Philosophy Wire: We are all gay. And black. And women. And…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2015-02-09]: When some years ago his enemies wanted to hurt the image of Comandante Marcos, they spread the rumor that he is gay. The answer from the leader of the Zapatistas was not something like "Subcomandante has laid half of Mexico" but a rather surprising answer which make his movement even more popular.

“Yes, Marcos is gay. Marcos is gay in San Francisco, black in South Africa, an Asian in Europe, a Chicano in San Ysidro, an anarchist in Spain, a Palestinian in Israel, a Mayan Indian in the streets of San Cristobal, a Jew in Germany, a Gypsy in Poland, a Mohawk in Quebec, a pacifist in Bosnia, a single woman on the Metro at 10pm, a peasant without land, a gang member in the slums, an unemployed worker, an unhappy student and, of course, a Zapatista in the mountains.
Marcos is all the exploited, marginalised, oppressed minorities resisting and saying `Enough'. He is every minority who is now beginning to speak and every majority that must shut up and listen. He is every untolerated group searching for a way to speak. Everything that makes power and the good consciences of those in power uncomfortable -- this is Marcos". [1]

Be with the minority. Never be proud when you are with the majority. Be nervous when you are with the majority. Almost naver has it decided correctly about something critical...
Look again where you belong. Look again where you stand. Are you afraid?

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Philosophy Wire: Ignore majority. Death is good!

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-06-13]:

Too many cooks really do spoil the broth as new research found smaller groups make more accurate decisions. A study by Princeton University suggests collective intelligence, or the "wisdom of crowds," may not be as effective as previously thought.

It found the more people involved in making a decision, the bigger the greater the chance of bad decisions.
The "wisdom of crowds theory was based on observations by English statistician Sir Francis Galton's more than a century ago who stated group decisions are enhanced as more individuals have input. He observed a contest in which villagers attempted to guess the weight of an ox and although not one of the 787 estimates was correct, the average of the guessed weights was a mere one-pound short of the animal's recorded heft.

But collective decision-making has rarely been tested under complex, "realistic" circumstances where information comes from multiple sources The new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, used simulations to investigate how numbers of individuals effected their ability to make a decision. The group's decision accuracy was determined by how well individuals could use two types of information. One that was known to all members of the group - known as correlated information - and another that was perceived by only some individuals, or uncorrelated information.

The researchers found that the communal ability to pool both pieces of information into a correct, or accurate, decision was highest in a band of five to 20. After that, the accurate decision increasingly eluded the expanding group.

Albert Kao, a graduate student of ecology and evolutionary biology who co-authored the study, said with more individuals, that which is known by all members comes to dominate the decision-making process.
The uncorrelated information gets drowned out, even if individuals within the group are still well aware of it.
In smaller groups, on the other hand, the lesser-known cues nonetheless earn as much consideration as the more common information. This is due to the more random nature of small groups, which is known as 'noise' and typically seen as an unwelcome distraction. Mr Kao found that noise is surprisingly advantageous in these smaller arrangements and said: "It's surprising that noise can enhance the collective decision".

"We found that if you increase group size, you see the wisdom-of-crowds benefit, but if the group gets too large there is an over-reliance on high-correlation information". [1]

The majority cannot decide well.

Do not trust it.

The majority believes health is good.

The majority believes death is bad.

Simply ignore it.

And believe the exact opposite.

Most of the times you will end up in unexpected wisdom…

And yes, most will consider this wrong. ;)

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Philosophy Wire: Nonconformity and freethinking: The new mental illness! [DSM-IV]

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-01-23]: Is nonconformity and freethinking a mental illness? According to the newest addition of the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), it certainly is. The manual identifies a new mental illness called “oppositional defiant disorder” or ODD. Defined as an “ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile and defiant behavior,” symptoms include questioning authority, negativity, defiance, argumentativeness, and being easily annoyed. [1] Rational is the belief of the many. The others are just... ill!

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Philosophy Wire: Brazil, people, money...

> Help translate the Harmonia Philosophica book in 6 new languages and get valuable perks in return! Support the Indiegogo project now!

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-07-04]: People in Brazil protest against the cost of the coming World Cup that the country will host. [source: BBC News] Never before was the needs of the many (who by default are governed) so incompatible with the needs of the few (who by default govern)...

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Philosophy Wire: Ethnicities, DNA, racism...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-04-22]: Research has revealed that ethnicity may influence antibody genes: Immunity-related DNA sections could actually vary depending on ethnicity. [source: Science Daily] I am really shocked at this racist conclusion. How can ethnicities be "different"? Simple conclusions now need special wording ("could") and extensive research on the fear that someone might call a scientist fascist. Common logic replaced by the oppression of the stupid fears of ignorant majorities...

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