Dangerous Ideas

In 2006 the Edge organisation put out a book called 'What is your dangerous idea?' In it a group of informed people were invited to submit questions which felt 'dangerous' to ask. These are questions which in many cases cannot be answered, or which would be difficult to answer, but the point is not to answer them but to notice the effect of asking them. Some ideas affect us so personally that not only do we not approach answering them but the very act of asking them feels like an attack or a violation.

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[shameoncanada]

I love your videos. Rubert Sheldrake though is a complete moron. I just felt you understated the "probability" of his being wrong.

Cheers.

[conferencereport]

I guess I meant the 'probably' of 'there's probably no god', rather than any kind of real probability.

[1140Cecile]

Sounds like a great idea for a new channel called DangerousQuestions. For such a channel, however, there would have to be a policy that anyone posting only visceral replies, with no rationality contained in their comments, would be blocked.

[conferencereport]

If you started it I'd definately subscribe.

[Suorrel]

My dangerous question, has the United States of America always been or is it becoming a tyrannical power.

[tattooskin72]

@oojama... that's why I am getting pissed. People that are trying to make a counter argument are being dismissed because they disagree, sometimes emotionally, that rape isn't necessarily advantageous. It's becoming ridiculous. This whole discussion has been ridiculous since it began actually.

[InternetMasterMindX]

My dangerous question is: Are you really a hero? Would you do the right thing even if it meant putting yourself or your wealth, fame and so on in danger?

[Ignare]

In my mind, culture is unquestionnably detrimental to sapiens fitness (industrial capitalism ideology will probably destroy our terrestrial environnement). If we forget the implication for bio-diversity, radical animalism can be one exemple of fitness detrimental morality.

[Ignare]

We can put the question on his head and ask : is it possible that human morality can be detrimental to homosapiens fitness ? And even more we can ask : should a moral behavior cohere with a fitter behavior ? I can envisage some weird objectivity-seeking moral system based on evolutionnary criterion and not emotionnal ones. (transgenerational responsabilities are getting pretty popular)

[gedgetips]

Questioning the existence of God could be a dangerous idea where a positive attitude of faith may be critical to successful recovery from illness. Yet, introducing the belief in God may be, in general, one of the most dangerous ideas of all. That is, such a God idea can stop the process of inquiry and discovery, and then increase the risk of violence against those who would create doubts regarding such a God, thereby increasing violence against one's own group.

[gedgetips]

One way to consider a dangerous idea is to see it as interfering with the effective functioning of relationships in such a way that the questions raised can't be resolvedl within the context of following out the responsibilities of those involved. That is, the dangerous idea creates the real danger of significant failure by disrupting a functional process. A mere display of large firm breasts to a passing motorist could present a dangerous idea for some.

[gedgetips]

There is a tendency for a person outside of a given field of functional relationships to dismiss the seriousness of a dangerous idea just because such a risky question only applies to limited situations. There are many cases of mere psychological resistance to change, but once we are focused more upon a particular group of people involved in doing something like watching a movie in a very crowded theater then merely crying out "fire" could be a truly dangerous idea -- especially if accurate.