Collective Intelligence Sessions

For the most of the time humor is considered as something irrational. One is not supposed to explain the mechanics of why a joke is funny. Same concerns the search for a logical explanation of why another joke is offensive.

We have made a bold shot at doing just the opposite. We even drew a literal graph of a joke in order to explain what determines the appropriateness of a joke.

So thank you Alex Varnavski Hamza Khan Helen Shaga Ilhem Issaoui Khadìdja Boulahbal Meriem Trad Rayene Boukhalfa Valeria Reppucci Zaryab Fatima for joining the session and co-authoring the final essay.
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Humor: a battlefield for equality

"Humor is a tool aimed at pointing out deviations from the desired behavior and bridging the gap between the ideal status of a certain value and its current state. A good joke is an alarm, signaling that something is wrong with our value system, that the deviation is too strong and it is time to correct the course and bridge the gap between A and B. A bad joke is one that enlarges this gap."

Read the full essay at
https://russellschickenseries.com/tpost/0cbarfffy1-humor-a-battlefield-for-equality

The session on History Wars turned out to be one of the hottest discussions we've had. Now we see that it was a natural outcome since history is inherited in out identity, be it our religious beliefs, political views or nationalistic sentiments. Whenever anybody challenges this part of our history, either by revising the facts, creating a new interpretation or reassessing its importance, we are programmed to attack back and prove that our version is the only "official" one. History is not only a matter of national importance, but very much a chapter of our personal story.

So thank you Alex Varnavski Alexandre Colmant Fatma Senoussi Fatima Zohra Kouider Hadjer Saifi Hamza Khan Helen Shaga Khadìdja Boulahbal Nesrine Lrb Rayene Boukhalfa Zaryab Fatima for co-authoring the final essay.
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History: the righteous lie based on truth

"Not everything that has happened to us in the past has to be a part of our identity today. It is relevant to our history on the personal as well as on the national levels. We are free to select and omit facts depending on who we want to be. After making this decision the narrative inevitably experiences adjustments and protects itself from external intrusion. Why do we feel righteous wrath when we witness how certain knowledge about our past leaders or prominent victories is covered up or even denied?"

Edited by: Andres Herric Daniel Shpaihler
Scientific Consultant: Patrick Rasico, Ph.D., assistant professor (tenure track) at Fisk University. Historian specializing in the history of the British Empire, particularly in India.

Read the full essay at

History: the righteous lie based on truth Not everything that has happened to us in the past has to be a part of our identity today. It is relevant to our history on the personal as well as on the national levels. We are free to select and omit facts depending on who we want to be.