Logic soundly shows us that that which is "objective" is fundamentally inseparable from the abstract theories/models we create about it. In other words, it's ultimately not true that we can't really know anything. Consider, for example, that even calling something "objective" is itself an abstract theory of what constitutes objective.
It is commonly understood that the word "objective" in scientific terms translates roughly to "as objective as we can get in this life". Since no better standard is available to us, it makes sense to work with what we've got and not get too fussed about it. Human Civilization will trod along slowly toward omniscience either way. And religion will die a slow death either way. |
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I believe that gun control will not work.First, I believe that guns are not weapons, they are tools. How they are used is up to the person holding it. Guns themselves can't do anything it is the person with the gun that decides where the bullet goes.
Well, technically speaking Sir Isaac Newton decides where the bullet goes. The person holding the gun only gets to decide where it's aimed.  |
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Unask the question.
The better questions are "Why is deception so central in our lives?", and "What would living in a world without deception feel like?" and "how best do we get civilization there?"
Because humans are not honest creatures. If you go to a dog he wont lie to you about how he is feeling, he will show all his emotions, he will either lick you or bite you, but no middle way. A human can pretend to like you but on the other hand it can be a manipulative cheater in the background. Classic conflation of Human Culture with Human Nature. Don't feel bad, it's an easy mistake to make, as you've only ever been exposed to nature-within-culture your entire life. But Human Nature is half a million years old. Both your lifespan and all of written history are mere eyeblinks by comparison. Always remember there are languages older than words, languages that deserve respect and study for their old age. Mammalian empathy is one such example. |
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the things that human beings have done do in the names of their religions. They are not admirable, they have often been are often utterly despicable Fixed that for you. To be fair, plenty of despicable things have been done in the name of science, too. Think lab animals, and human experimentation torture. There are other, better arguments for abandoning religion. It can only be considered abuse if you're lying. What if your religion is the correct one and atheists are wrong?
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i'm not sure they would have much effect on prison rape rates. that subject goes a lot deeper than conjugal visits.
How to Avoid Rape in Prison - Men'sHow to Avoid Rape in Prison - Women'sBoth courtesy of the New York State, who would like to remind you that protecting its captives from being raped by its other captives is neither the ethical nor legal responsibility of the Prison Staff, nor the State of New York, nor the judge who passed the sentence. New York thanks you for your compliance and understanding in this sensitive matter. Try not to get raped, folks. P.S. Yes, these are the REAL videos produced by the state, shown to new inmates! |
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Weak. Anyone can use legal civilian pepperspray or ranged stun gun / tazer to non-lethally take down any size assailant in their home with 15-20 feet range.  This baby will stop a full grown angry bear. There's no need to be throwing deadly bits of metal at each other in 2015. That we've made flinging supersonic steel bits a national pastime is fucking barbaric and shameful, and deeply embarrassing to me personally as an American citizen. |
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Unask the question.
The better questions are "Why is deception so central in our lives?", and "What would living in a world without deception feel like?" and "how best do we get civilization there?"
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Other: actively discouraging and preventing state violence.
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Then why do you use your data anecdotally (sic)? This sentence does not make sense. Please try again. |
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11 times a good guy with a gun stopped a bad guy, saving lives - Photos - Washington Times
- images snipped.
That doesn't even include the three I could think of off the top of my head    |
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I support religious freedom. People should have the right to believe whatever they want as long as they don't shove it down other people's throat
Does this include the extremely impressionable minds of young children (formative years / age 2-12) by parents? Or do all parents have a natural right to "mold" their children as they see fit? Do you believe every child has a human right to master basic critical reasoning skills prior to any religious/nationalist indoctrination? Or does every parent have a right to decide how their offspring interpret the world? Do you consider such indoctrination [lying to young children about the world before they've properly developed the ability to reason] to be intellectual abuse that is every bit as ethically repugnant as physical abuse? |
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I for one welcome ignorance. Since we compete for jobs and money in our capitalist system, the more stupid people there are in the economy the better off I am. Absolutely correct, fellow capitalist, right up until the moment ignorance creates enough fear and hatred to spark violence that touches you. Then, when suddenly you realize ignorance was the only true enemy all along, it'll be too late. "The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance." -Socrates, Diogenes Laertius. |
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Study: everyone hates ignorant privileged white American males. "Study"  |
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I think it's unfair to blame this on religion. I'm sure it played a part but there are plenty of evolutionary theories out there for why we happen to be a monogamous species which have nothing to do with religion.
Feynman's cargo cult is that way ----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvfAtIJbatgIt's perfectly fair to hold religion responsible for monogamy, and you need to read Sex at Dawn. |
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So you see, we may disagree, but at least I'm consistent Awesome... A well thought out political discourse is very healthy, and I wish more people were open minded to listening to points they disagree with instead of shutting them down. I don't know where your views are on the political spectrum, but I've always seen it go something like this
communist---socialist---US_"liberal"---moderate---US_"conservative"---libertarian---anarchist
<================= more Gov't =============================== less Gov't =================>
It's not a one dimension spectrum, political ideology is a graph with 4 quadrants evaluating economic issues and social issues on two separate planes. Check out http://politicalcompass.org. As a social anarchist / libertarian socialist, I fall in the extreme bottom left of this graph.  Our essential point is that Left and Right, although far from obsolete, are essentially a measure of economics. As political establishments adopt either enthusiastically or reluctantly the prevailing economic orthodoxy — the neo-liberal strain of capitalism — the Left-Right division between mainstream parties becomes increasingly blurred. Instead, party differences tend to be more about identity issues. In the narrowing debate, our social scale is more crucial than ever. |
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Mala in se violence enabled by fundamentally racist "gun control" laws* (...) disarming only law-abiding, mentally-sound, sober victims, for violent criminals' safety.
Gun control is racist? So in your mind "law-abiding, mentally sound, sober victims" represents one race, and "violent criminals" represents another? I bet I can guess which race is which in that equation. Black Egyptian Jesus, please save me from these racist redneck pseudo-intellectuals. Seriously I can't believe you thought you'd get away with a comment that ignorant, this is the internet not your local KKK congregation. Find some intellectual rigor or get the fuck out, because right now you're an embarrassment to the internet and the species (this includes your precious white race). |
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..the language is jacked. Car "accidents" and gun "violence". Vehicular death is much more violent than firearm death, so why is one an accident, and the other violence? Although we may disagree on all the other points, I could not agree more with you about this. One of the changes Transportation Alternatives has pushed for is calling all vehicle crashes just that - crashes. The truth is most death caused by car crashes are due to criminal negligence from at least one of the drivers involved, rather than "accidents". We remove rightful blame and make a mockery of justice by calling them all accidents. You're right to say, "imagine the outrage if all gun deaths were called Gun Accidents"! The automobile, oil, and alcohol industries have this language-manipulation game down to a science, just like the cigarette companies did in the sixties. Guns set to surpass the car as america's top killing machine. 1) Enact Car Control laws in all 50 states. 2) Only Law Enforcement and Gov't personnel really need cars. 3) Those in cities will use Gov't issued mass transit. 4) Those on farms will be relocated to cities. Not taking debate seriously / trolling 5) Now all citizens claiming to own cars for "collector" reasons will have the death boxes confiscated and dismantled. Not taking debate seriously / trolling 6) Having proven with 1-5 that a citizen's safety trumps their freedom move on to gun control. Strict and effective gun control laws already in place in NYC You jest, but as a cyclist with permanent car crash related injuries in my wrist, left knee and left ankle, I would totally vote for you if you ran for NYC mayor on this platform. The only vehicles on city streets should be buses, garbagetrucks, firetrucks, ambulances, UPS/USPS/Fedex trucks, and trucks bringing food to grocery stores. Everyone else can fuck off and take public transit.  People live here, our lives matter more than the convenience and conspicuous consumption of the petit-bourgeois and their giant metal boxes of death. So you see, we may disagree, but at least I'm consistent in my total lack of tolerance for selfish consumerist bullshit that costs human lives and suffering. |
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More people need to read this excellent article. Author possesses great acuity.
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