Howard Bloom

[negator]

any fans of Howard Bloom here? he is this...i don't know exactly...philosopher?
in short, he weaves differing "-ologies" together and applies them to problems not normally connected. eg "paleo-psychology"

sound weird?

in his books, he doen't really say anything new, but assembles ideas in such a way that you see everything in a completely different light (at least i did). some links:
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i've devoured everything i can find, but share if you've got

cheers!

 

[negator]

this is an interview from the show called disinformation.

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[negator]

an article about collective intelligence - "group iq"
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[negator]

screw sustainability

This sustainability-style-thinking was responsible for the impoverishment of North Africa and of the Middle East that goes on to this day. Which gives you an idea of the power of worldviews.

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[negator]

In Praise Of Consumerism - It Appeals To The Thoreau In You

There's a rule of science we normally overlook. That rule? Challenge your assumptions. See what you can derive from a new point of view. Buck the normal. Today, it is normal to **** consumerism. It's normal to loathe what consumerism has done to us...and what it has done to the planet. So as good scientists, let's go anti-conventional. Let's sing an ode in praise of consumerism. Let's see if reversing the normal point of view will produce any surprises.

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[Spud Crowley]

:1orglaugh yeah, one could see things in a new light by reading this guy, but that doesn't exclude him from the category of bullshit. there is so much garbage in what he says i don't even know where to start. Maybe it will suffice to point out that his categorization of ****** Nature as "vicious bitch" and his idea that thoreau could only appreciate nature because he was a "rich boy" both ignore the fact that many hunter-gatherer people all around the world that lived as intimately as possible with the "vicious bitch" and were far, far from being "rich boys," did not perceive nature in such derogatory terms, but had a more appreciative, balanced perception of natural cycles of life/death, growth/decay, etc. He is just trying to manipulate you into accepting what we currently have while leaving out the fact that human beings valued the "vicious bitch" and did not recklessly exterminate everything that wasn't human for consumerism which makes us into passive cyborgs. This guy is obviously scared of death and pain and sees nothing positive in a natural system that is beyond our control which regulates certain balances of life while having periodic catastrophic events that open up avenues for the emergence of new life forms. Life adapts and expands in to new forms, but stays within a certain biological matrix. Technology and domestication just separates us from the matrix, declaring ourselves gods and that if we can't control tornados then we are a failure. I value tornados and such "evil" manifestations of the "vicious bitch" because it humbles me into seeing the dangers of playing god like Victor Frankenstein. Bloom:the epitome of the manipulative nature of language in service to a species gone mad. :thefinger

Contra Blooms bullshit, read Premium Link Upgrade

 

[negator]

In Praise Of Consumerism
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[Spud Crowley]

Part 3 may be one of the most horrible articles i've ever read. I figured he would get to Columus eventually, and when he did, it was in the traditional "The Indians don't exist or don't matter" version. People like Bloom rot your brain while pretending to be hip critics. It's all a marketing scheme, just like if you read bloom's biography on wikipedia you can see that he was a publicist for pop culture icons. Manipulation is the name of his game. It's very revealing though to see how blatanly stupid so many people can be. The founders of religion figured that out thousands of years ago. The high priest of capitalism and civilization, I present to you Mr. Howard Bloom.:thefinger