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(16 posts)-
toamin
memberPosted 1 year ago on 17 Feb 2011 12:30 # -
Assalam-o-Alaikum-Warahmat-ULLAH ALL,
hmm..
Posted 1 year ago on 17 Feb 2011 19:32 # -
So what does it all mean, Salam? One shot at an answer - and this only in my humble opinion - IT has grown very fast and is expected to carry on growing at the same speed in the years to come. Now this, seems to me, does not say very much for the human race. And if there are 5 times more words in the English language today than in Shakespeare's time, English has nonetheless never produced a poet of Shakespeare's stature again. Similarly, whatever the speed and size of IT growth, this technological progress does not amount to too much finally.
Posted 1 year ago on 17 Feb 2011 21:41 # -
hkbajwa
Member@ MG
I must disagree here... The internet is the single most crucial development in human history since the harnessing of fire and the invention of the wheel.
While humanity may not have produced another shakespeare, i don't think that's because it doesn;t have the capacity, but rather because literary genius of shakespeare's level has become so commonplace that it gets lost in the crowd.
I would argue that writers like douglas adams, P.G. Wodehouse and Frank Herbert are eons ahead of shakespeare, both in terms of usage of the english language AND in terms of the themes and concepts they have written about.
I think human consciousness is in the process of being "uploaded" in a manner that has no precedent in human history.
the internet isn't just a passing technology fad, but rather a fundamental change in the human thought process.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 5:23 # -
That was really interesting, now if someone can tell me what's the next big trend so I can invest money into it and become a millionaire!!!
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 5:51 # -
I think ill try finding a completer version of this .. i saw this sometime back, i guess an year ago and the last slides were something like "Half the information in these charts is unverified."
There are no sources to go with these statements anyways.
Ill try searching that video out.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 7:01 # -
toamin
memberPosted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 7:10 # -
linkwheel
MemberCopycats the content is almost identical
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 7:19 # -
I don't mean any disrepect to IT. It's interesting sure enough, but I fear - this is wholly a personal opinion and generally unshared - for me it falls into the category of the gadgets with which modern man has become so enamoured. If I may be allowed, I can only measure human progress in terms of how much human beings progress in humanity and moral values. And of that I see little sign. Please to forgive my taking up such an outlandish position.
And now, HKB, May I add: No, the English language is down in the cellar. No one uses it correctly any longer. And the stylists today, the so-called serious writers are so eaten up by propaganda ploys that their books no longer seem worth the reading. As for the towering Shakespeare, his greatness resided above all in the way he plunged to the depths of the human heart and then used his magnificent language to capture and bring to light its eternal truths. What Shakespeare said then still stands valid today. And all this with such a limited vocabulary at his command, My, My, My!
P.S. Among the things I do not count among the gadgets humanity so loves to play with might be counted, for instance, antibiotics and a few other fundamental drugs or some of the progress made by modern surgery. Just to say I'm a diehard of back to basics as a philosophy of life.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 7:47 # -
toamin
memberfor me it falls into the category of the gadgets with which modern man has become so enamoured. If I may be allowed, I can only measure human progress in terms of how much human beings progress in humanity and moral values. And of that I see little sign. Please to forgive my taking up such an outlandish position.
wah wah.. quote of the day!
absolutely agreed, just bunch of tools and nothing more, actual progress is humanity and moral values
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 7:53 # -
hkbajwa
Member@ MG
Actually your position is not so outlandish. Gutenberg's printing press, radio and then TV were all considered "sinful" in their time because they provided news ways to communicate not only human greatness, but also human weakness.
The moral degradation that you clearly perceive online is not so much an increase in moral degradation as much as it is an increase in your ability to see it.
In fact by coming face to face with these dark aspects of humanity we actually have a greater proportion of people discarding these weaknesses and speaking up against them.
IT is certainly not a fad, but a fundamental factor in the future development of human thought, morals and values. Generation Online is going to redefine the world as we know it.
and as far as the english language is concerned, dear MG, stop being such a linguistic fuddy duddy :D.
I myself am a student of english literature and a voracious reader. language and literature is my passion above all else.
That's the great thing about the english language.. there is no "proper" way of using it. It is a supremely flexible language that almost every culture in the world has adapted to local conditions. pakistanis speak it one way, jamaicans another way, nigerians a third way, malaysians a fourth way and so on. The crazy thing is that inspite of the local adaptations of this language, it can still be understood anywhere in the world.
And i would also sincerely challenge your opinion that no authors/playwrights have been able to match shakespeare's language and content since. Shapespeare was a linguistic heretic, and the reason he was such a popular playwright was because he not only came up with new plots and stories, but also came up with new words and terms.
SO a Shakespeare today would be one who does just that. And i can think of no greater maestro of the english language that Douglas Adams. And on the humorous side i don't think anybody can equal P.G. Wodehouse for sheer playfulness with the language.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 8:33 # -
shafiq12
memberI myself am a student of english literature and a voracious reader. language and literature is my passion above all else.
نگاہ شوق ميسر نہيں اگر تجھ کو
ترا وجود ہے قلب و نظر کي رسوائيIf fervent glance and vision keen
You have not met or ever seen;
Your being is a source of shame
On heart and sight can bring a blamePosted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 10:02 # -
HKB, Some of what you wrote, I share, some made me think the point I was making failed ot be understood. But we'll not argue about that. I ask nothing better than to be proved wrong about my experience of humanity. If you really think the new generation will turn out better than what we managed to achieve, I'm only too willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they'll refrain from turning the whole world into a "gadget" as I still insist on calling it.
About English, language and literature, that makes the two of us. I even taught that foolish subject for years. Still, no way I wish to quarrel about the matter. Except to say this perhaps. If I had to do it all over again, I'd certainly choose to specialise in Urdu instead. It's only late in the day that I've realised just what tremendous linguistic wealth it has to offer. Also nothing against Douglas Adams and P. G. Wodehouse. The latter, in particular, is the funniest writer in any language going. Now if you were to ask me who my favourite writers in English might be, I'd be hard put to say. And Shaespeare does not need my defence on his behalf. He stands above such matters. I will add this because it's you. I have a very special fondness for Scandinavian writers and there was a time I thought the greatest contemporary European writer would turn out to be Peter Hoeg. But alas it was not to be.
Back to IT. If it does help to make the world a better place, then I'm all for it. Otherwise it will go into the gadget category in my head along with such things like the Boeing or Airbus or the Mercedes Benz.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 10:09 # -
toamin
memberI think these are just gadgets that help increase material productivity, not increase humanity.
For example a guy counting using stones or a guy counting using computers are using two techniques to do the same job, one ends up with better productivity, thats all.
Tools, gadgets, widgets etc don't mean that human has 'evolved', older generations developed technologies that today's men can't comprehend.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 13:19 # -
Thank you, Salam. You brought brevity and clarity to what I was trying to say. And you brought the argument a step further when you wrote "older generations developed technologies that today's men can't comprehend". Among others, in the field of medicine we had remedies which have practically disappeared from the radar, but which were probably more effective than many we now so proudly own.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 15:58 # -
mirzasoda
MemberThere is nothing to worry about if things are moving so rapidly. Our creator Allah SWT knew all this as He is Aleem u Hakeem. We are using just a portiono of our brain. Although myth of 10% usage is wrong here is a quote.
A quote from http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=121732
Our brains function like multicore CPU, with each core being specialised at a particular task. When that task isn't required, that area of the brain shows decreased levels of activity. Because the areas seem to be somewhat specialised, the areas with decreased levels of activity don't, or more likely can't, pick up work from the one's that are busy.
So, when you image someone's brain, you can find that quite a lot of the brain tissue isn't actually doing much. It's not helped by the fact that a lot of activity scans are extremely specific, for instance, noting colours or smells and nothing else. In such a test, you'd expect to see only small areas of activity, and that's what they're after so's that they can try to pinpoint specific areas related to specific tasks. If you were walking down an unfamiliar street, much more of your brain would probably start coming on as each of the 'cores' began evaluating the new environment.
Posted 1 year ago on 18 Feb 2011 18:30 #
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