4 Aug, 2022
There is a Dutch saying: "A donkey does not bump into the same stone twice." I didn't see foreign equivalents. An alleged quote by Albert Einstein states: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” The key difference between animals and humans is (not) having beliefs. Recently, I noticed this question: If Humans Are the...
13 Jul, 2022
Recently, I noticed this question: What is Power? The answer seems obvious but is it really? In the animal world, power is often about physical power or strength. Nevertheless, the big, slow and smart elephants appear powerful (eg, trumpet sounds). Clearly, even a projection of power equals Power. Compared to humans, many animals have more strength (eg, harder,...
9 Jul, 2022
Big Think / The Well: 95% of your behavior is primate behavior with Frans de Waal By: Frans de Waal (eg, Facebook, University, Wikipedia)Date: 5 July 2022 (email) " “I look at humans basically as primates,” says Dr. Frans de Waal in our Interview of the week. “95% of what we do are primate tendencies and primate emotions and primate sociality.” But, as de Waal...
7 Jul, 2022
Elected presidents governing by decree, hung parliaments, and courts taking political decisions following (i) their ideological beliefs (eg, SCOTUS), and/or (2) NGO's (eg, NRA, Urgenda verdict). As a result, the executive branch is curbing the power of the judicial branch in several countries (eg, Hungary, Poland, USA). Recently, Noah Feldman, a Harvard law...
5 Jul, 2022
A former colleague used to say that our director was able to (i) tell different lies to different people and (ii) remember which lie he told to whom. Claiming to be less intelligent, he preferred telling the truth as it was easier to remember. I agree(d) but I doubt that is why I prefer telling the truth. Lying and cheating is not a specific human trait because...
4 Apr, 2022
Recently, a new old friend suddenly asked me: "Why do you trust me?" I did not have an immediate answer and made a note of her question. Our history indeed justifies that her question to me is appropriate and valid. Perhaps, I should neither trust her, nor the Russian president. Hence, why do we trust people? My initial consideration was: do I have an alternative?...
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