Tom

Encoginator, I think you are unaware of just how different and exceptional social media is as a quick and easy way to disseminate clearly disruptive and destructive “false information” which is money making poison especially for facebook and twitter. It is nothing like the moral panic of television or magazines when they came out. Open your eyes.…[Read more]

Beyond a small group of crank conspiracy theorists there was virtually zero controversy around vaccines until the social media age began. Having worked with social media for a decade now I know quite deeply the sheer poison that facebook and twitter are (to a lesser extent garbage videos linked via social media). I believe that next to global…[Read more]

Well that video is an elaborate version of the birthday song, and super ridiculous and camp video from a few decades ago. But yeah, as a joke we might sometimes play that version of the song as we bring out the birthday cake. I never heard of las mañanitas. I love the music of Mana (an amazing Mexican band, especially Labios Compartidos) and my…[Read more]

Felicidades Ivy!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah in fact I’ve seen quite a few American films where some drunken uncle ruins Christmas for everybody. Is it an actual thing?

Christmas lights in Madrid

They looked to a fascist for salvation.

It’s truly fascinating looking at it from the outside, but I am certain that it is not pretty if you live in a state like Alabama or Mississippi which is already economically stagnant, lacking in social assistance and social programs and has a mentality of “people facing hard times deserve it”. Their lives…[Read more]

An hour and a half video cannot possibly do his theory justice nor would I consider that a “short period of time” to give a basic outline. But then you have relegated your philosophical journey to youtube, so there’s that. I’m sorry I ever suggested the whole “intellectual laziness” thing. Whatever should I have expected from a philosophy graduate.

the super wealthy capitalists will probably feel like they have the most to loose

They have the most in financial terms to lose in the long run in the name of short term gains, but in terms of absolute suffering, the poor have the most to lose.

Conservatives have created the narrative of being the “party of family values and responsibility” but…[Read more]

Simon, Reg has already referenced a think atheist post where Simon (the other Simon) did his best to summarise it. You’ll have to put in the work if you are otherwise interested. I will lend you the ebook if you want to read it.

Cats are the strongest argument for free will.

Their sheer obstinacy and ability to enslave their human “owners” clearly shows cats have pure absolute free will.

Then Ivy, perhaps your definition of free will is a little over broad or at least insufficient to properly differentiate free will from say: a fish going one way instead of going another way?

Haahahaha. That is such a brilliant image Reg!

By the way that quote is also dubiously attributed to Einstein. It seems nobody can source that quote and the best one can do is a quote a friend of his made after his death which was worded quite differently. Feynman said something rather similar but at the same time he also said:

“If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn’t have been…

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If you understand something, you should be able to explain it to a person with average intelligence.

I am not going to have an exchange explaining dozens of concepts over 50 posts. Do your own bloody homework. Stop being so god damn intellectually lazy and pick up a fucking book and read. You cannot hide behind that misapplied quote as an excuse…[Read more]

Its ideas have to be viewed in ones own mind and challenged there too in order to be understood. It is worth investing the time in doing so.

Indeed. Let’s reread Freedom Evolves over the holidays or say, some time in the next three months. It’s been some years and it’s certainly an extremely dense work. For anyone complaining that it may be too…[Read more]

Neither of them can be reduced to a simply conversation in a discussion group. I’d recommend investing some time in reading either of these books:

“Freedom Evolves” by Daniel Dennet

“I am a strange loop” by Douglas Hofstadter