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Our society does a rather poor job of making us aware of, let alone interested in, the nature of common sense, the hidden assumptions that permeate thought, the complex mechanisms of sensory perception and category systems, the will the believe, the human tendency toward gullibility, the most typical flaws in arguments, the statistical inferences we make unconsciously, the vastly different temporal and spatial scales on which one can look at the universe, the many filters through which one can perceive and conceptualize people and events, and so on. The resulting deceptions, delusions, confusions, ignorances, and fears can lead to many disquieting social consequences, such as mildly or absurdly wasteful spending of funds, blatant or subtle discrimination against groups, and local or global apathy about the current state and momentum of the world. Of course everyone labors under some delusions, avoids certain kinds of thoughts, has an overly closed mind on this or that subject. What, however, are the consequences when this is multiplied by hundreds or thousands of millions, and the small pieces are woven together into a vast fabric? What does a carpet woven from the incomplete understandings and ignorances of five billion sentient beings look like from afar - and where is this flying carpet headed? Douglas Hoftstadter, Metamagical Themas, p89

What I call the Project, which is concerned with Consciousness, and takes in Science and History
German Language
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Ricky's Alleyway

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