Awesome read. Grim, but awesome, nonetheless. Thank you for sharing this. I'm always grateful for people willing to share their relevant knowledge, with those of us who are less informed. The Batavia story was horrific. Regarding politicians or those given any power, surrounded by corruption, I can see how easily they succumb to corrupti…
Awesome read. Grim, but awesome, nonetheless. Thank you for sharing this. I'm always grateful for people willing to share their relevant knowledge, with those of us who are less informed. The Batavia story was horrific. Regarding politicians or those given any power, surrounded by corruption, I can see how easily they succumb to corruption themselves. It seems it's almost inevitable. How much integrity is needed to resist? Is murder and mayhem very far behind? Given the psychopathy running rampant in our current ruling class, worldwide, we could easily slide into the dark ages.
Some excerpts below from a Quillette review of a book about the irrational side of human nature. The last one says: “One comes away with the sense that civilization operates on narrow margins and is always on the verge of collapsing into irrationality.” That sure is the truth. Are we in a “Dark Age” where reason is in retreat? Certainly does seem so.
“Mackay makes the case, often in gory detail, that episodes of collective mania seem to be an inevitable consequence of human nature. Humans in every time and place have cast aside their better judgment and allowed themselves to be caught up in all manner of irrational hoopla.“
“His chapters on the Swabian Peasants’ War and Anabaptist uprisings are terrifying depictions of the end-times frenzy that wreaked havoc on northern Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. The distance between these events in the German-speaking world and, say, the Reign of Terror in France or the Chinese Cultural Revolution is not that great. And the speed with which apparently reasonable people moved from the embrace of a new theological idea to a willingness to torture those whose own theological ideas diverged even slightly is startling.“
“There is plenty to recommend about The Delusions of Crowds. It is laden with great anecdotes and the writing is always engaging. One comes away with the sense that civilization operates on narrow margins and is always on the verge of collapsing into irrationality.”
Sorry. I got side-tracked on Quillette. A lot of good stuff there. Now, thanks to you, there are so many books I want to read. The Delusions of Crowds is rather frightening to think about. Will it come to that? The early seasons of The Walking Dead, or Cormac McCarthy's The Road come to mind. Sure, the boy represents the kernel of goodness in us all, but is it enough to triumph? It seems we will be compelled to become the lowest common denominator within us, just to survive.
We’re not all crazy but enough are to bring us all down. We can no longer afford another collapse into insanity and war. The weapons now are simply too powerful for us to survive it. That’s why I say follow AI.
Awesome read. Grim, but awesome, nonetheless. Thank you for sharing this. I'm always grateful for people willing to share their relevant knowledge, with those of us who are less informed. The Batavia story was horrific. Regarding politicians or those given any power, surrounded by corruption, I can see how easily they succumb to corruption themselves. It seems it's almost inevitable. How much integrity is needed to resist? Is murder and mayhem very far behind? Given the psychopathy running rampant in our current ruling class, worldwide, we could easily slide into the dark ages.
“It seems it's almost inevitable.”
Some excerpts below from a Quillette review of a book about the irrational side of human nature. The last one says: “One comes away with the sense that civilization operates on narrow margins and is always on the verge of collapsing into irrationality.” That sure is the truth. Are we in a “Dark Age” where reason is in retreat? Certainly does seem so.
“Mackay makes the case, often in gory detail, that episodes of collective mania seem to be an inevitable consequence of human nature. Humans in every time and place have cast aside their better judgment and allowed themselves to be caught up in all manner of irrational hoopla.“
“His chapters on the Swabian Peasants’ War and Anabaptist uprisings are terrifying depictions of the end-times frenzy that wreaked havoc on northern Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. The distance between these events in the German-speaking world and, say, the Reign of Terror in France or the Chinese Cultural Revolution is not that great. And the speed with which apparently reasonable people moved from the embrace of a new theological idea to a willingness to torture those whose own theological ideas diverged even slightly is startling.“
“There is plenty to recommend about The Delusions of Crowds. It is laden with great anecdotes and the writing is always engaging. One comes away with the sense that civilization operates on narrow margins and is always on the verge of collapsing into irrationality.”
“The Delusions of Crowds-A Review.”
Quillette. Feb 8, 2021
https://quillette.com/2021/02/08/the-delusions-of-crowds-a-review/
Sorry. I got side-tracked on Quillette. A lot of good stuff there. Now, thanks to you, there are so many books I want to read. The Delusions of Crowds is rather frightening to think about. Will it come to that? The early seasons of The Walking Dead, or Cormac McCarthy's The Road come to mind. Sure, the boy represents the kernel of goodness in us all, but is it enough to triumph? It seems we will be compelled to become the lowest common denominator within us, just to survive.
We’re not all crazy but enough are to bring us all down. We can no longer afford another collapse into insanity and war. The weapons now are simply too powerful for us to survive it. That’s why I say follow AI.