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alexiuss β€” PERSONAL CATASTROPHE AND PROBABLE SOLUTIONS
Published: 2013-04-10 15:27:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 36432; Favourites: 690; Downloads: 277
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Description Your life is headed for a disastrous end.

Everyone will die.
That is a fact.

Especially you.
You will die.

Your friends will die.
Everyone you know will die.
These are indisputable facts.

Your body will break down and crash in one way or another.
Your heart will stop.
Your brain synapses will cease firing.
100% guaranteed termination.
You and everyone you know has less than 122 years left.
The oldest person alive was 122.
Oldest person alive now is 115.

Death should be your number one enemy.
Do not accept it.
Do not welcome it.

The question is - are you willing to extend, improve your life and the lives of those you love?
Why haven't you done it yet? Do you think it's impossible?
Flying for us was impossible until airplanes were built.

Now, the question is- how do we stop the personal catastrophe of death?
The logical answer is - science!
We can slow death down using modern medicine, and we can stop and reverse some accidental causes of death.
Aging is one cause that we cannot currently stop.
Should we simply focus all our efforts on stopping aging?

No.

Humanity as a whole is not ready for immortality.
If immortality was invented tomorrow, only the richest would attain it and use it as a tool to gain more control over others.
Control that equals to war and misery. Are the richest countries, companies and people solving problems?
They are not- a lot of them support wars and fund unsustainable developments.
If immortality was given to everyone tomorrow, overpopulation would quickly destroy civilization.

Before we can stop aging we MUST shift the pattern of human thought itself.
Of your thinking and my thinking.
Can it be done? Yes.
Will you do it? Probably not.
Not unless you take my words seriously and read this article every morning when you wake up.
Not unless you and I shift, or at least learn to shift our modes of thinking entirely into logical, rational and problem solving.

Basically, become amazing at life and solve all your problems.
Once all of your personal problems are solved, you can focus on solving problems of humanity as a whole.

-How does an individual become a problem solver?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Step 1:
Become a rationalist.

Understand the principle of "Occam's razor" to manage your life.
"Simpler explanations are, other things being equal, generally better than more complex ones.
Among competing hypotheses, the one that makes the fewest assumptions should be selected."
Occam's razor is used in medicine when there are many explanations for symptoms and the simplest diagnosis is usually is the correct one.
If a child has a runny nose, they probably have the common cold instead of a rare birth defect.
If a tree suddenly feel down in a forest - wind was responsible, not a wizard.

When faced with two or more answers, you can use Occam's razor to trim away improbable ones.
Any statement or answer made without proof or scientific evidence backing it, can be trimmed.

Learn to apply skepticism when faced with new information, especially information that has no logic or scientific proof behind it.

If you enjoy reading sci-fi books, a fun way to become a rationalist is to read "Harry potter and the methods of rationality".
Google it and read it.
If you know of more articles that explain rationalism and help learn it, link in your comments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Step 2:
Understand statistics and probability.

Embrace the scientific method.

Statistics rule the world. Probability defines it.
If you understand statistics you can master the art of understanding and interpreting reality most correctly.
If you know which decision leads to statistical win, you can make great decisions in life and solve problems very easily.
There is a pattern to all things in life. If you can figure out this pattern you will accomplish anything.
Yes, you need to know math, especially % math, to do it!

Real life example:
In 2007 I used probability to figure out a statistical pattern that would (at that time) get my artworks seen by millions all over the net.
Seasonscape now has 1.8 million views just on deviantart and I'm a successful freelance illustrator.

Others:
Joan R. Ginther, a former statistics professor, had won four different multi-million dollar jackpots in Texasβ€”three of which came from purchasing scratch-off lottery tickets. It was speculated that there was actually a pattern to where and when the winning tickets were sold, and that Professor Ginther had figured out this pattern.

If you know of great articles that explain how to learn statistics and help apply them, link in your comments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Step 3:
Become a problem solver.

Google is a collective knowledge of all of humanity. It has countless answers to questions(including incorrect ones).

A rational googler can differentiate between incorrect answers and correct ones.
A statistics-knowledgeable googler can calculate the probability of the most correct answer, discarding incorrect ones,
(by calculating amount of proof that applies to each answer and by statistically estimating how likely is each thing to happen)
Thus such a googler can answer ANY question as correct and as detailed as possible.
A talented googler can solve almost any problem in their personal life and help others solve their problems.

When faced with buying a new product- Google about it and read some reviews.
Some products are 50% cheaper online, obsolete, have better versions, or do more harm than good.

When faced with any problem in life from small to impossibly large- learn to immediately google for existing solutions or at least google and find tools that can help arrive at a solution faster.

If you know tutorials on improving googling skills, post them in comments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Step 4:
Change the world.

Embrace and promote scientific literacy.

-How do we create a "problem-solving" society?
We must raise a generation that is masterful at problem solving.
We must raise a generation that actively uses the internet to learn.

Education itself must be changed from "fact-memorizing" to "problem solving".
As soon as kids are old enough to understand logic, rationality and probability,
they must be taught how to utilize the full potential of google (or any other search engine).

Schools must first teach logical thinking and scientific literacy, and then they must teach the "art of googling for answers".
Once these two steps are achieved, a student has the skills to move forward on their own, solving all basic problems in their way and finding or creating tools to solve more difficult problems.

Imagine a school with wi-fi where students would be taught to to google answers on their laptops, instead of forever reading facts from books.
Imagine a school where students would be taught how to look at search queries and taught to understand which answer is most likely to be correct out of all the answers google provides.
Imagine a school where logic, skepticism, and critical thinking (information evaluation) are taught.
Imagine a school where students and teachers would be allowed to argue among each other to figure out which answer from google is most probable and most logical and which are answers can be disproved and how.
What if kids learned how to get their questions answered, instead of being provided answers by teachers to memorize?
What if kids were actively encouraged to google all the things in school?
What if right away kids would learn how to google topics that they are actively interested in learning about?

If all knowledge is immediately accessible, there is potential to destroy embarrassment and ignorance.
If a student is talented at something, they could immediately learn specific skills that would move their talents forward.

What if we figure out a way to raise kids who would actually get ALL of their questions answered from the beginning of their life?
A generation of kids who wouldn't be too afraid/embarrassed to ask the internet for help and would always know how to ask the right questions to get the right answers.

The world can be a much better place for everyone, if we change our mode of thinking from:
"oh god why"
to
"lets google it and solve this problem".
Related content
Comments: 290

swombomb In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 18:59:44 +0000 UTC]

straight up

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Evenio In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 17:30:58 +0000 UTC]

"Never stop searching" is one of the best of my own citats and hold-on-sentences I've ever figured out.
I one's was told, because I was complaining about teachers and their "I don't know, don't ask such questions, they're irrelevant" to a person, and he told me: "Stop asking your teachers. Go home from school, open up your computer and start searching your answer, because it's there, just waiting to be found."
And I did.
I learned to use search engines like Google, and I felt like a whole new world, a whole new univers, full of answers, was wide open to me, right in front of my eyes. All I had to do was to search and click a button; and for that I'm so grateful.
I often get questions like: "How do I know what 35 is out of 356?" and "What is HTML - How do I do HTML?"
I can't understand why people aren't just googling it?
"Google it" I say - that's my answer most of the time.

But a great letter, indeed - bravo! I can't agree more with you, and I was surprised how much I've wanted to hear these words from another person, someone who knows the importance of finding answers, when you're curious.
Thanks - great work

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ichbinkeinbaum In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 17:24:52 +0000 UTC]

I agree with most of what you said although I don't think that googling is problem solving. Reading stuff on the internet is no difference from reading stuff in a text book (exepct that the answer is probably found faster). People don't just need to learn to google, they need to learn to think.
To exaggerate it a bit: If what you propose became true everyone would know how to find answers on google but no one would be able to put new answers on the internet.

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Owlbear33 In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 17:14:18 +0000 UTC]

the fact that as a whole the world is not ready for immortality is very true but it is also a long way away from becoming possible, hopefully by the time that it is possible people who read this and similar things will have changed humanity enough that introducing immortality will work and we wont end up with an immortal aristocracy ruling over mortals because honestly that would bad - for this we need to not only to be rational problem solvers but also i feel we need a more even spread of wealth and technology so that we also don't end up with only some regions having immortality.

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MizaBrega In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 16:44:14 +0000 UTC]

Rational and logical thinking and problem solving is widely taught throughout Australian education (how well it is taught is questionable in some instances, of course), but a main obstacle I've noticed is the apathy and laziness to actually utilise it and solve problems. Even people can be too lazy to actually properly use Google. There has to be a way for people to actually appreciate and take interest in these tools so that the lack of motivation to use them may begin to wane.

So how do we solve this problem about getting people to solve problems? Because I don't know if Googling it in this case is going to work...

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dontblinkphotography In reply to MizaBrega [2013-04-11 02:45:34 +0000 UTC]

Soooo true!

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Grumpy-Goose In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 16:39:33 +0000 UTC]

If I am to be completely honest, I'm looking forwards to my life to end.

I'm not saying I'm suicidal, but death is the biggest question I have, because most questions, I can solve myself or Google, to find the answer. I can't Google what death is like and I mean ACTUAL death. The one you experience after being alive for an approximate hundred years and see the grim reaper at the end of your bed... If I now even DO see him.

Many have written several theories and stories aboot what death is like, but in order to actually know what it is like, I have to die. I don't want to die yet, though. I still have aboot 80 years to live. I have tons of things to do before I go and when I do, I will finally get an answer to what happens after death; Do I see Heaven's Gate, the 9 circles of Hell or the river Styx? Do I meet the ones I've lost? Do I get proof that God exists? Do I meet the Devil, Grim Reaper, Charon or Hades? Will it just be a black emptiness? Reincarnation?

I don't know. I won't be able to know until after those 80 years have passed. When that time comes, I will probably be happy to accept it, because 100 years is a long time and I'd be genuinely tired of living and also have a valid reason to wanting my eternal rest. I wouldn't want anything to extend my life. I've had my life and extending it, would be like keeping your friend from sleeping, even though they've been awake for days. It would be quite selfish and impolite.

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Owlbear33 In reply to Grumpy-Goose [2013-04-10 17:20:17 +0000 UTC]

for me immortality isn't so much about living forever, more about being able end my life when I'm ready for it to end. in my opinion in the grand scheme of thing 100 years is not a very long time and given more time than that i woyulod want to use that time to do more stuff.

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Artemide68 In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 16:30:25 +0000 UTC]

I do agree with the fact that humanity is in a desperate need of becoming rational, especially now the we more or less dictate the fate of our world
Empowering children with the tools to solve problems is the first and most basic aspect before they can start learning anything of value
On the other hand, I do not agree on becoming so dependent on the internet or Google, and there are several reasons for that.

Unlike books, the internet is not a material thing. Pull the plug, and all that knowledge is completely erased. What if there is a war, or fossil fuels are completely drained without a valid alternative to provide power? No electricity means no internet which means that an entire generation taught and trained to depend so vitally on that one thing could easily be wiped out or loose all sense of civilization.

There is also a reasoning behind how our own brain works. Having all answers at hand with a tool such as google might be extremely comfortable and useful, but it negates our ability to memorize things. How do we develop memory? We train it, we study things, we memorize. Enter the mindset of a ten year old kid who can just google things whenever he's asked: He doesn't feel the need to train his memory, since he can get all the answers with a little search. As a result, the part of his brain that is memory storage becomes undeveloped. His attention span is reduced too. One might think that there is no need for memory, but it actually plays a vital part in the human brain. Connecting memories between themselves in often unusual ways is how we define our creativity. It is also how we develop new concepts and ideas. A undeveloped memory stunts this type of growth, and may aswell stunt new discoveries, artistic or scientific.

Not to mention, memory is what defines us

SO well, that is my argument. Internet is cool and all, but kids should stick to books, at least in the early stages

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dontblinkphotography In reply to Artemide68 [2013-04-11 02:45:56 +0000 UTC]

YES.

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Artemide68 In reply to dontblinkphotography [2013-04-11 12:00:59 +0000 UTC]

glad you agree ^^

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nscmseiyaryu In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 15:54:59 +0000 UTC]

Kinda reminds me of something my teacher once told me.

Intelligence isn't judged by how many answers you remember to questions but by how well you can find them.

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Audisey In reply to nscmseiyaryu [2013-04-10 16:10:12 +0000 UTC]

I think that statement alone is the reason why I do so well in assessments and the like. I've been asked, "How did you remember that answer? It was something we started at the beginning of the year! I forgot it." But I didn't memorize it, I worked out the problem. Unfortunately, though, the American education system focuses more on memorizing answers for required state tests, not teaching them how to solve the problems on their own.

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WonderlandCaveman In reply to Audisey [2013-04-10 17:04:16 +0000 UTC]

This goes for any educational system. I am 18, Brazilian, and proud to say I've only studied for five tests my entire life. The worst grade I ever got was a C.
My friends allways studied by traditional methods, and when confronted by a new situation they didn't know what to do...
I'm not saying I'm the perfect example of a logic person (it's really the opposite), but I'm saying that using logic to solve problems and arriving at your own conclusions is far better than writing down what somebody told you once and expect it to be the truth.

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Audisey In reply to WonderlandCaveman [2013-04-10 18:13:50 +0000 UTC]

Absolutely, I couldn't have said it any better. I was kind of shocked when I discovered most students just memorized the answers for tests, mostly because I had been homeschooled up until high school. It didn't make any sense to me, especially when the kids would always ask to cheat off of my answers/ask me to do their work for them every day. I tutored them instead, not so much teaching the material, but rather teaching them how to solve any problem on their own, even if it's something they've never seen before. Apparently, their grades skyrocketed and I was just so happy to see them successful. ^^

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WonderlandCaveman In reply to Audisey [2013-04-10 22:32:26 +0000 UTC]

Tutoring... It actually gave me an idea, thanks!

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Audisey In reply to WonderlandCaveman [2013-04-10 23:16:45 +0000 UTC]

Any time!

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battlemage01 In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 15:49:14 +0000 UTC]

me and my brother had this same conversation the other day and i am very glad someone else sees the idea of immortality and the world it self the way i do everyone else called me an idiot for saying what you say now so i respect you infinitely.

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B321618 In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 15:48:09 +0000 UTC]

I'd never done a crazy thing in my life before that night. Why is it that if a man kills another man in battle it's called heroic, yet if he kills a man in the heat of passion it's called murder? You know, if you stab a man in the dead of winter, steam will rise up from the wounds. Indians believed it was his soul escaping from his body.

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SmyliArt In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 15:48:04 +0000 UTC]

Someone with intellect doesnΒ΄t always use Google. It is way too powerful and it gets more and more powerful with every piece of information you give them. Same with Facebook and Apple.
So why donΒ΄t we just accept, that we will die and live our life?
Problem solved!

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Severe-Lacerations In reply to SmyliArt [2013-04-10 18:14:20 +0000 UTC]

Because no-one wants to die.

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SmyliArt In reply to Severe-Lacerations [2013-04-11 16:36:04 +0000 UTC]

Yep, your Avatar-GIF totally agrees to your statement.
But honestly, I donΒ΄t feel like live forever. At some point I want to leave and say: "Yep, I had a pleasant life but now itΒ΄s good. See you."
That is my way of thinking. And wouldnΒ΄t it be boring to live forever? To see every war and every murder and all the other outrages?

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Severe-Lacerations In reply to SmyliArt [2013-04-11 16:53:10 +0000 UTC]

Does no-one know a generalisation when they see one these days?

I'd be perfectly fine with living forever, personally.

It's only natural to fear death. If we had no sense of self-preservation we'd have died out long ago. As would any species. It's only natural to want to prolong your life and avoid its curtailment.

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SmyliArt In reply to Severe-Lacerations [2013-04-11 17:23:54 +0000 UTC]

True.
But no species was ever so close to endless life. We should think about it, if it is really a good thing...
IΒ΄m quite sure it isnΒ΄t. At least not for me.

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Severe-Lacerations In reply to SmyliArt [2013-04-11 19:54:15 +0000 UTC]

Of course it isn't, it would be a terrible thing if the entire species were to gain access to it. We have enough problem with overpopulation as it is, can you imagine if no-one would die? You'd have to ban reproduction across the world. But for me personally, nothing fills me with dread more than the idea of death. I absolutely want to live forever. And there would always be a way out, if I did get bored one millennium. Matter might be indestructible, but nothing is unkillable.

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SmyliArt In reply to Severe-Lacerations [2013-04-12 13:09:22 +0000 UTC]

Hmm...
A good point. You made me think about this again.
Thank you for a kind and fair conversation! I respect that you have your own opinion!

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PyroMorticia In reply to Severe-Lacerations [2013-04-10 21:31:05 +0000 UTC]

That's an assumption..

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Severe-Lacerations In reply to PyroMorticia [2013-04-10 22:52:12 +0000 UTC]

More of a generalisation.

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MarkvonDrake In reply to Severe-Lacerations [2013-04-10 18:47:12 +0000 UTC]

Says the guy with the avatar committing suicide.

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Severe-Lacerations In reply to MarkvonDrake [2013-04-10 20:01:49 +0000 UTC]

So you have eyes. Congratulations on that.

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Paladin343 In reply to ??? [2013-04-10 15:40:10 +0000 UTC]

I'm not sure I want to give up books for Google entirely. But the rest of this I can get behind.

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alexiuss In reply to Paladin343 [2013-04-10 15:56:41 +0000 UTC]

don't give up books - books are awesome.
use google to find specific awesome books!

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Psp47 In reply to alexiuss [2013-04-10 17:37:02 +0000 UTC]

Hey, what if internet dies ? What do you do without google, and all the problems ? Because if your internet dies, you can't google "how to fix the internet" and then.. kmsdqfdslgsdfmg

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StickBrush In reply to Psp47 [2013-04-11 13:25:27 +0000 UTC]

For me, the Internet may die.

There's an optical fiber cable between Spain and the USA. That cable is for Internet purposes. If you know something about techtonicals, the Atlantic is getting bigger, so there's an oceanic ridge getting material out. And making Spain and the USA further from each other.

In one point, the cable will break. And it's not as easy as splicing the cable, because you can't splice optical fiber.

Now you can do as everyone here does and pray for the cable not to break.


Oh, and if the Internet dies all over the world, someone else will do a new that-kind-of thing. Like ARPAnet was...

...If some human is still alive after such an apocalypse.

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Psp47 In reply to StickBrush [2013-04-11 21:46:07 +0000 UTC]

Hahaha anyway people have to know what to do now, because when it will happend, there's no way you can google it XD

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StickBrush In reply to Psp47 [2013-04-12 20:51:59 +0000 UTC]

Except you download the whole Google database.

...

Brb.

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Psp47 In reply to StickBrush [2013-04-12 22:49:40 +0000 UTC]

Best idea ever.

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neverwander In reply to Psp47 [2013-04-10 19:21:08 +0000 UTC]

If the internet dies, you are dealing with a catastrophic mealtdown of society. At that point your main concern is just gonna be surviving. Unless you mean your personal connection, in which case you head down to the local cafe with free wifi

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Psp47 In reply to neverwander [2013-04-10 19:43:22 +0000 UTC]

Yes, because now you answered this question. But before this, no one knew what to do when the internet dies. Thank you dude !

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