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First things first: the science of normal (nonpathological) science communication
From something I'm working on...
The priority of the science of normal science science communication
The source of nearly every science-communication misadventure can be traced to a single mistake: the confusion of the processes that make science valid for the ones that vouch for the validity of it. As Popper (1960) noted, it is naïve, to view the "truth as manifest" even after it has been ascertained by science. The scientific knowledge that individuals rely on in the course of their everyday lives is far too voluminous, far too specialized for any—including a scientist—to comprehend or verify for herself. So how do people manage to pull it off? What are social cues they rely on to distinguish the currency of scientific knowledge from the myriad counterfeit alternatives to it? What processes generate those cues? What are the cognitive faculties that determine how proficiently individuals are able to recognize and interpret them? Most importantly of all, how do the answers to these questions vary--as they must in modern democratic societies--across communities of culturally diverse citizens, whose members are immersed in a plurality of parallel systems suited for enabling them to identify who knows what about what? These questions not only admit of scientific inquiry; they demand it. Unless we understand how ordinary members of the public ordinarily do manage to converge on the best available evidence, we will never fully understand why they occasionally do not, and what can be done to combat these noxious sources of ignorance.
Popper, K.R. On the Sources of Knowledge and of Ignorance. in Conjectures and Refutations 3-40 (Oxford University Press London, 1960).


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August 16, 2010
Short text about my upcoming presentation at The Mathathon of Thinking in Riga.
To me, capitalism feels like a pure evil corroding the surface of the planet. However, I realize that from this emotional-ideological position we will get nowhere. How to open things up, ask new kinds of questions, listen to power in an open yet still critical manner, view the situation from some slightly different angle? Benjamin writes about a Kabalistic myth: that the difference between earth and heaven is only the smallest millimeter, but within that millimeter everything changes. Where is the miniscule shift that allows us to picture the world differently, the fissure from which we can begin to pry? Zizek's quip that it is 'easier for us to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine an end to capitalism' seems unbearable to me. Is our imagination really so depleted, so tepid? And then there is this quote from Kant: "Humanity is a crooked timber from which nothing straight can ever be built." But are we looking for something straight? Where is the crooked, rickety, modicum of hope that allows us to begin thinking again, thinking honest and compelling thoughts, thinking that not everything is cruel or impossible, thinking that things might one again begin to move?
You can read more about The Marathon of Thinking here.
4 comments:
What is missing from Zizek, Zygmunt Bauman, all the people who write for Zero books, is any attempt to properly examine pretty successful social democratic usually European countries.
If you characterize 'power' or even 'capitaslism' as the unstoppable shift to neoliberalism in every part of life then the answer to the question is obvious.
But if 'power' are the people who continue to stitch together welcoming schools for stressed and tired kids and parents of myriad backgrounds on tiny budgets, then it's just as obvious that things are not as simple (or depressing) as they are made out to be. But nearly everything they use comes from 'capitalism.'
All of the 'communist hypothesis' people seem to fail to consider what was obvious 1000 years ago to the Taoists and the interpenetration of yin and yang. Why should we be reduced to such simplistic dualistic thinking?
- Jacob Wren said...
My question:
Isn't the relative safety and pleasure of life in Western Europe simply ripped from the backs of cheap labor from the 'developing' world.
But I think we've had this discussion before here. Would you like to engage in an email dialogue that we could then publish on this blog?
sounds interesting, I've emailed the pme-art email, only one I could find
- Liv said...
As a teacher in a rich nation where young people find it natural that we can, and have a right to buy and consume, it is important to teach critical thinking. I want to alert my student to the fact that we westernes overconsume the earths resources. How?
Capitalism and individualism are lures when surrounded by abundance.
After the other day, I discovered that I have started making a performance about awareness of consumption, money, global solidarity and choice of values.
It must be developed further to promote the opening of their eyes to the fact that we all share one globe with limited resources.

subset: commoncrawl


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Journals and notebooks, fine papers and pens, inks and their ilks, a few other things, and the occasional rant
Friday, December 9, 2011
Lost Crates December 2011 @LostCrates
The December 2011 Lost Crates package arrived last night, and it's quite interesting (am I the only one who remembers that you don't combine red and white as it's bad luck?--it symbolizes blood and bandages).
Naturally there's a calendar, the Quotable 2012 calendar. Then there is a pack of wine and thank you notes, small note cards by OrangeBeautiful using Emily Martin's designs. They are all quite lovely, and I've already used one for a bottle of red I'm giving to a friend tonight.
The paper component of the package is a pair of Dream Up jotters by Smock, small flexible 40 page notebooks made in upstate New York.
Finally, two items from Tokyo: Mark's Bicolor Pen (the pen is bicolor, not the ink) and Mark's Washi tape, which is quite lovely. I'm looking forward to trying both, especially the tape for a few projects that need some decoration.
6 comments:
"am I the only one who remembers that you don't combine red and white as it's bad luck?--it symbolizes blood and bandages" Or peppermint.ReplyDelete
Boy I really need to sign up for the lost crates..
I never heard of red & white being bad luck - it's something I see all over the place this time of year!ReplyDelete
I would sign up for Lost Crates, but they're still only doing UPS delivery, aren't they?
The red and white taboo is mainly with flowers and specifically with those being given to patients in hospital. That combination is thought to be a death omen as the colors signify blood and bandages. Not sure the provenance, but I think it started around the time of the Great War (WWI). The red and white likely also refer to the barber pole, a barber way back in the day being a lesser form of surgeon.ReplyDelete
Penemuel, they are still doing UPS as far as I know. You could contact them to see if they'd change it. I have mine sent to my office. And yes, Derrick, you need to sign up some time. :)
Wonderful assortment, I am looking forward to getting my next crate!ReplyDelete
Thank you for the info. It sounds pretty user friendly. I guess I'll pick one up for fun. thank uReplyDelete
Leather Note Jotter
My cousin recommended this blog and she was totally right keep up the fantastic work!ReplyDelete
Leather Jotters