Monthly Archive for December, 2009
Proof that idiot savants run things?
First, shouldn’t we ask do idiot savants run things? Certainly not, according to the first definition of idiot savant. However, the second definition is another matter: “a person who is highly knowledgeable about one subject but knows little about anything else”. Of course, “knowledgeable about one subject” and “knows little about anything else” are matters of degree. Even so, someone highly knowledgeable in an area is by definition an expert.
Next, aren’t experts (whatever the field) generally in charge of leading the way in society? Experts in war become generals, experts in politics become presidents, experts in business become CEO’s, experts in religion become preachers and Popes, and so on down the line. So without question, highly knowledgeable experts run things. The question remains, do such people also know little about anything else? Continue reading ‘Why Do Idiot Savants Run Things?’
Trust but verify or become dinner!
In some ways I suppose that being a true believing Christian can hinder fulfilling Christ’s message to the world. Believers (of anything really) rely on their tenets of belief to substantiate the very belief they hold. Approached this way, one has little incentive to challenge one’s own understanding. Rather, the understanding becomes the pillar of proof. There in lies the pitfall.
One’s faith become the proof of one’s faith. Buddha cautioned against this circular blindness by warning folks not to take anything he said on faith. His message was, trust but verify. Continue reading ‘Trust But Verify’
I had a good discussion with a ‘born again’ Christian recently. These talks always give me fascinating food for thought. Particularly interesting was his view on global warming, and the conspiracy he thinks lies behind it. Needless to say his knowledge of basic science was pretty thin. It may be that the less one knows, the more certain one tends to be(1). This fits the general Taoist view that out of nothing comes something, i.e., the myriad creatures in the world are born from something, and something from nothing. Continue reading ‘Are You A Beliefaholic?’
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