively

~ A-S-E/O-I-SD-A-G-BI-HOTO-LOSC-CSCA-MA ~ A – Small – Error / Oversight – In – System Design – A – Glitch – Buried In – Hundreds Of Thousands Of – Lines Of Software Code – Can Still Cause A – Major Accident

~ P-A-M-M-PWOS-AJT-H-WON-WM-A-PBA ~ People – As – Mere – Monitors – Passive Watchers Of Screens – A Job That – Humans – With Our Notoriously – Wandering Minds – Are – Particularly Bad At

~ YHTDTMTSTW ~ You Have To Design The Machine To Suit The Worker

~ ASBEMC-TP-BI-UL ~ As Society Becomes Ever More Computerized – The Programmer – Becomes Its – Unacknowledged Legislator

~ ITHF-DNRTHF ~ Ignoring The Human Factor – Does Not Remove The Human Factor

~ H-CA ~ Human-Centred Automation

~ WGTPTRC? ~ Who Gets To Program The Robot’s Conscience?

~ IAMATBSLITW-MC-WHTBT-HI-I-SC ~ If Autonomous Machines Are To Be Set Loose In The World – Moral Codes – Will Have To Be Translated – However Imperfectly – Into – Software Codes

~ TFSFTBARWBASHRTW-IWC-W-A-M-S-F ~ The First Shot Freely Taken By A Robot Will Be A Shot Heard Round The World – It Will Change – War – And – Maybe – Society – Forever

~ THBIIOCOTTAO-EGOSAAT-DUAFO-IS ~ The Human Brain Is Incapable Of Concentrating On Two Things At Once – Every Glance Or Swipe At A Touchscreen – Draws Us Away From Our – Immediate Surroundings

~ WCBAWS-A-WIATC-A-HRA-BTSD ~ What Can’t Be Accomplished With Software – And – What Isn’t Amenable To Computation – And – Hence Resists Automation – Begins To Seem Dispensable

~ WWETGC-WRTSMOOB-TDFU-IEU ~ When We Enter The Glass Cage – We’re Required To Shed Much Of Our Body – That Doesn’t Free Us – It Emaciates Us

~ GPPOM ~ Giving People Precedence Over Machines

~ T-CC-ATTOODL-T-AGAC-P-I-F ~ To – Cede Choices – About The Texture Of Our Daily Lives – To – A Grand Abstraction Called – Progress – Is – Folly

JAY LIFTON ~ EIGHT CRITERIA FOR THOUGHT REFORM ~ THOUGHT REFORM AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TOTALISM ~ 1961

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~ M(E)C ~ MILIEU (ENVIRONMENTAL) CONTROL

~ COTM-FOI-A-SI ~ Control Over The Members’ – Flow Of Information – And – Social Interaction

~ MAITKAEOTO ~ Members Are Instructed To Keep An Eye On The Others

~ MM ~ MYSTICAL MANIPULATION

~ TGASIWNAP ~ The Group Attributes Supernatural Influences Where None Are Present

~ MATHA-C-LT-IWTAT ~ Members Are To Have A – Child-Like Trust – In Whatever They Are Taught

~ MF-‘C’-A-T-TAAPOSVIAU ~ Members Feel – “Chosen” – And – That ­– They Are A Part Of Something Very Important And Urgent

~ DFP ~ DEMAND FOR PURITY

~ UR-A-US-AIUTM ~ Unreasonable Rules – And – Unreachable Standards – Are Imposed Upon The Members

~ C ~ CONFESSION

~ TIGAY-CBUAY ~ The Information Gained About You – Can Be Used Against You

~ SS ~ SACRED SCIENCE

~ T-TOTG-AVA-T-U/U-T ~ The – Teachings Of The Group – Are Viewed As – The – Ultimate / Unquestionable – Truth

~ TLOTG-I-LAC ~ The Leader Of The Group – Is – Likewise – Above Criticism

~ LTL ~ LOADING THE LANGUAGE

~ TGL-STPO-CTT-A-SDCA ~ The Group’s Language – Serves The Purpose Of – Constructing Their Thinking – And – Shutting Down Critical Thinking Abilities

~ ‘GS’-FMTCEASDSBOCOOI ~ “Groupspeak” Forces Members To Censor, Edit And Slow Down Spontaneous Bursts Of Criticism Or Opposite Ideas

~ DOP ~ DOCTRINE OVER PERSON

~ AMRTOPHOII-TASTTIRTTGCAITOEAFATC ~ As Members Rewrite Their Own Personal History Or Ignore It – They Are Simultaneously Taught To Interpret Reality Through The Group Concepts And Ignore Their Own Experiences And Feelings As They Occur

~ DOE ~ DISPENSING OF EXISTENCE

~ TG-TE-ETTMAPOA-E-O-SG-OACUOU ~ The Group’s – Totalistic Environment – Emphasizes That The Members Are Part Of An – Elite – Or – Special Group – Outsiders Are Considered Unworthy Or Unenlightened