The people each lose their own self-sufficiency as well as the capacity to help or benefit each other, undermining the interdependence which constituted the community itself and destroying the basis of friendship. — Garth
The act of being trained brings a person to stop appreciating simple efforts and to only view others as having skill if they are similarly trained. — Garth
When we run about, demanding excellence from one another constantly, we do nothing but destroy the possibility of genuine and authentic fun. — Garth
The people come to expect more and better forms of performance and entertainment, so that only the specialist or the highly trained person can meet these demands. — Garth
By demanding and pursuing some perfect and excellent way of understanding the world, we really do nothing but discourage our ignorant friends from participating. — Garth
Should we even do philosophy at all? — Garth
By demanding and pursuing some perfect and excellent way of understanding the world, we really do nothing but discourage [participation from our friends in the talk of] truth, justice, and all of those things [that really matter]. — Garth
...demanding excellence from one another constantly, we do nothing but destroy the possibility of [the] genuine and authentic [and of] fun. — Garth
Participation is important for the reasons you state, but the quest for excellence seems to be something important to us, maybe essential. — Brett
The master conservationist no longer spends an extended period of time admiring a single rose, not because he lost appreciation for it, simply because he knows his time is better spent protecting the garden so that others in the future may enjoy the gaze at the lone rose that perhaps first inspired him. — Outlander
We should be wrong all the time. It's boring to be correct; nobody has anything to say about a sound argument. — Garth
In nature, the animal that stops to contemplate the meaning of the universe is quickly eaten by a bigger animal. Or its mate is buggered by a rival and that's the end. — Garth
What animal stops to contemplate the meaning of the universe besides us? How do you come to this conclusion? — Judaka
This just proves we are defective, like E.O. Wilson's slave-making ants, doomed to an evolutionary dead end. Either we will evolve to no longer be able to think about these things or we will go extinct. — Garth
All the evidence goes against you, who would argue that Michael Jordon made basketball less popular? Or that Michael Jackson made people had the effect of making people NOT want to dance like him? — Judaka
Skill comes from having to do things without the proper preparation. One has to make mistakes to start paying attention. No skill appears unless somebody went through the trouble of acquiring it. — Valentinus
People do not tend to get together and do things without a reason. Traditional culture creates these reasons. But the purpose of traditional culture is to help everyone in the community provide for each other. If we turn everything into competition and put it on the market, economies of scale will dominate and most of us will no long even have a reason to be excellent. — Garth
But if seeing all of these people doing sports and dancing on TV really makes us want to go do these things, why would 73% of Americans be overweight? Are we not watching enough television to become sufficiently inspired? — Garth
Not only is it possible to play sports or dance and still be overweight but inactivity is not the cause of American obesity, so there's really nothing here for you at all. — Judaka
Businesses are paying stars like Michael Jordan millions because they know he'll inspire people to buy what he uses because they want to be like him. — Judaka
I think it’s very unlikely that someone could be overweight and play sport or dance. Of course it’s possible but not long enough to count as anything. Inactivity would be a large contributor to obesity. Activity would certainly change it. — Brett
For instance, a person untrained in singing, who has never heard an excellent singer, will be content to listen to even a bad singer. Thus, this person, and his friends, all equally ignorant, will happily sing to each other — Garth
What you're saying is akin to saying you can eat whatever you want provided you're physically active and that's just not true. — Judaka
Inactivity would be a large contributor to obesity. — Brett
Also, overweight is NOT the same as obese, I am saying overweight as in 25-30 BMI or something. — Judaka
If you just go out and do some social sport or dancing, your "unlikely" will become a "certainly" at least anecdotally. — Judaka
That is not what I’m saying. This is what I said. — Brett
I think it’s very unlikely that someone could be overweight and play sport or dance. — Brett
That’s a bit rich using anecdotal evidence when you condemn Garth, saying “ I don't really want to hear what else you can makeup, you need to be fact-checking yourself instead of just believing whatever is convenient for you. — Brett
What? You believe it is rational to believe something to be true when it's demonstrably untrue because...? Your logic? Or what? You also don't care about rationality? — Judaka
I complimented my fact-based argument with anecdotes, there's nothing wrong with that. — Judaka
If you just go out and do some social sport or dancing, your "unlikely" will become a "certainly" at least anecdotally. — Judaka
Your anecdotal evidence wasn’t related to any fact- based argument but to the idea that “If you just go out and do some social sport or dancing, your "unlikely" will become a "certainly" ...” There’s nothing factually reliable about that whole sentence. — Brett
It was directed at me, and I deserve it. I'm actually starting to regret making this thread now. I'm definitely saying a lot of ridiculous things at this point. — Garth
We should be wrong all the time. It's boring to be correct; nobody has anything to say about a sound argument. — Garth
I'm actually starting to regret making this thread now. I'm definitely saying a lot of ridiculous things at this point. — Garth
The people each lose their own self-sufficiency — Garth
By demanding and pursuing some perfect and excellent way of understanding the world, we really do nothing but discourage our ignorant friends from participating.
It's boring to be correct...
Should we even do philosophy at all?
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