18 September
social origins of the mind
Guest speaker - Hans Rosling's insights on poverty
A year after his first TED presentation, Hans Rosling had a follow-on presentation.
We might find it useful to consider it together.
Note the use of data and the visualization of information.
Does it make it easier to grasp?
He says culture is the most important thing? Agree?
What did he learn during his year as a student in India?
The author says we might expect to find differences in:
Beliefs about controllability of the environment, with Westerners believing in controllability more than Easterners.
Preferred patterns of explanation for events, with Westerners focusing on objects and Easterners being more likely to emphasize relationships.
Use of formal logical rules, with Westerners more inclined to use logical rules to understand events than Easterners.
Application of dialectical approaches, with Easterners being more inclined to seek the Middle Way when confronted with apparent contradictions and Westerners being more inclined to insist on the correctness of one belief vs. another.
Is that your experience?
Plan for the day
We'll ponder things together for a bit, then consider one of the above quotes. We all will discuss the concept, then select one of your members to present the consensus of your deliberations. We will then consider that consensus in light of our own thoughts on the issue.
an idea for the day
