Comments

  • The 2020 PhilPapers Survey
    Can you locate a similar survey in some other discipline, and so demonstrate that there is no similar bifurcation?Banno

    No need for a survey, such is the obviousness of the examples in other disciplines. We would first have to agree which other disciplines are fair comparisons.

    Again, and as acknowledged by the editors, the choice of questions is arbitrary. it may well be set to find those that have toughly equal presentation on both sides.Banno

    So the survey is the joke. I see.

    If you would maintain that this is something more than a bias in question selection, you will have to do some more work.Banno

    I dont think its out of line to take the survey at face value. Maybe it shows nothing of value, but if its arbitrary and biased and you decided to share it then maybe you have some work to do.
  • The 2020 PhilPapers Survey


    I agree, that is why ive attempted a distinction between all of that and academic philosophy.
  • The 2020 PhilPapers Survey
    Ways of clarifying questions to which there is going to be no indisputable answer. Ways of weighing up the costs and benefits of coming out firmly on one side or another. Ways of understanding the confusion that underlies some questions before rushing into giving answers.Cuthbert

    All of which are accomplished with careful thought, academic philosophy isnt necessary.
    Its not like there are a minority of disputes like in other fields, its all but one of the major issues philosophy is supposed to address! Centuries on some of these!

    There are plenty of places to go for undisputed answers to difficult questions. E.g. sign up for Twitter and block everything you disagree with. Job done.Cuthbert

    Its not about an undisputed answer, I understand that dissenting opinions exist in all areas of study.
    Look at this study/poll, its an even split on the majority of issues. It shows that academic philosophy is the mastabatory exercise of wishy washy airheads that the public at large has always taken it for.
  • The 2020 PhilPapers Survey


    That depends on the purpose of the survey. A survey doesnt have to be philosophically interesting ( assuming thats what you mean by interesting) , generally their purpose is to inform. In this case, more like expose.

    The fact that even the trained professional philosophers are split fairly evenly on virtually every philosophical query makes it an academic parody. What then does philosophy offer? To what purpose is academic training in philosophy if they offer the same lack of conclusion as a layman?
    Those so trained speak with a totally disproportionate amount of confidence on these topics given how little definitive conclusions the academic apparatus actually offers.
    I wonder if perhaps academic philosophy is going to turn out to be the last religion to die. Murder/suicide?
  • The 2020 PhilPapers Survey
    Hilarious how many major philosophical inquiries are pretty close to an even split despite being discussed and debated for centuries.

    So academic philosophy is a complete joke. Roger that.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    I was talking about the lies about Trump. The lies Trump tells are pretty obvious.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    Im not in possession of special knowledge about Trump, no. Its not hard to find lies or dishonest spins on the things Trump says and does, any more than finding out Trump himself lies and deceives. (Or his people)
    I can’t think of any specific example off the top of my head.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    I would guess its pretty close but who knows.
    I do think its rampant enough on both sides to be the responsibility of both sides.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    Its not though, its seems nearly impossible to have a rational discussion about Trump, with either side.
    “He’s the worst evil!”
    “Hes the saviour that delivers us from evil!”

    Conversation done. This entire thread is just rephrasing this sentiment, meanwhile neither position is true.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    Ya, I didnt mean it as an actual psychological condition, more of a social phenomenon. Its derangement in the layman's sense.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    I intended to also include derangement of the type where Trump supporters are blind to his flaws, think he is fighting secret cabals of baby eating rich people, think he is a good christian etc.
    Trump Derangement Syndrome, to me, is believing all or most of Trumps lies and/or believing all or most lies told about Trump. Its the suspension of reason because of ones strong feelings about Trump.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    Trump Derangement Syndrome. As prevalent on the right as the left…roughly.
  • Questioning Rationality
    It would be real swell if all discussions on this forum were like his one, nice job comrades that was a worthwhile read.
    Thanks.
  • Merging Pessimism Threads
    Can we consolidate some threads into a “beating a dead horse” thread? We can start with this one. :wink:
  • Why Must You Be Governed?


    No more, no less. Humans just can’t be trusted.
  • Why Must You Be Governed?


    Because you can’t be trusted.
  • Ethical Veganism should be everyday practice for ethical societies
    In the case of your objection which is - as best I can tell - that animals can be farmed ethically,Graeme M

    You arent paying attention to what you are reading if you think this is the counter argument Isaac is offering.

    Neither (a) nor (b) follow from your premise alone. You've drawn no connection at all between liberty and being used as an end.Isaac

    Answer that. This is a counter argument to what you are saying. If you cannot answer it, your position is refuted so address it if you want to be taken seriously.

    Nothing about killing something interferes with it's liberty other than by foreshortening its life. If foreshortening life is unethical, then it's hard to see how lengthening it (above average) is also unethical. Farmed animals often live longer than their nearest wild equivalent.Isaac

    This too. Don’t be confuses by the mention of farming, its the bolded portion you need to answer for your position to stand.

    Your objections either don't seem to apply, or apply also to humans where some exchange of freedom for welfare is made.Isaac

    Again, address these claims made by Isaac. If you cannot refute this then your argument doesnt stand.
    The fact that you only got “animals can be farmed ethically” from reading Isaacs posts is amazing to me, and it should give you pause on your own position that you have so clearly failed to comprehend counterpoints made against it. This is a very good sign that you haven’t considered the issue thoroughly. Also a good indicator you are making an ad hoc argument, rather than in good faith.
  • All arguments in favour of Vegetarianism and contra


    I dont see the contradiction. Some things are more important to some people than “cultivating optimal agency/well-being via conduct and relationships”. I think you are trying to assert that ethic over all other priorities just as I described above. Its simply not the case for most people, they worry about ethics after a number of other things that come first. These priorities preclude moral judgements.
  • All arguments in favour of Vegetarianism and contra


    Well you gave me an extreme scenario, so I answered in that context.
    It seems to me your reason for not eating your dog is based on a revulsion of how it would make you feel to do so. Im not sure thats a moral basis of rejection. For the lamb, you have not these feelings, so there is no parallel justification.
    Some people do have these feelings but they have no more right to suggest we treat animals the way they do than I have to tell them ignore their feelings and eat lamb cakes.
  • All arguments in favour of Vegetarianism and contra


    Oh. Well thanks.
    The flaw with most ethical systems is the assumption that being moral is ones highest priority imo, when really for most people its more like 3rd or 4th down the list, hence most people do not consistently follow any system of ethics. Ethics gets hedged out by higher priorities
  • All arguments in favour of Vegetarianism and contra


    I dont understand what the flame signifies.
  • All arguments in favour of Vegetarianism and contra


    I do have a pet, and I would eat it to survive. I also have kids so they would get the dog burgers first, followed by dad burgers if it meant them surviving. Survival trumps morality for most people, for most things.
  • All arguments in favour of Vegetarianism and contra


    I dont see why either position/lifestyle needs to be justified.
    If youre asking whether “emoti-intellectual capacity” is a justification for either position I would say no. I do not think that emoti-intellectual capacity is a metric for morality or ethics, either is pain.
  • All arguments in favour of Vegetarianism and contra


    Why would a human need to rationalize consuming meat?
    Cuz it inflicts pain? So does all kinds of things, so what?
  • Causes worth helping
    I guess my question here is at the risk of coming up with statements describing current economical reality … what are the best ways of combating modern day cartels/monopolies who don’t have the best interests of the common man as their driving principle…Deus

    Teach common man enough self control and foresight not to empower corporations with their slave-like devotion to materialism. Start with getting people to stop exploiting child slaves by shopping at Walmart cuz its cheaper.
    Good luck.
  • Question about Free Will and Predestination


    Good point, but the certainty still wouldnt make the choice predetermined. The knowledge of what happens does not effect the outcome of what happens. That was my point.
    You would be predicting, with certainty, what the person will choose. Its pre-knowledge of what will happen, not knowledge of what is predetermined. The predetermination is still separate from what youre asking here as I described initially.
    You are essentially positing that pre-knowledge and predetermination ( in the free will sense) are the same thing, which I dont think they are. You can have pre-knowledge ( in the context of this thought experiment) of something whether its predetermined or not so you arent actually addressing free will here imo.
  • Question about Free Will and Predestination


    Just because you know what someone will choose doesnt make the choice predetermined.
    Would you rather have your eyeballs pulled from their sockets with a rusty knife or a pleasant meal?
    Nothing magical about predicting you would choose the pleasant meal. Its not predetermined, its just easy to determine just like it would be for your writing god or future seeing person.
    I didnt answer the poll because your OP doesnt actually address free will. Its a free will adjacent question but you're actually just asking about foreknowledge of action, the answer to which depends on what ones views on free will already are.
  • Ritual: Secular or otherwise


    This thread is a waste of time. Consult a dictionary Sushi.
    You leave me no choice but to put you in my Bad Box for 1 month. I will not respond in any of your threads until you have served our your sentence.
  • Wading Into Trans and Gender Issues
    Is it gender that sports uses to group athletes? Or is it sex?Michael

    Right, an important distinction for this discussion thank you.
    My understanding is gender is the way you feel about your sex, and sex being the biology of how you were born.
    I thought that was the generally understood distinction?
  • Wading Into Trans and Gender Issues
    These things were pretty reliably categorised according to biological sex. Now that's not such a good proxy. So why not base the categorisation on what is actually significant - Fast twitch muscle fibre, testosterone during puberty and whatever....Banno

    Well thats what you are doing when you categorize by sex, as I said all the traits you use would end up being the male ones for many sports. Its a pointless way to do it, and wouldn't protect women or womens sports.
    These factors from being born a male cannot be hand-waved away. Males are evolved for fighting, bone structure, thickness and density…science doesnt have a good way to change these things yet.
    Ok, Maybe common ground. In most combat sports there is a policy of having 2 years of hormone treatments to counteract the significant advantages being born a male gives. Im not convinced this leads to fairness in the sports (the science isnt clear) but it does reduce the potential of egregious harm to women.
    What are your thoughts on that?

    I've no idea.

    I'm amused at the whole issue. What it actually shows is how arbitrary the classifications used in sports are. It's an intellectually muddled area.
    Banno

    Ok, what is it that seems disingenuous?

    The classifications are not arbitrary though, there is very good reasons, solid reasons, for having a men and womens division in many sports.
  • Wading Into Trans and Gender Issues
    The stuff between your legs doesn't make you run faster or kick better.Banno

    I wouldn't imagine so, no. Of course, no ones talking abouts balls but you. Fast twitch muscle fiber, testosterone during puberty and other such factors do however. These things are pretty reliably categorized according to biological sex. Hence it is a useful in categorizing sports.

    More Balls. basing a footy game or wrestling match on body weight or some such would do exactly that.Banno

    Sex is the strongest factor in the development of many of the criteria you would use. You’ve mentioned a bunch already.

    This looks disingenuous.Banno

    Fascinating. What do you imagine my actual interest to be?
  • Wading Into Trans and Gender Issues
    You are missing the point. Sex is only a proxy for innate ability. That's what has caused the problem. Drop sex and find a way to measure innate ability. Then the competition can reward prowess.Banno

    There already are useful ways of measuring innate ability for the purpose of sports, one such way is by sex. Also your way of thinking does nothing to protect women from getting their skulls crushed in a lopsided match up against a trans competitor so it sucks. As I said, that is my primary concern in this topic.
  • Wading Into Trans and Gender Issues
    The point being it's not precise at all. Otherwise this thread would not be here.Banno

    Your suggested criteria match exactly the advantages males have in most sports. Apparently they are precise enough.

    The premiss that sex has dictates prowess has been shown wanting.Banno

    Depends on the sport of course, but males have a very measurable advantage in most of them but especially combat sports.

    Tough shit for sport. their organisation is based on a parochial patriarchic attitude towards people.Banno

    Im not a big sports fan, I dont care which characters win or lose. What I do care about is women getting hurt, and to a lesser degree a fair contest.
    Also, anything with history is patriarchic. So what? Do we throw out everything that started before the rise of feminism?
  • Wading Into Trans and Gender Issues


    Why gender, as opposed to height or bodyweight or muscle mass index or blood testosterone levels?Banno

    You mean the characteristics that males have over females? Thats precisely the things that separate male and female athletics.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)


    He lives an extra 30 days every time someone says “he’s going to jail” and he doesnt go to jail. Currently clocked at 600 more years.
    But seriously, and Im no Trump guy, but how many times have you steadfastly predicted his downfall and been wrong? Am I misremembering? Is it possible you aren’t clearly thinking it through each time?
  • Bannings
    Jesus. Suicide by mod? I feel like he’s been around a while.
  • Bannings
    What did they say?