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 Science
Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a
nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a
"Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed
considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense
initiatives more successful? Can such an application of
science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable,
necessary or impossible?
Read Debates, a new
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 (6991 previous messages)
lunarchick
- 01:17pm Dec 24, 2002 EST (#
6992 of 6995)
Showalter often talks of 'stripping away' the layers to get
to the crux of a problem ... when you get to the 'ugly' part
that's good - in the sense that it's the part to work on, to
clean up, to sort out.
Krugman indicates that op-ed writers noted things that were
none too beautiful wrt the workings of big-name companies now
defunct http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html
Layers of sediment that build-up can separate and confuse
.... while the people in the layers may develop
self-centered concerns that detract from smooth
functioning of operation.
This was seen wrt the acceptance of design ideas for f15
f16 by Boyd
... and where paradigm shift makes the new 'wait'.
The concept of Lean Thinking sets out to
remove 'muddle' and waste by mapping the new route
Lean Thinking puts and emphasis on 'value' to the
customer, it looks at customers real (rather than wrongly
perceived) needs.
The real need is most often best value at least cost.
book
Lean Thinking Banish Waste & Create
Wealth in Your Corporation / James P. Womack, Daniel
T. Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using Lean Thinking to map and view world oil
supplies ....
Get oil to flow to people/technology/process at least
cost giving best value Where's the ugly muddle - how
can it be smoothed?
lunarchick
- 02:19pm Dec 24, 2002 EST (#
6993 of 6995)
THINKING
Leaders/Children who are aroused [from fear] can't take
in cognitive information, They're too busy watching out for
threatening gestures, and not listening to what's being
said."
Such behavior makes sense, given the constant threats in
the world. The brain has become exquisitely tuned to
emotional and physical cues from others.
At the same time, they may be failing to develop problem
solving and language skills.
It has been found that in a group of neglected children,
the cortex, or thinking part of the brain, is 20 percent
smaller on average than in a control group. adapted -
from Perry's work on Children
http://www.nospank.net/trau.htm
"" It is important to note that the relative
weight of emotions - hence, judgment and ethical behavior -
can change over the course of an individual’s life. A
child’s priority of security can be followed by a young
man’s enjoyment of adventure (even a fight), possibly
followed by the next age’s enjoyment of pleasures. These
shifts possibly emanate through varying signal strength from
the midbrain (the hypothalamus etc.) and may be related to
body chemistry, including neurotransmitters.
As in all conflicting situations, one can possibly
regret not having followed the other course when one has
decided on a specific course at one time, resulting in
feelings of regret, guilt or shame. In other words, most
people have learned what the culturally acceptable solution
should be when in conflict with one’s own momentary
decisions. Humans respond to the same methods used in animal
training in order to improve their ethical decision-making
capability (reward/punishment, physical or abstract, or
impact on the nervous system with neurochemicals in
pathological cases).
One should note that some decisions by the “conscience”
are influenced by what is learned as the culturally accepted
value scale. However, this scale changes in the history of
cultures. Patriotism and honor, in first place on the value
scale before World War II, have been replaced from their
primary position in importance by the goals of tolerance and
equality in ethnic, gender, and social concerns. Thus,
decisions of generations past cannot be fairly adjudicated
by our generation. Will the value scale change further in
the future? If so, in what direction? The great leaders of
mankind often sensed the needs of people in their times and
formed their societies accordingly.
Many ethical decisions are made as a matter of habit. In
habit, behavior patterns are followed without first
evaluating the alternatives. This is accomplished through
strongly formed synaptic connections providing a preference
path for thought associations. As a matter of fact, most
people in any society behave ethically (or unethically) out
of habit. Following habit without any thought does not
provide any emotional reward, except in secondarily derived
experiences.
One should be aware that ethical decisions are not yet
ethical actions. The translation of judgment into action is
a major problem for many individuals - the dreamers, the
phlegmatics, the procrastinators, and those who have to
“find themselves” first. Action initiation, while often seen
as genetically preconditioned, is somewhat related to
midbrain functions and the endocrine system (for instance,
adrenalin, possibly also the pituitary and thyroid glands).
Thus, it can be influenced by thought (including faith),
learning (habit), diet, pharmaceutical products, drugs,
exercise, and other environmental factors.
http://www.schwab-writings.com/bm/eth/3.html
Flight Fight ... a time for LEAN THINKING ?
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