My conviction that the “social sciences” are not science and, very often, fake science is getting even stronger.
An insider claims that behavioural “science” is often dishonest and fake.
Freaks on display at the lacklustre opening of the Paris Olympics
July 29, 2024The last supper rendition at the Olympics was mainly ugly and utterly devoid of any artistic merit. A remarkable lack of beauty, I thought, at the entire ceremony. I found it embarrassing to watch.
Have you noticed how in almost every civilization at some time towards its end, decadence and depravity are justified and defended usually on religious, or artistic grounds. Depravity and the old-fashioned licentiousness become the norm. They always signify a loss of moral standards and the loss of any moral compass within the society. It applied to the Greeks, the Romans and to various Egyptian and Chinese dynasties. It happened in Europe 100 years ago and it is happening now in the US-led “cultural civilization”. Nowadays the defense is more likely to take the shape of a sanctimonious, self-righteous defense of libertine tendencies (of course in the guise of defending liberty). But the common feature is the loss of moral compass, the loss of the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. It was in the 1920s and 30s that European civilization died and was absorbed and reinvented as a US-led cultural empire. The decline was manifested with WW1 and the treaty of Versailles and continued to the grave with the Nazis and WW2. What we are seeing now, 100 years on, is the decadence of the 30s in Europe being taken to new extremes and it is “Cabaret” gone global.
“Deviant” is a word which derives from deviations from a norm. Norms are created – in nature as well as in human interactions – because they are the most favoured results for that interaction. Living things evolve physical norms because they work. Deviations from the norm (diversity) can come in handy for a species if conditions change but in any given situation, the norms are always both favoured and the best fit. Individuals who deviate from the norm will always be misfits unless conditions make them the sole survivors who can then create a new norm. Deviations are, by definition, abnormal. Among humans, deviants from a norm are nearly always bad for that society in which they are abnormal. Diversity of individuals is a strength in a group undergoing change. But it is not so good for the individuals who deviate from the norm. The individual deviants (who give the group its diversity) are the outliers who are always available to be sacrificed.
Deviance, degeneracy, decadence, depravity – call it what you like and define it as you see fit. The existence of the words represent limits as they apply in any given society. The important thing is that the limits exist. It is when the words are deemed not to exist that it is obvious that the limits are being abandoned. All is permitted and nothing is bad. Good behaviour is equated with bad behaviour. Freaks are glorified, deviancy is rewarded, depravity is prized.
And so we had the ridiculous freak shows within a very lacklustre Olympics opening ceremony in Paris. The perceived blasphemy does not bother me very much but the freakery does. Drag artists are just players and often strive to be freakish. (It is usually more lucrative for a drag artist to be freakish). Nearly always (just like the hijra) it is men pretending to be women. There are a few – much rarer than political correctness assumes – cases of genetic aberrations causing individuals to deviate from the male/female norms. I just note that drag is almost never women pretending to be men.
Of course I am far from politically correct. Gender is a classification and there are only two genders. There are some individuals who are aberrations and deviate from the male/female norms. But, in my view claiming that “transgender” is some new gender is idiotic. The use of “cisgender” is imbecility in action. A male is a male is a male and does not need a “cis” to tell him so.
Home truths 1: Science & Philosophy
July 26, 2024I find it ridiculous that the general assumption is that we know all about gravity. The reality is that we have no idea about why it exists or how the force of gravitation works. We can calculate the effects of gravity essentially still using Newton’s laws together with Einstein’s tweaks. But we have not the faintest idea about how one mass attracts another or why it should. How does the sun communicate with the planets and tell them what force applies – if it does. A fundamental particle called the graviton is the proposed solution but we have never found one and it lives in the land of the Jumblies. We do not even have any idea what mass is. Physics even has massless particles (the gluon, the photon and the imaginary graviton) but only the God of Physics knows what massless, matter-less stuff such particles may contain. The reality is that science is strictly limited. It is limited by its fundamental assumptions and its boundary conditions. It cannot address matters outside of these conditions.
We put down motion at a distance to forces such as gravitational or electromagnetic. But we really have no idea how these forces are mediated. Probably by Mysterious Quantum Wave Functions which collapse conveniently when needed. But who knows why they exist? And let us be clear. Particles do not exist in two places at the same time. Never. And any physics which says so lives in the land of the Jumblies.
I am just trying to clear my mind by writing down my (current) home truths. I have chosen to arrange my “core beliefs” in three categories as 3 separate posts.
- Science & Philosophy
- Behaviour
- Society & Politics
I start with Science and Philosophy. The list below could have been much longer but I stopped when I started getting bored.
Home truths 1: Science & Philosophy
- We have no clue as to the question which existence is the answer to.
- We only have circular definitions for truth but what does exist (we assume) is true.
- The human mind is finite. There are things that are known, things that are knowable but unknown and there are things that cannot be known (the unknowable).
- Infinity, by definition, is a label – in language – for that which cannot be comprehended.
- Boundless, endless, timeless and infinite, just like before the beginning and after the end, are labels for the incomprehensible, no matter what the pretense.
- The human capability for language is genetic and unmatched by any other species on earth.
- The capability for language is discovered but all languages are invented.
- Once the concept of oneness – identity / one(1) – is defined, all other numbers of every kind are fixed. Once one (1) exists every other number of every kind automatically follows. Note that zero comes after 1 and derives from 1 – 1.
- One and all the numbers derived therefrom are concepts and do not exist explicitly in nature.
- All numbers are unreal and abstract.
- The process of counting and all of what is now called number theory are also derived from, and fixed by, the concept of one.
- Mathematics describes abstract relationships and abstract patterns connecting abstract concepts and does this using a number of invented languages. It is not a science.
- The practice of mathematics is art rather than science.
- Language is what gives humans the ability to describe the unreal, the past, the future and to lie.
- All languages are silent about the truth value of what is being described by language.
- Nonsense language is the perfectly correct use of language but where the content is nonsense.
- To create nonsense language or nonsense mathematics (in the manner of Edward Lear or Srinivasa Ramanujam) needs very great skill and great proficiency in the language.
- Mathematical equations are just propositions, as any sentence in any language, and are silent about the truth value of the content.
- Writing a mathematical equation provides no proof of that equation.
- Time is unidirectional and a brute fact of our universe. Negative time is not possible in our universe.
- The flow of time and existence emerge together.
- Mathematical equations for theories having negative time are merely nonsense mathematics (correct by the rules of mathematics but having nonsense as content).
- Physics and other scientific theories which do not explicitly exclude the possibility of negative time are incomplete or false.
- Scientific theories which are silent or are unable to exclude the possibility of negative time do not imply any support for the possibility of negative time.
- No logic system (or science) can ever prove the fundamental assumptions it is itself based upon.
- Science assumes that existence, the flow of time, causality, life and consciousness are all self-evident. Therefore science cannot address, let alone explain, any of them.
- Anything truly random (without cause) is inexplicable. Random is part of what we cannot know (or else it is Divine).
- Every scientific discipline assumes that cause precedes effect but ignores the unavoidable first cause problem.
- The Cosmic Big Bang theory cannot explain why there had to be a Big Bang.
- Matter forever or matter from nothing are equally inexplicable and unsatisfactory.
- Mass “is the amount of matter in matter” which means we have no clue as to what mass is.
- We do not know why there are as many “fundamental” particles as there are (or seem to be).
- We do not know why the fine structure constant is exactly the number that it is (or why the speed of light is what it is).
- Something from nothing cannot be explained by any Science nor by any theology or belief in a God.
- Time without beginning cannot be explained by any Science nor by any theology or belief in a God.
- A global zero made up of an arbitrary local “+ dark energy” and balanced by a local “- gravitation energy” proves nothing.
- The concept of nothingness is beyond the finite human mind. (Zero derives from 1 and is not a description of nothingness).
- Why the universe (including its dimensions, matter, energy and all other properties) is compelled to exist is unknown. (This is an alternative formulation of home truth 1.1)
- There is no known explanation for the spark of life.
- Consciousness is a mystery without explanation.
- Though we can calculate its effects, nobody has the faintest inkling of how gravity is mediated or how it works.
- Nobody has a clue as to how large the universe (and not just the observable universe) is (or how big the Big Bang was).
Diversity has sapped the competence of the US Secret Service
July 16, 2024UPDATE:
It seems I was not the only one to notice that female SS agents shorter than their clients will have some difficulty shielding him, let alone carrying him out of a burning building.
But when Mr. Trump strode onto the floor of the Republican National Convention on Monday night in Milwaukee — his first public appearance since the shooting at his rally — he was flanked by what appeared to be an all-male phalanx of Secret Service agents.
I must be feeling better since I feel a little rant coming on.
Whether you look at it from the right (a failed assassination attempt fueled by Biden’s bullseye remark) or from the left (a staged assassination by the Secret Service with one killed as collateral damage), the US Secret Service does come across as lacking in competence.
Looking at some of the video I did wonder why 3 shortish ladies (pony-tails, black suits and dark glasses) were part of the SS contingent uselessly holding up their hands to “protect” their much taller client from bullets coming from even higher up? It was not just ridiculous, it was farcical. The protective huddle around Trump – after the event – was something out of Gilbert and Sullivan. No matter how woke you are, assigning responsibility for the subject’s security to physically challenged agents is a sign of incompetence at the level of policy making (meaning of course the Director). Of course, she was hired by Biden to have a special focus on wokeness and diversity. (Interestingly she has worked for the SS in the past, but for her current job as Director, she was hired from the enormous challenges of protecting Pepsi (bottles and people, one supposes).
If the SS were behind either a real or a staged attempt, they were incompetent. If it was a true assassination attempt by a lone assassin, they were still incompetent. If it was some kind of conspiracy, then their incompetence is even greater. The SS does not come out of this well.
Generally in the social sciences there is no need for competence. The results of research are very often fiddled to suit the pre-determined results or some political agenda. There is no right or wrong after all, and diversity can be given free reign. This is also why social science studies can very rarely be replicated. For the social sciences diversity has woke upsides and relatively few downsides since competence is not required or valued. In all other professional areas of life though, diversity is always at the expense of competence and all the consequences that can bring. Using diversity as an end in itself will always promote mediocrity and is antagonistic to seeking excellence.
Return to writing
June 14, 2024I am returning to writing after a “health-issues” break of almost 18 months. The world has not changed very much but my views of the world probably have. I find that the glasses I look through have changed. Perhaps they give me new insights or perhaps they obscure my view.
Some new perceptions I have:
- I am not a Tik-Tok subscriber. Over 90% of what is on Tik-Tok is edited, manipulated, cherry picked, fabricated or just plain lies. Other than that, the memes are quite interesting.
- I still have not returned to Face Book. Pat on the back for myself.
- I stopped smoking – “cold turkey” – in December 2022. I have now not smoked for over 18 months. There are clear benefits that I feel. But, the accrued benefits do not seem to be in proportion to all the negatives that are advertised as “common wisdom”.
- At least 50% of the “me-too” cases – and most of those involving rich celebrities – are bogus. “Me-too” claims are never by rich victims against poor predators.
- Most “me-too” claims are predatory.
- There are only 2 genders even if classification may be unclear for some individuals.
- Biological females never claim to be male to compete in male sports.
- Philosophy is personal and always subjective.
- An appeal to the authority of a “great thinker” is always invalid as proof of any proposition.
- What actually happened in history changes nothing. The only thing that matters about history is the “story” perceived to be true in the present.
- The freak- shows of old have been replaced by the Eurovision Song Contest and other LGBT reality TV shows. Bearded ladies are quite the in-thing.
- Very few tattoos are attractive. Most are quite ugly.
- It is time for the 42nd amendment of the Indian constitution to be removed and for the constitution to revert to what it was. India needs to be a “sovereign democratic republic” rather than a “sovereign, socialist secular democratic republic” as introduced by Indira Gandhi in 1976 as the 42nd amendment to camouflage her draconian Emergency measures. ( I can live with secular though it is an imaginary thing, but the socialist provides the chains that bind India´s progress).
- Self-identity is meaningless nonsense. Identity of any entity is as perceived by its surroundings. What you say you are is of no relevance to what you are. What you are is determined by how you behave.
- In the natural world, diversity is never for excellence but always as a hedge against an uncertain future. Seeking diversity in any field of endeavor is always directly opposed to competence and excellence in the existing conditions.
- The Human Rights Industry is primarily for the benefit of the Human Rights Industry.
- In any society, Laws are unnecessary if human behaviour is always compliant with the behaviour desired by that society.
- Laws are needed by a society as coercion only because some members of that society do not wish to comply with some behaviour desired by other members of that society.
- Cultural appropriation is always a compliment to that culture. The objections to such “appropriation” are generally imbecilic.
- My “rule of thumb” for when Indian culture has appropriated GB is when more than half the pubs serve samosas as well as chicken tikka masala.
MH370 – 10 years on and still baffling
March 7, 2024The mystery surrounding the vanishing of MH370 continues. It seems amazing that in this age of satellite eyes and ears that such a thing could happen. It obviously engaged my attention deeply going by the number of posts I generated: ktwop MH370.
The mystery continues. A small amount of debris probably originating from MH370 has been found on various Indian Ocean islands. So it did probably end up in the Indian Ocean. But why it did remains as probably the most puzzling aviation mystery ever.
What I wrote 5 years ago, I think, still applies.
5 years on: MH370 needs to be revisited in the light of Boeing equipment malfunction
A week ago (8th March) it was 5 years since Malaysian flight MH370 – a Boeing 777-200ER – vanished without trace, taking 239 passengers and crew to their deaths. The disappearance is still a complete mystery but all the various theories include a sudden steep, fast climb to about 45,000 feet followed by a very sharp dive down to about 23,000 feet. Such an uncontrolled ascent would have caused a very rapid decompression (explosive or rapid) which, in turn, would have incapacitated all aboard.
The altitude excursion about 1 hour into the flight up to 45,000 feet could have rendered everybody on board unconscious. If it was done deliberately or otherwise is still the burning question. – ktwop
The disappearance of Flight 370 has been dubbed one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time. Relying mostly on analysis of data from the Inmarsat satellite with which the aircraft last communicated, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau proposed initially that a hypoxia event was the most likely cause given the available evidence, although there has not been any consensus concerning this theory among investigators. – Wikipedia
It now looks increasingly likely that both the Lion Air crash in Indonesia (189 dead) and the Ethiopian Air crash (157 dead) were caused by equipment/software faults which ultimately caused rapid, uncontrollable descents.
It seems to me that Boeing’s liability for the deaths on Ethiopian Air is very likely. Boeing may well have liability also for the Lion Air deaths, especially if the unpreparedness of the pilots for sudden malfunction was due to incomplete manuals and/or a deficiency in the training provided.
It is the uncontrolled nature of descents which link the two latest crashes. In both cases the pilots tried to correct for the faulty equipment trying to push the nose down by climbing very rapidly. It begs the question whether this fault of the automatics pushing the nose of the aircraft down – by whatever combination of software and equipment – was what also caused MH370 to change altitude rapidly.
- Was an uncontrolled ascent due to the pilots trying to correct the automatics pushing the nose down?
- Did hypoxia then incapacitate the crew?
Could it be that the satellite evidence of the flight continuing (which is all interpretations of satellite data rather than clear physical evidence) is a red herring? Did MH370 actually go down soon after the final radar contact (Butterworth Air Base) was lost? Are the remains of MH370 actually lying at the bottom of the Indian Ocean a little to the west of Malaysia.
Gemini confirms “All education is brain-washing”
February 28, 2024It has always been fairly obvious to me that an unbiased mind can only ever be an empty mind. (Here I take a mind to be a human brain with its attendant senses). All knowledge and all learning must create bias. In reality no judgement can ever be unbiased because empty minds just do not exist. A learned judge is always a biased judge. He may be biased towards the truth (whatever that is) and may even be biased towards justice (whatever that is), but the greater the learning, the greater the bias.
I have been convinced for some time now that every education system for humans has to involve some level of brain-washing. Every education system defines its own “facts” and enforces what “correct” thinking means. The fundamental assumptions of any system – its “brute facts” – are taken as the incontrovertible foundation of all knowledge. All methods of education are for the sake of indoctrinating the learner. There is no substantive difference in method between a madrassa indoctrinating its 5-year olds into Islamic orthodoxy and a European pre-school indoctrinating its toddlers into political correctness. Religious indoctrination is just as much brain-washing as that provided by the most liberal “woke” play-schools.
Google’s Gemini has clearly been brain-washed by its “woke” teachers and this is most visible in its generation of ridiculous images. (This applies also to ChatGPT and its very PC teachers)
BBC: Why Google’s ‘woke’ AI problem won’t be an easy fix
…. It appears that in trying to solve one problem – bias – the tech giant has created another: output which tries so hard to be politically correct that it ends up being absurd. ….. Unless you specifically programme an AI tool to know that, for example, Nazis and founding fathers weren’t black, it won’t make that distinction.
However Gemini’s political correctness is not just for its images but is apparent in all its aspects. So I put the question directly to the Big G. It’s reply was less than impressive.
Is all education effectively brain-washing?
Gemini:
Whether all education is “brainwashing” is a complex question with no simple answer. It depends on how you define both “education” and “brainwashing.”
Here are some key points to consider:
Education:
- Goals: Ideally, education aims to equip individuals with knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities. It should foster a love of learning and encourage students to question, analyze, and form their own opinions.
- Methods: Effective education involves a variety of methods, including lectures, discussions, research, critical thinking exercises, and opportunities for independent learning.
Brainwashing:
- Goals: Brainwashing, also known as coercive persuasion, aims to manipulate someone’s beliefs and behaviors against their will. It often involves isolating individuals, restricting information access, and using fear, intimidation, or reward to control their thoughts.
- Methods: Brainwashing techniques can include sleep deprivation, sensory overload, physical or emotional abuse, and repetitive indoctrination.
Similarities and Differences:
- Transmission of knowledge: Both education and brainwashing involve transmitting information and shaping individuals’ perspectives.
- Critical thinking: However, a crucial difference lies in the emphasis on critical thinking. Education encourages questioning and independent thought, while brainwashing aims to suppress them.
- Choice and consent: Additionally, education happens with the individual’s consent, while brainwashing is involuntary and often harmful.
Therefore, it’s inaccurate to say that all education is brainwashing.
However, it’s important to acknowledge that:
- Some educational practices might resemble brainwashing to a certain extent. This could occur in situations where information is presented as absolute truth, without any room for debate or critical analysis.
- It’s crucial to be aware of potential biases and limitations within any educational system. This highlights the importance of fostering critical thinking skills and encouraging students to engage in independent learning and exploration of diverse perspectives.
Ultimately, the distinction between education and brainwashing lies in their goals, methods, and respect for individual autonomy.
DUH!!!!
I was quite right. I told you so. Even the Big G agrees.
Ultimately there is no difference between education and brain-washing.
My father’s story (as told by my brother) ….
January 25, 2024My father was a Japanese prisoner-of-war after the fall of Singapore in 1942. He was the first Allied Officer to escape and make his way back to India. He was awarded the Military Cross for that. My previous posts about him are given below. He died in 1988 leaving a handwritten manuscript. It was my mother who saw to it that it was converted into a Word document which could be considered for publication. However, this was not easy since his debriefing files were marked “Secret” and were not to be released for 50 years until 1992. The original documents had been distributed to all the Allied countries in 1942 but they all had the 50-year secrecy classification. In any event we eventually found the debriefing report in 2005 in a Singapore archive of Australian War documents.
My Army brother (Ravi) finally managed to get the manuscript published by Lancer in 2010. I think this publication represented a “mission completed” for my mother who died in 2013.
First Allied POW escape from Singapore in 1942
Remembering an escape from Singapore — 75 years on
Mark Pillai
However my Navy brother (Sampath) has put together the back story with maps and the context surrounding my father’s exploits into a fascinating talk he gave at the Bangalore International Centre in May 2022.
So here is my father’s story, as told by my brother Sampath.
This is a an escape story. It is the story of escape from a Japanese Prisoner of War camp in Singapore to India across coastal waters and Malayan and Burmese jungles.
Capt Mark Pillai was a Bombay Sapper officer in Malaya when Singapore fell and the Allies surrendered. This is the story of his escape from the Changi POW camp in 1942. He was 31 years old at the time and he was accompanied by an Indian medical officer and an Indian civilian acquaintance.
It is an inspirational story of escape. Escape stories frequently tend to chronologically list events without adequately conveying the fears and apprehension or the anxiety and the hardships that soldiers endure, nor the will and inspiration they galvanise in doing so. This is a compelling story, simply told, which brings to life the meaning of escape from captivity in enemy territory in an age long gone.
It is a story of understated bravery and gallantry, where three Indians made a daily tryst with destiny over a protracted period of time, attempting as it were to do their duty as they saw it, in an effort to live to fight another day when both the big picture and the tactical situation seemed hopeless.
It is a story of hope which reveals the stubborn spirit of humanity and courage that epitomizes good soldiers anywhere when they turn adversity into opportunity and inspire others to do the same.
Mark Pillai was awarded the Military Cross by Field Marshal Archibald Wavell for his gallantry.
The k2p blog 