Tom

The best theory I’ve ever read on free will is “Freedom Evolves” by Daniel Dennet (one of the four horsemen on atheism writing “Breaking the Spell”). I can lend anyone the ebook if they are interested. I believe Simon Matthews wrote a three page summary of the book some years back and also believe Reg has read it. Covers a fairly up to date theory…[Read more]

I’m super glad to hear that Ivy! I can totally sympathise with the plight of raising a child with behavioural problems all on your own. So are you more in the atheist camp at the moment or are you on the fence? I’m terribly sorry about talking to you about you in the 3rd person. If I had any idea I wouldn’t have done it! Mil disculpas amor!

Indeed. I mean all of this sounds slightly reasonable, I’d simply argue that if AI could break free from the absolute laws of physics (we think are absolute) then our highly complex brain that we don’t fully understand could too! I don’t think this is the best route to AI anyways but I would say if you allow for AI to achieve it…then free will…[Read more]

Ahhh ha ha ha. I had no idea. I thought you had left for good. How is your son!?

Ivy…you’re Belle????

As to the likelihood of utilizing alternate physics i doubt it also but it may be possible.

Indeed I don’t get it. He’s on the one hand admitting that in fact there may be some unknown route to free will…but somehow knowingly claim humans don’t have access to this (how do you know that?) and that AI might (how do you know that?). I mean either…[Read more]

Says the expert in ad hominems who started this whole topic to provoke and who escalates disagreements with “happy spirited” snark. I never claimed to know better than you, I have no idea if free will exists, I simply did something (and two other users here) that you haven’t done which is educated myself a little on both sides of the debate.…[Read more]

it’s a solution only a philosopher or expert of some sort can understand.

No unseen. There is an enormous spectrum in between “a trite summary of a highly complex topic into a couple paragraphs” and “having to study something for years and become an expert”. There is an ocean in between those two polar opposites. And it can be found in something c…[Read more]

Besides, this is a DISCUSSION forum not a book club.

That’s no excuse unseen to be so intellectually lazy. Zheesh

No Unseen I’d prefer you to live the rest of your intellectual life watching youtube videos, single paragraph summaries and repeating the same old shit without ever truly challenging yourself.

Pick up a book and read Unseen

The credible part in my opinion is the assistance with certain aspects of socialization for children that cannot be gotten in other settings.

We had a user a few years back who made the same claim. She was a single mother having a hard time with a kid with behavioural problems and got some assistance with the community. I don’t believe it was…[Read more]

 Is it ethically wrong to join a religion you don’t really believe?

No I don’t think so. People join social groups they think little of, even volunteer for causes they don’t care about, play on the teams for sports they don’t like and so on. There are all sorts of reasons people join groups for reasons other than doing the activities the group is…[Read more]

I suppose it helps to look at it by comparing it with similar exercises:

Imagine you live in the UK and you decide to join and actively participate in the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Lib-Dems, the Greens, the Communists, the far right-racist ones, the Official Monster Raving Loony Party all at once and participate in them equally.…[Read more]

Canada is considering a wealth tax. Their biggest concern are the extreme steps the wealthy would inevitably take to avoid paying wealth tax including sending their capital out of the country. If it were introduced it would have to be done VERY intelligently and thoroughly working hard to avoid as many loop holes as possible. I would say…[Read more]

A handful of communal programs do work out well when they are democratically put in to play. Universal health care is one of them. Ontario, Canada has a centralised milk board in which almost all milk production is regulated by the province (of course you still have private actors running the farms but they have to sell their milk to the province…[Read more]

Robert I think it’s much less about cooperation than simply providing needed social services. It’s not as though a tax payer cooperates with the homeless, the disabled, someone who needs medical attention or someone temporarily in a bind. They are willing to part with their tax dollars to limit suffering AND also enjoy the clear benefits of living…[Read more]