Socrates

The Importance of Doubt, Asking Questions and Not Knowing

by Socrates
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Most of us are uncomfortable not knowing. Just think about it: Wouldn’t it be nice (and easy) if we knew the answers to all the important questions? Who am I? Is there a God? What is his name? What is the purpose of life? How do I live the good life? What is justice?… Knowing is much more comfortable (and easier) than not knowing. That is why most people convince themselves to be absolutely certain they know the answers. Yet, as Voltaire presciently noted “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” It is absurd to take things on faith, without doubting or testing them in any way, and go on preaching that you really do have the answers. It is absurd to be able to accomplish such an enormous feat simply by following orders and without any substantial struggle, [...]

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No Illusions Podcast: Cameron Reilly Puts Socrates in the Spotlight

by Socrates
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It is only fair that every once-in-a-while Socrates - i.e. “the man with the questions,” ought to get the table turned on him, take the other side of the microphone and answer a few questions himself. So, when Cameron Reilly asked me to be the next guest on his popular and long-running No Illusions Podcast I was honored and agreed without hesitation. In 2004 Cameron co-founded the Podcast Network – Australia’s first social media company, which he built into one of the largest independent Australian media sites. In 2007, Reilly was called one of the “40 Biggest Players Of Australia’s Digital Age.” Currently he is a regular speaker on issues surrounding social media, social networking and the future of media in addition to consulting for a number of Brisbane-based companies as their digital strategist. During my conversation with Cameron we discuss issues such as: [...]

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Why I Am an Optimist

by Socrates
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People sometimes ask me why am I such an optimist about the progress of technology in general and the technological singularity in particular? Well, my reply is simple. I choose to focus on the upside. I choose to be a deliberate, conscious optimist. That is not to say that I suggest we ought to ignore the many dangers that lie certainly ahead of us. What it means is that, once I’ve done my best and the die is cast, the only thing that is left for me is to enjoy the ride, focus on the bright side of life and have a little sense of humor on the way. Tony Robins says that, whether consciously or unconsciously, at any given moment in time we are always making the following decisions: 1. What do I focus on? 2. What does it [...]

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If Socrates Were A Blogger

by Socrates
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Socrates felt that even though he was born Athenian he was a citizen of the world. During his public trial he remarked that “A man who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if he is to survive for even a short time” (Plato. Apology. 32a) But what if Socrates were a blogger? Would he fare any better today than 2,500 ago? *** We do not like to be wrong. We rarely assume that we may be wrong. Human nature doesn’t let us feel wrong… When there is a chance that we may be wrong we get angry; we feel frustrated and threatened; our sub-conscious self-defensive mechanisms prevent us from taking the fault in us and thus our self-preservation instincts prevent us from seeing the truth. Even when we know or suspect that we are [...]

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Best of Singularity Blog

by Socrates

Even though it has been only a bit more than a month since the beginning of this blog I am happy to note that there is already a tight group of people who have subscribed to my feed and continue to come back and read my posts on a regular basis. I want to take this opportunity to do 2 things: First and foremost I want to thank you all for the generous gift of your interest, your time and your moral support. I cherish those dearly and promise to do my best to provide you with more interesting, more relevant and better written singularity content during the new 2010. In the end, without you — my readers, both the Singularity Weblog and the Singularity Symposium website will be not only pointless but will cease to exist. It is your [...]

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Socrates on Socrates

by Socrates
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In a recent blog post I asked: What if Socrates were a Blogger? Well, as you all know it was a rhetorical question for Socrates is a blogger indeed — yours truly. But, more importantly, as it turns out Socrates is blogging on more than one places. For example, just a couple of days ago and by a mere stroke of luck I happened to discover this most amazing descendant of Socrates who writes posts that could make our Greek forefather finally admit that he did really teach somebody something after all. I mean you really have to visit this blog to believe the gadfly is back in multiple re-incarnations and hasn’t lost any of its eloquence or wit. So go check it out: AskSocratesNow.com Can you believe it?! I know — I feel the same way. What more do [...]

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