I am referring to Ortega y Gasset (he got the Ortega from his father and the Gasset from his mother).
He was the first person to write about the Masses, and he became famous for that. He was functioning as a Sociologist, when he did this - but was never placed in that category.
The Masses were the result of the Industrial Revolution - that has never been dealt with adequately either. It was a huge thing that overwhelmed the people it affected. And produced both Good and Evil, in abundance.
The Evil it produced, were a series of wars (the American Civil War, WWI, the Depression, WWII, the Cold War) much more destructive than any before them. The Good it produced, was material abundance (Affluence) - more than ever before dreamed of. This also included huge Medical advances - and a population boom.
And, most importantly - a reversal of values, that made a different kind of people - and a different kind of machines.
This different kind of people were the Masses. That became powerful in the Twenties, when he was writing about them - but even more powerful, later in that century, with the arrival of Television and the Computer. Both networked machines.
I have found it useful to categorize different cultures, or periods of history, as constructive or destructive. And the US, the UK, and the EU (all mass cultures) - are going through a period of self-destruction.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
The Philosophy that caused The Industrial Revolution
I discovered this in the most unlikely place Freedom and Circumstance: Philosophy in Ortega y Gasset.
Before I read this, I didn't think much of the guy - he said nothing about WWI, an extremely important event that reshaped Europe. And not much about the mass totalitarian dictatorships that followed it - including the dictatorship of the Fascist Franco, who ruled Spain itself.
Like many other writers, he was not too clear about his most important ideas.
Here is a quote from the book I referenced above:
The metaphor, “the world is a machine,” began to replace the [ancient, classical] metaphor, “the world is a living organism.”. . . . This rationalist mode of thought is omnipresent and seems natural and inevitable. The rationalist tradition proved seductive. . . . But it does contain certain limitations and biases. This mode of thought is reductionist …. It is purposeful rather than playful. It values the sort of knowledge that can be put into words and numbers over the sort of knowledge that cannot . . . . and undervalues the importance of specific contexts.
And the latest machine, the Computer, also has these limitations.
This made me download another book Summary of The Road to Character: by David Brooks.
Great ideas are pushing their way into by old brain - and demanding that they be told.
Before I read this, I didn't think much of the guy - he said nothing about WWI, an extremely important event that reshaped Europe. And not much about the mass totalitarian dictatorships that followed it - including the dictatorship of the Fascist Franco, who ruled Spain itself.
Like many other writers, he was not too clear about his most important ideas.
Here is a quote from the book I referenced above:
The metaphor, “the world is a machine,” began to replace the [ancient, classical] metaphor, “the world is a living organism.”. . . . This rationalist mode of thought is omnipresent and seems natural and inevitable. The rationalist tradition proved seductive. . . . But it does contain certain limitations and biases. This mode of thought is reductionist …. It is purposeful rather than playful. It values the sort of knowledge that can be put into words and numbers over the sort of knowledge that cannot . . . . and undervalues the importance of specific contexts.
And the latest machine, the Computer, also has these limitations.
This made me download another book Summary of The Road to Character: by David Brooks.
Great ideas are pushing their way into by old brain - and demanding that they be told.
The Universal Pain Killer
People have always used drugs, the most common one being Alcohol. But Tobacco is used more frequently now, because the user can continue to function normally, even while the body is being seriously damaged. Even overeating can be a drug, with serious medical consequences. And there are many, many others, I will not go into here.
But the most effective drug, by far - is a different kind of thinking, that takes avoidance of pain as its basic objective. Its operation is simple - if you are not aware of what is going on in the world, and the pain it is causing others - you have no pain yourself!
And this can be a group strategy, even a national strategy - keep pain outside your borders! Inflict pain on others, to keep it away from you.
I hardly need tell you, that this is insane. And only makes the situation worse.
But, strangely enough, this does not bother people - if the world is destroying itself, let it go ahead, and finish its destruction!
But the most effective drug, by far - is a different kind of thinking, that takes avoidance of pain as its basic objective. Its operation is simple - if you are not aware of what is going on in the world, and the pain it is causing others - you have no pain yourself!
And this can be a group strategy, even a national strategy - keep pain outside your borders! Inflict pain on others, to keep it away from you.
I hardly need tell you, that this is insane. And only makes the situation worse.
But, strangely enough, this does not bother people - if the world is destroying itself, let it go ahead, and finish its destruction!
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Mass Societies
I am reading The Revolt of the Masses - and am fascinated by his idea of the masses. An important idea, obviously - but an idea we have not focused on enough. Going to Amazon to get a reference to the book just mentioned - led me to download Freedom and Circumstance: Philosophy in Ortega y Gasset - for free!
These are truly the best of times, and the worst of times!
Mass societies were produced by mass production - by the factories of Industrialization. The pursuit of power, instead of happiness - as Thomas Jefferson thought.
The impact of Industrialization was something Ortega y Gasset did not understand very well. Spanish involvement in Industrialization (even though it was hugely affected by Fascism) was only marginal - as it still is in Latin America.
These are truly the best of times, and the worst of times!
Mass societies were produced by mass production - by the factories of Industrialization. The pursuit of power, instead of happiness - as Thomas Jefferson thought.
The impact of Industrialization was something Ortega y Gasset did not understand very well. Spanish involvement in Industrialization (even though it was hugely affected by Fascism) was only marginal - as it still is in Latin America.
Denial of the Unconscious
The discovery of the Unconscious was one of the important discoveries we can take credit for - but few do, because it makes them too nervous. They prefer to say, they are just what they seem to be - and nothing else!
This position cannot be defended - because nothing is as it seems to be. It seems like the earth is flat -but it is not.
Basically, this is the difference between the Religious world view, and the Scientific world view.
Science was popular, only a few years ago - because it made people rich. Now however, people have turned against it - because it states that, this growth of wealth cannot continue forever. And the Religious world view has returned to favor.
It has not only returned to favor - it has gone to war against those who appose it.
This position cannot be defended - because nothing is as it seems to be. It seems like the earth is flat -but it is not.
Basically, this is the difference between the Religious world view, and the Scientific world view.
Science was popular, only a few years ago - because it made people rich. Now however, people have turned against it - because it states that, this growth of wealth cannot continue forever. And the Religious world view has returned to favor.
It has not only returned to favor - it has gone to war against those who appose it.
Monday, February 5, 2018
I had a TIA
TIA in Wikipedia
I had the first one of these back in the Nineties, when I was working in Silicon Valley. I was running down a hill in a Wilderness area, when my legs stopped working. Bam! down I went. I threw up my arms to protect my face, but they got badly scratched, and I broke my glasses.
A short while later however, I got to my feet and walked to the trail head, where a fire engine was waiting for me. They gave my some oxygen, and called an ambulance. When the ambulance got to the hospital, I could no longer speak, only make strange noises. I passed out, and and when I woke up, early the next morning, I had my arms tied down to a hospital bed, a catheter was inserted in my penis, and I was connected to a lot of instruments, that were monitoring my condition.
Was I frustrated! Because I could not explain to myself what had happened to me - I learned, right then - that you need language to think. But in a couple hours, or so, I recovered, could function normally, and I was released from the hospital.
After that, when I was hiking, I could feel the loss of control of my legs beginning - but could slow down, and become normal again. But this gradual onset did not continue. And I would lose control of my legs without warning. But quickly regain control again.
When I moved to Costa Rica in 2001, I would sometimes get them, but they would last for longer. And they would have to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital. When these happened, the people seeing them, would be terrified by my loss of control. They didn't happen very often, maybe once every several months.
The last time, yesterday, I was riding my bicycle, not far from home, on a Sunday. I ended up on my back, looking up at a lovely sky, with a crowd of people around me. Two of these were Americans living in Orosi. One of them took my bicycle to the Police station, where I could get it later. The other one, Ron, agreed to follow the ambulance, to the hospital in Cartago, an hour's drive away!
Off I went, in the ambulance! I was already beginning to recover, but had no choice, but stay in the ambulance, all the way to the hospital.When I got there, I went through the routine of checking in, and filling out the paperwork. I had most of the information with me, in a neck holster. I had been paying my health insurance for years, and everything was in order.
Next, I had to see a doctor, and there was a long wait for that. Meanwhile, my friend Ron showed up, and was able to interpret for me, since the doctor spoke no English. He and the doctor had some long conversations, that I could barely understand.
She said I should consult a neurologist, and gave me the phone number for one. Then Ron drove me home. He had been calling all my friends, back in Orosi, so everyone there knew what was going on. This happened to be voting day, something Ticos take seriously, so the streets were packed.
I took a hot shower, and went to eat at a eatery nearby and got ready for a long night's sleep.
This morning, I feel much better.
I had the first one of these back in the Nineties, when I was working in Silicon Valley. I was running down a hill in a Wilderness area, when my legs stopped working. Bam! down I went. I threw up my arms to protect my face, but they got badly scratched, and I broke my glasses.
A short while later however, I got to my feet and walked to the trail head, where a fire engine was waiting for me. They gave my some oxygen, and called an ambulance. When the ambulance got to the hospital, I could no longer speak, only make strange noises. I passed out, and and when I woke up, early the next morning, I had my arms tied down to a hospital bed, a catheter was inserted in my penis, and I was connected to a lot of instruments, that were monitoring my condition.
Was I frustrated! Because I could not explain to myself what had happened to me - I learned, right then - that you need language to think. But in a couple hours, or so, I recovered, could function normally, and I was released from the hospital.
After that, when I was hiking, I could feel the loss of control of my legs beginning - but could slow down, and become normal again. But this gradual onset did not continue. And I would lose control of my legs without warning. But quickly regain control again.
When I moved to Costa Rica in 2001, I would sometimes get them, but they would last for longer. And they would have to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital. When these happened, the people seeing them, would be terrified by my loss of control. They didn't happen very often, maybe once every several months.
The last time, yesterday, I was riding my bicycle, not far from home, on a Sunday. I ended up on my back, looking up at a lovely sky, with a crowd of people around me. Two of these were Americans living in Orosi. One of them took my bicycle to the Police station, where I could get it later. The other one, Ron, agreed to follow the ambulance, to the hospital in Cartago, an hour's drive away!
Off I went, in the ambulance! I was already beginning to recover, but had no choice, but stay in the ambulance, all the way to the hospital.When I got there, I went through the routine of checking in, and filling out the paperwork. I had most of the information with me, in a neck holster. I had been paying my health insurance for years, and everything was in order.
Next, I had to see a doctor, and there was a long wait for that. Meanwhile, my friend Ron showed up, and was able to interpret for me, since the doctor spoke no English. He and the doctor had some long conversations, that I could barely understand.
She said I should consult a neurologist, and gave me the phone number for one. Then Ron drove me home. He had been calling all my friends, back in Orosi, so everyone there knew what was going on. This happened to be voting day, something Ticos take seriously, so the streets were packed.
I took a hot shower, and went to eat at a eatery nearby and got ready for a long night's sleep.
This morning, I feel much better.
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Machine Learning and Security
I have just downloaded this book, using O'Reilly's Safari service. Here are the first paragraphs:
Machine learning is eating the world. From communication and finance to transportation, manufacturing, and even agriculture, nearly every technology field has been transformed by machine learning and artificial intelligence, or will soon be.
Computer security is also eating the world. As we become dependent on computers for an ever-greater proportion of our work, entertainment, and social lives, the value of breaching these systems increases proportionally, drawing in an increasing pool of attackers hoping to make money or simply wreak mischief. Furthermore, as systems become increasingly complex and interconnected, it becomes harder and harder to ensure that there are no bugs or backdoors that will give attackers a way in. Indeed, as this book went to press we learned that pretty much every microprocessor currently in use is insecure.
This honesty is refreshing! The amount of hype in the software industry, is staggering.
Machine learning is eating the world. From communication and finance to transportation, manufacturing, and even agriculture, nearly every technology field has been transformed by machine learning and artificial intelligence, or will soon be.
Computer security is also eating the world. As we become dependent on computers for an ever-greater proportion of our work, entertainment, and social lives, the value of breaching these systems increases proportionally, drawing in an increasing pool of attackers hoping to make money or simply wreak mischief. Furthermore, as systems become increasingly complex and interconnected, it becomes harder and harder to ensure that there are no bugs or backdoors that will give attackers a way in. Indeed, as this book went to press we learned that pretty much every microprocessor currently in use is insecure.
This honesty is refreshing! The amount of hype in the software industry, is staggering.
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