> Billy Brown wrote:
>
> The only way to create a unified vision for an entire society is to resort
> to force. You must seize the reigns of power, outlaw and suppress rival
> viewpoints, and require adherence to your chosen philosophy at gunpoint.
> The result is predictable - no matter how noble the original ideas were,
> your revolution will end up being run by the smartest, most unscrupulous
> thugs in the country. From there you take a quick road to whatever form of
> authoritarianism they find most convenient.
> IMO, we are much better off recognizing that no one has all the answers,
True. Therefore, humanity should devote some more resources toward finding the
answers.
The three basic ways of interacting with knowledge, are: 1) dissemination from
accessing stored information, through teaching, or from other methods of
communication; 2) use through actions based on awareness of knowledge; and 3)
acquisition of new knowledge from research, through experience, or from other
avenues of discovery. Humanity has achieved proficient methods for dissemination
of information and simply needs to better utilize the same in order to
facilitate the use of knowledge. Yet, less than 2% of global productivity is
devoted toward finding new knowledge (research and development). Clearly
Humanity could and should be investing more in its future.
Cheers,
Jon
http://www.erols.com/jonwill/