AFTENPOSTEN (Norway)August 6, 2010
ANOTHER TYPE OF THINKING: TO BE AN "INTELLECTUAL" TODAY REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Bjørn Vassnes
...The two cultures
Maybe. But to see them, the classical humanists must forget their fear of science and technology. They must be willing to see the gap between the "two cultures" — the humanists on the one hand — and scientists on the other. This rift developed after the Enlightenment. While thinkers suchas Locke, Paine and Jefferson was strongly influenced by science, it was Rousseau's heirs that reacted against these advances. This is still the story, as we have seen demonstrated in brainwashing.
It was this gap John Brockman wanted to do something about. He saw that there were longer interesting things happening in literature and philosophy. The action was in the new intellectual landscape that opened up in the wake of several scientific and technological breakthroughs. Suddenly able data technologists, psychologists, anthropologists and ethologists began talking to each other about things that had relevance far beyond their specialties. ...
Consciousness Research
A typical "sweet spot" was consciousness research, where scientists such as Roger Penrose and philosophers like Daniel Dennett could find common ground in which to have a conversation. Another area of common interest was research in human behavior, for which economists, psychologists, biologists and AI researchers developed new models, often based on game theory, that were valid in several domains. It is such research that is the background for best sellers by authors such as Malcolm Gladwell, and others, as we've just been in Norway, including at NHH (Institute of Economics).
John Brockman was a literary agent for Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker, among other leading figures of what he called "the third culture," and he created a digital meeting place,edge.org, where many of the world's sharpest minds regularly participate in interesting, but understandable discussions on everything from the Internet's effect on the human brain to the root causes behind terrorism.
What characterizes the discussions on edge.org is that people talk about things they actually know something about. Of course, they can speculate, but it is always grounded in empiricism. There is no attempt to disguise bad thoughts in incomprehensible language. ...
Maybe. But to see them, the classical humanists must forget their fear of science and technology. They must be willing to see the gap between the "two cultures" — the humanists on the one hand — and scientists on the other. This rift developed after the Enlightenment. While thinkers suchas Locke, Paine and Jefferson was strongly influenced by science, it was Rousseau's heirs that reacted against these advances. This is still the story, as we have seen demonstrated in brainwashing.
It was this gap John Brockman wanted to do something about. He saw that there were longer interesting things happening in literature and philosophy. The action was in the new intellectual landscape that opened up in the wake of several scientific and technological breakthroughs. Suddenly able data technologists, psychologists, anthropologists and ethologists began talking to each other about things that had relevance far beyond their specialties. ...
Consciousness Research
A typical "sweet spot" was consciousness research, where scientists such as Roger Penrose and philosophers like Daniel Dennett could find common ground in which to have a conversation. Another area of common interest was research in human behavior, for which economists, psychologists, biologists and AI researchers developed new models, often based on game theory, that were valid in several domains. It is such research that is the background for best sellers by authors such as Malcolm Gladwell, and others, as we've just been in Norway, including at NHH (Institute of Economics).
John Brockman was a literary agent for Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker, among other leading figures of what he called "the third culture," and he created a digital meeting place,edge.org, where many of the world's sharpest minds regularly participate in interesting, but understandable discussions on everything from the Internet's effect on the human brain to the root causes behind terrorism.
What characterizes the discussions on edge.org is that people talk about things they actually know something about. Of course, they can speculate, but it is always grounded in empiricism. There is no attempt to disguise bad thoughts in incomprehensible language. ...
... Knowledge
To be an "intellectual" today, in a manner different than a cultural curiosity, requires knowledge of science and technology. Philosophy and obscure language is no longer enough; rather it stands in the way of understanding, perhaps represented by the "classical intellectuals" — a la Sartre — a cultural cul-de-sac, which led us to the worship of the totalitarian. But now the "the third culture" has taken up the thread from Locke and Paine.
To be an "intellectual" today, in a manner different than a cultural curiosity, requires knowledge of science and technology. Philosophy and obscure language is no longer enough; rather it stands in the way of understanding, perhaps represented by the "classical intellectuals" — a la Sartre — a cultural cul-de-sac, which led us to the worship of the totalitarian. But now the "the third culture" has taken up the thread from Locke and Paine.
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