There has been an outpouring of love and solidarity because of the tragic and terrific blood-letting in Paris this weekend. It has been a synchronous focus on thought, feeling and action by millions around the world. That is good. The answers proposed have ranged from black to white, from vengeance to forgiveness. (My preference is …
Continue reading Are you beginning to get it? The what, why and how of system change.
Honesty or knowledge first?
Ethics do not seem to be integral to society or our civilisation. We have laws and religions and people are good. However, the nature of education does not promote the values that ought to underlie the sentiment expressed by laws, religion and society. They say it is bad or wrong to kill, but it happens …
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For some it’s not about people, nor ethics; just numbers.
A former hedge fund manager who bought a drug company has hiked the price of a generic drug 55x to pay for the purchase. The drug was $13.50 a dose but is now $750.00. It costs $1 to produce. The drug treats toxoplasmosis and is widely used by sufferers of AIDS. So clearly Martin Shkreli, …
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Education For Today – first cut
Here’s a presentation synthesising ideas about education for today’s world. Please get in touch if you have questions or comments. The slides may be downloaded here as a pdf. Also available on YouTube.
Computers in school do not improve results. Doh! It’s about culture.
OECD research shows that frequent use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated with lower results. Among 70 countries, heavy investment in information and communications technology have seen “no noticeable improvement” in Pisa test results for reading, mathematics or science. This is not surprising. As with any technology, it can be “good” …
Continue reading Computers in school do not improve results. Doh! It’s about culture.
Cyborgs are coming to take your job, especially if you’re young.
The prospect of your job being automated is increasing. The convergence of neuroscience, computing, biology and engineering has already made robotic prosthetics a reality and everyone carries a small thinking machine so that they can remember phone numbers, birthdays etc (media device/phone). We are certainly choosing a future in which we don’t work. We haven’t …
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What is consciousness?
What does it mean to be human? The answer lies between the physical and the metaphysical (spirit), somewhere in the mind, but it might be unknowable. However, it is possible to get closer to knowing yourself, and as Socrates observed two and a half millennia ago, that it the foundation of meaning in life. This …
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Everyone is good, but our world is unethical. How come?
Everyone is good, yet somehow the product of our civilisation is often pain and suffering. More people are becoming aware that something needs to change and are even doing something about it. Simply talking about the challenges is a start, while others initiate changes in behaviour such as what they eat or wear. But engaging …
Continue reading Everyone is good, but our world is unethical. How come?
You have the power to change the world. Choose!
Words by Charlie Chaplin. Contemporary images. The choice is clear. Have you chosen yet? Or are you still chasing the machine? Choose humanity, while the choice remains … The Great Dictator‘s Speech (1940) I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer …
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Common Sense in 5 Minutes
We joined an eclectic group at Voice Box at the end of June. We were asked to talk for five minutes about Common Sense, a book about people, planet and profit by a venture capitalist. Here is the edited version of the video showing the slides more clearly. Enjoy! Thanks to Jaspar for great camera …
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