Freedom From The Collective Delusion: Reclaiming The Cognitive Map
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[I watched the movie The Four Horsemen where they talk about "cognitive mapping" and I began to think about in the context of recent events. Much of how people react to things has to do with they frame information... this is the construct of the cognitive map]
The movie states that Guttenberg's printing press freed people intellectually from ecclesiastical control, enabling them to read the Bible for themselves. Similarly, the internet has freed people from the mainstream narrative... if they so choose. And herein lies the rub- arousing mankind from their intellectual slumber. We live in an age of intellectual lethargy- apathy- amorality and entitlement. This, of course, isn't true of everyone, but it is of the vast majority. When mass media began to proliferate in the late 1950's and early 60's I remember thinking that here is the opportunity to produce the best educated culture the world has ever known... lamentably, the opposite happened.
It wasn't too long after this observation that I had a rude awakening... as I pondered why, with all of the tools at their disposal, the "powers that be" wanted a dumbed down populace. Schools began focusing on feelings rather than critical thinking and intellectual growth. Another concept never taught is that liberty and freedom are not an entitlement, they must be earned. The "March For Our Lives" was a testament to the sheep mentality. High Impact Flix did a series of interviews with the crowd and not one of the participants could answer questions without contradicting themselves.
"Who should be in charge of guns?" HIF asked.
"The government," replied a marcher.
"You trust the government?" (HIF)
"No," the marcher said.
"So you don't trust the government, but you want them in charge of guns?" (HIF)
Blank stare. These people have a serious problem with framing information, or perhaps a lack of cogent information is closer to the truth. You may not be able to fix stupid, but you can easily motivate it and turn it into a mob. This is what happened in post-Weimar Germany... the key is changing the focus of education from intellect to emotion. The problem in America is not "left vs. right," it's emotivism vs. intellectual lethargy. How then do we change the cognitive amp... away from emotive sheep toward intellectually motivated individuals seeking liberty and freedom?
I'm actually optimistic, it's happening. The problem is that the MSM focuses on emotion rather than critical thought. In fact, to the MSM, critical thought- and therefore those emboldened to employ it- are the enemy... You just don't see them. Using the march of this past weekend as an example, those students do not represent a majority at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School- they're just a vocal minority fawned on by the MSM. The Millennials are beginning to come around, the smart ones are seeing that their parent's and grandparent's generations frittered away their futures. The David Hoggs represent a small minority of self-aggrandizing opportunists that can be found in any generation (particularly the 2 previous in abundance).
The problem isn't guns, it's systemic corruption and the Millennials sense it. Imagine if the government in 2008 had bailed out the homeowners instead of the banksters. The movie The Big Short was made by Millennials- they get it. How do we end the corruption? The internet will be the vehicle of change, and the Millennials will propel it. The approval ratings of the MSM and government both are just barely in double digits. The problem is money.
An unholy alliance has arisen- a vicious circle propelled ny greed. For someone to run for national office it takes immense amounts of money to buy exposure from one of the six media companies. This requires corporate sponsorship, or as Victor Lockhart said: "A politician is only as good as the corporations that pay to get him elected." Naturally, the politician is beholden to those that paid more than those who voted. The internet- blockchain technology in particular- has the ability to circumvent this.
It will be the internet, like Guttenberg's printing press that will take the corruption out of politics and society as a whole. The internet will be the vehicle that changes the cognitive map... perhaps slowly at first, but eventually it will happen. The MSM and their "fake news" will go the way of the dinosaur and it will be a new generation that will ride the wave of truth.
Fascinating analysis between the internet and the Bible. True. they want a dumb public because it is easier to control and manipulate. Funny all the college degrees out there and yet these youth are dumb as hell. No wisdom or common sense. Thanks @richq11
Everybody gets a trophy... All you need for a degree is the price of admission. There was a time when a college degree meant that you knew something- now it means that you were dumb enough to go in debt for a worthless piece of paper.
Wonderful work! The start is the hardest part, then it will happen naturally. When the truth seekers become majority evertyhing will fall into place. God Bless
Thanks... I think you'll love today's post then!
The printing press and the resulting information deluge had complex effect on Western ecclesiastic and political matrix. The mass production of Lutheran pamphlets can be perceived as one of the first propaganda material aimed at inciting populist support for the lower clergy in revolt against established ecclesiastic bureaucracy. At the same time, the Catholic church used the printing press to decrease regional variance in religious observation (mass production of catechism and using Jesuit school system), further centralizing control. Later, with decrease in cost of publication, texts of less significance and even utter garbage were mass produced, essentially drowning theological and philosophical texts into oblivion. Prioritization becomes lost in ready availability of information; much like an autistic child being unable to discern information due to thalamic gate malfunction.
Even Galileo attempted populist support for his heliocentric model by publishing a novella for general public consumption, rather than publishing an academic paper through proper channels - much like how climate science is propelled more by newspaper headlines, rather than via academic discussions. Populist appeal can only be possible, if information can be disseminated cheaply. Opportunists like Hogg would not have been so effective, were it not for readily available information distribution network of social media and "traditional" media. If the Hoggs of the world were to propose their policy through established political think-tanks or academia, in the absence of current information distribution network, they be laughed out of town.
The current education system is incompatible with reality of mass information availability. The priority for training ought to be the ability to discriminate relevant information from garbage, but most of the emphasis is on technical training. Of course, without a clear standard reference frame of principles and virtues, it is impossible for men to be discriminating in regard to the deluge of information assaulting their senses daily.
Curated for #informationwar (by @openparadigm)
Relevance: Destroying the Popular Delusions
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A lot of the millennials were raised by television, big mistake, two parents working, a single child, which goes from the nursery to the school, then to the university, then to work, a whole process of indoctrination, they never think, always repeat.
Not all millennials are, obviously, that way, the youngest ones that replaced TV with the Internet, have surprisingly different behavior.
I'm starting to see a change... Millennials that actually think- there are the parrots like that Hogg kid that still going with the typical mantras... Leftover 60's nonsense. The problem is getting visibility for the smart ones!
I was just having this very same conversation with a family member over this past weekend. Thanks for putting it in words!
Thank you!
Well, the SJWs minds are built on little... mostly truths.
And so, there it is. All of these statements are mostly true, so the conclusion should be mostly true.... so they think.
Emotion and intellect, wouldn't it be nice if they both got along. If they worked together as one. But that doesn't seem to happen on any large scale in this world. I believe happiness is when they do come together for a short time, but then separate and go back to their respected corners.