September 16, 2016

Philosophers may be the “father” of ideas but do not “father” actual events

Our brain can effectively combat effects of ageing

Zee News - ‎3 hours ago‎
While the young adults spread their attention wide and gather information from different sources, the elderly focus their attention, looking more at detail, the researchers explained.
"To a certain extent, the brain is able to slow down negative effects of ageing by increasing its level of attentiveness," Schenk added.
The measurements of brain waves also showed that the elderly develop a particular selective attentiveness.
In other words, they pay more attention to details and look more closely than younger people. This was also confirmed by the eye tracker, the researchers concluded in the paper published in the journal Neuropsychologia.
IANS First Published: Friday, September 16, 2016 - 00:23

Since most of us do little to heal ourselves, it is fair to predict that this election won’t pivot on an arthritic hip. The same voters who will choose the next president are part of a population with escalating obesity rateshelmet-less motorcycle and bicycle operationuntouched treadmills, and billions of dollars in junk-food sales. Why would anyone expect the electorate to put vastly more importance on the president’s health than on their own?

Shriver is right that literature depends on writers’ willingness and ability to create characters different from themselves; otherwise the fiction landscape would look even more homogenous, and the writing itself would be significantly less inspired. There is also a genuine danger in shifting literature away from authorial liberty and toward a hyper-politicized idea of what a story can be. The power of fiction—its ability to make imagined people seem more true-to-life than real ones—is lost when all novels are treated like political statements.
It doesn’t follow, however, that anyone offended by a stereotypical literary depiction is a hypersensitive millennial crybaby who fails to appreciate art.
As Shriver noted in her remarks, authors currently face a Catch-22: They are required to include a smattering of non-white characters lest they face accusations of erasure or whitewashing, yet not delve into them too deeply or make them leads, lest they be accused of appropriation.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE IDEAS OF PHILOSOPHERS

94.1 KPFA, a radio station in California, hosts (13 September) a discussion/debate on Adam Smith’s alleged ideas on Moral Philosophy, such as the “invisible hand”, ‘division of labour” and “self interest” HERE 
Adam Smith is regarded as the father of the free market, based on the notion that if we follow our self-interest without the intervention of governments, it will lead to the best possible outcome.  But his moral philosophy has been forgotten or discarded by his supposed disciples.  A documentary series, which features the likes of David Harvey, Ha-Joon Chang, and Noam Chomsky, shows how Smith’s arguments about the division of labor, self-interest, and the invisible hand of the market have been distorted to justify rampant greed.
COMMENT
I’d probably agree broadly with the radio programmes expressed views. I am, though, always reticent to use the language of “father of the free market”, “supposed disciples”,  and “justify rampant greed”. 
Absent Adam Smith, the British economy, and others that emerged elsewhere and the events of the 19th century, would have happened quite independent of the influence of Adam Smith (his books were limited in readership in the thousands not tens of millions) as events had happened long before Smith (1723-90) throughout all history.
Philosophers may be the “father” of ideas that may or may not be noted by other philosophers and much of the  general public, but philosophers do not “father” actual events. There are plenty of willing ordinary “bastards” in life exercising their natural inclinations to greed, amorality and the general awfulness of barbarism, feudal slavery and wage exploitation, or the likes of communist/fascist tyranny.
PAUL
TRUE. I WOULD ALSO ARGUE THAT MARKET OUTCOMES ARE WHAT HAPPENS, FOR GOOD OR ILL. WHETHER THAT IS BETTER THAN ANY PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVE IS AN EMPIRICAL QUESTION. MALFUNCTIONS ARE A FACT OF LIFE THROUGHOUT HISTORY. DON'T FORGET THE PRESENCE IN ALL MARKETS - AND GOVERNMENTS - OF THE 'BASTARDS'.
GAVIN
10:57 AM

The Hindu-11-Sep-2016
The art of using power judiciously ... Element of Power in Management” organised recently by SriAurobindo Centre For Advanced Research .
Speakers with a wide spectrum of managerial expertise shared their views on the judicious use of power in day-to-day operations at a one-day seminar on “The Element of Power in Management” organised recently by Sri Aurobindo Centre For Advanced Research .
V. J. Chandran, Senior Superintendent of Police, Puducherry, spoke of the need to use the power at one’s command for the overall good even as he highlighted the need to punish people in proportion to their crimes or indiscretions.
“While dealing with tough situations which present moral dilemmas, the principles of natural justice have to be always kept in mind,” Mr. Chandran said.
Mamatha Gurudev, Managing Director, Vijay Spheroidials, Bangalore, spoke of the power of beliefs while recounting her journey as an entrepreneur. She held that believing in oneself was the single most important trait of an entrepreneur.
Padma Asokan, Director, Omeon Solutions, Chennai, elaborated the art of leveraging the power of money.
“Investment in people is as important as investment in business. To be successful, a business needs to make money without diluting its core values. She shared with the participants quite a few of her experiences in running her business.
P. Rangaraj, Chairman, Chemin Controls & Instrumentation, Puducherry, spoke of the power of innovation in business, especially the kind of disruptions that innovation normally causes. “Identifying market needs and fulfilling the same with innovative products needs to be part of a company’s culture. This alone could lead to sustainable growth and a strong brand image,” he said.
Jayprakash Thindiyote, Managing Director and CEO, PSL Management Software Technologies, Puducherry, felt that the more the technology evolves, the higher would be the need for bringing in spirituality at the work place.
Ananda Reddy, Director of SACAR, elaborated upon the four components of management – perfection, harmony, power and wisdom. One could be spiritual at all the four levels – physical, vital, mental and psychic – by aspiring towards these attributes, he said.
The four components present a new paradigm of management.
“Higher level management has to deal with the power of thought, of planning, of setting up realistic targets,” Mr. Reddy said.
Ashok Kumar Bhatia, Management Consultant, member of Integral Management Group of SACAR, led an interactive session where participants shared their experiences with abuse of power.
Clips from the movie ‘Erin Brockovich’, the 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh, were shared with the participants, to accentuate the challenges inherent in trying to stand up to big corporates polluting the environment with little regard for the community in which they operate.
The seminar was attended by participants coming from various walks of life.
Leaders in various fields share their experiences at a seminar at
Sri Aurobindo Centre

Savitri Era of those who adore, Om Sri Aurobindo & The Mother.

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