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The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#41

Post by WalterBright »

ronald_raygun wrote: post #38
glossbar wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you meet him? How would you know he was an ahole? Just asking, as I see this far too much. Is Elon an ahole? Is Gates an ahole?

In the AC/DC wars Edison fought with Tesla, he'd electrocute animals to show how dangerous AC was. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/thomas-edison-histo...

That's more of an indication of how our modern sensibilities have changed.

When I was a kid I was taken to the local zoo, where lions were displayed in small, bare concrete cages. I felt sorry for them, and did not enjoy the trip. But that doesn't mean the zookeepers were bad people, people just thought differently about animals in those days.

Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#42

Post by pvaldes »

ronald_raygun wrote: post #38
glossbar wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you meet him? How would you know he was an ahole? Just asking, as I see this far too much. Is Elon an ahole? Is Gates an ahole?

In the AC/DC wars Edison fought with Tesla, he'd electrocute animals to show how dangerous AC was. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/thomas-edison-histo...

And electrocution is seen currently as the method of choice in all modern slaughterhouses of the planet to kill humanely animals for meat, instantly and saving a lot of this nervous excitation called pain. Edison has saved more animal pain than the whole Peta team probably.

Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#43

Post by dsego »

bkovacev wrote: post #30
trodemode wrote: post #27

There is a factual inaccuracy in the article. Although an ethnic Serb, Tesla was not born in Serbia. He was born in Croatia that was at that time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Why does it always have to be someone that involves politics into this? Tesla during his life said he is of Serbian origin and thinks of himself as a Serbian, even though he was born in Croatia. Don't steer it up in here too, I'd like HN to remain what it is.

Facts are not politics.

Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#44

Post by andai »

WalterBright wrote: post #39
glossbar wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you meet him? How would you know he was an ahole? Just asking, as I see this far too much. Is Elon an ahole? Is Gates an ahole?

It's usually a mistake to judge people from another time using modern sensibilities. It's like thinking people from the 1800's were all grim because they look grim in photographs. But that was just an artifact of them having to hold still for the long exposure times. I bet those people would think people of our time are horribly ill-mannered and rude.

And they would be right!

Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#45

Post by andai »

pvaldes wrote: post #42
ronald_raygun wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the AC/DC wars Edison fought with Tesla, he'd electrocute animals to show how dangerous AC was. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/thomas-edison-histo...

And electrocution is seen currently as the method of choice in all modern slaughterhouses of the planet to kill humanely animals for meat, instantly and saving a lot of this nervous excitation called pain. Edison has saved more animal pain than the whole Peta team probably.

How would you respond if I electrocuted you, saying my intention was to save you from pain?

Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#47

Post by Red_Tarsius »

jeffwass wrote: post #31
WalterBright wrote: post #5

These days it's fashionable to venerate Tesla and denigrate Edison. Tesla's contributions to AC motors and power are great and beyond dispute. The others, not so much. For those who like to denigrate Edison by comparison, I challenge to read "Edison" by Josephson and maintain that opinion. I.e. Tesla transformed AC power, Edison transformed multiple foundational industries.

Those that denigrate Edison in favour of Tesla often ignore or aren’t aware of Tesla’s own dark side. Here’s an article, a few years ago and also from Smithsonian Magazine, telling of some of Tesla’s disturbing opinions. For example, advocating forced eugenics to weed out ‘undesirables’ from the human race. He felt that the forced sterilisation of criminals and mentally ill in Nazi Germany didn’t go far enough. https…

I'll play devil's advocate, since there's more truth to Tesla's words than you're giving him credit for. The comforts of modern society allow the proliferation of dysgenic traits. The system rewards reckless breeding of people who don't have the means to support children. Genetic selection happens whether we talk about it or not. We meddled with better pets, livestock and crops. Why not give improved humans a try? You don't need compulsory programs: abortion clinics are very efficient and completely voluntary.

Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#48

Post by andai »

dsego wrote: post #43
bkovacev wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does it always have to be someone that involves politics into this? Tesla during his life said he is of Serbian origin and thinks of himself as a Serbian, even though he was born in Croatia. Don't steer it up in here too, I'd like HN to remain what it is.

Facts are not politics.

Truth can be (often is) politically incorrect.

Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#49

Post by andai »

lerie82 wrote: post #2

Perhaps one of my favorite people of all time, you can find some decent documentaries on YouTube as well. It's hard to sum him up in an article so if you're interested in any of the things he accomplished, check out some videos and books about him, truly an extraordinary man that had so much taken from him with no credit given.

I recommend his autobiography, My Inventions, it is very excellent. Apart from everything else, the man has a way with words.

Re: The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla

#50

Post by wallace_f »

andai wrote: post #45
pvaldes wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And electrocution is seen currently as the method of choice in all modern slaughterhouses of the planet to kill humanely animals for meat, instantly and saving a lot of this nervous excitation called pain. Edison has saved more animal pain than the whole Peta team probably.

How would you respond if I electrocuted you, saying my intention was to save you from pain?

I've seen this thinking before: So the moral question is, 'if we can give animals (1) artificial/unnatural, but (2) reasonably enjoyable, and (3) relatively pain free,' for (4) some benefit to the machine of society, is that just? Interestingly, many modern liberal thinkers say no, but when this same moral questioning is applied to humans, you run into what the anti-liberal terrorist Ted Kraczynski was arguing about.

In other words, as of now you and I both live and probably work in society, sacrificing our natural freedom and state in nature to enjoy comforts and safety of our technological civilization; and yes, to die in a hospital rather than in nature.

Anyways I'm not suggesting any answers, just juxtaposing the same ideas applied unequally, which suggests an implicit collective answer of 'yes'to your question; or at least a tolerance to that answer.

And it's unfortunately partially unworldly thinking about these social contracts anyways: in the real world, farms are still grossly mistreating animals, as does civilization to people, where outcomes stem too often from money and violence; not always from social contracts / commitments to morals--which brings us full circle to the life of Tesla and his struggles with bullying.

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