A blog by Leon Oudejans
Conscience vs consciousness
8 Feb, 2023 | Knowledge, Love, Power
A few weeks ago, two people asked me if I meant conscience rather than consciousness in my draft blog. No, I did not. In my view, there is a clear distinction: all people have consciousness but some people appear to have no conscience (eg, criminals, psychopaths,...
Nothing to lose
7 Feb, 2023 | Knowledge
Some four years ago, a friend in Belgium died on the same day that I bought my house near the Belgian border. I had hoped visiting her more often. My friend had been worried about her imminent death. She feared missing her (grand)children. I suppose that most of us...
Interdependence
6 Feb, 2023 | Knowledge
Recently, I had a discussion with a friend on interconnectedness and interdependence. In his view, interdependence ranks higher. We agreed that our discussion might be rooted in semantics. He proposed that I write about this topic. A related topic is causation, or...
On the Leaks of a War With China (GPF)
5 Feb, 2023 | Knowledge, Power
GeoPolitical Futures title: On the Leaks of a War With China By: George Friedman Date: 31 January 2023 “Over the past few days, two senior U.S. officials – Gen. Mike Minihan, the head of the U.S. Air Force Mobility Command, and Michael McCaul, the chairman of the...
The age of the grandparent has arrived (Economist)
4 Feb, 2023 | Knowledge
The Economist title: The age of the grandparent has arrived The Economist subtitle: The ratio of grandparents to children is higher than ever before. That has big consequences Date: 12 January 2023 "The most saccharine song of 1980 was “There’s No One Quite Like...
The more you know, the less you understand
3 Feb, 2023 | Knowledge
My title is borrowed from the Tao Te Ching (c.400 BC), written by ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi (a.k.a. Lao Tzu). Usually, his assertion is true; especially in matters of the heart (see song below). Recently, I noticed an exception at a macro level: the more you...
Artificial plagiarism
2 Feb, 2023 | Knowledge
"Microsoft has announced a deepening of its partnership with the company behind the artificial intelligence program ChatGPT by announcing a multibillion dollar investment in the business." (Guardian) Similarly, it's also accused of (assisted) plagiarism (eg,...
Civilians (as a nickname)
1 Feb, 2023 | Knowledge, Love, Power
In the 1980s, I fulfilled my (then-mandatory) military service. I tried to apply at a department that would benefit my skill set. The reply I received spoke volumes: "Why? Do you have a medical deficiency?" It was just the start of living in another world, in which...
Time efficiency
31 Jan, 2023 | Knowledge, Love, Power
Recently, I received a Dutch article that translates like: the ones trying to live more efficiently, will lack time for anything. The solution is, however, quite simple: stop or silence smartphone notifications. Also see recent WSJ article: How fixing notifications...
Solomon’s paradox
30 Jan, 2023 | Knowledge
Recently, I noticed an article of which the subject has been on my mind for a very long time. Why am I better in advising others than in advising myself? Big Think-2023: "In 2014, a paper from psychologists Igor Grossman and Ethan Kross introduced the idea...
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