<nettime> discussion on www.edge.org about the world after 911

[Geert Lovink <geert@xs4all.nl>]

mark stahlman pointed me a debate between edgy libertarian/nineties US
tech intelligentsia on john brockman's edge.org site:

"I believe that the Edge community can mount a serious conversation about 
the catastrophic events of the past week that might do some good. Within
the community is invaluable expertise in many pertinent areas, not to
mention the intelligence that the "Edgies" can bring to the subjects. So
how about a new Edge question: WHAT NOW?" 

New (59 Responses  47.800 words): Marvin Minsky, David Farber, David
Deutsch, Mark Stahlman, Richard Rabkin, Derrick de Kerckhove, Margaret
Wertheim, Kevin Kelly, Paul W. Ewald, Roger Schank, Steven Strogatz, J.
Doyne Farmer, Esther Dyson, David Berreby, Sylvia Paull, Julian Brown,
Jordan Pollack, Cliff Barney, Jay Ogilvy, Timothy Taylor, The Editors of 
Nature, Mary Catherine Bateson, Richard Dawkins, Robert Axelrod, David
Farber, Geoffrey Miller, Freeman Dyson. Robert Provine, Jaron
Lanier, Timothy Taylor, Joel Garreau. George Dyson, John McCarthy, Chris
Stringer, Steve Grand, Robert Aunger, David G. Myers, Piet Hut, John
Maddox, Keith Devlin, Frank Schirrmacher, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Todd
Feinberg, M.D., Martin Rees, Douglas Rushkoff, Michael Nesmith,
Tor Nrretranders, Bruce Sterling, George Lakoff, Nicholas Humphrey Peter
Von Sivers, Cliff Pickover, James P. O'Donnell, Colin Tudge, Karl Sabbagh,
Luyen Chou, Yossi Vardi, Todd Siler, Roger C. Schank.

http://www.edge.org/documents/whatnow.html

Marvin Minsky: I agree with much of the rest of what David Deutsch says
but I feel that he has missed Dawkins' point: that one way that we
can defend ourselves is by finding ways to reduce the huge numbers of
people who have been trained to follow charismatic leaders by suspending
their critical thinking and commonsense. Now that especially applies to
religious people, especially from the more orthodox sects. And of course,
again, there are exceptions  but a very large proportion of people on this
planet do grow up in "faith-based" sects. .... 

etc.





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