tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post5240421844434303783..comments2024-03-28T19:27:59.772+00:00Comments on A K Haart: The totalitarian within usA K Haarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-59342343260592464752015-10-22T13:12:13.211+01:002015-10-22T13:12:13.211+01:00Woodsy - yes these pressures are real and more int...Woodsy - yes these pressures are real and more intense than they have ever been because of our unprecedentedly crowded lives. This puts pressure on our ability to make sense of things and avoid the unexpected which otherwise might overwhelm us.<br /><br />Demetrius - much of it is verbal in that way. We invent simple answers which attract people.A K Haarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-12201423532079152982015-10-22T12:44:43.200+01:002015-10-22T12:44:43.200+01:00Don't do as I do, do as I say.Don't do as I do, do as I say.Demetriushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17198549581667363991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-91553842858313359072015-10-22T00:52:16.087+01:002015-10-22T00:52:16.087+01:00What about the fact that our lives nowadays are cr...What about the fact that our lives nowadays are crowded. There are more people to compete with - physically on the roads, in shops, etc and psychologically on TV and media and advertisments bombarding us. We no longer have space to ourselves. Being crowded puts people (just like any animal) under pressure, that makes them more competative, more aggressive, more self-centered and hence intolerant of others.Woodsy42https://www.blogger.com/profile/12355671210161625647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-42753355345475515982015-10-21T21:09:40.122+01:002015-10-21T21:09:40.122+01:00Sam - I should have provided a link. It was Karl F...Sam - I should have provided a link. It was Karl Friston, a neuroscientist who said<br /><br />In short, we sample the world to ensure our predictions become a self-fulfilling prophecy and surprises are avoided. In this view, perception is enslaved by action to provide veridical predictions (more formally, to make the freeenergy a tight bound on surprise) that guides active sampling of the sensorium. A K Haarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05897490979828603179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481298417819219839.post-13726351079387018712015-10-21T20:37:44.133+01:002015-10-21T20:37:44.133+01:00Excellent, thought-provoking post. I remember tha...Excellent, thought-provoking post. I remember that you referred some time ago to a writer who wrote about the "minimising surprises" paradigm, but the full importance of it passed me by until this post. Could you remind us who that writer was, so I can go back and have a look?<br /><br />I think we can draw some comfort from your analysis. If society in general is hell-bent on increasing control and regulation, then it gives individuals who have sussed this fact a better opportunity to experiment and resist. Predictability can be our friend. If you are going to swim against the tide, would you rather be up against the big hairy bloke in the next valley, or those muppets who run the council?<br /><br />(I recognise that in Derbyshire they are probably one and the same, but you get my drift...)Sam Vegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05978971199859845931noreply@blogger.com