There obviously is structure (form) in Reality. But why label not yet found material as 'anti' or 'im' And speak about: anti-material, im-material, 'spiritual matter' |
Human made laws are always grotesque simplifications, of some paradigm (a subreality) |
 [fascism is always 'surprise attack'; mouse over] |
| Rule | Rule | Rule | Rule |
| Rule | Rule | Rule | Rule |
| Rule | Peep | Rule | Rule |
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| Rule | Rule | Rule |  |
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Henk Tuten
The 'rational' view is a 'spiritual' (virtual) perception of life.
Peeping out of the 'rational' aquarium at reality through 'law and order' gloryholes constructed of 'rational' stones (called 'natural laws').
The Red Indian aquarium Northern America was filled with protestant white piranhas who 'removed' all 'godless' Red Indians to
make a white United States Empire.
Catholic Portugal in Red Indian Brazil luckily never succeeded in doing so.
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History as maintenance and re-tuning of local ritual behavior,
COMPLETELY cleaned and redirected at Shifts
Local 'pictures of reality' are illusions (views or lies) that pretend an 'ALL truth', truth is Relative and Limitless: there will ALWAYS be Puzzles
Frederick Erickson about the paradigm 'Science': In the social sciences, paradigms don't die; they develop vericose veins and get fitted with cardiac pacemakers
Paradigm Paralysis: In the paradigm 'science' a skilled photographer might proudly wave with a snapshot of some ocean, shouting: this is THE ocean
COMPLETELY cleaned and redirected at Shifts
Local 'pictures of reality' are illusions (views or lies) that pretend an 'ALL truth', truth is Relative and Limitless: there will ALWAYS be PuzzlesFrederick Erickson about the paradigm 'Science': In the social sciences, paradigms don't die; they develop vericose veins and get fitted with cardiac pacemakers
Paradigm Paralysis: In the paradigm 'science' a skilled photographer might proudly wave with a snapshot of some ocean, shouting: this is THE ocean
| It seems to be a stubborn myth that paradigm shifts only concern science and are gradual change Believing that smooth change causes Jihads like that of Osama bin Laden is being brainwashed by the religion 'rationality'. |
Kuhn follows Giambattista Vico: looking at history as sequence of myths (Kuhnian paradigms or religions).| Thomas Kuhn used difficult words but Kuhn saw knowledge as DISCRETE accumulation of all that had been learned over history. Each added rule adding to the 'mass of knowledge'.
Kuhn saw knowledge-gathering as having, at any one time, a 'scientific' world view, or 'kuhnian paradigm', of its environment.
"[the rules that] a community of [..] specialists have in common.
This paradigm describes everything which the local total knowledge holds, all of its rituals that make local life.
Kuhn failed to recognize virtual paradigms, because as professor in his own paradigm
he was used to take virtuality as metamodel of reality Tricky is that professor Kuhn thus failed to differentiate between paradigm (local reality) and conceptual scheme, (substituting sense with 'theories/words'). Kuhn sensed that most 'scientists' and 'historians of science' behave like priests within 'the local existing paradigm. Eventually, terrorism arises for which the paradigm of the dominant culture has no fitting ritual behavior. And the 'priests' start war on terrorism. Kuhn evaded changing the paradigm in reality by staying professor (fighting with way to difficult words)
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Albert Einstein: We cannot solve today problems with the same thinking that gave us those problems
Henk Tuten: that would be looking for THE absolute basis of behavior
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Henk Tuten: that would be looking for THE absolute basis of behavior
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Quote Thomas Kuhn: [..] the research scientist is not an innovator but a solver of puzzles, and the puzzles upon which he
concentrates are just those which he believes can be both stated and solved within
the existing scientific tradition Addition Henk Tuten: All cultures are language games with specific rules. Research is labeling rules in definitions. Until the next game. |
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The Vehicle of Creativity
Kuhn Introduction 0
Kuhn Introduction 0
Thomas Kuhn interprets the history of science as moving on in three phases. 'Science' is seen as temporarily accepted ethical dream. Technology as ever growing talent in technological skill.
1.Common Sense in dominant circles still confused about just entered paradigm (seen by research being random).
2. An ethical standard evolves, and after some time is considered Normal
3.Standard ethics meets totally new 'problems', deviant thinking finds new 'prophet' and forces a paradigm shift to next common sense.
Back to (1): The jump to a next Kuhnian paradigm causes PARTLY incommensurability. If the jump is an Reality Redesign (see below) then HUGE incommensurability
| In the years following the publication of Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, fierce word fights took place with fanatic fans of Popper's doctrine of falsificationism, such as Imre Lakatos. |
| Battle with Words |
| A fundamentalist fan of Karl Popper in a desperate defense states that the notion 'incommensurable' itself is incoherent. If he means that it not necessarily has a 'rational' explanation, he might be right.
Then similar is saying: (1) Incommensurability is not 'rational'. (2) I am a strict follower of the doctrine rationality. (3) I don't believe in 'incommensurability'. Fake advantage of having only the way of life 'science': temporary ethical compromise Another defense is the presuming of existence of 'true science'. Like the labels 'good' and 'evil' this serves to say that believing in paradigms is 'evil' and not 'true science' |
Confusing is that when imagining evolution to be an Ethics Workshop, then Kuhn only writes about how workshops handle slight changes in model, not about the campaign to launch a new design.
Kuhn shows how workshops (like 'science') can temporarily survive, and in fact unwillingly SUPPORTS
the resistance of the 'Karl Popper clan'. He has no intention at all to finish 'science'.Thomas Kuhn referred to mind revolutions meant in the following Thomas Jefferson quote: A little revolution now and then is a good thing.
He did NOT answer the question: what if after ages the ethical workshop has become outfashioned, and a revolutionary new model arrives?
Quote Kuhn 1962: All crises begin with the blurring of a paradigm and the consequent loosening of the rules for normal research. ..Or finally, the case that will most concern us here, a recession may end with the emergence of a new candidate for paradigm and with the ensuing battle over its acceptance. [Henk Tuten: Some scientists when referring to Kuhn speak about 'The Revolution that didn't happen'. Indeed Kuhn must have decided to remain low profile. But the revolution is happening, and is cultural i.s.o only 'scientific'. In fact cultural change takes place under the eyes of fundamental 'scientists' without them noticing anything. ].
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Relativism and Respect
Kuhn Introduction 1
Kuhn Introduction 1
Kuhnian paradigms are relativism in model.
Belief systems are NEVER 'equal', they simply cannot be compared. The existence of true 'science' is a persistent myth. This dream is dismantled in the article Popper-Kuhn Debate
Even 'science' or 'scientia' itself is a paradigm, ages old and started by the Romans. Since then researchers started to split reality in 'theory' and experience. The nasty thing was that especially after Enlightenment 'scientists' started to value theory (a priori) higher than experience, and only considered 'rational' theories and 'rational' experiences.
Magic and religious concepts have similar value to those who use them. Such windows on reality are as 'real' as the 'scientific' ones. That deserves RESPECT, not inherently arrogant labels like: 'terrorist' or 'pseudoscience'.
Kuhn might have denied this interpretation, but also he thought that paradigms were only scientific. Of course skill remains, but 'science' is replaced as the accepted ethics, and knowledge manipulating gets a new shape. Scientific Revolutions are only Maintenance of the temporary Ethics and not Reality Redesigns (they only replace PIECES of THE puzzle, but leave the puzzle intact).
The new paradigm (for instance the 21st century paradigm) is A next puzzle, 'better' is a rational notion.
| Calling Kuhn an intellectual coward must be based on not grasping the extreme moods raised by a total paradigm shift.
Kuhn proved great wisdom not to start a paradigm shift that he must have thought as triggering moods that he was unable to handle. In this case he would have started the End of Science.
The same scientists that use such unrespectful terms already start 'throwing mud' when only reading these 3 words. In the past people attacking The Rational World Paradigm first until 1750 were completely ignored until death (Giambattista Vico), and later portrayed as devil (Friedrich Nietzsche). A fine example though of how confusing total paradigm shifts are (Reality Redesigns). Like poisonous snakes traditional scientists strike to anyone who use 'wrong' words (no offense, snakes are beautiful and effective creatures). The brilliant poisononous words are 'injected' through freedom of speech using the media. |
| Scientists are of all ages (snakes in the paradise, in the time of Jesus in Palestine called Pharisees). Nice but instinctively vehemently reacting people (meaning perfectly and completely adapted to their self created environment (paradigm). After Enlightenment industrialism brought us Managers and Modern 'Slavery'. Do managers really deserve more salary? Only the myth to see intelligence as mainly IQ provides managers with much more income. No reason at all to deserve more RESPECT. To defend their own way of life scientists/managers/politicians use power thinking and send common soldiers to war. Obviously thinking to exchange evil and good', but snakelike behavior seen from other cultures. |
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Cultural Zombies
Kuhn Introduction 2
Kuhn Introduction 2
A brilliant work about 'knowledge' is Thomas Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
Kuhn showed without doubt the most remarkable thinking since Friedrich Nietzsche. The introduced notion 'paradigm' has the power
to have world history rewritten. Even Kuhn though didn't seem to realize that humans only invent the tools that trigger paradigm shifts. After 'setup' by some famous human, a system of thought behaves like an independent dream.
Without Rene Descartes there would be no rational behavior, but you don't need to know Descartes at all to behave rational. It is his logical dream 'rationalism' ITSELF that since Enlightenment haunts the Western World. This nightmare caused two world wars and prepares a third. The ownership of an idea is nothing but a rational by Immanuel Kant introduced myth, and to pretend that products of mind must be paid for is criminal egoism. Do you really need Microsoft or IBM to run your pc ? (just examples, to show that concentration of knowledge is not more than only practical). The arrogant INTERPRETATION of freedom as only being individual brought humanity 'slavery', 'apartheid', two world wars and many local conflicts. I.e. certainly no collective freedom. See individualism versus collectivism.
And on top of that rationality is the thought system behind capitalism. ANY idea might infect reality, 'freedom of speech' is like a cultural passport for especially political 'leaders' for freely creating sects full of zombies (mind prisoners). Kuhn showed that leadership takes wisdom before skill. The Western variant of democracy is a stealthy in industrialism invented MYTH.
By the way: in the past the following procedure was believed to be the only sure method to stop the murderous mood of zombies: decapitation.It's a peculiar coincidence that this messy but swift and in fact painless way of killing is (said to be) practiced by followers of Osama bin Laden
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The Rational Phantom
Kuhn Introduction 3
Kuhn Introduction 3
Unlike the physicist Einstein who looked at the world through a magnifying glass the physicist/philosopher Thomas Kuhn was of the type Galileo Galilei.
As physicist he knew to be working with IDEAS about the world. But by chance he also realized that 'dreams' in formal science use the in that culture temporarily dominant logic (ethics) and can result in consistent PARALLEL views,
i.e. different concepts being 'true' within by their own creativity produced logical 'mind-worlds' (cultures).
That's why Kuhn tried to create an overview like a vision from the top of a high mountain.
Such views are more suited to give an idea about which direction to go.
Kuhn saw an in top rational world, that grew ever more rational. Only something made Kuhn decide not to come 'down the mountain', and warn the ignorant people below.
This was tried by Nietzsche in Also Sprach Zarathustra out of 1883/1884 (!!).
Zarathustra in this biblical satire literally came down a peaceful mountain on some island, to find a vain and confused rational Western Europe racing towards a world war
because of thinking in terms of power.It might have been that Kuhn realized that 80 years with two world wars only had made making a difference TERRIBLY DIFFICULT, and that he risked with even greater chance exactly the same fate as that of Nietzsche. I.e. trying desperately to steer humanity away from disaster, and by way of "thanks" being considered an evil genius and thought to be mildly mad. Friedrich Nietzsche only could persistently fight with such fire because he was not aimed anymore at realizing a career, like common in rational worlds. Absolute rational reasoning had caused the relative thinking of the young Ludwig Wittgenstein in his Tractatus to be misunderstood. Otherwise the Western World would have steered away from a world war II. When much more experienced persistent like a good teacher Wittgenstein tried again in his Philosophical Investigations
Nietzsche very impregnantly and with much humor described a 'common sense' Zarathustra with all his intelligence and social power fighting real life 'rational' phantoms.
Absolute cultures can themselves behave like 'killerbees' and nevertheless see others as 'terrorist' when consequently acting in the ethics of their culture (see Osama bin Laden Biography). And like shown in the Israel-Palestine Conflict, human cultures can show the persistent behavior of 'fire ants'. On individual level consisting of friendly creatures, but in attack-mode changing in a horrible war machine. This mode is in this case driven on one side by extreme 'rational thinking'
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Sour Cream
Kuhn Introduction 4
Kuhn Introduction 4
Already mid 20 century with the idea 'paradigm' Kuhn as physicist/philosopher pointed at parallel views, and a to be expected jump in thought. In fact nothing special, after 25 ages the Roman Western Empire/Roman Catholic Empire/United States Empire gets awfully absolute and terribly rigid and ready to break down. Thomas Kuhn redefined the notion 'culture'. He applied the notion 'paradigm' to science, but this idea is has much more potential. Kuhn pointed at a 'crisis' in Western Science caused by rationality, and handed the tool for repair. He didn't use the term 'crisis', but chosing for the name Scientific Revolution inherently supposes such a crisis. In fact Kuhn's notion 'paradigm shift' concerns all of Western Power Circles. So it causes more than only a Scientific Revolution, but a (world wide) Cultural Revolution. Kuhn used the notion 'scientific', but expecting a change in thought from science monasteries like NASA is both a bit arrogant and slightly naive. NASA showed that rational Ethical Law tends to be extremely expensive and far from original (only innovative WITHIN rational designing). It became a common mistake in formal science to see paradigm shifts only as scientific. But you have to judge these concepts by their cultural results. That means in terms of existing ideas like relativity theory or quantum theory they might seem unsignificant, but nevertheless the resulting cultural mood of anger can make "The Lord of the Ring" look like a VERY INNOCENT fairytale. |
| I completely understand the frustration of Nietzsche when writing in 1888: I see all philosophers and the whole of science on their knees before a reality which is the reverse of the struggle for life as Darwin and his school understood it- that is to say, wherever I look, I see those prevailing and surviving, who throw doubt and suspicion upon life and the value of life. - The error of the Darwinian school became a problem to me: how can one be so blind as to make this mistake? |
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Dying in Beauty
Kuhn Introduction 5
Kuhn Introduction 5
Temporarily producing technical miracles and living in the dominant culture Western World seems too luxurous to be a crisis, but indeed it is one. Not only a crisis in philosophy and sociology, but a total crisis in christian science. And even more than only western science, but in the worldwide Western Christian culture. Because continuing on this road would mean neglecting most of intelligence, and enter a killing cold winter of abstract rational logic.
Cultural growth ought to be seen in warming ethics of respect, not only in 'dead' and cold technology. In western society exiting fields of rational knowledge are merging, but at the same time western culture needs to realize A LOT more that intelligence is not only applying of rational logic.
Luckily Western (Roman Catholic Christian) Rationalism has parallel total paradigms like Islam and especially Buddhism, so without war repairing this anomaly should not be too difficult. Muslim culture certainly has very strong points, but when it comes to relative thinking Buddhism is a special case.
But this repair job should NOT be underestimated, a paradigm shift is another way of indicating a cultural revolution. It takes really accepting the different moods arising in other cultures.
A different culture is highly addictive and in an exotic way very attracting. But it is also EXTREMELY difficult for outsiders to really understand. Its members don't share the history and the myths. Joining cultures takes extreme patience, and the ability to share views with open mind. At first few humans grasp enough of the thinking on both sides. Killing an open minded talent like Che Gueverra was an extravagant waste at an unlucky time. Something like the Evil Queen killing Cinderella at 5 minutes before twelve.
It is like killing all firefighters, just when they are extremely needed to fight a creeping fire.
Luckily another international cultural fire warrior took his place. Osama bin Laden in Western power circles is seen as a terrorist (Nelson Mandela was in jail for 28 years being considered a terrorist in FBI-eyes), but in my eyes without doubt is the new Guevarra (the next 'ghostbuster').
A Jihad is a drastic procedure to save culture, but see it like burning away a dead forest. And destroying part of that dying forest to make room for new growth. Otherwise the whole forest would grow rigid. Afterwards what appears is a green fertile jungle. Jihad is relative ploughing against absolute fires, to create new growth.
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Rational Part of Knowledge only Absolute and Tiny
Kuhn Introduction 6
Kuhn Introduction 6
The end of Western Rational Science SEEMS dramatic. As Kuhn predicted it indeed is 'intellectually violent'. But unlike formal christian science successful thought in evolution is stored as intuition in our bodies ('common sense'). I myself can be considered as a scientist, a mathematical engineer and a social engineer. I came to respect the huge knowledge available in 'science'.
Looking at Discovery Channel as engineer and social scientist I noticed that rationality works fine in parts of technology, and in social science quite bad. Though technology tends to get limited by dominating rationality. More like optimizing a few good working trics. Or behaving like an accelerating train, while however fashionable the rigid concept 'train' get obsolete. Science needs fresh input.
At university I'm sure my math professors grasped multidimensionality and Einstein's concept of relativity. Nevertheless they in fact recited theories, and mainly used accepted methods. Not a way to inspire students to become creative. I tried to extend Einstein's ideas, and they tested if I used his thoughts in the generally ACCEPTED way. A concept like speed has as many dimensions as senses. And in every sense as many dimensions as logics. And on top of that are relative in every point.
Social sciences in the end need more than only high absolute speeds but also the discontinuity of relativism. So for social behavior rationality is obviously in many cases disastrous. As engineer I noticed that mathematical analysis is a genial method, BUT very limited in use. OK perfect for in tiny steps improving speed of trains and height of skyscrapers, but rigid in behavioral ethics. It seemed to me that discrete math and statistics were much more promising, and a lot 'closer' to common sense. As social scientist I saw that both philosophy and sociology got very limited.
Science could look at the example given by pop music. I.e. individual creative talents joining in a group for fun and producing quality works.
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'Prophet' of 20th Century
Kuhn Introduction 7
Kuhn Introduction 7
In a much more acceptable (and more restricted) way Kuhn is the Nietzsche of the 20th century. Nietzsche didn't fight religion, like many people thought, but fanatically attacked passive 'slave mentality' in an attempt to start a more peaceful dream (and more respectful). In fact inherently and much less extravert Kuhn does something similar by handing the alarm clock to awaken from The Rational Dream.
French Enlightenment was a revolutionary new direction in science that 'kidnapped' mid 17th century the thinking 'rationalism' of the French Jezuit monk Rene Descartes (though Jezuits are in general very critical followers of catholic religion).
Descartes considered math as ' divine knowledge', but even he would have been surprised to know that this rigid logical view would conquer the whole Christian world. Off course it got some help. In that time the freshly self-installed middle class upper level of French society needed a some push that would help them to stabilize their power, and start a period of industrialism.
The French Revolution was performed by 'the poor' but was totally directed by the murderously jealous middle class. This middle class had effectively killed the frontrunners in nobility.
That also meant destroying most of wisdom. To the New Rich the possibility to tranquillize workers with a Rational Dream was a gift from God.
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BUT: Rationalism proved a Social Nightmare and drove a wedge in Western society.
It created a top of Western Society crowded with unscrupled laptop carrying Rational Zombies.
(still that might concern your totally peaceful parents or teachers, who survived being fanatic 'toy soldiers')
Thomas Kuhn created the tool for the flexible ones amongst us to awake from this nasty daydream and 'at once' start a more respectful and peaceful one.
Mind: ACTIVE dreaming.
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Knowledge Lightning
Kuhn Introduction End
Kuhn Introduction End
A 'line' of a total paradigm or culture consists of millions of sub-paradigms. From a distance this line looks like a lightning.It has straight pieces in times of semi-continuous growth and changes 'at once' at a paradigm shift.
Be sure that such a lightning is attracted by 'truth', but even at paradigm speed this is at limitless distance. Temporary directions don't indicate anything at all about 'the direction of truth'.
Being on such a flash, doesn't means influencing its direction. Because direction changes are pure chance. The only influence is shortening a straight period, by swift recognition of the signs predicting a next total paradigm shift.
It makes no real difference being on your way from microbe to bigger microbe, or from human ape to computer-human.
It also means that linear extension of past to future with present as pivot can give awfully wrong results, WHEN DONE over a period containing a major paradigm shift. Since arrival of abstract thinking evolution speeded up 1000-fold and totally changed direction. The 'dust removers' (sorry no harm meant), or 'toothbrush historians; digging in the past should use this practice only over periods without paradim shift.
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I'll use the following steps:(a shortened menu also always floats left on top page, just pull it out with left mouse button)
1. Kuhn the common guy
2. Development of Knowledge
3. Temporarily Fighting Paradigms
4. Paradigms
5. Counterintuive (relative) jump to the next stage of being conservative
6. Example of missing the point caused by being in another paradigm
7. Example of Paradigms in Music
8. Digging Deep in the Rhythm of the Time
9. Paradigms are as real as colors
10. Difficult Words
11. Relativism of local truths
12. Prophets and fake prophets
12. Social Revolution: El Niña
13. Non rational behavior and science
Leadership and Respect
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Kuhn, the modest scientist
Kuhn the Common Guy End
Kuhn the Common Guy End
 For 1 thing Kuhn may be blamed, he quite sympathatically but also stubbornly refused to accept
his 'given' place in evolution. By introducing the notion paradigm he purposely or not created a shockwave in science. That way he should have accepted the role as 'saint', but he preferred to be modest 'beggar'. He was right in saying that in most ways he was just a 'normal' guy, but this normal guy had by chance become possible prophet of a new way of seeing 'life'. By refusing this role as the 'new wizard' he slowed down the start of the new magic created by introducing the notion 'paradigm'. Perhaps the revolutionary never existed - but then it was necessary to invent him Alan Musgrave (on Kuhn's denial of the radical views imputed to him) |
Kuhn takes the point that past and future philosophy is largely empirical, and that it 'choses' direction through a process of chance. Because it bases fresh intuition creating new knowledge on once in a while taking a fresh path and further mainly on examinating historical records. This is done by repeatedly renewing through taking a new (chance) direction and at the same largely building on tradition.
Because taking direction is in his view a chance process, he mistakenly concluded that the very person initiating a (near) paradigm shift is unimportant. Sure the qualities of this person don't matter, but the role surely does. Personally I think that when it comes to Total Paradigm shifts, then as far as we know in the Christian Paradigm line there was Jesus, possibly Joan of Arc, and we are close to the third in sequence.
Kuhn saw science as a particular subculture, and himself just as one member.
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Development of Knowledge
Knowledge and Paradigms 1
Knowledge and Paradigms 1
Kuhn's book was a serious attempt to unite history of science, philosophy and sociology of science into one sensable, consistent model of scientific development by (unknowingly ?) introducing the concept of constantly renewing sequences of paradigms |
Because he took no clear point on this matter, afterwards this was interpreted as only being one of an ínnocent' sequence of paradigms, because considered as only scientific ones. But science is by far not the only subject of philosophy and sociology. By chosing the word 'paradigm' based on the Greek word for the notion 'parallel', in my view Kuhn made clear that he realized that there could be contradicting side by side views.
Kuhn suggested that, in modern culture, explanations are the basis for creative concepts that not only define the pursuit of knowledge, but the very way in which people grasp 'reality'.
He claimed that ultimately these conceptual schemes outstand logical criteria, (don't have to appear as rational or to appear acceptable by such a traditional originally Christian viewpoint), but simply survive ONLY on basis of the survival of the fittest, i.e. :
| (1) being accepted interpretators of information, (2) giving emotional satisfaction, (3) generating acceptable predictions |
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Temporarily Fighting Paradigms
Knowledge and Paradigms 2
Knowledge and Paradigms 2
| During a paradigm shift you feel like you right hand is fighting your left, and your head is punched regularly.
Imagine what changing view on the world was in the absolute period of the life of Galileo Galilei. Since birth you had been told that the earth was flat, and there was no shread of doubt in your mind. Added to that the Pope (almost a god to you) threatens to expell everybody from church who 'thinks round'. And your local priest condemns everybody with only 'wrong' THOUGHTS (the medieval 'thought-police'). To make it worse the punishment could be being burned on the stakes. Even for a few seconds considering that the world was round, caused you to awake sweating at night having a nightmare of children shouting at you 'madman' or 'witch'. Only people with mighty protectors could afford believing that the world was round. The notion 'being flat' is not just some view to you, but it IS your only REALITY. So you were prepared to fight to death for your 'law of life'. At present in the age of space-travel a flat world seems physically impossible, but thas has been quite different. Now try to imagine a 21th century variant. I.e.in the Israel Palestine Conflict both the people of Israel and the Palestines are defending their one and only view on life, the traditions that built their life. To accept a compromise that only in theory threatens to take away their certainties makes that like the sailors of Columbus they will mistakenly imagine to enter hell. That they already are living in some kind of hell is easier to accept. Accepting to leave certain basics in their life, for them is like loosing grip on REALITY. It's fear as HUGE as that of for being burned to death.Hatred is only the result, not the cause.. |
Pronounce paradigm as:PEHR-uh-daim , coming from Greek paradeiknyai - to show side by side).
The best known use of the word 'paradigm' is that of Thomas Kuhn, and describes practices in the history of knowledge and intelligence. Unfortunately
Kuhn spoke about 'scientific revolutions', giving rise to the myth that only difficult windows on reality of the Roman Christian ethics are cleaned.In the 'Enlightenment Paradigm' the Roman Christian belief in Unidentified Flying Objects identified as 'spirits' is called 'science'. Christian Science hided the notion 'spirit', and 'replaced it with what 'spirits' are supposed to do: 'understanding'. Maintenance Paradigms since then only in revolutions wiped the dirty windows on reality of the Western World. Ethical Law Paradigms however supply a fresh vehicle for social ethics, opening the possibility to join the 3 major earth cultures.
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Paradigms
Knowledge and Paradigms 3
Knowledge and Paradigms 3
Such creatives concepts were named by Kuhn being paradigms. Probabably Nietzsche would have chosen a word like "lightning". Kuhn sees the aim of the 'normal part' of science as puzzle-solving within a world view that is linear.
Paradigm shifts can be seen as discontinuities and define the direction of change of formal science. So the customary view of science on the world is seen by him as linear (like Popper's). Paradigm shifts are a short temporary revolutionary fit of such a science that became 'religious'and are discontinuities in such a world that for a short time shake everything involved in a new position. Kuhn was convinced that science only flourishes between the stormy revolutionary phases. That shows he was not opposed to authority or against 'puzzle solving', but he only showed that now and then dead alleys have to be departed.
| [In fact Kuhn distinguishes normal besides revolutionary science, but until now all scientists that caused a paradigm shift were 'normal scientists'. Otherwise they would already have been in a lunatic asylum. There are even paradigm shifts without a scientist being the cause.] |
Though it shouldn't be exaggerated, Kuhn clearly knew the work of Jean Piaget. The scientist Piaget got known through his developmental theory and Kuhn is known for his work in philosophy of science. But both study 'worlds of imaginition', Piaget was interested in children's cognitive structures, Kuhn examines on scientists' worldviews in different paradigms
A quote of Kuhn: In the absence of a paradigm ... early fact gathering is a far more nearly random activity than the one subsequent scientific development makes familiar.
That confirms my own experience that taking new roads in knowledge (not only science) is a near random process of association. The paradigm shift
serves to make more knowledge available to be linked. Like reaching a new meadow. After that, it's not really important in what sequence 'grazing knowledge' is done. Because
it was the genial trek of the leading horse that brought the herd in a new meadow. That horse took some path but that's not important. My advice: enjoy the meadow and don't try to find the path. To find a new path takes talents that every freshborn baby still has. Flexibility, curiosity, stubbornness, humour and a lot of patience
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Counterintuive (relative) jump to the next stage of being conservative
Knowledge and Paradigms 4
Knowledge and Paradigms 4
In his classic Kuhn wrote: The man who embraces a new paradigm at an early stage must often do so in
defiance of the evidence provided by problem-solving. The evolution of a new idea, as Kuhn states, builds
upon what has gone before. But on top of that it also requires a kind of leap that is counter-intuitive. The Lone Genius
who invents it must trust that his brand new knowledge parachute will open. Or have faith that the new paradigm will succeed with the many large problems that
confront it, knowing only that the older paradigm has failed with a few.and (take a deep breath before continuing)
Scientists work from models acquired through education and through subsequent exposure to literature often without quite knowing or needing to know what characteristics have given these models the status of community paradigms. And, because they do so, they need no full set of rules. The coherence displayed by the research tradition may not even imply the existence of an underlying body of rules and assumptions that additional historical or philosophical investigation might uncover.
| Kuhn surely was a genius. He saw a wood of sciences,
instead of a solely rational science stuck in it's own tree. At the he inherently made room for a new World History, with jumps between paradigms. FEROCIOUS resistance in formal Christian Science made understandably finally Thomas Kuhn 'decide' not to jump. His being professor must have been a HUGE handicap. He already had high status, and many VERY angry high ranked protesters were his colleagues and friends. Kuhn 'decided' not to attack 'science' and to see a paradigm as 'scientific'. Because Kuhn didn't jump no demand arose for New Reality Design in the Western World. This world again safely stayed in the paradigm 'Christian Science' without changing the view on 'intelligence'. |
| Kuhn decided to stay on top of the mountain, and his paradigm remained a Kuhnian paradigm. That's why very few people call him an 'intellectual coward'.
Understandable but not realizing that though smart Kuhn was just a 'common guy'. He was not made of the stuff of hero's like Nietzsche and Joan of Arc and equipped with very strong ethical intuition.
Coming down the mountain with new commandments) takes 'being pushed' by very strong and original intuitions about Ethics.
The scientist Thomas Kuhn was accepted, but also his ethical intuition wasn't that strong. That way Kuhn revolutionary shocked the paradigm Christian Science from INSIDE, avoiding an explosion. Kuhnian Paradigm Shifts now might be seen as Maintenance Paradigm Shifts (Shock Therapy). Thomas Kuhn, happy being a famous professor had no intention at all to end the 'christian science' that made him famous |
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Example of failing to see the 'invisible' point, caused by being in another paradigm
An eye opening very recent example showing that views from a different paradigm can be utterly confusing for
members of the settled scientific community. I.e. a 'formal science'.
An article of me with an unusual but consistent view was refused within a day by a major formal scientific journal. Motivation:- You provide no references (pointing at "Discovery Channel" knowledge) - Well that's quite false (regarding an example, but giving no serious motivation) - The opposite happens (the same example, denying a statement I didn't make) - Therefore, [...] is found in [..] (same example, again denying something I clearly didn't say) And about the main thesis only: - I'm not sure about your assumption of [..] (but presuming that it MUST BE wrong) It makes one think that I presume a world being square. It definitely shows that most traditional scientists are very polite people. And that in this case this person is obviously sincerely 'shocked', and counter attacking as if in automatic mode. My explanatory common sense example is taken as to be read only in 'rational' way. That shows that generally formal scientists outside 'the world of freeware' are totally prisoned in existing accepted concepts. To 'prove' that something is wrong they just refer to 'rational science' basics, and they refuse to see a not 'rational' view as science. My beautiful common sense flower, 'rationally' appears invisible. 
It can be an counterintuitive example, that for them proves that the whole main thesis is wrong.
In this case the thesis was interpreted in a way, that using an essentially different view obviously wasn't meant. This example shows that even within the Western culture exist huge PARTIALLY totally parallel paradigms ('incommensurability'). Innovative scientists 'thinking the Future' should 'chew' on the message shown under this link: earthquake-like advertising. Western Culture could be seen as a bush, partly with beautiful flowers and partly only branches. The two parts are similar in major part, but in tiny part are completely different. See this bush as Western Culture: much more than 90 percent mainly uses common sense, the small rest mainly rational thought. Simplifying one could say: the big flower part uses mainly common sense, the tiny 'dead' part visited university, studied 'human science' (including management sciences) and learned to think rational.
And more rightfully than he wishes a criticist of Kuhn's paradigms observes: And just as we no longer expect experimental scientists to know much about metaphysics, so, too, we would come not to expect philosophers and sociologists of science to know much about science. That's juggling with words, I only state that 'physics' is local truth. Formal scientists became highpriests of Christian Science, but already Albert Einstein observed that a little imaginative intelligence' is to be preferred over HUGE knowledge (sorry). Often accepting a new Ethical Law Paradigm takes dying out of temporary leaders. |
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Examples of Paradigms
Explaining Paradigms 1 (Listen to the Music)
Explaining Paradigms 1 (Listen to the Music)
In Western Cultures everybody grows up learning to appreciate music in key C major.
Muslim music to people with 'western ears' is weird or exotic.
African music on the other hand is so basic, that it appeals to everyone.
Without added complex tone structures, its basic rhythms sound familiar to many ears.
Muslim music to people with 'western ears' is weird or exotic.
African music on the other hand is so basic, that it appeals to everyone.
Without added complex tone structures, its basic rhythms sound familiar to many ears.
| A perfect example is the culture clash in The 2005 War in Iraq. A quite frontal collision
of a US culture based on believing in 'spirit' (left brain virtual reality), and the
'unity of body and mind' as proven and ONLY way of sensing reality outside Western countries. Abstract spirit thinkers with ALL means fighting common sense people trusting moods. |
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Digging Deep in the Rhythm of the Time
Explaining Paradigms 2
Explaining Paradigms 2
Mining:
| Consider 'normal' science as the digging of a hole. Ever faster and using increasingly advanced tools.
The diggers hope to find truth on the bottom. Off course when searching this way for truth one only sees the wall of the hole (tunnel view, seeing some absolute truth). One part of a truth in the past was: 'the world is flat'. Suddenly an Italian scientist named Galileo came along, looked down in the deep structure and yelled at all his might: "Nice tools, but better shut the hole. You're digging in the wrong place, because all new evidence points to the world being round". And then the digging crew climbed out, and with the same speed started working again in the new place indicated by this Galileo. |
See a paradigm shift as a reaction to the changing 'rythm of time'. In previous 'mines' diggers only appreciate familiar music. Really new mines employ younger miners and these bring new music. Such a change in music needs someone who decides: "now I got bored from the old music, let's hear something different". This gets things going, but change would have happened anyway sooner or later.
Brains evoluate during time, and they share a sense of the 'symphony' of that time. They continuously increase in speed. In the 17th century they were satisfied with the then as fast experienced rythm of a classical symphony, but in the 21th century only audio can't keep the attention of human mind. Video clips play fast 'rap' shown together with rapidly changing visual information.
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Paradigms are as real as colors
Explaining Paradigms End
Explaining Paradigms End
But let's not exaggerate paradigm shifts. They are the product of humans that have been blessed by evolution with very flexible brains. Such a blessing for a long time is a curse, but in times of crisis produces a prophet. Next to that, to be frontrunners bright brain owners must be 'obsessive' and original thinkers. That is they must like in a flash see flaws in the then present knowledge, and simultaneously 'see' a new road.
In the model of digging: while everybody searches full power for truth on a certain place, they lonely and stubborn, but confidently, start digging somewhere on a totally neglected place. And prophets are sure to hit 'water'.
Don't underestimate paradigms shifts either. A large part of our education system in a modern way still cherishes the concept of absolute truth (authoritive knowledge), and often combined with some kind of prescriptive science. This way of thinking proved it use and is heavily defended, and offers many people their job. They knowingly or unknowingly continue the line of philosophers like Popper and Lakatos. It's a 'fight' of one individual terribly strong bulldozer against whole armies. The bulldozer merrily treats possible rational obstacles like submarines, fighterplanes, helicopters, bombs and blackmail into compromise like boring flies.
Authoritive knowledge (quasi absolute) is necessary during education. But at some time you must go your own way. Speeding up to full power, to find your private 'relative' knowledge. It is exploring your creavity. The linear speed of a problem-solving way of thinking may locally seem very fast (to remain with the model of digging holes without challenging the direction one could say : this tunnel is advancing in incredible speed), but in space-conditions (no reference) is nevertheless felt as zero (Einstein).
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Difficult Words
Relativizing 1
Relativizing 1
Some puzzles are impossible to solve in the then present system of science (for instance rationalism). Kuhn named this impossibility to find a place for attack an anomaly. Having more anomalies shows that the space to create progress has been practically used in this set of rules. Then it's time for a Total Paradigm Shift iso a Kuhnian Maintenance Shift. To get into a new system of knowledge manipulating, by way of a kind of mental earthquake that shakes everything into a new position. This creates new basic rules, and again space for notions to be attacked.
About 'anomaly' Kuhn said: Confronted with anomaly or crisis, scientists take a different attitude toward existing paradigms, and the nature of their research changes accordingly. The proliferation of competing articulations, the willingness to try anything, the expression of explicit discontent, the recourse to philosophy and to debate over fundamentals, all these are symptoms of a transition from normal to extraordinary research.
A paradigm is a world-view, like religion you accept it or not. Only seen from space you're sure the earth is round. Kuhn named the inability to compare two paradigms incommensurability. Nevertheless a choice between two views is made. This happens on base of attractiveness, i.e. the advertising around a system. At some time it doesn't work anymore that The Pope claims that condoms don't prevent AIDS.
Things get tricky when two paradigms use the same terms (i.e. mass in the Newtonian world and that of Einstein)
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Relativism of local truths
Relativizing End
Relativizing End
Most importantly Kuhn questioned the possibility of science ever finding 'the truth'. Science as a worldview can find a truth but never 'the truth'
Kuhn's theory stays an item of heated discussion among philosophers, a temporary victory for ratio. The result was only a
Popper-Kuhn controverse. Unnecessary because Kuhn only built along on Popper. Kuhn also believes in a steady
growth of scientific knowledge (Popper's favorite subject was 'the continuity of science'). Only Kuhn distinguishes
nonrevolutionary and revolutionary science. His paradigms happen in the revolutionary branch.The function a*x + 0.001*1/x is highly linear and continuous but for small x behaves like a discontinuous curve. See Popper's linear view as a*x and the revolutionary addition of Kuhn as 0.001*1/x. That way absolutist thinking is seen as linear movement, and relative as not linear change. As we all know non linear movement indicates life.
Absolutism and relativism are BOTH necessary sides of the coin. As well are continuity and discontinuity, and conservatism and progressiveness. Absolutism takes care of the large linear part of paradigms. In other words within a paradigm it is in the beginning responsible for a large part of change. Gradually relativism takes over, it is needed to reach the necessary changes of paradigms. Without relativism absolutism results in only linear progress or standstill. Inside a specific circle of knowledge (paradigm) linear change will do for a long time.
| It was the first serious attempt towards a descriptive approach of science instead of a normative one. |
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Prophets and fake prophets
Rationalism is Local Truth 1
Rationalism is Local Truth 1
With Ludwig Wittgenstein Thomas Kuhn belonged to the most brilliant philosophers of the 20th century, both extremely rare geniuses for which this adverb is not misused. Both took a view that inherently collided with the one of Popper. See Popper-Kuhn debate. Also inherently both Wittgenstein and Kuhn collided with the since Enlightenment dominant rationalism
To be fair I must mention Richard Rorty. Like often happens at times of paradigm shifts, somebody else gets the credit, while the 'prophet' is temporarily almost forgotten. Born nearly 10 years after Kuhn, Rorty got fashionable. He didn't do a good job though in advertising the new paradigm, but seemed to enjoy creating a fight of opinions.
To finish: psychologers who call themselves Structuralists (Stegmüller and others) say about Kuhn's definition of paradigms "a process of knowledge-change that can not be judged in rational terms". Rationally TRUE, but they completely miss the point that exactly paradigm shifts are 'cultural mindbreakers' to leave such an emprisoning absolute system of thought
| 1 example: When I meditated about a G8 of pathway-countries my first ignorant try was: China, Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, Australia, Philippines, Ethiopia, Iran and India As Friedrich Nietzsche by intuition felt: something is totally out of balance. US: a predictive bunch of 'protestant' states. EU: a bunch of Catholic states dominated by Protestants. Russia: VERY different countries dominated by 'Moskou'. That makes 3 bunches that don't belong in a G8. The Lesson: Federations are predictive bunches, you could as well make a G6 of 'lumps of land' |
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El Niña: Social Revolution
Thinking about it to me the theory of Thomas Kuhn about paradigm shifts seemed not completely satisfying.
It centers about persons who start such a revolution in thinking. Sure such initiators are necessary, without a lighter you can't smoke. But my feeling is that culture was already 'hot'. The fire was burning only not yet in the open.
Compare it to the weather phenonomen El Niño. Just like a warm undercurrent in the world oceans there are undercurrents in the social ocean 'society'.
And sometimes the dominant uppercurrent is moving in a totally different direction than its main undercurrent.
Then conditions are set for what I call a social El Niña.
Innocent El Niña's appear almost every year, but devastating Reality Redesigns occur in cycles of magnitude 1000 years. The dominant uppercurrent
'refuses' to go away, and social pressure is mounting. What is needed is some prophet who strikes a weak spot in the uppercurrent.
That is enough for the EXTREMELY powerful undercurrent to erupt and it completely changes social circumstances. Jesus for instance opened 'the social volcano' love. Only slightly too early and with utter force this weak spot was closed again. Without realizing Immanuel Kant helped closing this box in a very powerful and subtile way. But now after ignored shudders coming from Nietzsche, Wittgenstein and Kuhn, and though the USA president with all his scientific wizards and his utterly strong 'forces of evil' try to prevent it, it is the ploughshare warrior Osama bin Laden who ploughs until he hits this explosive social bomb.
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Non rational behavior and science
Thomas Kuhn argued that typical 'scientists' were not skeptic freethinkers, but somewhat conservative individuals who accepted taught principles and applied this knowledge to puzzle with reality.
Thomas Kuhn noticed two puzzle methods in dominant Science:
1. absolute or prescriptive, as found in Roman Christian Church and Mohammedan Islam. Till now the dominant way in formal Western science.2. relative or descriptive as found in Buddhism. The characteristic way of emerging science.
A perfect example of a partial paradigm (a paradigm 'attacking' the basics of science) is 'cold fusion'.
All signs of a partial paradigm shift are there:
1) Some of the best scientists ignorantly presenting 'revolutional' phenomena (relativism).
2) Established science ridiculing the obvious facts, because they don't fit accepted basics (incommensurability).
3) Established industry fearing HUGE loss of profits, and 'pulling the break' (conservatism out of egoism)
4) Ruined careers.
5) Everybody involved feels something is happening, but most out of fear take a safe position.
Sharks are very intelligent (only not in IQ, or rationality). They form utterly successful products of evolution. Only they don't seem fit to travel in space on own force . As well animals like elephants, dolphins and crocodiles have a high 'sense intelligence'. We're just starting to discover this.
And communicating something like a quantumtheory in smell signals is very well possible (language in smell code). Only it takes more smell capabilities than provided by human noses. And with a perfect memory a code even is not necessary.
A teaching environment based on this way of communicating of knowledge would not mean dominant professors producing texts (a visual presentation of knowledge through visual code) but would mean wise teachers providing with respected authority some code (visual, sound or ..), and creating 'a knowledge garden of smell'.
| Life can be seen as producing a endless stream of myths. The most attractive sense experiences get accepted, WHATEVER the content. |
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Timeline Major Reality Redesigns in Evolution
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Evolution had many Reality Redesigns. Some resulting in all earth life changing direction. Others resulting in two strands of life.
First all life might have been transsexual, chosing one queen as fe-male to ensure offspring. Transexual splitting in male and fe-male (both strands survived and became part of DNA). One fertile fe-male in a male 'colony' changing in many fertile fe-males (DNA) 'Leadership' splitting in fe-male leadership and male-leadership. (DNA) ... ... The Egyptian paradigm was still quite 'natural', and fe-males might have had a 'position' quite close to men. Since Jesus there have hundreds of Kuhnian Paradigm Shifts (partial and still only in common sense) in the Western Paradigm. I'll mention one especially, since it split the World in 'virtual' (Europe) and 'natural' (much bigger rest): 451 AC Aristotle's Ethics accepted by Catholic Church on Council of Chalcedon. European people start believing in IMMATERIAL 'gods' (like claiming: UFO's exist). |
Kuhnian Paradigm Shifts are 'rimples in the water'. They help to accelerate change.
Major Paradigm Shifts (Reality Redesigns) as 'tornados in the water' completely change direction of cultures.
As far as I can see the following 'logically connected' Reality Redesigns in evolution of humans happened:
'Sight' becoming consistent through Cave Drawings (found on tenth of places), signals of sight translated in drawings. Caused change from hunters in farmers
Speech getting consistent through Trek of Abraham from Babylon area to Middle East.
The trio: Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus: Insight Life is a Unity. Make Love no War
From the Dark Middle Ages till now in the Western World the insight 'Unity' was severely attacked by individual Egoism (dominator view).
'Recent' Kuhnian Paradigm Shifts in Western World:
Da Vinci (1452-1519), offering the base for much of present Western technology; Galileo (1564-1642), the idea 'round earth' influences astronomy, life just goes on;.
| Round 1550 an important Kuhnian Paradigm Shift: Enlightenment idea continuous time replaces common sense idea discrete time. |
Begin 21st century: Love/Respect beats dominator view and returns. An 'urgent' Reality Redesign, because Western Virtual Reality gets quite weird.
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Leadership and respect
The basic concepts of the next paradigm
The basic concepts of the next paradigm
Though not directly predicted by Thomas Kuhn himself, I'll mention the logical result of attacking rational thought (or compromising). Inherently rational behavior shows a lack of respect for other beings, because of overdeveloped individualism.
The resulting ego-centrism gives ever stronger egoism. Egoism causes compromising (if I can't get it all, then as much as possible).
Getting away from overdone rational thinking means returning 0to the common sense values respect and leadership. These values are the attraction of Islam and especially Buddhism ('Mohammedanism' is an Islamic sect).
Islam preserved authority, but like Western Christianity has many absolute traits (in all respect).Not because I worship Buddhism I think that respect and spiritual leadership can be found here. Buddhism, islam and Christianity TOGETHER offer ALL the values for an ethical law shift that could make a tremendously improved a next culture, turning around
RESPECT
Leadership is standing out from the crowd, and more than running like a cheerleader in front of it (fascism).| Natural leaders realize that between them and their opponents are only points of VIEW.
Qualifying other than own view as 'bad', is only LABELLING it with an abstract value. Amplifying such abstract differences into cultural frenzy is like deliberate causing a fire, and is destructive behavior. Bad people as a group don't exist. All parents aim at giving their children the best future. |
| Thomas Kuhn quote about crisis: Crisis alone is not enough. There must also be a basis, though it need be neither rational nor ultimately correct. |
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A base: One hamburger-cow is worse than 3 Hummers (military 4-wheel-drives) when looking at
Global Warming. Stop the egoist eating and chasing of fellow beings. Kuhn: new paradigms just replace old ones because young people grow up in the newly accepted paradigm. The One: That's no excuse to do nothing. Change takes DECISIONS: we 'the people united' don't accept egoism (=individualism without counterbalance collectivism). |
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