Radical Ideas September 9, 2008
Posted by Mark T. Market in Quotables.Tags: ideas, radical, nazi, islam, emanuel tanay
3 comments
We are often told that radical ideas about anything–whether it be religion, politics, or philosophies, can be tolerated as long as these ideas remain within the minority of individuals.
A US-based psychiatrist, Dr. Emanuel Tanay, offered some insight into the power of ideas that while emerging from a small minority, can take over whole populations and create massive impact. He also higlights that fence-sitters, or the silent majority–are complicit in any atrocities committed in the name of radical ideas.
An excerpt:
Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don’t speak up, because like my friend from Germany , they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun. Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghanis, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
See more here.
Innovation Is Relative August 31, 2008
Posted by Mark T. Market in Quotables.Tags: change, Google, ideas, innovation, mythology, Scott Berkun
1 comment so far
Scott Berkun, formerly engineer at Microsoft, delivered a talk on Google regarding the nature of innovation.
Our conventional ideas on innovation: that the best ideas defeat inferior ideas, that future innovations are superior or more progressive to past innovations, are all myths.
Berkun challenges all these preconceived notions about change and innovation, and also relates innovation with mythology and the tendency of ideas to evolve in popularity. The nature of innovation is similar to the nature of ideas.
Check out Scott’s fantastic talk here.
Pyramids and Civilizations as an Idea August 24, 2008
Posted by Mark T. Market in True Stories.Tags: andes, archaeology, civilization, egypt, giza, history, ideas, lambayeque, peru, pyramid
1 comment so far
Some of the oldest structures in existence are pyramids, and the study of which reveals a lot of ideas about how human society had evolved. My attraction to the knowledge brought by the study of pyramids and how all of human society now is an evolution of an idea.
Interestingly, pyramids are not confined to Egypt, but have been found all over the world, from China, to Peru, to Mexico.
I have found three fantastic documentaries about pyramids which you should check out for fantastic insights into human ideas and society:
- The Lost Pyramids of Caral, Peru
- The Cursed Valley of Lambayeque, Peru
- The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Great ideas create civilisations.
Ants, Terrorism, Memes August 24, 2008
Posted by Mark T. Market in Quotables.Tags: Dan Dennett, ideas, information, meme, ted
add a comment
Philosopher Dan Dennett expounds on the power of ideas that affect people. Similar to how biological agents use other organisms for self-interest, ideas can use people for self-interest. Beware of:
- A powerful one-sentence secret of happiness
- A compelling insight into terrorism
- A chilling view of Islam
Among other fantastic ideas.
