Although he died shortly after my sixth birthday, it only makes sense that we mess around with SpaceTime so I can talk with renowned physicist Enrico Fermi. There are many topics I would like to talk about with him, but all the recent chatter about the Kepler Mission and the search for “other Earths” prompted me to choose The Fermi Paradox . . .
Enrico, may I speak frankly? Eccellente!
As I understand it, you are bothered by the assertion that the sheer vastness of the universe mandates the existence of a multitude of advanced civilizations right here in the Milky Way galaxy – and “billions and billions" more, as Carl would say, beyond our galaxy. You ask, quite logically, “Why is there no evidence of these innumerable super civilizations? Where are their space probes, their telescopes? Since a vast number of them must be more advanced than we, why, even if we are not bright enough to observe them, have they failed to contact us?” That’s the “paradox” right, Enrico?
Well, obviously, there are folks who assert that the aliens have contacted us, and continue to do so every day. Unfortunately, many in that camp also wear tinfoil hats and underwear to block the evil rays. That’s not where I am going with this.
I am inclined to believe that intelligence is a fairly common commodity – universewise. And I am swayed by the notion that we are not terribly unique in the unimaginable sweep of the heavens. But I would also assert that it is our very similarity to other intergalactic pools of intelligence that accounts for the unseemly interstellar silence that surrounds us. How so? Excellent question, Enrico!
You will notice that I advocate the commonality of intelligence. That says little, if anything, about wisdom. Those are very, very different characteristics. I break it up this way in my classes: Humanity is awash in a flood of data. We are unique, here on earth, in the extent to which we can turn that information into knowledge. More than another other terrestrial species we see patterns in the data, we can establish causality. If I do this, then this will happen. That is the hallmark of intelligence. It has little to do with wisdom.
Wisdom is the ability to choose, from all available options, the course of action that is most harmonic, that does the greatest good. I know, I know – talk about your loaded sentence! Greatest good according to whose criteria, using what measures, to what end? I know, I know – it makes my head hurt just to think about it. Which is why I believe wisdom is far less common in the universe than mere intelligence. “Less common” doesn’t really express it – maybe “incredibly rare” is more accurate.
Let’s use ourselves as an example. I think we can make a pretty good case for "intelligent". E=MC2, democracy, stem cell transplants, The Kepler Mission itself – pretty intelligent stuff. We can also lay claim to creative genius – Michelangelo’s David, Ode to Joy, The Bean in Millennium Park. It’s not that hard to find heart-stopping beauty here on Planet Earth. Ah, but wisdom. That’s another notion altogether.
The same gene pool that spawned those intellectual and artistic achievements continues to self-destruct at the drop of a hat. We kill one another with the same élan as we rub wings with the angels. We are born into ancient beliefs – political, religious, and philosophical – and spend much of our lives running from evolving evidence that confronts those “born into” truths. We demonize each other in the name of God, and we may well destroy our own planet before we ever walk on another. Human beings – go figure!
That is why there really is no paradox, Enrico. Intelligence seems firmly bound to arrogance, as hydrogen is bound to oxygen. And that intelligent arrogance keeps our feet of clay earthbound, as our petty antagonisms and hubris focuses our attention well below the stars. Hence, intelligence spread throughout the universe would not mandate a stream of aliens at our doorstep. What? How about wisdom?
Oh, certainly. There are undoubtedly races spread across the heavens that are both intelligent and wise – very wise. It is, I assume, their wisdom that keeps us from finding them.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Prescription for Change
Today’s guest is Julius Genachowski. This guy is Obama’s new Chairman of the Federal Communication Commission. There’s power for meaningful change at the FCC. Here’s one thing I’d like them to look into . . . .
Julius, may I speak frankly?
Maybe it’s because I’m now on the wiser side of sixty, but I’m beginning to see something deeply sinister in all these television ads for prescription medicines. At first, perhaps like you, I was simply stunned by the overt “shell game” production techniques being employed.
Pardon me?
Oh, sure. Let me explain. What is the object in the shell game? Right, the conman wants to get the rube to look where the pea isn’t. You want them to focus somewhere other than where the trick is actually going down. Take the Celebrex commercial for example – it is a masterful bit of shell game production. You know the one with the awesome graphics? White letters on a blue background? You can take a look at it over on YouTube – here’s the URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GvYI4VdVEI
Anyhow, we all know by now that the commercial has to include all the medical disclaimers and cautions. And much of the controversy about this ad focuses on its questionable assertion that Celebrex is no more harmful than other NSAIDs – a broad class of pain relievers. That’s an important issue, because if we listen to the actual words being spoken beneath the music and the graphics in the ad, we learn that Celebrex, and all NSAIDs “can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes that may lead to death.” So Celebrex seems to be saying, “Yeah, we may kill you – but so will those other guys!” That’s the controversy that folks have been raising with Dr. Hamburg over at the FDA.
But I don’t want to talk to her, Julius, I want to talk to you. I think this goes way beyond just Celebrex – it is a whole class of false and deceptive advertising that is not only harmful, but it is also costing us an arm and a leg! How? Ah, yes. More, brandy?
Let me try to clarify. Have you ever loaded software onto your computer, or downloaded a new version of Firefox or iTunes? Sure, right, we all have. Now, before you can actually run the software, what do you have to do? Restart? Maybe, it depends. But what do we always have to do? Bingo! Click on the button that says “I agree.” We click on the button that says we “have read and agree to” the five or ten pages of legalese that we have not read and have no idea if we agree with or not, because if you haven’t gone to law school it is incomprehensible. But we agree because, cognitively, those bits of text on the screen have disappeared, vanished, zip – gone! Not only do we not read them - we don't even see them.
The same is true with the medical warnings and disclaimers that accompany television advertisements for prescription drugs. Any school kid can tell you that a picture is worth a thousand words. What is less widely realized is the fact that cool animations and a soothing soundtrack in a TV ad can cause any spoken words to vanish. So we don’t hear the warnings anymore, we just see the pictures and hear the music. Click. Accept. And that is what used to bother me. Not so much anymore. Well, that’s not really true, it still bothers me – but two other things bother me even more.
First is the fact that the ads are very effective – maybe that floating green Luna moth will help me sleep, maybe that Alli stuff will help me shed a few pounds, maybe Lipitor will let me attend my granddaughter’s wedding. Those very effective shell game ads nudge us down the road to belief. And what am I supposed to do before I take the drug? Oh, that’s right – I’m supposed to talk to my doctor – it’s a prescription drug, I need a prescription. I’ll talk to my doc about that.
Fast forward to the doctor’s office. Their “CEA [cost efficiency analyst]” or the “CCA – [cost containment algorithm]” has determined that they should spend about 7 minutes with each patient. The doc knows it is absurd, but s/he will try to do their best. They walk in the door. “Hi. There are issues on your tests . . . .”
“Dr. Jones, I think I need Celebrex/Lipitor/Alli/Lumina/Cialis/Yadda/Yadda. Can we talk about it?”
Obviously, meaningful conversations between patients and their health care providers are vital for quality healthcare. But these ads co-opt the conversation. They prompt us to waste our valuable time with our doctor by both inclining us to imagine aliments we probably don’t have and to harangue the doc for prescriptions for “shell game” drugs that enrich big pharma and may actually harm us. We need to be talking about our specific medical concerns - not spouting the shell game ad agenda. I mean, Julius, if that’s not false and deceptive what is? Multimedia mega campaigns over-hyping the benefits and masking the risks of unnecessary drugs? Come on Julius, we’re struggling to come to grips with the healthcare crisis - legitimate concerns about the escalating costs of care and coverage. And these greedy ad men and women are pushing pills most folks don’t need.
I wish that were all. But it’s not. I am equally disturbed about the Menactra ads for their vaccine. You’ve probably seen it – but if not you can see it here:
http://www.menactra.com/what_is_menactra_menactra_ads.html
These folks should be ashamed of themselves. We live in a scary world, and raising kids has always been tough. These ads essentially say to parents:
Gosh, my aggravation about this issue has lasted for longer than 4 hours. Who am I supposed to call? My doctor, right, I better call my doctor . . . .
Julius, may I speak frankly?
Maybe it’s because I’m now on the wiser side of sixty, but I’m beginning to see something deeply sinister in all these television ads for prescription medicines. At first, perhaps like you, I was simply stunned by the overt “shell game” production techniques being employed.
Pardon me?
Oh, sure. Let me explain. What is the object in the shell game? Right, the conman wants to get the rube to look where the pea isn’t. You want them to focus somewhere other than where the trick is actually going down. Take the Celebrex commercial for example – it is a masterful bit of shell game production. You know the one with the awesome graphics? White letters on a blue background? You can take a look at it over on YouTube – here’s the URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GvYI4VdVEI
Anyhow, we all know by now that the commercial has to include all the medical disclaimers and cautions. And much of the controversy about this ad focuses on its questionable assertion that Celebrex is no more harmful than other NSAIDs – a broad class of pain relievers. That’s an important issue, because if we listen to the actual words being spoken beneath the music and the graphics in the ad, we learn that Celebrex, and all NSAIDs “can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes that may lead to death.” So Celebrex seems to be saying, “Yeah, we may kill you – but so will those other guys!” That’s the controversy that folks have been raising with Dr. Hamburg over at the FDA.
But I don’t want to talk to her, Julius, I want to talk to you. I think this goes way beyond just Celebrex – it is a whole class of false and deceptive advertising that is not only harmful, but it is also costing us an arm and a leg! How? Ah, yes. More, brandy?
Let me try to clarify. Have you ever loaded software onto your computer, or downloaded a new version of Firefox or iTunes? Sure, right, we all have. Now, before you can actually run the software, what do you have to do? Restart? Maybe, it depends. But what do we always have to do? Bingo! Click on the button that says “I agree.” We click on the button that says we “have read and agree to” the five or ten pages of legalese that we have not read and have no idea if we agree with or not, because if you haven’t gone to law school it is incomprehensible. But we agree because, cognitively, those bits of text on the screen have disappeared, vanished, zip – gone! Not only do we not read them - we don't even see them.
The same is true with the medical warnings and disclaimers that accompany television advertisements for prescription drugs. Any school kid can tell you that a picture is worth a thousand words. What is less widely realized is the fact that cool animations and a soothing soundtrack in a TV ad can cause any spoken words to vanish. So we don’t hear the warnings anymore, we just see the pictures and hear the music. Click. Accept. And that is what used to bother me. Not so much anymore. Well, that’s not really true, it still bothers me – but two other things bother me even more.
First is the fact that the ads are very effective – maybe that floating green Luna moth will help me sleep, maybe that Alli stuff will help me shed a few pounds, maybe Lipitor will let me attend my granddaughter’s wedding. Those very effective shell game ads nudge us down the road to belief. And what am I supposed to do before I take the drug? Oh, that’s right – I’m supposed to talk to my doctor – it’s a prescription drug, I need a prescription. I’ll talk to my doc about that.
Fast forward to the doctor’s office. Their “CEA [cost efficiency analyst]” or the “CCA – [cost containment algorithm]” has determined that they should spend about 7 minutes with each patient. The doc knows it is absurd, but s/he will try to do their best. They walk in the door. “Hi. There are issues on your tests . . . .”
“Dr. Jones, I think I need Celebrex/Lipitor/Alli/Lumina/Cialis/Yadda/Yadda. Can we talk about it?”
Obviously, meaningful conversations between patients and their health care providers are vital for quality healthcare. But these ads co-opt the conversation. They prompt us to waste our valuable time with our doctor by both inclining us to imagine aliments we probably don’t have and to harangue the doc for prescriptions for “shell game” drugs that enrich big pharma and may actually harm us. We need to be talking about our specific medical concerns - not spouting the shell game ad agenda. I mean, Julius, if that’s not false and deceptive what is? Multimedia mega campaigns over-hyping the benefits and masking the risks of unnecessary drugs? Come on Julius, we’re struggling to come to grips with the healthcare crisis - legitimate concerns about the escalating costs of care and coverage. And these greedy ad men and women are pushing pills most folks don’t need.
I wish that were all. But it’s not. I am equally disturbed about the Menactra ads for their vaccine. You’ve probably seen it – but if not you can see it here:
http://www.menactra.com/what_is_menactra_menactra_ads.html
These folks should be ashamed of themselves. We live in a scary world, and raising kids has always been tough. These ads essentially say to parents:
"Be afraid. Be very afraid. If you don’t get our vaccine for your children they may die! Tomorrow! No symptoms, no warning, just a dead kid – and it will be your fault."So you see, Julius, these folks have no shame. They don’t care about protecting our health. They just want to make money. There’s certainly nothing wrong with making a fair profit for a worthwhile product. That needs to happen for the economy to recover, for crying out loud. But when ads for prescription drugs are intentionally deceptive, when they create a huge drag on healthcare efficiencies, and when they seek to terrify young parents . . . . Well, somebody needs to get these guys. How about you Julius? You can do it! Go get ‘em guy!
Gosh, my aggravation about this issue has lasted for longer than 4 hours. Who am I supposed to call? My doctor, right, I better call my doctor . . . .
Friday, August 7, 2009
And Bigotry for All!
Today I am "speaking" with Mayor Peter J. Cammarano III of Hoboken [D], Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt, a Republican from Ocean County, Anthony R. Suarez, the mayor of Ridgefield, and Rabbi Saul J. Kassin, a leader in New Jersey’s Syrian Sephardic Community. All have been implicated in the recent money laundering, influence peddling, human organs sales, scandal in New Jersey.
Gentlemen, may I speak frankly?
You amaze me. In a world constantly in search of ways to follow its worse instincts, you have made it easier to do so.
Bigots like to point out that every prejudice is based on a kernel of truth – small perhaps, they say, but there. Someone of Italian heritage steals a car – Mafioso. Someone whose name ends in “berg” or “stein” is arrested for embezzlement – cheapskate Jews. Name ends in “arez” busted for grand theft auto? Damn spics are at it again. A Van something or a Windsor, Smith or Alden involved in stock manipulation and “old money” is again ripping off the poor and the middle class. And everyone knows that the DemocratRepublicans are a bunch of thieves. “See? Told you so. You just can’t trust those damn ______s!” Frankly, I’m surprised you guys didn’t pull a few Africans, Asians, and Muslims into the scam. It could have been a clean sweep. Still you did manage to stigmatize all of your own ancestors:
“Hey, you looking for a steal on a Kosher kidney?” “Can I get you a congressman with that taco?” “I dare say, that 50 dollar bill looks a tad tarnished. Shall I send it out to the cleaners?” “Wanna a real deal on a building permit? Here’s an offer you can’t refuse.” Social absurdities pulled from bad movies back into the mainstream of American conversation. If it is within your emotional repertoire, gentlemen – although I doubt it is – you should be ashamed.
You see guys, here’s the problem; I’m not really worried about thoughtful people. They will realize that your criminality has nothing to do with your ethnicity or your religion. You are not Italians or Jews or Latinos or blue blood Christians of one stripe or another – you are thugs. You are all, no doubt, in varying degrees of self-denial, but you are thugs nonetheless; and your ultimate victim - human tolerance - has always been very, very, fragile. That is why I am quite concerned about the “less than thoughtful;” those whose social reality is constructed by the “sneer and shout” journalism that seems to dominate the contemporary media. Your actions filtered through those outlets will do us all harm.
Intolerance and bigotry grow best in the dark soil of fear, watered by storms of hatred, and sheltered by hedges of ignorance. You have abetted that twisted ecology no end. You have given just about everyone in America an excuse to listen to their more fearful and hateful selves and hear a corrupted version of what sounds like truth: “those people” really are “that way.” You have given hope to the bigots and in doing so you have damaged us all.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “shame” thus:
It is somewhat complex I realize. But hopefully you will have a number of years in small rooms to ponder those complexities.
Gentlemen, may I speak frankly?
You amaze me. In a world constantly in search of ways to follow its worse instincts, you have made it easier to do so.
Bigots like to point out that every prejudice is based on a kernel of truth – small perhaps, they say, but there. Someone of Italian heritage steals a car – Mafioso. Someone whose name ends in “berg” or “stein” is arrested for embezzlement – cheapskate Jews. Name ends in “arez” busted for grand theft auto? Damn spics are at it again. A Van something or a Windsor, Smith or Alden involved in stock manipulation and “old money” is again ripping off the poor and the middle class. And everyone knows that the DemocratRepublicans are a bunch of thieves. “See? Told you so. You just can’t trust those damn ______s!” Frankly, I’m surprised you guys didn’t pull a few Africans, Asians, and Muslims into the scam. It could have been a clean sweep. Still you did manage to stigmatize all of your own ancestors:
“Hey, you looking for a steal on a Kosher kidney?” “Can I get you a congressman with that taco?” “I dare say, that 50 dollar bill looks a tad tarnished. Shall I send it out to the cleaners?” “Wanna a real deal on a building permit? Here’s an offer you can’t refuse.” Social absurdities pulled from bad movies back into the mainstream of American conversation. If it is within your emotional repertoire, gentlemen – although I doubt it is – you should be ashamed.
You see guys, here’s the problem; I’m not really worried about thoughtful people. They will realize that your criminality has nothing to do with your ethnicity or your religion. You are not Italians or Jews or Latinos or blue blood Christians of one stripe or another – you are thugs. You are all, no doubt, in varying degrees of self-denial, but you are thugs nonetheless; and your ultimate victim - human tolerance - has always been very, very, fragile. That is why I am quite concerned about the “less than thoughtful;” those whose social reality is constructed by the “sneer and shout” journalism that seems to dominate the contemporary media. Your actions filtered through those outlets will do us all harm.
Intolerance and bigotry grow best in the dark soil of fear, watered by storms of hatred, and sheltered by hedges of ignorance. You have abetted that twisted ecology no end. You have given just about everyone in America an excuse to listen to their more fearful and hateful selves and hear a corrupted version of what sounds like truth: “those people” really are “that way.” You have given hope to the bigots and in doing so you have damaged us all.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “shame” thus:
I. 1. a. The painful emotion arising from the consciousness of something dishonoring, ridiculous, or indecorous in one's own conduct or circumstances (or in those of others whose honour or disgrace one regards as one's own), or of being in a situation which offends one's sense of modesty or decency.
It is somewhat complex I realize. But hopefully you will have a number of years in small rooms to ponder those complexities.
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