Comments

  • Morality of the existence of a God
    Hmm, I think the idea of freedom should constitute to the idea of moralitychromechris
    Most people don't want freedom, they want security.
    For most people, too much freedom is immoral. They don't have the intellectual capacity to deal with it. They would get into a state of panic.
  • Why aliens will never learn to speak our language
    For a good reason or bad?TheMadFool

    Do we take aspirin for a good reason or bad? Both I think. Good that we have it, bad that we need it.
  • Why do most philosophers never agree with each other?
    Why? Did you do something so "bad" as to ask for evidence?TheMadFool

    Yes good one.
    You'd think God has a inferiority complex with all that worshiping going on. Obviously no truck with a nihilistic Atheist then.
  • Absolute truth
    I agree that we can’t absolutely prove anythingPossibility

    Experience tell us some beliefs are more likely to be true than their counter beliefs. But many we just take on authority.
  • What justifies a positive ethics (as opposed to a negative one)?
    So, if I make a decision that makes me suffer, you can say, "Ah, schopenhauer1 was not conforming with the Way!". Or alternatively, you can say, "Ah, don't worry schopenhauer1, in the end it is all a part of the Way!"schopenhauer1



    Evolution works on the principle of trial and error so I suppose that is the most 'intelligent' approach.
  • Why do most philosophers never agree with each other?
    If religion is wrong, life is literally meaninglessYahya Al Haj Eid



    If 'Christian' religion is right I'd be in Hell by now. I prefer a meaningless life.
  • Absolute truth
    "This allows the creation of particle-antiparticle pairs of virtual particles."ovdtogt

    Yes -1 + 1 = 0, but -1 * 1 = -1 for instance, why do you assume that a sum of energies equal to zeroleo

    What makes you assume, multiplying a hole with a mound is in any way logical?

    My understanding of quantum physics is almost zero. But I can understand the concept of an electron and a positon jumping simultaneously out of a void and disappearing back into a void.
    That is as far as my knowledge goes I am afraid.
  • Why aliens will never learn to speak our language
    Indeed, an important criterion of intelligence is the ability to generate unexpected stimulus-responses.sime

    The slug that crawls over my carpet and leaves a trail behind in the morning is intelligent because I haven't been able to find out where he hides himself. Or maybe I am just dumb.
  • What is knowledge?
    Language is anything that vocalizes information.
    — ovdtogt

    Okay, how do you figure that?
    Athena

    Evolution has 'given' us vocal chords for a reason and we are not the only animal that has them. Also animals that don't speak our language. They have their own language that they communicate with and understand.
    Great short clip for you to watch.
    Watch Leopard Monkey Alert! | Attenborough: The Life of Mammals | BBC
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-bxPLFt1vI
  • What is knowledge?
    Why do you insist on calling crying language?Athena

    Language is anything that vocalizes information. That is exactly what the baby is informing you of: I am unhappy. Beeeeee is the only word she knows instinctively.
  • Why aliens will never learn to speak our language

    I think your op should read 'Why aliens will never learn to understand' our language. For understanding precedes speaking.
    Every new born child is an alien.
  • Why aliens will never learn to speak our language
    Yes and makes us wonder if we're mistaking one for the other in every possible way which I think can happen in only 2 ways and what a coincidence that number 2 means shit.TheMadFool

    It shows that the need for Gods persists in modern society.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    True but these democratic institutions were meant to keep the greedy in check. They are losing control.
    These Trump supporters are like frogs in a tub of water. They think the water getting warmer is great until they are all forced to march off somewhere to sacrifice their sorry arses.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)



    Join the resistance. Support the Young Turks and the progressives.
  • Why do most philosophers never agree with each other?


    ↪Yahya Al Haj Eid

    Philosophy operates in an imaginary world at the boundaries of science.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    transform functional democracies into mere nominal onesBaden

    Totally agree with you there. Power despises democracy. They are antithetical. Now they have even greater means to pervert it. It will possibly take another 'great war' to return to the universal values that were so lauded after the 2nd world war. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights | United Nations.
    pension reform, social security, health care. All these institutions they are trying to dismantle in order to get their oh so desired tax cuts.
    The rich have always fed off the poor and they have bought the politicians to enable them in their greedy pursuit.
  • Absolute truth
    don't think even showing something to be a logical necessity is absolute proofQmeri

    Only dogmatic religion is absolute. Philosophy is speculative religion and all we have is logic to guide us. Without logical (necessity) we are groping around in the dark without a candle.
  • Absolute truth
    btw I don't think you are thinking about nothing since I do trust in logic, but I just don't think we can absolutely prove anything.Qmeri

    Yes it is very difficult to deny we exist.
    — ovdtogt

    Well, this is starting to repeat itself since I would counterargue
    — Qmeri

    You find it very difficult to accept philosophically that you exist?
    ovdtogt

    I see you are avoiding my question.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    The disease is corporate fascism perverting the democratic institutions. Now they have even greater tools of persuasion at their disposal. The Facebooks and Googles are the surveillance-state manipulating the weak and vulnerable minds in their political favor.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    I can agree with almost every criticism made of Trump while not going along with the agenda of everyone makingBaden

    Trump is the symptom, not the disease. The disease is corporate fascism perverting the democratic institutions.
  • Absolute truth
    Yes it is very difficult to deny we exist.ovdtogt

    Well, this is starting to repeat itself since I would counterargueQmeri

    You find it very difficult to accept philosophically that you exist?
  • What justifies a positive ethics (as opposed to a negative one)?
    How does interpretation of "collaboration"schopenhauer1

    Sorry but I don't feel any affinity with the word Collaboration. Collaborate is what I do with my colleagues.
  • Absolute truth
    Yes it is very difficult to deny we exist.
  • Absolute truth
    Okay, you clearly don't get the point of my argument.Qmeri

    I get you want to argue that absolutely nothing is known, or nothing is known for certainty?
  • Absolute truth
    it is incorrect that it is an evaluation it is still something, ...leo

    For something to be contemplated, something has to exist to do the contemplation. We just don't know what that 'thing' is and we will never find out because we can't step out of 'our' reality as we can't escape from 'our' 3 dimensional, 4 including time, prison.
  • Absolute truth
    Or one can simply be mistaken in that evaluation.Qmeri

    Something has to exist to be mistaken. Mistaken can not exist in a void.

    For 'I think' an 'I' has to exist.
  • Absolute truth
    if fallibility is accepted as a possibility"Qmeri

    Something has to exist (for fallibility) to be accepted. Fallibility can not exist in a void.
  • What justifies a positive ethics (as opposed to a negative one)?
    You assume reality is "collaborating".schopenhauer1

    He means 'agree/conform' with reality. If your choices do not conform with reality they will not lead to the results you may desire.
  • Why aliens will never learn to speak our language
    I agree with you that we lack a good definition for general intelligenceQmeri

    My clock is intelligent. It can tell me the time.
  • Absolute truth
    If fallibility is acceptedQmeri

    If fallibility is accepted then fallibility exists and that is something.
  • Why aliens will never learn to speak our language


    Recall Wittgenstein's examplesime

    Fame has this mystical quality of turning shit into gold. I think this is what the alchemists were looking for all the time.
    Often the difference between something being profound or crazy is the person saying it.

    The difference between great and mediocre contemporary art is the artist who made it.
  • Intuition: What is it?
    Intuition: What is it?
    So I do believe that intuition shows us part of the truth, it doesn’t show us the whole truth so we may interpret it incorrectly,leo

    Intuition is your emotions letting you know what it is feeling.
  • Absolute truth
    1. Something exists; which leads us to also be certain that
    2. Something is aware of existence.
    Possibility

    How is that going to help me make my breakfast?
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    Trump is a proto-hitler: he's maniac enough, but has none of the other necessary qualities.tim wood

    They are unfortunately stuck with the dumbest sock puppet out of Pandora's box. The republicans are praying every day their dear leader won't fuck things up.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    it's the plutocracy and that runs both sides of the political divide.Baden

    Yes the populace will be forced to take up Anarchy. What is happening in Hong Kong is the canary in the coal mine. But all (right-wing) governments are becoming more and more fascist. The powers will not be satisfied until we have a surveillance-state like China.
    https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ex5y5z/is-the-government-watching-you
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    You’re just making it easy for me.Brett

    Yes and crazy Americans are making it difficult for us. The present world order of peace and stability for what it is worth has been mutual cooperation which is effectively being trashed by the #Trumfascistas.
    Blow up Paris accord. Blow up Iran deal. Blow up trade deals. Like a little petulant child he is smashing the 'toys' he can not have.
  • Absolute truth
    The zero-point field only has zero energy on average, on tiny scales it fluctuates between positive and negative energy.leo

    That is a misconception. It does not fluctuate between positive and negative Two particles (positive and negative) briefly come into being and disappear again.

    "This allows the creation of particle-antiparticle pairs of virtual particles."
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_fluctuation
  • Absolute truth
    Quantum fluctuations aren’t nothing, otherwise we couldn’t detect themleo

    We can't imagine something coming from nothing because nothing in our 'real' world' does that.

    It is a mathematical concept. 1 and -1 together are zero. Zero is nothing but 1 and -1 are something.
  • Why aliens will never learn to speak our language
    A mathematical language Will be understood throughout the universe outside of black holes.
  • Explaining multiple realizability and its challenges
    Could you hurt it? Cause it to feel physical or emotional pain?Wayfarer

    For something to care for you you need not be able to hurt it. You need only be able to care for it.