Great words!

Great words! 

Many scientists are utterly loopy

I've just read the following Does Technology Have a Soul? which is an extract from the book God, Human, Animal, Machine: Technology, Metaphor, and the Search for Meaning.

Incidentally, the author appears to be referring to a toy robot dog at the beginning rather than an actual dog; something I never initially realised.

The author says:

Today, as AI continues to blow past us in benchmark after benchmark of higher cognition, we quell our anxiety by insisting that what distinguishes true consciousness is emotions, perception, the ability to experience and feel: the qualities, in other words, that we share with animals.

If there were gods, they would surely be laughing their heads off at the inconsistency of our logic. We spent centuries denying consciousness in animals precisely because they lacked reason or higher thought. (Darwin claimed that despite our lowly origins, we maintained as humans a “godlike intellect” that distinguished us from other animals.) As late as the fifties, the scientific consensus was that chimpanzees—who share almost 99 percent of our DNA—did not have minds.

 

Wait... we spent centuries denying consciousness in animals? Scientists and philosophers maybe, but I doubt the average person denied that animals are conscious. The pernicious influence of an "education" can make people believe the most ludicrous things imaginable -- like computers are (or can become) conscious and animals are not conscious!

 

It is breathtaking that the scientific consensus was that chimpanzees don't have minds. Just think about that for a moment. How utterly crazy do you have to be to think this? This also explains their unquestioning acceptance of materialism. Most of them don't care how utterly loopy their beliefs are.

How much I spend a week on food

Since the 19th April I've spent an average of £36.74 a week on food and £1.53 a week on alcohol and £1.78 a week on non-food groceries (excluding alcohol).

Crazy views are propagated

Just reading this novel. One of the characters says (in a diary entry):

Jon, the man who wants to leave the plane, seems crazy to me, but others buy into his specious arguments. He can sell anything to anyone. I cannot convince anyone to join my mindset on any reasonable opinion I have. Let alone any attempt to dissuade others from their fervid beliefs during a period of trauma. It is a life-long flaw.

Yes, I have this problem too and have had it all my life. And I often think that those who have the most ridiculous views have the most influence on others. So crazy views are propagated and level-headed astute views are shunned.

A trip to the supermarket (fictional).

I was just thinking. Suppose I went into a supermarket, a large one to shop for my groceries. It's fairly quiet as it's early evening and there's only about a 100 people in. Suddenly, as I'm walking around holding my basket, I hear a loud boom and I feel the floor move beneath my feet and I almost fall over. I look around, wondering what the hell happened there. There's a couple of people near me who likewise appear bewildered.

A few seconds later, from the front of the supermarket near the entrance, I hear a bewildered shout followed by a babble of confused voices. The shouting and confusion soon gets worse -- much worse bordering on hysteria. I make my way to the front of the supermarket. Out of the windows I see that the world has completely changed! Instead of a car-park filled with cars and nearby buildings, they've all been replaced by a lush vibrant green forest.

We all pour out of the entrance. The cacophony of confusion, bewilderment and hysteria continue. Suddenly, we all hear a almighty huge roar and above the canopy of trees emerges a giant head and neck. It's a tyrannosaurus Rex, attracted by the noise and feasting its malevolent gaze upon us! We all panic and there's a stampede to get back into the supermarket, jamming the door in the process. Thankfully, we all manage to get back inside before it reaches us.

Oh well, plenty of tins of food to consume for the near future, and also shelter provided by the supermarket. Pity supermarkets don't sell guns though.

Think will continue getting my groceries delivered.

Chaos come Christmas?

I've just read the following article:

Millions of Great Britain homes face highest energy bills in a decade as cap lifted

 Article says:

The sudden rise in energy bills has raised concern among fuel poverty campaigners that more than half a million more people may be unable to pay their energy bills as a result of the rise, which will coincide with the winding down of the government’s furlough scheme and the cut to universal credit from September.

Energy prices have already gone up an eye watering amount over the past year (For me, about a £200 increase, from £800 to a £1000 i.e. 25% increase). And they're going to increase by another utterly huge comparable amount come October! With the £20 a week decrease in Universal credit hitting at the same time, it's going to be absolute chaos for many poor people come November/December.

My prediction? Tune into the news November and December and I reckon the news will be filled about those not being able to make ends meet. More people having to use food banks than ever before, a huge outcry about the £20 a week Universal credit decrease etc.  Not to mention that this will happen near Christmas.



29th December 2021 Edited to add:

Almost 5 months later and I haven't really heard much about peoples dire financial problems. Perhaps the news outlets are more or less ignoring this issue?  Having said that, the article below predicts that people will face a financial catastrophe next year:

Cost-of-living ‘catastrophe’ looms in 2022

I think people might just be borrowing money and delaying the pain. Also, as regards the monumental energy price increase (maybe about 50% increase for those whose energy suppliers went under) I still haven't received a bill for what I owe, which will be around £200 (I normally pay in advance). But, yes, next year might be very grim for many people.