The End of Freedom of Thought

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The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Hermit » Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:19 am

Die Gedanken sind frei
My thoughts freely flower
Die gedanken sind frei
My thoughts give me power
No scholar can map them
No hunter can trap them
No man can deny
Die gedanken sind frei
I think as I please
And this gives me pleasure
My conscience decrees
This right I must treasure
My thoughts will not cater
To duke or dictator
No man can deny
Die gedanken sind frei
Tyrants can take me
And throw me in prison
My thoughts will burst forth
Like blossoms in season
Foundations may crumble
And structures may tumble
But free men shall cry
Die gedanken sind frei

The song is based on another that Walther von der Vogelweide wrote around the end of the 12th century. This version, written by Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1842 became popular in dozens of Germany's feudal states and in Austria during the run-up to the revolutions that broke out all over Europe in 1848. All of them ended in ignominious failures by 1849.

And now thoughts are about to cease being free. Scholars will be able to map them and hunters can trap them. We'll no longer be able to think as we please. They will be read by the powers that be, and there will be consequences.

It's an advancement of face recognition technology. The Chinese are leading the field, but don't think for a moment that it won't be used by governments and corporations all over the world before long.
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops. - Stephen J. Gould

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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Brian Peacock » Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:11 am

I the nk you're right. And when The Machines have figured out our facial expressions, our body language, our speech and our tone of voice, there'll be no point in ever telling lies again - even to our ourselves.

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There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."

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"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Brian Peacock » Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:14 am

-- And at the same time we'll never be certain again that the truth isn't just what the algorithms want us to believe either.
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
Details on how to do that can be found here.

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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."

Frank Zappa

"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by JimC » Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:32 am

One can train oneself to have a poker face as required...
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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Hermit » Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:56 am

JimC wrote:
Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:32 am
One can train oneself to have a poker face as required...
...or

Image
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops. - Stephen J. Gould

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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Joe » Thu Mar 04, 2021 3:15 pm

That would make an interesting argument with the COVID anti-masker crowd. Love your freedom, Bubba? You might want to reconsider the whole mask-wearing thing.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Cunt » Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:38 pm

It's why antifa have been wearing masks since long before covid.

It's not just facial recognition either. I can recognize a walker or runner, at a glance, from hundreds of meters away. Posture, gait, everything gets together to be a unique id.

Heck, there were rumours that the lengths of finger-bones relative to each other could be used as a fingerprint.
Shit, Piss, Cock, Cunt, Motherfucker, Cocksucker and Tits.
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Joe wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:22 pm
he doesn't communicate

The 'Walsh Question' 'What Is A Woman?' I'll put an answer here when someone posts one that is clear and comprehensible, by apostates to the Faith.

Update: I've been offered one!
rainbow wrote:
Mon Nov 06, 2023 9:23 pm
It is actually quite easy. A woman has at least one X chromosome.
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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Sean Hayden » Thu Mar 04, 2021 6:55 pm

Supposedly predators can identify victims from their gait.

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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by JimC » Thu Mar 04, 2021 8:05 pm

A stiff upper lip is the ticket, chaps...
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Svartalf » Thu Mar 04, 2021 11:28 pm

I leave that to you stoic britons, we Latins are not afraid of being emotional.
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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Cunt » Fri Mar 05, 2021 4:16 am

Sean Hayden wrote:
Thu Mar 04, 2021 6:55 pm
Supposedly predators can identify victims from their gait.
Supposedly? Really?

I could believe that ALL predators use a gait analysis in their decision-making. Even humans.

There is a reason stupid exercises work on our psychological state. Probably. Doesn't matter what the reason is, it works predictably enough.

Ever remember learning that a lot of communication is non-verbal?
Shit, Piss, Cock, Cunt, Motherfucker, Cocksucker and Tits.
-various artists


Joe wrote:
Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:22 pm
he doesn't communicate

The 'Walsh Question' 'What Is A Woman?' I'll put an answer here when someone posts one that is clear and comprehensible, by apostates to the Faith.

Update: I've been offered one!
rainbow wrote:
Mon Nov 06, 2023 9:23 pm
It is actually quite easy. A woman has at least one X chromosome.
Strong ideas don't require censorship to survive. Weak ideas cannot survive without it.

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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Sean Hayden » Fri Mar 05, 2021 4:34 am

Yes, supposedly.

Some people believe in their ability to find water by waving a stick around after all.

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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by JimC » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:15 am

Sean Hayden wrote:
Fri Mar 05, 2021 4:34 am

Some people believe in their ability to find sex by waving their dick around after all.
:fix:
Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
And my gin!

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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Joe » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:16 am

:hehe:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Wisdom requires a flexible mind." - Dan Carlin
"If you vote for idiots, idiots will run the country." - Dr. Kori Schake

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Re: The End of Freedom of Thought

Post by Sean Hayden » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:25 am

:hilarious:

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