Autodidacts. Life-long learning.

Turning Kids From India's Slums Into Autodidacts


Turning Kids From India’s Slums Into Autodidacts

Self Organizing Learning Environments & Self Organized Mediation Environments

Self-Organizing Systems in Primary Education




One of my philosophical passions is bottom-up order.

WSJ.com - Turning Kids From India's Slums Into Autodidacts http://on.wsj.com/end8ZP
WSJ.com - One of my philosophical passions is bottom-up order. | http://on.wsj.com/end8ZP
WSJ.com - ...that some of the finest complexity in the world comes about through spontaneous emergence,.. http://on.wsj.com/end8ZP
WSJ.com - ... not top-down diktat. | http://on.wsj.com/end8ZP
WSJ.com - This is true of ecosystems and economies, of genomes and cultures, of embryos and encyclopedias.| http://on.wsj.com/end8ZP
WSJ.com - Education, though, feels like one of those things that has to be top-down:..| http://on.wsj.com/end8ZP

feels like .. I feel .. you feel .. he feels .. but despite .. how someone feels like .. about it

.. now knowledge .. becomes accessible online .. it is possible for everybody .. to be an autodidact .. people to educate themselves ..

educate .. learning .. can learn by themselves .. guided by .. have well-posed questions to answer ..



Dr. Mitra's next brainchild, SOLE, takes this dynamic into the classroom.



education .. learning .. being taken out .. of the hands .. of oligarchs ..

whoever .. makes ..a killing out of it ..

what comes along .. and .. certainly .. benefits .. societies ..



He is convinced that, with the Internet, kids can learn by themselves, so long as they are in small groups and have well-posed questions to answer.




Human beings have a hard time understanding

... that some of the finest complexity in the world comes about through spontaneous emergence,

... not top-down diktat.

This is true of ecosystems and economies, of genomes and cultures, of embryos and encyclopedias.

Education, though, feels like one of those things that has to be top-down: There has to be a teacher and a taught. But plenty of people educate themselves. Is it possible for everybody to be an autodidact, now that knowledge is so accessible online?

SOLE & SOME .. Self Organizing Learning Environments & Self Organized Mediation Environments | http://solesandsomes.wikispaces.com/

A financial transaction, loathing and atrocious, that is what the most precious possessions of human individuals are reduced to.

.. a financial transaction .. loathing and atrocious .. that is what .. the most precious possessions of human individuals .. have been reduced to .. what survives out of the many considerations .. people abide to and use to guide their lives

the love of the father and mother for their kids .. the love of the husband of the wife for their spouses .. all of the relationships .. that make human individuals what they are .. what it's worth pursuing for .. in need to be paid

.. pay your way into .. the relationships with .. kids parents .. spouses .. the whole gamut of relationships individuals are involved in .. are constantly poisoned .. trashed and trivialised

if ever the love of a child to a parent .. to depend on how much money .. has been given .. the mechanics .. of financial transactions .. deep into their psyche .. what the fucking radio TV .. advertisers .. blare into the ears and eyes .. of their listeners .. viewers ..

emotions and feelings .. bought and sold .. wholesale or retail .. such a stench of human values .. wives husbands .. exchange services rendered .. worth their pennies .. mere financial transactions ..

human transactions .. devoid of the content it was meant to be .. what remains twisted, warped, disfigured .. all sorts of ugly facets .. emerge .. hideous, vile and revolting

everything that people are involved in .. looked upon from the currency exchanged .. dragged deeply into the gutters .. making it the base from which people should start their lives off .. demanding vehemently for people to abandon .. the most precious exhilarating values .. that have ever had in their possession

governments and corporations ..are pushing to the hilt .. for individuals .. to succumb to .. accept its doctrines .. and comply with it

and one considers .. how not .. individuals would not resort .. to any inhuman destroying behaviours .. that plague humanity .. out of this perverse system .. that financial considerations created

.. financial considerations take precedence .. disorganise one .. the mean and main goal .. of governments, states, corporations ..

.. the message to be put on .. pursued .. the financial considerations are the last cog in the wheel .. that drives human lives forward ..

... at the bottom of all that has to be considered .. to plan lives

The connectedness attribute of our minds.

why did I .. or? .. this is the wrong ..approach .. question .. and by being ..wrong .. you do not get what you seek ..

so .. is it .. before even .. form ..or formulate .. the question .. to think at what .. field .. context .. it falls into ..

..and what is that context .. I am asking you ..

.. in the back .. of my mind .. the first word ... I came to is chaotic .. but it is too shallow ..

.. the other thing that came into .. my mind .. threads


... contemplating .. worth .. the seconds ..used .. in gold .. (in a manner of speaking )

.. threads .. I would call them .. paths .. trajectories .. could be too .. within the framework of time .. future-present-past .. tied up .. all the acts .. you are involved .. future .. past .. present .. all connected .. and within them .. the bifurcations .. a network .. branching

may be .. need .. to refresh .. to bring within my grasp .. the ideas spawn in previous contemplations .. if not mentally .. to form a streak .. a stream .. uh! .. a stream .. of consciousness .. look at that .. as if a light .. flashed .. a sign of a new bifurcation been made .. a new property has been added into my mind .. for the consciousness stream .. which .. could be described .. as a state .. a state of mind ..

approach .. what I referred to ..as chaotic .. and even chaotic ..now .. is added .. with an extra property .. unstoppable force .. a stream .. nevertheless .. barren .. empty .. flooded with water .. rushing down .. with force .. bringing down the water .. of a recent heavy rainfall ..

σαν ενας χειμαρος .. φουσκομενος .. που παρασυρει στο διαβα του .. οτι βρει μπροστα του .. ενας χειμαρος συνειδησης

as I see what brought .. this stream of consciousness .. the links .. mentioned there .. the threads .. connected .. the hypertext ..

the problem arises .. it is included .. within the context .. of choice .. why did I choose .. to read .. slashdot's communication .. and from all included there .. this reference to Project Xanadu .. all acts .. performed in an apparent random manner .. choices enacting bifurcations .. bifurcations that lay the path .. the thread .. the trajectory .. which would lead to ..thoughts .. information ..

and .. there it is .. algorithmic information .. or .. information .. about algorithmic information .. entered .. into the discussion .. my discussion .. yes .. just happened to lay near .. a random event ..

need to describe .. the occurrence of this random event .. analyse it .. the photocopied pages of .. Ben Goertzel's Chaotic Logic .. folded to that particular page ..page 19 ..

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and while on that .. totally given out .. to a chaotic frame of mind .. that suits the moment .. or follow suit .. the whole ..of me .. not just one part of me .. the whole of me .. that has decided .. enough of this .. I am getting bored .. let's get on with .. some fresh staff .. you might even say .. betrays a stalemate .. an obstruction .. this .. what I took as .. a stream of consciousness .. hit a barrier .. stopped in its tracks ..

and out of this .. this spontaneous random choice .. it come to this ..

"His concept is effectively a free-form multi-document interface where hyperlinks open into a new window. That description doesn't do it justice though. Think of it like each block of content, each paragraph, each page, each image, is not limited to the context which it is in. You can do, as the quote suggest, strike out some content that is between the two pieces you want, or branch out diagnally.

Think if it more like a 6 degrees of Kevin Baccon interface, only for every piece of content. Wikipedia is the most obvious example of where it would be useful. Being able to see the content of mid-sentence links with out having to leave the page you are on.

It's a pretty cool concept, but not big enough (IMO) to displace the current browsing experience."

.. each block of content .. is not limited .. to the context which it is in .. branch out diagonally .. being able to see the content of mid-sentence links without having to leave the page you are on ..

links .. where .. the threads .. the paths .. the trajectories .. meet .. where the associations are performed .. network-bound thought evolution .. how deep into the network .. can the mind probe .. a drawback .. of the human thought .. thinking process .. that .. universal Turing machine .. while it is computing ..

I do not know .. whether it gained .. pace .. momentum .. into pursuing .. further into arriving into a conclusion .. which it would mean .. lazy me .. finding the relevant .. link .. plant it here .. and let have .. associations ..ahoy!

"2.2. PATTERN AND INFORMATION (*)
Now it is time to make the concept of pattern more precise -- to give a specific, "objective" measure of complexity. The best way to do this is with the obscure but powerful branch of mathematics known as algorithmic information theory.
The concept of algorithmic information was conceived in the 1960's, by Kolmogorov (1965), Chaitin (1974) and Solomonoff (1964). Where U is a universal Turing machine understood to input and output potentially infinite binary sequences, and x is a finite binary sequence, it may be defined as follows:
Definition: The algorithmic information I(x) contained in x is the length of the shortest selfdelimiting program for computing x on U given the (infinite) input string ...000...
A self-delimiting program is, roughly speaking, a program which explicitly specifies its own length; this restriction to self-delimiting programs is desirable for technical reasons which we need not go into here (Chaitin, 1974). It is not hard to show, using simulation arguments, that as the length of x approaches infinity, the quantity I(x) becomes machine independent.
Bennett (1982) has criticized this definition, on the grounds that what it really measures is "degree of randomness" and not "degree of structure." It assigns a random sequence maximum complexity, and a completely repetitive sequence like ...000... minimum complexity. He defines the logical depth of a binary sequence x, relative to a universal Turing machine U, to be the running time on U of the shortest self-delimiting program which computes x on U from the (infinite) input ...000... .


.. the universal Turing machine .. depicting our very own mind .. being in our mind .. the kind of executive action .. that computes .. executes instructions .. and that potentially infinite string .. depicts .. precisely .. the things the human mind can delve into .. available for .. the entirety of concepts .. the world is about .. infinite content ..

and the self-delimiting programs .. our very own thoughts .. each thought .. carries within .. specifies its length .. limits it .. self-delimiting attribute of thought ..

information .. referred to as algorithmic .. as all thoughts .. derive from one another .. an algorithm .. that brings .. one thought from another ..

"In one of Asimov's books he describes doing research/reading in the Imperial Library of Trantor; I think that's what this guy is trying to describe. Links become basically infinite depth background trees on any word or phrase or sentence or paragraph or whatever level you want.

Which would be amazing, in an academic context. But I'm not sure it would be more useful in a wider context than what we have now."

.. and alongside this previous thoughts .. there comes the confirmation .. links .. the associations .. as an .. infinite depth background trees on any word or phrase or sentence or paragraph or whatever level you want .. the infinite string .. that the universal Turing machine .. in our mind .. deals with ..

.. and that infinite depth background trees .. inextricably connected .. within the framework of space and time .. in a manner similar .. to what is defined .. in the double-slit experiment .. where the photons/electrons .. know where to land .. to produce the familiar .. interference pattern .. the pattern that represents .. the entire knowledge .. existing

.. the thoughts contemplated .. have a force of their own .. drive the universal Turing machine of our minds .. to their destination .. by themselves .. once a channel is tapped .. should let go .. let the thoughts .. the concepts involved .. take precedent in our inquiry .. let them drives us .. to their destination .. like the paths annealed .. by the photons that are going through the slits .. they know where to land .. trust them .. trust our intuitions .. double-slit experiment .. photons, electrons .. the entities involved .. entities as the thoughts, the concepts existing .. the human individuals .. entities for every system possible .. exists ..

entities engaged .. in endless processes .. according to their attributes .. inherent, intrinsic .. bring out the system's structure

The connectedness attribute of our minds.

Chance has it, I landed on that page, 184 to be exact, of John H. Holland's book of emergence, from chaos to order.

Morning, the mind afresh, chance (if not the right symbol, no matter the true(?) word would come forth) has it I landed on that page, 184 to be exact, of John H. Holland's book of emergence, from chaos to order.

I started by reading the paragraph with the heading, Computational Equivalence, and my thoughts were stirred ahoy.

"In one sense, a cgp-v can tell us no more about emergence than a cgp with fixed structure. After all, a cgp with fixed structure has the power of a general-purpose computer, so we can embed in it any kind of computation-based model. That is, the different versions are equivalent with respect to computational power."

Though, I started with this paragraph, now that I have finally written it, the deluge of thoughts which it has unleashed in my mind, just mere minutes ago, if not fizzled out, have been overtaken by other thoughts, in a sense I can not keep up with myself. So many concepts are dealt with, in this paragraph, which can not be taken all at the same time, either being fully comprehended or taken as fodder for further thoughts to develop.

The main distinction that struck me, is that either fixed or variable cgp's, the constrained generating procedures, have the same computational power. Fixed cgp's, which in my mind is taken as static of sorts, and the variable cgp's as dynamic. Though the distinction of static and dynamic taken as a matter of the time interval assumed. Within the limits of a given time interval fixed cgps, appear static. .....

"Formalists sometimes treat a search through equivalent structures as irrelevant, or at least as not part of the scientific process.
But scientists and mathematicians know the importance of an appropriate framework and diligently search for it-hence the familiar saying, "The problem is nine-tenths solved when the question is asked in that right way." In the present case, equivalence with respect to computational power does not mean equivalence with respect to insight. Insights differ even when confine ourselves to the familiar architecture of commercial computers and something as mundane as word processing. Different programs for word processing provide quite different flexibilities, even when the end product is the same. Such differences are multiplied many times over when we look to broader questions."

The distinction brought out by Holland, of computational power and insight, the difference between the fixed and variable cgps, at the heart of my stirred up thoughts. The constraints appearing as laws, norms, even habits, the parameters in any system that within their constraining fields apply the procedures to generate behaviours. Fixed cgps, equivalent to sticking to the letter of the law as opposed to variable cgps, the flexibilities it brings forth, expressing the notion of insight. Insight augmented beyond the confines of the human mind's ingenuity to the realm of any system, even to a society impregnated by insight.

"The trick is to choose structures that are well-tuned to the question(s) at hand. A study that is straightforward in an appropriate framework can become almost impossible in an inappropriate framework."

Almost impossible in an inappropriate framework, based on cgps that are fixed, constraints that are fixed, inflexible. Laws that do not offer leeways, do not act solely as guides but rigid directions for free agents to follow, providing inappropriate frameworks, the constraints imposed unbearable for the agents of a system. Appropriate frameworks, the structures made out of, well-tuned to the questions at hand, the problems faced by agents, the solutions sought after.


... the thoughts are unleashed -- , I can not catch up with them, which by saying so, it appears absurd and folly, talking about myself as being somebody out of myself. The interplay of my conscious and unconscious within me, what my unconscious can contemplate my conscious can not keep up with. The associations, (talking about the performance rate of associations and/or the quality of an association) my unconscious can perform, far exceed what my conscious can manage. What mechanisms are underlying either form of contemplation both distinct, with the conscious being so slow and the unconscious exceeds speeds, compared with the colloquially referred to as lightning bolt, what is taken as humanly impossible. Something I have contemplated upon in the past and made a post. Which apart from being posted, it has been lodged in my mind, and guides it.

Knowledge, arrived.‏

Knowledge is acquired in a similar manner as in the double-slit experiment, in the version where electrons or photons are fired one at time. Each electron/photon knows where to land, so when all have landed it produces the familiar interference pattern.

Thus knowledge is amassed.

Consciousness leaks into awareness. Causes what is called, knowledge.‏

Consciousness overwhelming, all-surpassing. Its limits never imagined before. In fact, its boundless nature mind-numbing, hurting the brain. It exposes the futility of the pursuits capitalist societies adhere to, renders meaningless the ideals of the very nature of the western civilization, out of which consciousness current notions were spawned out of.

Consciousness housed within the confines of the brain. The brain being built out of the specifications required to accommodate consciousness's enormous capacity. Renders the current notions of anthropic principle, dwarfs, barely touching base with the true extent consciousness is about.

Darwinism? Replacement rather than ruthless extinction. Capitalism? Co-operation rather than ruthless competition.

What are the implications of Darwin's theory in the making of societies worldwide? What has been hiding in the shadow of its clash with the creationist movement, obscuring the issues which have survived barely noticed and continue to plague human societies to nowadays.

Natural selection idea and quite a lot of its offshoots being heavily influenced by Darwin's social background that has going through unnoticed. I feel I have to go through the article of New Scientist, 31 January 2009, 'Evolution's final frontiers'

to trace the origins of the most sinister offshoots of Darwin's theory that has so devastatingly influenced the make-up of today's societies, which somehow have accumulated fallacies which have plagued human individuals thus far. My thesis is that this is not a result of mis-interpretations of Darwin's theories over the years by other theorists, but of Darwin himself. He is responsible for the parts of his theory that have had an adverse effect in the development of societies, he himself infused his personal touch in these parts of the theory that perpetrate illusions and distort and destroy values human individuals adhere to.

Why it has survived in our consciousness practices expressed in the saying(?)

"Ο θάνατος σου η ζωή μου"

which literally translates 'my survival goes through your extinction' and refers to single individuals or groups of individuals in unfolding their activities and acts, in almost all aspects of human activity and draws its (power?) from Darwin's theory. What is responsible for all acts of violence, wars included.

Instead of 'live and let live' which would come naturally if we accept instead that all activities of social groups goes through replacement rather than competition. Activities unfolding side-by-side instead of one-against-another that now pervades all aspects of human relationships.

I feel I have to go through the responses of all th individuals that have offered their contributions, looking them from the perspective I develop, namely fight for survival or co-operate and live-and-let-live stance.

Darwinism have been left to develop unscathed, not from the strictly scientific perspective, but its political implications as a result of its long-drawn battle with creationism. As, now it has emerged victorious, as I would say expected, it needs to be rectified to adapt with the aspirations human individuals adhere to, instead of distorting and warping the basic(?) elements responsible for the development of human relationships.

As I think, these mis-conceptions is a result that stem from Darwin, and especially a result of Darwin's era, which except from Darwin had others like Thomas Malthus, which was admired by Darwin and have been influenced by, and their theories have plagued humanity.

Therefore, I feel I should go through what has been said about Darwinism, by the people that have worked in deciphering his theory, rejecting blind adherence in what Darwin and Darwin's theory, as it has been developed by other individuals, is about.