Ideas of Justice

In exploring and demonstrating the idea that it is possible to have different reasons for justice, each of which would survive “critical scrutiny” but “yields divergent conclusions”, Amartya Sen in his book “The Idea of Justice” brought to us a delightful tale of three kids with a flute. The socialist among us will make the …

Wealth and Whips

Excerpt: " Have you ever asked what is the root of money? Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give …

Somnolence

Somnolence (the scientific term for sleep which literally means "drowsiness") is derived from the word "somnus" which is Latin for "sleep". Sleep refers to a naturally recurring state of mind and body characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles, and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness …

Models of Education

Factory model schooling or factory model education refers to an educational style or pedagogy that first emerged in Europe in the late 18th century whose primary characteristics are top-down management, emphasis on formal management, centralized planning, standardization, outcomes designed to meet societal needs, and efficiency in mass-producing results. It is comparable to the factory model …

Value and Value Creation

In ethics 'value' denotes the degree of importance of some thing or action, with the aim of determining what actions are best to do or what way is best to live (normative ethics), or to describe the significance of different actions. It may be described as treating actions themselves as abstract objects, putting value to …

​Ikigai (生き甲斐)

Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being." It is similar to the French phrase Raison d'être. Everyone, according to Japanese culture, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self. Such a search is important to the cultural belief that discovering one's ikigai brings satisfaction …

The Commandments of Logic

Thou shall not attack the person’s character, but the argument itself. (Ad hominem) Thou shall not misrepresent or exaggerate a person’s argument in order to make them easier to attack. (Straw Man Fallacy) Thou shall not use small numbers to represent the whole. (Hasty Generalization) Thou shall not argue thy position by assuming one of …

The Perils of Collectivism

Excerpt: "   Well, there was something that happened at that plant where I worked for twenty years. It was when the old man died and his heirs took over. There were three of them, two sons and a daughter, and they brought a new plan to run the factory. They let us vote on …

Racist

Do you know what we call opinion in the absence of evidence? We call it prejudice. Prejudice is the child of ignorance and racism springs from ignorance. Racism is the notion of ascribing moral, social or political significance to a man’s genetic lineage—the notion that a man’s intellectual and characterological traits are produced and transmitted …

Traditions

The word 'tradition' comes from the Latin word 'traditionem' which means "handing over, passing on". However just because something is traditional is no reason to do it. Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay. Free yourself from the rigid conduct of tradition and open yourself to new forms …

Speed Limits and Road Accidents

In 1896, Bridget Driscoll was attending a summer fete in Crystal Palace, London, when a car travelling at a tremendous pace – somewhere under its top speed of eight miles per hour – struck and killed her. She became Britain’s first automobile fatality. There wasn’t a big reaction. The British Parliament had just passed an …

Iris

A sliver of molten ice I dance across the skies From the heavens above I pour Lands below I come Deep seas I join With mighty rivers I flow From tall peaks I fall Pristine to drink I am Many a lake I mould As vapour the earth I leave The sky again I meet

Life

Fallen from a sparrow's beak A seed buried deep Nurtured by rain and soil A young plant is born Guided by the sun Tested by the seasons Long years endured A tall tree is formed Many a fruit it yields Cool shade it's foliage gifts Life it is And life it gives

AI Decision Makers

According to Alibaba CEO Jack Ma "30 years later, the Time Magazine cover for the best CEO of the year very likely will be a robot. It remembers better than you, it counts faster than you, and it won't be angry with competitors." However I believe that decision making matters precisely because humans administer them. …

Reservation in India

Replace India's Caste-based Reservation System with Monetary Stipends The framers of the Constitution believed that, due to the caste system, SCs and the STs were historically oppressed and denied respect and equal opportunity in Indian society and were thus under-represented in nation-building activities. However a large section of extremely poor people are still not getting …