21st Century Technology Challenges (21 Lessons for the 21st Century)
The latest book by Israeli author Yuval Noah Harari (who also published “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humanity” in 2014, and “Homo Deus: A Brief History of the Future” in 2016) is entitled “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.” . This book, like the others, was in fact translated into Romanian. Here is the essence of the first part of the book, entitled “Technological Challenge”.
Social Conquest of the Earth – Edward O. Wilson (reading notes)
# We created a Star Wars civilization, with Stone Age emotions , medieval institutions and technology according to the gods.
# Since the Paleolithic, each tribe has invented its own myth of creation , imagining supernatural beings shaped by the environment. The myth of creation is a tool for survival. Tribal conflict, in which believers on the inside were pitted against unbelievers on the outside, was a major driving force that shaped biological human nature.
# Consciousness was not designed for self-examination, but for survival and reproduction. Conscious thinking is driven by emotion; in essence and in its entirety it is devoted to the purpose of survival and reproduction.
# We live on the intelligence driven by the requirements of animal instinct . This is why we are deliberately destroying the biosphere and, with it, our own prospects for permanent existence.
Carl Sagan, about public ignorance of science and its effects
“We have created a global civilization in which the crucial elements – transportation, communications and all other industries, agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, environmental protection and even the democratic institution of the vote – depend deeply on science and technology .
I also organized things so that almost no one would understand science and technology .
This is the surest path to disaster. We could even get rid of the clean scarf for a while, but sooner or later this explosive mixture of ignorance and power will explode in front of us. ”
Fast thinking, slow thinking – Daniel Kahneman (reading notes)
Systematic errors of judgment are known as biases (bias – predisposition, preconception) and they predictably occur in particular circumstances. When a handsome and confident speaker comes on stage, you can anticipate that the audience will appreciate his performance more favorably than he deserves.
- People tend to evaluate the relative importance of problems in terms of the ease with which they are extracted from memory, and this is largely determined by the size of the space given to them in the media.
- Frequently mentioned topics occupy the mind as others emerge from the realm of consciousness.
- There are two ways of thinking : system 1 and system 2. System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and without the feeling of voluntary control. System 2 pays close attention to demanding mental activities, including complicated calculations.
- We identify with system 2, the conscious, rational self, which has opinions, makes choices and decides what to think and what to do. But I describe System 1 as the effortless source of impressions and sensations that are the main sources of explicit opinions and deliberate choices in System 2.
“Physics told”, by Cristian Presura (presentation and short excerpt)
On Saturday, November 22, 2014, at 18.00, within the Gaudeamus Fair, the launch of the book “Narrated Physics”, by Cristian Presura, will take place. The book aims for an ambitious review of the main concepts of physics, in a way accessible to the public. The paper is addressed to students interested in the exact sciences in the 11th and 12th grades, students in “beta” profiles, as well as science enthusiasts, who have a minimum of knowledge of physics.
“Imperfect, Free and Happy,” by Christophe Andre
How to get along with yourself
But with others
You are afraid of failures, of rejection, of the shame you feel when you think you are not up to others
. All these things have at their center the concept of self-esteem, the ultimate instrument of our freedom and psychological autonomy. The book “Imperfect, Free, and Happy. Self-esteem practices ”is about you. It’s about how you are, how you look to the world and what you can become. It’s about reflection, action and perseverance.
“What Does All This Mean” by Thomas Nagel
To the uninitiated, philosophy may seem complicated. But is this the case?
Although it seems difficult to approach, it can be more easily understood if it is explained by someone who, in addition to the vast knowledge in the field, has the ability to translate them into everyone’s understanding. One such person is Thomas Nagel.
A professor of philosophy and law at New York University, he tries to explain the philosophy of those who have never been in contact with him in his book “What Does All This Mean? ”
“In Search of Happiness” by Bertrand Russell
There are many who have tried to find a definition of happiness and how it can be achieved. Bertrand Russell is one of them, and the simplicity and clarity with which he presents his own experiences and observations can be seen as a help for all those “in search of happiness.” Before talking about happiness and its antecedents, Russell presents the main causes of unhappiness that, in his opinion, are mostly related to the social system.
“Intuition. The Intelligence of the Unconscious ”by Gerd Gigerenzer
Where does this come from and how does it affect our decisions ? When is it okay to
weigh
all the alternatives and when to rely on instinct ?
Plank tries to answer in the book “Intuition. The intelligence of the unconscious. ”
“Thank you!” by Robert A. Emmons (review)
“Gratitude is the secret of life” – Albert Schweitzer. “God, we paid for all these things ourselves, so thank you for nothing.” – Bart Simpson. Dr. Robert A. Emmons’ new book on positive psychology, ‘Thanks!’, States that practicing gratitude is beneficial to our happiness, life satisfaction, and physical health.
Review: “The Willpower Instinct” by Kelly McGonigal
Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist, professor at Stanford University and an expert in the new field of science-help. His book, “The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters and What You Can Do to Get More of It,” presents the latest research on motivation, temptation, and procrastination. Based on the famous course he teaches at Stanford University, this is the first book to explain the new science of self-control and how it can be used for more health, happiness and efficiency.
11 reference sexology papers
As a field, sexology is both a science and a social science – it includes rigorous biological studies on reproduction and sexual reactions, as well as notions of psychology, sociology and history. Here is a list of 11 reference works in the field.
James Gleick’s award-winning “Information.”
Some of the most influential scientists took part in an event held at the Royal Society of London on the evening of November 26, in which they read passages from their recently published science books. Details below.
What’s left of CGJung today
Trei Publishing House remembered me and sent me an e-mail announcing the imminent appearance of a paper on Jung: “CGJung’s Psychology”, written by Jolande Jacobi, in German, and translated by Daniela Stefanescu. Not that there could be a more inappropriate andrisant.
Stephen Hawking, famous quotes
Stephen Hawking is one of the greatest contemporary scientists. He holds the title of “Lucasian Professor (named after Henry Lucas) of Mathematics” at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, a title he also held in Isaac Newton.
How the metric system was born
Accuracy and whims – At first glance, finding an accurate measurement system may seem like a daunting task. But as the philosopher Robert P. Crease demonstrates in World in the Balance, this is not the case.
Rene Descartes. cited
Also known as Renatus Cartesius, a brilliant French mathematician, physicist, philosopher, and writer, Rene Descartes is nicknamed the “father of modern philosophy.” He also made significant contributions to mathematics, introducing the notion of the Cartesian product.
Why sex is a pleasure
Jared Diamond is a professor of biology and biogeography at UCLA. He is the author of several books, including “Guns, Steel and Germs” which was a huge success. Below is a review of his book, “Why Sex Is a Pleasure.”
People before people
Renowned paleoanthropologist, Robert Foley presents, from an evolutionary perspective, the ‘birth’ of Homo sapiens. An appealing work with accessible language that shows us how far current theories are from the simplicity of Darwinian evolutionism.
Diversity of scientific experience
The well-known astrophysicist and popularizer of science, Carl Sagan, also wrote a book about how he sees God, starting from a series of conferences held by himself. We invite you to read in the following a detailed review of this paper.
Empty Monkey by Desmond Morris
We invite you to read the review of the book “The Naked Monkey” by Desmond Morris. The paper begins with the following idea: “There are 193 species of monkeys alive, some with tails, others without. 192 of them are covered by hair. The exception is a naked monkey, called HOMO SAPIENS.
“A Pale Blue Dot” by Carl Sagan
One of the most interesting books by Carl Sagan, the famous American astrobiologist, is “A Pale Blue Dot – A Vision of the Future of Mankind in Space.” The book was inspired by a photograph taken by the Earth Voyager spacecraft and was published in 1994.
