951. Talent (59:54)

Date:
1964
Summary:
Mr. Hoffer argues that the men working beside him as longshoremen on the San Francisco docks are “lumpy with talent.” Genius, he notes, is not rare, it is wasted; and the talent of the workingman is a kind of common sense practicality. Wherever this talent exists among working men, they do their jobs without “all that fuss” which he considers to be characteristic of the underdeveloped countries of the world. Then, Mr. Hoffer raises a question regarding the forces that bring about creative periods in our history – periods that began quite suddenly and ended just as suddenly. He cites, as examples, “the period of cave drawings,” “the Age of Pericles,” “the Florence of the Renaissance,” and “the flowering of New England,” Mr. Hoffer contends that it was not because there was more talent during these periods (“the artists of Florence,” he notes, “were the sons of shopkeepers, and tailors.”), but rather that others forces which exist in every period of history were at work and these forces freed the talent.

952. Talking sense : do you know how to make a statement of fact? (29:18)

Date:
1956
Summary:
Distinguishes between statements of inference and statements of fact and discusses the consequences of confusing the two. Illustrates the manner in which most people make declarative statements that are mistakenly assumed to be statements of fact. Shows how behavior is affected when people tend to misunderstand each other and fail to assess situations realistically.

954. Talking sense : on the difference between words and things (30:03)

Date:
1956
Summary:
Discusses the consequences of forgetting that words only point to things and are not the things themselves. Attention to words alone may lead to unrealistic behavior, because language made it easy to distort what we are describing. It is easier to exaggerate in our speaking than to be precise. This tendency to exaggerate is based partly on a failure to limit our description or judgement of a person or thing to a particular time and context. (WOI-TV) Kinescope.

955. Talking sense : the man who knows it all (29:26)

Date:
1956
Summary:
Considers the consequences of the "disease of allness", an attitude present in the person who implies or believes that what he knows or says about a thing is all that can be said. When "allness" exists, learning is hindered, and tension is likely to develop in human relations. The world of change in which we live makes it impossible to say all there is to say about anything. Failure to recognize this leads to bigotry. (WOI-TV) Kinescope.

956. Talking sense : what is a good observer? (27:41)

Date:
1956
Summary:
Considers the differences between a good and a bad observer and relates these differences to talking sense. Points out that the use of conclusions based on observation of similarities alone results in a limitation of our awareness of the world, while the use of conclusions grounded on observation that also considers differences is a mark of the mature mind.

957. Talking sense : why do people misunderstand each other? (30:32)

Date:
1956
Summary:
Discusses the variations in meanings of words and how these variations affect the communication process. Shows that words used by a speaker in one way and interpreted by a listener in another results in "bypass" or misunderstanding. Stresses that meaning is not in words but in speakers and listeners. Recommends that attention not be focused on words, that listeners be interested in what speakers mean, and that speakers try to make themselves understood by listeners.

958. Tanabata or the festival of the stars (29:40)

Date:
1959
Summary:
Each year on July 7, the seventh day of the seventh month – the festival of the stars is celebrated in Japan. Artist T. Mikami tells the history of this festival, which is based on the legend of Shokujo, the daughter of the King of the Heavens, who fell in love with a herd boy. Shokujo and her lover were permitted to see each other only once a year, as the Milky Way would overflow and be impossible to cross. Each year at the festival of stars, the Japanese pray it will not rain and they decorate their homes with bamboo trees, from which they hang strips of colored paper upon which poems about lovers are written. Brush paintings of bamboo are drawn by Mikami.

959. Taoism : the way and its power (29:05)

Date:
1955
Summary:
Presents the story of Laotzu and his book The Way of Life. Discusses the basic concept of Taoism--creative quietude. Characterizes this belief as one which does not favor competition, but rather allows man to seek his own level with his fellow men and with nature.

960. Tea, Horse, and Crime (29:36)

Date:
1958
Summary:
Discusses the basic narcotic drugs and their relationship to crime. Includes a filmed sequence of an addict undergoing withdrawal and receiving a shot that assuages him. Points out that crime committed by the drug addict is a secondary effect. (KQED) Kinescope.