Death of Bull Fighter
In a Park (1882)
Portrait of Emile-Auguste Carolus-Duran (1876)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
YouTube - Carl Sagan's next to last interview
""
Carl Sagan gave this interview with Charlie rose on May 27th 1996. He discussed pseudo-science, religion, unfounded claims, his personal love affair with science and his struggle with myelodysplasia as well as other elements of his last book: The Demon-Haunted World.
"Better the hard truth, I say, than the comforting fantasy. And in the final tolling it often turns out that the facts are more comforting than the fantasy."
Part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jod7v-m573k
Part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDKSZO-aACk
Part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxeN6Wf7mbU
YouTube - Sam Keen on Ernest Becker
YouTube - Sam Keen on Ernest Becker: "
Philosopher/Author, Sam Keen discusses his now famous interview with Ernest Becker on his death bed in March of 1974.
"
Aztec Mythology
The Aztec civilization recognized a polytheistic mythology, which contained the many deities (over 100) and supernatural creatures from their religious beliefs.
Symbolism: In Aztec mythology, Ehecatl ("wind") is the god of the winds. He begins the movement of the sun and sweeps the high roads of the rain god with his breath. As another form of the great Quetzalcoatl he brings life to all that is lifeless. He brought love to mankind after he became involved with Mayahuel, a young woman.
The Aztec Sun Stone, a 24-ton sculpture honoring the sun god Tonatiuh, was discovered in Mexico City in 1790. Currently on display at Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology, this massive artifact was carved in the 15th century. It depicts Tonatiuh (center), the four previous sun gods (in boxes around Tonatiuh), and the 20 days of the Aztec calendar, among many other symbols.
Tonatiuh, Aztec Sun God
Aztec Sun Stone mosaic Rose Center for Earth and Space American Museum of Natural History New York City, USA
Symbolism: In Aztec mythology, Ehecatl ("wind") is the god of the winds. He begins the movement of the sun and sweeps the high roads of the rain god with his breath. As another form of the great Quetzalcoatl he brings life to all that is lifeless. He brought love to mankind after he became involved with Mayahuel, a young woman.
The Aztec Sun Stone, a 24-ton sculpture honoring the sun god Tonatiuh, was discovered in Mexico City in 1790. Currently on display at Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology, this massive artifact was carved in the 15th century. It depicts Tonatiuh (center), the four previous sun gods (in boxes around Tonatiuh), and the 20 days of the Aztec calendar, among many other symbols.
Tonatiuh, Aztec Sun God
Aztec Sun Stone mosaic Rose Center for Earth and Space American Museum of Natural History New York City, USA
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong | Video on TED.com
Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong | Video on TED.com
In a moving and madly viral video last year, composer Eric Whitacre led a virtual choir of singers from around the world. He talks through the creative challenges of making music powered by YouTube, and unveils the first 2 minutes of his new work, "Sleep," with a video choir of 2,052. The full piece premieres April 7 (yes, on YouTube!).
About Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre is one of the most performed composers of his generation. After creating and conducting the "virtual choir" in 2010 -- hundreds of voices from around the world singing together on… Full bio and more links
In a moving and madly viral video last year, composer Eric Whitacre led a virtual choir of singers from around the world. He talks through the creative challenges of making music powered by YouTube, and unveils the first 2 minutes of his new work, "Sleep," with a video choir of 2,052. The full piece premieres April 7 (yes, on YouTube!).
About Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre is one of the most performed composers of his generation. After creating and conducting the "virtual choir" in 2010 -- hundreds of voices from around the world singing together on… Full bio and more links
Murray Gell-Mann on beauty and truth in physics | Video on TED.com
Murray Gell-Mann on beauty and truth in physics | Video on TED.com
Armed with a sense of humor and laypeople's terms, Nobel winner Murray Gell-Mann drops some knowledge on TEDsters about particle physics, asking questions like, Are elegant equations more likely to be right than inelegant ones?
About Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann brings visibility to a crucial aspect of our existence that we can't actually see: elemental particles. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics for introducing quarks, one of two… Full bio and more links
Tom Honey on God and the tsunami | Video on TED.com
Tom Honey on God and the tsunami | Video on TED.com
In the days following the tragic South Asian tsunami of 2004, the Rev. Tom Honey pondered the question, "How could a loving God have done this?" Here is his answer.
About Tom Honey
The Canon Pastor of Exeter Cathedral, in the UK, is unafraid to take on some of religion's tougher issues. Full bio and more links
Friday, April 1, 2011
Confucius: The Enduring Power of Virtue
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/03/the-enduring-power-of-virtue/73149/
Virtue, not technocratic solutions, is what I claimed our world needs more of, but I'm not saying anything new. Virtue goes back at least two-and-a-half millennia.
Western accounts of virtue start with Aristotle, but let's go back instead to Confucius. Depending on what you paid attention to in school, you might remember Confucius by the Silver Rule ("Do not do to others..."), his exotic concepts (e.g., filial piety), or a series of grammar-challenged jokes ("Confucius say...").
Confucius did have a lot to say, but if there is one principle that runs through his philosophy, it's that personal virtue is the way to the good life and the good society. He posed the cultivation of virtue as a superior alternative to the manipulation or coercion of behavior through policy.
Three virtues from Confucius's thought are the basic building blocks for all other virtues:
1. One is rén, benevolence or compassion.
2. Another is self-control, which Confucius believed was enforced and nurtured by adhering to
proper forms of behavior, or lǐ .
3. And, the third is wise judgment about how to turn benevolent intention into action of a kind that avoids the proverbial road to hell.
Confucius, who in referring to ancient role models wrote:
"Because their persons were cultivated, their families were in order. Because their families were in order, their states were well-governed. Because their states were well-governed, the whole kingdom prospered. From the sovereign down to the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides."
Virtue, not technocratic solutions, is what I claimed our world needs more of, but I'm not saying anything new. Virtue goes back at least two-and-a-half millennia.
Western accounts of virtue start with Aristotle, but let's go back instead to Confucius. Depending on what you paid attention to in school, you might remember Confucius by the Silver Rule ("Do not do to others..."), his exotic concepts (e.g., filial piety), or a series of grammar-challenged jokes ("Confucius say...").
Confucius did have a lot to say, but if there is one principle that runs through his philosophy, it's that personal virtue is the way to the good life and the good society. He posed the cultivation of virtue as a superior alternative to the manipulation or coercion of behavior through policy.
Three virtues from Confucius's thought are the basic building blocks for all other virtues:
1. One is rén, benevolence or compassion.
2. Another is self-control, which Confucius believed was enforced and nurtured by adhering to
proper forms of behavior, or lǐ .
3. And, the third is wise judgment about how to turn benevolent intention into action of a kind that avoids the proverbial road to hell.
Confucius, who in referring to ancient role models wrote:
"Because their persons were cultivated, their families were in order. Because their families were in order, their states were well-governed. Because their states were well-governed, the whole kingdom prospered. From the sovereign down to the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides."
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