WHAT - Question 2008: What have you changed your mind about?
The Edge Annual Question — 2008
WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT?
When thinking changes your mind, that’s philosophy.
When God changes your mind, that’s faith.
When facts change your mind, that’s science.
WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT? WHY?
Science is based on evidence. What happens when the data change? How have scientific findings or arguments changed your mind?”
THOUGHT EXPERIMENT: Post how you’ve changed your mind below …
June 28th, 2008 at 4:31 am
What if there were no borders between countries but one sole territory where you could come and go as you wished, stay as long as you wanted, experience whatever you want to experience there and then move on to another place, being welcomed everywhere, finally choosing a place to settle knowing the world is an open space, where noone claims their space because there is room for everyone, everywhere… you just have to get there.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I think Political correctness in crrent society is one of the greatest evils facing human kind.
By being told what to say and then be criticised and ostracised for not conforming to me is the beginning of an Orwelling world.
We are being conditioned not to speak our own truths.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:58 am
It would be scary indeed if we were to demand that alternate energy sources (other than fossil fuel) to power transport and such be made available The super powers of government and petrochemical companies who make their fortunes from oil would no longer have an excuse to invade the oil rich middle eastern countries
May 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
What if a critical mass of people realized that the “government” is not needed, that in fact it is an illusion to think of government as an entity that can do anything in its own right rather than a number of people who assumed power over those who let their lives be ran by others rather than by themselves?
What if people saw “law” as an illusion just the same, realizing it is just a set of words constituting artificial and unnatural rules and conditions on how one should live?
What if the whole concept of coercive authority was entirely abolished?
I feel this to be an inevitable progression should enough individuals free their minds to truly independently think and act with 100% personal responsibility.
April 21st, 2008 at 2:52 am
With the ‘right’ mindset everyone can be liberated to do whatever they want, whenever they want, with whomever they want, wherever they want.
April 18th, 2008 at 1:51 am
That students are exposed to the beliefs and values of other races and countries. And that they would have to write lessons on the worth of those other beliefs. Also they would be obliged to write as if from the others perspective and evaluate their beliefs and values.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:50 am
That all the energy some of us are putting into caring for the environment is too little, too late. That in twenty years time our planet’s climate is going to alter so drastically that our life as we know it is over. So we may as well get the most possible fun in the next twenty years. What constitutes fun? Risk.
February 25th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Everyone lives in their own little universe or comfort zone, which they are reluctant to leave.
This means that there are millions of different realities out there, all bouncing of each other,all equally certain that theirs is “the one true reality”.
This causes conflict and uncertainty, and can often be the cause of international dipute and wars. what if tehre could be a “collective reality” that could be acquired on reaching maturity?
The question for all of you out there, how could this be acquired??
February 24th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
” if everyone were very rational in the thinking,the world would lack colour and variety”
February 9th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
What about if Schools stopped teaching Maths and replaced it with thinking instead??
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Wouldn’t it be interesting if the powers that be, who “run” universities, actually went through the corporate programmes of the SOT.
Wow, the mind actually boggles, that a place of education might actually run as a successful business, and actually produced thinkers at the end of their courses, who would actually influence others into also thinking!
December 29th, 2007 at 7:53 am
What if the leaders of education in the world agreed to use texts that were free of cultural, religious, ethnic, socioeconomic, and idealogical bias? What if knowledge was presented to young minds in a pure form and those learners were allowed to exercise their critical thinking skills free of bias? What would the world be like seven generations from now?
December 24th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
What if smokers will only be allowed to smoke in public if they sign a legal agreement to commit suicide upon reaching a certain age.
December 20th, 2007 at 11:19 am
If one excepts the world wants/needs to change to betterment at either an individual or societal level and the human condition is based on a inherent need or drive for this (ego).
Why do we not own this challenge and remove the suffering and limiting strategies.
Why do we focus on change of societal activity and beliefs which are only tranisient and limiting by their nature.
Why are we justified in not taking the necessary step to remove human exisitance.
By removing the ego centric non sustainble thinking, and resulting activity and replacing this with pure energy (spirit) we could stop all suffering in the human realm and reach enlightenment without the struggle.
A pro total death strategy either forced or otherwise would appear to be the only true strategy to enable people to exist (spiritual realm) in perfect happiness and integration with their natural environment
December 4th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
We must become a star faring race. This new frontier that we are on the edge of must become a reality or we will die in our cradle.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:40 am
If thoughts govern our actions, then it is only by cleaning up these first that we can clean up the world. Individuals really do make a difference.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:28 am
I think that others are not like me. For me the world will be better if they are like me, they think and behave like me. It is really degarous if the majority of world population think so. Nobody whants to be changed. We do not like others when they are different. But humans are not animals, they must vary.
November 21st, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Wouldn’t it be dangerous to do something about all the people in the world who don’t have somewhere to live, enough to eat or clean water to drink? Our current thinking is that wealthy people will somehow have to give up their lives if the third world is going to have a life that is more than simply misery, war or limited opportunities. Very dangerous.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:18 am
The technology to run automobiles by water was invented decades ago, but has been covered up.
November 15th, 2007 at 1:13 am
what actually is fear?
ans: fear is the absence of peace.
November 13th, 2007 at 1:53 am
so many cultures, peoples,religions, ideologies, each with its own view and perspective on issues and reality. there foundational belief system are the lenses thru which the world or topics are viewed and interpreted. So who is right or wrong or put in another way ,what is rightness, what is wrongness.
November 13th, 2007 at 1:41 am
if all we have is this existance,this present reality, this realm, then one would be stupid to live a life of depression, pain, anger, biterness e.t.c only one chance to express conciousness…and you waste it?
October 21st, 2007 at 11:17 am
I sometimes think about weird ways to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and ways to reduce water evaporation from large bodies of water. I think about the need to protect people and places from inappropriate and insensitive tourism and development. I think my most “dangerous idea” is there must be life in the universe other than on Earth in some form or another.
October 18th, 2007 at 7:58 am
(Sorry, trying to view more comments, not post another one)
October 17th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
That this might be all there is? No afterlife, No purpose, No plan.