M,W,F 9am class

M,W,F 11am class

Tuesday 5:40pm class

T,R, 9:50am class

Libyan revolution. What's next?

The Libyan revolution brings back a very old discussion, that is to say, the outcome of revolutions. People have this idea that since revolutions are such transforming overwhelming events, it may happen that the toppled old regime ends up being better than the new one. So, when it comes to ratings, revolutions get mixed reviews. Yet, as revolutions happen not by decree, but as a result of overwhelming social and political interrelated forces, few would argue against their historic relevance.

So, what's a revolution? It entails not only mass mobilization and regime change (a rebellion* can do that without becoming a revolution), but also more or less rapid and fundamental social, economic and/or cultural change, during or soon after the struggle for state power.

We can study revolutions from a variety of perspectives, whether sociological, psychological or political. From the psychological standpoint, a revolution is said to be caused by a particular "state of mind" of the masses. People revolt because they have issues (whether modernization, economic hardship, exploitation, discrimination), the common denominator is a  widespread frustration with a specific sociopolitical situation.

Society being a system in equilibrium between resources, demands and subsystems (political, cultural). From the sociological point of view, revolutions are caused by a severe disequilibrium between these diverse resources. Finally, the political standpoint takes a look at the power struggle between competing groups. From the Marxist point of view, it boils down to class conflict. The antagonism which exists in society is due to competing socioeconomic interests between people of different classes.Yet, because of Libya's oil and small population, the population was not as bad as many other places in North Africa, (which makes this revolution more interesting to look at).

The New York Times brings a group of experts to discuss the Libyan revolution. Keep in mind that one should get acquainted with the particular history of the country at hand before having opinions.

Shadi Hamid writes: 

Unlike Egypt, Libya doesn’t have the benefit of established political parties, a largely independent judiciary, and a whole host of other weak but intermittently vibrant institutions. But, for these same reasons, Libya isn’t as weighed down by the past. 

Mark Quarterman warns the perils of instability:

Chaos and instability would undermine trust in the T.N.C. and make it much harder to bring Libyans together to plan for the future. An effective middle term process that leads to a political settlement, reconciliation and wide participation must begin as soon as possible, and is a necessary step for the ultimate success of the transition. Libyans need to see that there is a roadmap to a democratic future.

Mansour O. El-Kikhia seems more optimistic, but sets specific goals for the transition team:

Libya’s revolution has perhaps proven to be the exception in that we saw little to no looting or destruction of public wealth, nor did we witness other atrocities that usually accompany such changes. It seems that Libyans realize that engaging in such behavior would undermine the very goals they have fought and died for. This is good news and leads me to believe that among them there is not only the understanding and willingness to give the National Transitional Council a chance to forge ahead with the necessary changes. First among them is electing a legitimate body to finalize a new Libyan constitution and oversee new popular elections to approve the constitution framework and follow it up with popular elections that staff the new institutions and bring them on line.

What do you think about this unique event? Is there hope for this revolution? Whichever your answer, please try to justify your views. Let's make this initial assignment for 150 words. Write your document in word, save it and spell-check it before submitting your comment. Please, no capital letters, no exclamations signs, no informal language.

I'm closing this post next Tuesday, Thursday, September 1 @ 11pm.
______________
*Not all rebellions end up in revolutions, but most revolutions start as rebellions.

Some sugestions

Hi. Some of you wanted a list of books on Hinduism. Here you are:

The Upanishads (Nigiri Press)
The Bavhavad Gita same press. Though this one I assigned for the class, by Bantam Press is pretty good too).
This copy of the Yoga Sutras (Patanjali) is very affordable.
The Dammaphada (Nigiri Press), translator Easwaran's clear language is quite good, he keeps the poetic essence.

Is there survival after death?

This group of British scientists, including two astrophysicists, a thermodynamicist, and other professional researchers, seems to think so.

It was a pleasure to have you in my class

Topics for final exam, Chapter 4 (MWF, 10:25am)

Here are the topics for the final exam. MWF, 10:25am class.

Here is the website for Doing Philosophy.

Topics for exam #2, chapters 2 & 3 (MWF 10:25am class)

Topics for quiz #2 here.

T,R 9:50am

M,W,F 10:25am

Is "trickle down economics" true?

We are having a serious discussion now about our mounting deficit. The divide is about rasing taxes (on the very rich). The Republican argument against this idea is that of trickle down economics. What is it? 

"Trickle-down economics" is a political rhetoric term which refers to the economic policy of across the board tax cuts or benefits to businesses, such as tax breaks, in the belief that this will indirectly benefit the broad population. Proponents of these policies claim that if the top income earners invest more into the business infrastructure and equity markets, it will in turn lead to more goods at lower prices, and create more jobs for middle and lower class individuals. Proponents argue economic growth flows down from the top to the bottom, indirectly benefiting those who do not directly benefit from the policy changes. However, others have argued that "trickle-down" policies generally do not work and that the trickle-down effect might be very slim.

This is what John Berthoud, president of the Taxpayers Union and professor at George Washington University wrote back in 2006, scarcely a year and a half before the collapse of the economy about the cuts:

Although you would not be able to tell it from the liberal press, the American economy is doing quite well. While there is no single reason behind the strong economy, the Bush tax cuts are a big part of the story. Real Gross Domestic Product has grown by 3% or more for 10 straight quarters. Since May 2003, America has added almost 4.5 million jobs. The stock market continues to move up. The Bush tax cuts have helped the economy by lowering tax disincentives to productive activity. The cuts in taxes on income, dividends, and capital gains have reduced the marginal effective tax rate on capital by 17.4%. This in turn has helped increase investment. As economist Lawrence Kudlow writes: "American businesses, the backbone of our economy, have responded to tax incentives that sharply reduced the cost of capital." (my italics)

Looked in hindsight his assessment of the economy cannot be more out-of-whack. Did Berthoud understand the our 2004-2008 economy was being driven by borrowing from the Chinese?

(Keep reading here).

(I'm closing this post next Thursday at 10pm).

Heeeere is Watson

T,R 9:50am

M,W,F 10:25am

160 million women are missing!

In the New York Times:

Twenty years later, the number of “missing” women has risen to more than 160 million, and a journalist named Mara Hvistendahl has given us a much more complete picture of what’s happened. Her book is called “Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men.” As the title suggests, Hvistendahl argues that most of the missing females weren’t victims of neglect. They were selected out of existence, by ultrasound technology and second-trimester abortion.

Starting today, I'm teaching 2 different Phi 2010 classes

One, is a 6-week course, which meets MWF @10:25am, the other meets TR @11:50am. The post below, on human trafficking, is for both classes. Please, post your comment in your class' assigned slot.

M,W,F 10:25am syllabus

Your syllabus is here.

M,W,F 10:25am

T,R 9:50am

Human trafficking

Now that we're talking about the issue of treating people as "means to an end" the topic of prostitution came up. This is a good opportunity to take a look at a different angle of "prostitution." The word is loaded with all sort of prejudice for the simple reason that we live in a phallocentric society. What I am trying to say is that some people see prostitution as a problem of personal freedom (i.e., as if what's at stake here is the desire of an individual to engage in a form of sexual fantasy, a desire for sex, a perversion, in exchange for money). But this -naïve- user-friendly view ignores the suffering that goes on with sex exploitation and its worse development: human trafficking.

Here are some links for you to get an idea of what's going on:

Cheated out of childhood in Russia.
Rape in Japan.
Sex slaves in Italy.
Child sex workers in Nepal.
Child prostitution in South Africa.
You don't have to go overseas. Sex exploitation happens in our own backyard.

Although the evidence is overwhelming, but why do we still struggle with these dreadful issues in the Twenty-First Century?

Here is the wikipedia entry on prostitution, which brings the bigger issue of human trafficking.
Prostitution in the United States. (see that there are different kinds, from brothel, to escort to child prostitution).
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Following the guidelines of the previous assignment, I'd like you to comment on the ethical issues involving the sexual exploitation of women.

Some facts you should know before you post your comment:

1- "About 80% of women in prostitution have been the victim of a rape. It's hard to talk about this because..the experience of prostitution is just like rape. Prostitutes are raped, on the average, eight to ten times per year. They are the most raped class of women in the history of our planet. " (Susan Kay Hunter and K.C. Reed, July, 1990 "Taking the side of bought and sold rape," speech at National Coalition against Sexual Assault, Washington, D.C. ). Other studies report 68% to 70% of women in prostitution being raped (M Silbert, "Compounding factors in the rape of street prostitutes," in A.W. Burgess, ed., Rape and Sexual Assault II, Garland Publishing, 1988; Melissa Farley and Howard Barkan, "Prostitution, Violence, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder," 1998, Women & Health.

2-  Prostitution is an act of violence against women which is intrinsically traumatizing. In a study of 475 people in prostitution (including women, men, and the transgendered) from five countries (South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, USA, and Zambia):
62% reported having been raped in prostitution.
73% reported having experienced physical assault in prostitution.
72% were currently or formerly homeless.
92% stated that they wanted to escape prostitution immediately.
(Melissa Farley, Isin Baral, Merab Kiremire, Ufuk Sezgin, "Prostitution in Five Countries: Violence and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder" (1998) Feminism & Psychology 8 (4): 405-426.

3- Many of the health problems of women in prostitution are a direct result of violence. For example, several women had their ribs broken by the police in Istanbul, a woman in San Francisco broke her hips jumping out of a car when a john was attempting to kidnap her. Many women had their teeth knocked out by pimps and johns. (Melissa Farley, unpublished manuscript, 2000). One woman (in another study) said about her health: "I’ve had three broken arms, nose broken twice, [and] I’m partially deaf in one ear….I have a small fragment of a bone floating in my head that gives me migraines. I’ve had a fractured skull. My legs ain’t worth shit no more; my toes have been broken. My feet, bottom of my feet, have been burned; they've been whopped with a hot iron and clothes hanger… the hair on my pussy had been burned off at one time…I have scars. I’ve been cut with a knife, beat with guns, two by fours. There hasn’t been a place on my body that hasn’t been bruised somehow, some way, some big, some small." (Giobbe, E. (1992) Juvenile Prostitution: Profile of Recruitment in Ann W. Burgess (ed.) Child Trauma: Issues & Research.Garland Publishing Inc, New York, page 126).

4-  The commercial sex industry includes street prostitution, massage brothels, escort services, out-call services, strip clubs, lap-dancing, phone sex, adult and child pornography, video and internet pornography, and prostitution tourism. Most women who are in prostitution for longer than a few months drift among these various permutations of the commercial sex industry. All prostitution causes harm to women. Whether it is being sold by one’s family to a brothel, or whether it is being sexually abused in one’s family, running away from home, and then being pimped by one’s boyfriend, or whether one is in college and needs to pay for next semester’s tuition and one works at a strip club behind glass where men never actually touch you – all these forms of prostitution hurt the women in it. (Melissa Farley, paper presented at the 11th International Congress on Women’s Health Issues, University of California College of Nursing, San Francisco, 2000).

I will close this post Saturday, June 25, at 11pm. 

Ant colony an emergent property?

IBM's "Watson," an ace at jeopardy (and yes, Watson learns by trial and error)

See how Watson takes both contestants. See that it has to make up for nuances, understanding meanings, and an impressive vocabulary. Quite a feat for A.I.! These are some of the issues and some potential applications:
1- Ambiguity.
2- Customer services.
3- Health Care (a physician assistant?)

In light of our discussion of section 2.3 (Functionalism), what is your take? Go to Watson's link and do a bit of research before elaborating your comment.

Here's part 2

This post will close Wednesday, February 23 @ 11pm.

Ernesto's blog

To keep in touch w. Ernesto, our favorite sinologist.

Your koans

Now that classes are over, let's stay friends

Please, become a friend of Miami Bourbaki. Thanks.

Last post

Photo by Brice Bischoff, via Juxtapoz

My dear friends of Phi2070: There is a lot to talk about. Tao, wu-wei, cycles, female, duck-rabbit. Then there is TAOW & its weird strategies for battle.  

See you Tuesday with the last theme of this semester: ZEN.

Now, go ahead!

Bad temper

A Zen student came to Bankei and complained: "Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?"
"You have something very strange," replied Bankei. "Let me see what you have."
"Just now I cannot show it to you," replied the other.
"When can you show it to me?" asked Bankei.
"It arises unexpectedly," replied the student.
"Then," concluded Bankei, "it must not be your own true nature. If it were, you could show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you. Think that over."

Dharma and society

Dharma is TAKING ACTION.