I know it’s very speculative but I have found it an interesting premise from which to view social change. Rather than the obsession with the abstract ‘cultural’ exchanges maybe the issue is a matter of physiological changes due to reaching a population threshold. — I like sushi

Biden flies an 85-car entourage to Europe — NOS4A2

That’s not how I live, nor how anyone I know lives. We can think it and say it, but an “organism trying to survive” isn’t my experience. First and foremost I’m engaged with someone or something, I’m moving towards something, I’m caring about or interested in something. I have a world, not an environment.
— Xtrix

This may well be true of humanity today. — I like sushi

Defending a politician’s hypocrisy should be beneath you — NOS4A2

How can this tightly-linked, interdependent, globalised economy we've created be scaled back enough to reduce our collectivised carbon footprint? — The Opposite

That's true. Nature is powerful enough that in thousands of years, we should predict for some kind of intelligent life to return. — Manuel

I just don't see that happening. — frank

Yeah, but you're still utterly doomed. — frank

Something will arise from the human potential as a result of climate change that will be unique and beautiful. — frank

Medicine, in case you haven’t noticed, is a complex and difficult subject. As a result, it’s an area where it’s a bad idea to leave people entirely to their own devices. The clamor for unproven treatments like taking hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin reminds us why we require that physicians be licensed and drugs be approved, rather than leaving it up to the public to decide who’s qualified and which medication is safe and effective.

So you have to wonder why anyone would consider it a good idea when Florida’s surgeon general urged people to downplay medical advice on vaccines and rely on their “intuition and sensibilities.”

Finally, the most contentious area in this whole argument involves vaccine and mask requirements for schools. And in this area, opponents of mandates aren’t making decisions for themselves — they’re making decisions for their children, who have rights of their own and aren’t simply their parents’ property.

I'm uncertain what this means. They're as much a part of the world as we are. — Ciceronianus

We're peculiar animals, certainly, but animals nonetheless. — Ciceronianus

It's a naturalistic view, as you say, though I have a rather broad view of nature, as I include in it all we think and feel as well as what we do. I think we have much yet to learn about nature (the universe) and it may include more than what it appears to include to us now. — Ciceronianus

Archer shows how just a few centuries of fossil-fuel use will cause not only a climate storm that will last a few hundred years, but dramatic climate changes that will last thousands. Carbon dioxide emitted today will be a problem for millennia. For the first time, humans have become major players in shaping the long-term climate. In fact, a planetwide thaw driven by humans has already begun. But despite the seriousness of the situation, Archer argues that it is still not too late to avert dangerous climate change--if humans can find a way to cooperate as never before.

Certain of those characteristics distinguish us from other living organisms, and thus we interact with the rest of the world differently than they do in many cases. — Ciceronianus

Schopenhauer argues that philosophy and religion have the same fundamental aim: to satisfy “man’s need for metaphysics,” which is a “strong and ineradicable” instinct to seek explanations for existence that arises from “the knowledge of death, and therewith the consideration of the suffering and misery of life” (WWR I 161). Every system of metaphysics is a response to this realization of one’s finitude, and the function of those systems is to respond to that realization by letting individuals know their place in the universe, the purpose of their existence, and how they ought to act. All other philosophical principles (most importantly, ethics) follow from one’s metaphysical system.

Both philosophers and theologians claim the authority to evaluate metaphysical principles, but the standards by which they conduct those evaluations are very different. Schopenhauer concludes that philosophers are ultimately in the position to critique principles that are advanced by theologians, not vice versa. He nonetheless recognizes that the metaphysical need of most people is satisfied by their religion. This is unsurprising because, he contends, the vast majority of people find existence “less puzzling and mysterious” than philosophers do, so they merely require a plausible explanation of their role in the universe that can be adopted “as a matter of course” (WWR II 162). In other words, most people require a metaphysical framework around which to orient their lives that is merely apparently true. Therefore, the theologian has no functional reason to determine what is actually true. By contrast, the philosopher is someone whose metaphysical need is not satisfied by merely apparent truths – he is intrinsically driven to seek out actual truths about the nature of the world.

It is curious that Schopenhauer is generally cited as a convinced atheist, yet in this respect he differs profoundly from what contempoary atheism often states. — Wayfarer

Might have just something to do with seeing humanity solely through the lens of biological evolution - which, of course, all sensible folk must do nowadays. — Wayfarer

The species will adapt to the change. — frank

It's still quite hard to absorb the idea that we are willing to destroy most sentient life on Earth, many if not most of our fellow citizens for reasons of power and profit, essentially. — Manuel

Essentially and in short, a living organism in an environment, trying to survive as well as as possible — Ciceronianus

One that actively seeks to make things worse, on behalf of their corporate sponsors. — StreetlightX

Otherwise I can't imagine them caving so easily and so quickly but that is what it looks like from the outside. — Mr Bee

Who could have seen this coming? — StreetlightX

We've always known what we are, I think. — Ciceronianus

Psychology and Science - I believe these are opposite.
Philosophy and Art - I believe these are opposite, and an evolution of the former. — Varde

There are other provisions in the bill, as well — $550 billion for various climate initiatives, none of which would be a reality if it weren’t for activism, and certainly not if Trump got a second term. Is this “worse”? — Xtrix

Until that’s given, I’ll continue pushing for better policies in the world we have, which unfortunately is a two-party system largely owned by corporate interests in a state capitalist system, with the ultimate goal of destroying capitalism AND the state (which is way, way off and will almost certainly not happen in our lifetimes).

If you have better suggestions in the meantime, I’m all ears. — Xtrix

The only cynics are those who look at the existing state of affairs and think: there can be no other possible way. — StreetlightX

What’s hard is organizing with others, taking collective action, protesting in the streets (which I hate), using the courts, registering voters, educating people, raising money, corresponding with state and local leaders, getting involved in local government, sitting on boards, crafting proposals, creating petitions and referenda, etc. — Xtrix

Much easier to be cynical. This way you can appear to be above all the silly “activism”— with the added benefit of having to do nothing except sit on your ass, read books, and write some comments on the Internet. Political hobbyism 101.

Feels great; accomplishes nothing. For those living in the real world, and want to do something — however small — the best thing to do is ignore such people. They don’t have a single solution in their heads anyway. — Xtrix

His use of 'Heirophant' is something I carry around with me every day now — I like sushi

Religion is about 'faith', whereas philosophy is about 'wisdom', — Varde

Eyyy. Took a while but we got there. Proud of you :blush: — StreetlightX

It would be better, for you and others like you, in particular, to do nothing. — StreetlightX

Can't wait till this thread gets back on track with liberals being mad at Manchin and Sinema. — StreetlightX

The question I have is: given how critical this moment is, what can be done to help it become reality? — Xtrix

What’s the alternative I’m missing in terms of action?
— Xtrix

What kind of question is this in response to what I wrote? — StreetlightX