Last week, I noticed a Big Think article: Why are flood myths so common in stories from ancient cultures around the world? I've written about this in several blogs (eg, my 2016 blog). Actually, there is no flood myth; it's part of our geological history. Also see Wiki on the post-glacial sea level rise. The above might be viewed as yet another example of my recent...
Causality
Demographics
16 Feb, 2023
The UN still projects that "The world’s population is expected to increase by nearly 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, from the current 8 billion to 9.7 billion in 2050 and could peak at nearly 10.4 billion in the mid-2080s." Early 2023, China admitted a population decline (eg, CNN, DW, Reuters). In Europe, the average fertility rate in 2022 was at or below...
Interdependence
6 Feb, 2023
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 cause and effect. The subject of causation is annoying (to me and others) as we often confuse cause and...
Reparations
15 Nov, 2022
Several people and/or countries demand reparations for past wrongful acts (eg, climate change, slavery, WWII). In case of countries, these demands often feel like blackmail or extortion. In case of people, these demands often lack causality due to time elapsed (eg, centuries). Moreover, there is an indirect and implicit claim of a collective sin, like the Germans...
Permission or forgiveness; not both
21 Sep, 2022
Recently, a friend proposed a move in our online game. I advised against it as I feared revenge or retaliation. My friend said (s)he would ask for permission. That permission was denied. Much to my surprise, my friend made that move anyway. Now, (s)he is seeking for forgiveness following the consequences. My 2019 blog, It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to...
Little by little the truth of lockdown is being admitted: it was a disaster (the Times)
4 Sep, 2022
Introduction LO: Nowadays, the Why behind lockdown disasters seems to have a simple answer: the infinity of human stupidity (eg, Albert Einstein, Carlo Cipolla). Despite our knowledge on lockdown disasters, China continues with this stupidity. That Why is probably about saving face, a very important concept in China and Asia (eg, source, ThoughtCo.). Given that the...
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