Unseen wrote:
How about a course in moral philosophy instead?

I think that’s a good idea in principle.  In practice, contemporary moral philosophy is mostly, hopelessly, up its own arse.

As @davis once pointed out, they are using moral philosophy quite successfully in medical ethics.  This is because in each ethical system or scheme there are p…[Read more]

@Davis – any people left in Scotland today? There are thousands here and on the beer having a good time…..even if they lost the Rugby to the best team 🙂

No one here thinks rape or violence against ANYONE is OK. Around here the women complain men don’t approach…[Read more]

I once shared a house in London with 2 guys from Sterling and a girl from Wales. The first day nobody really understood anyone else. That evening we went to the pub. Problem solved. 🙂

I was working in Paris and it transpired that I had arrived on Beaujolais…[Read more]

Simon Paynton wrote:
The guy is from Scotland.  Beyond that, I don’t know.  @davis could tell you.

Okay, but aI wonder if a long time ago he left Scotland and picked up a regional English accent, because his is not, to my ear, the  classic scottish brogue as epitomized by Sean Connery (more off screen than on) or Fat Bastard (Austin Powers movies).

Unseen wrote:
The reactor in that last video has a thick accent, as you noted. Can you place it? I’m pretty sure it’s some British regional dialect from the main island or one of the other British Isles (not Ireland, of course).

The guy is from Scotland.  Beyond that, I don’t know.  @davis could tell you.

“Woke has become a snarl word, used by those who resist change to old structures that give an unfair advantage to certain people and keep us from giving the respect and equality to all…”

Thank you. I needed someone to explain this to me like I was 10. Have been walking around doing my lawn, cutting the hedges, and power washing my…[Read more]

Davis wrote:
You are under the illusion, Unseen, that any government respects the public. With very few exceptions, governments, in fact leaders of any kind, do so to suit their own interests and to maintain the interests of those who keep them in power. Yes, ideology does shape to some degree how they word bills and what they focus on.…

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My point exactly. Thank you. In Ukraine, there seems to be a rush to the bottom in order to keep the war going as long as possible. At that time, presumably, there will be a negotiated settlement.

This is a trade war by proxy between Russia and the U.S., and the U.S. is failing. Watch this video from :30 to 12:00 to see what I mean by…[Read more]

LOL

Forget Mars. Venus is probably a better candidate. Yes…Venus, where the surface is so hot it melts lead.

If by “terrible news sites” you mean a site like Jimmy Dore. Do I believe anything he says because he says it? No. He’s a politically-oriented comedian. However, he does document his thinking and he does have journalist guests. It’s those sources I take more seriously. Nothing is wrong simply because it was on Jimmy Dore. To say so is…[Read more]

I’m posting to stimulate spirited discussion, not advance science.

For many, the problem presented by The Woke (those who interpret what is permitted and what must be destroyed) lies in the the hubris of thinking they have a Pipeline to the Truth and a Right to Interpret and Judge others’ actions and expressions and, that done, to level extrajudicial punishments (boycotts, demonstrations at their place of…[Read more]

DrBob wrote:
Hi @davis… OK, I didn’t really get that. Who did Simon think I was? I suppose I appreciate the condolences. I’m sure I’ll need them some day. Tell me, what happened to Unseen? He seems to have been replaced by a Republican doppleganger. Now he thinks that scientific debate happens on YouTube and Twitter (and Lord help us, Faceboo…

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Tell me, what happened to Unseen?   He seems to have been replaced by a Republican doppleganger.  Now he thinks that scientific debate happens on YouTube and Twitter (and Lord help us, Facebook!).

Ideas are ideas and what you or I or anyone else says is beside the point. The point is what I said.

BTW, don’t interpret anything I post as an indication of what I believe one way or the other, sincerely or insincerely. Trusting what I say to be sincere is very beside the point. Whether what I say is a sincere expression, or not, has…[Read more]

Right? This is so UNlike Unseen! It’s like we’ve never seen him before 😂

Unseen I never thought you’d turn into a vaccine sceptic. What the fuck?

My thoughts exactly 😂 😂 😂

Harry is doing something about the unfairness (and amongst the royal family) injustice in how he was/is treated. He is taking control of his life, looking out for his family (and putting his wife and children first), building up his estate and not taking shit from anyone

Thank you! I’ve been fascinated by what him and his wife are doing a…[Read more]

Politicians do have to serve those who can get them reelected, because the #1 purpose of any elected official is to get elected and to get reelected. On those rare occasions when a politician is honest with the electorate, it often costs them the next election. They lie to us because we want them to do so.

Thank you for your OPINION.

The fact remains that if Canada or Mexico were hostile powerful military sources that regularly held war exercises right across the US’s northern or southern borders, we’d be looking to put a patch of neutral ground between us. If we got some resources along the way, the US has never turned such windfalls down.

Can you explain please why you’re so hung up on forcing me to accept predeterminism as a consequence of determinism?

Let’s for a moment assume you are right and determinism actually means predeterminism, does that ipso facto rescue free will somehow? Or are you thinking it’s an idea so reprehensible that people will ignore the facts and…[Read more]

Some observations about your objections to Dr. Hossenfelder on free will.

One is responsible for what one does intentionally, no matter how those intentions are generated. This isn’t some sort of fantasy. This is how we treat responsibility every day. Unless someone acted at gunpoint or their act was pure accident, they are responsible…[Read more]

Plus, success is relative to how the individual defines it. One might decide to help the homeless get off the street, for which the standard of success isn’t how much money one makes in doing so.

Joe Rogan is one of the best interviewers out there despite being a comedian and ex-wrestler. He’s very smart. Using a Socratic approach, he has deconstructed many a blowhard, Jordan Peterson included. You rattled off a litany of problems (the flaming tap water relates to fracking, but fracking problems are much more under control). Most…[Read more]

@autumn – we seem to be talking about a failure of empathy.  I think empathy is a product of what we perceive and how we feel about it.  Empathic concern or compassion depends on how much we approve of the other person.  If we don’t – then co…[Read more]

While Mexico is passing more and more liberal legislation, states are banning the teaching of slavery brutality, abortions, discussing the fact that gay people exist and penalising corporations that disagree with their policies.

I just want to live somewhere in peace where I can blend in and be left alone. Mexico or New Mexico are the only…[Read more]

You rightly point out that we have a monopoly problem. Amazon has become a monopoly primarily by having a better business model that led to them becoming indispensable. It’s too large and ubiquitous and responsible legislators who don’t take bribes from lobbyists would probably have broken Amazon up by now.

To my knowledge, Elon Musk…[Read more]

Unseen wrote:
@davis The Anarchist Cookbook is banned in the United States? No, you can even pick it up on Amazon. I’m not arguing in favor of pedophilia, which should be legal in practice. I do think that NAMBLA shouldn’t be presenting their arguments in favor of buggery. I’m opposed to slavery but I can’t agree with outlawing discuss…

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The Anarchist Cookbook is banned in the United States? No, you can even pick it up on Amazon.

I’m not arguing in favor of pedophilia, which should be legal in practice. I do think that NAMBLA shouldn’t be presenting their arguments in favor of buggery. I’m opposed to slavery but I can’t agree with outlawing discussing or even advocating…[Read more]

As I’ve said, allowing the government to decide what you can read, watch, hear, see, or believe allows any government to do it, not just a government enforcing your ideas. Case in point:

I spent 15 minutes on Google trying to find even one example of a CRT-infected math problem. Something…[Read more]

I take it by “The same people who decide what Libel is, what copyright infringement is, what constitutes “causing a panic”, what constitutes “inciting a crime” etc.” you mean lawmakers. I wasn’t talking about who creates restraints or limits on what people are allowed to say, see, hear, and ultimately believe. I was more talking about e…[Read more]

Who decides what we may say, see, and hear? What are their qualifications? Do they need some sort of education or expertise?

And by what authority are such basic rights abridged? Should I assume you’d be happy with a censor who gives what the public thinks and believes no consideration whatsoever if that runs contrary to such a person’s values.

This comedian/commentator is for you, because he uses ONLY direct citations from reputable sources.

Can we trust the experts (evidence-based medicine)?

Why would the CDC ignores its own experts?

Belle, anyone can reshape a word to suit their narrative. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as it is clear what they mean by that word, that their definition doesn’t cause pointless confusion (or confusion on purpose) and that the audience is given a convincing reason to take this definition seriously.

Right. But here we are dis…[Read more]

@davis – whatever definitions I could give, are never going to encompass all the things that people mean by the word.

Simon, unless you are dealing wit poetry…why would you use a term that is this elusive? How can you achieve much (if anything) if people are talking about something different (or at least vaguely overlapping) when you can use so…[Read more]

Here in the U.S. we are protected from our government by the 1st Amendment of our Constitution and by the FOIA (Freedom Of Information Act), so it seems the government has farmed out censorship to the so-called mainstream media and the social media who can censor at will without violating the law or being subject to FOIA. This arrangement…[Read more]

Autumn wrote:

Unseen wrote:
@davis and Autumn

You are free to @whomever you like, granted, but what did I just say yesterday? [a courtesy reminder]

Now, now. You promised.

Unseen wrote:
@davis and Autumn

You are free to @whomever you like, granted, but what did I just say yesterday? [a courtesy reminder]

When people decry the “fact” (really?) that there are no LGBTQ athletes, they strangely aren’t referring to women’s sports. Of course, it’s hard to analyze women since I think openness to bisexuality is more common in women than men, or at least admitting it is harder for the men.

But there are openly gay male athletes in all…[Read more]

Like I said, there are no mass rallies against a particular racial or ethnic or nationality in America. Yes, there definitely is racism here, but in over expression, it’s typically individual actions.

Many argue that the plight of American blacks in large part is due to efforts to “help” them. Witness the relative success of the Chinese,…[Read more]

Yeah, I think Europe has a bigger vulgar/bigot fan problem than the U.S. just like Europe has a bigger racism problem than the U.S., where demonstrations demanding the expatriation of Muslims or Africans or whatever virtually never happens. Hooliganism is a rarity here, and while the occasional individual may yell something demeaning or…[Read more]

I’m lefty too and you know…we are the only ones in our right minds 😊

I believe this is the video you thought you were putting up: