Comments

  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    No its not, NOS included no “discrimination” in his definition. Recognising a difference is not the same as discriminating based on that difference.
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    Well they are the same in most ways, the important ways, but its silly to act as though there aren’t any differences at all isnt it? There are obvious physical differences, thats the reality.
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    Well taxonomy is a scientific term, a scientific biological categorisation. I dont think thats whats commonly meant when people refer to race, I think they mean a category based in obvious physical differences.
    Maybe thats why there has been such contention on this topic, some people are using the academic meaning of “race” (as it might be used to describe an alien “race” for example) and others a laymens usage that is simply noticing differing physical traits like skin colour or bone density or hair color.
    So what word do you use to describe the latter cases? If thats not “race”, what is it?
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    What is the difference between your definition and his characterisation of it?
    Aren’t you saying that racism is when someone thinks there are categories of humans defined by physical traits?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Ah, I suppose that is another conversation altogether. We most likely disagree quite a bit. My only real problem with the death penalty is the risk of a false conviction.
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    So Zhou is essentially correct in how you define racism. Ok.
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    Yes, that seems a very poor definition of racism to me as well, I dont think thats what NOS has in mind though.
    How about it NOS? How do you define racism?
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?
    And next you’ll appeal to the dictionary.NOS4A2

    You dont buy that definition of racism? How do you define it?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?
    Well the value of life wouldn't be strictly speaking intrinsic. But the distinction is fairly minute in most practical circumstances, unless we go beyond biological life.Echarmion

    Ok, I understand. Thanks.

    That's not really how the human psyche works. People can be extremely miserable and still also afraid to die. I don't think there is a good justification for inflicting that extra pain.Echarmion

    Im asking about choosing between death and death row. You implied that death row was the worse punishment, did I misunderstand what you meant?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Do you think that people on death row would choose death over death row? If not, then doesnt that pretty clearly show which is the worse punishment? Why would people routinely choose the more torturous option? (Death row, according to you)
    Anyway, so you don’t think life has intrinsic value but because you think personhood has intrinsic value then human life has intrinsic value because personhood is intrinsic to human life? (Excepting cases like being braindead where personhood has gone away)
    Is that right?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Oh I misunderstood, I thought you didnt think life was sacred or intrinsically valuable.
    I just wondered how you would answer other examples of lifes sanctity given your views on the braindead one. Didnt mean to imply they were the same thing, that was a tangent on my part.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    What about in the case of life in prison, do you think we should spend the resources to lock the worst of us up in a cage untill they die of natural causes?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Ok, so how does that inform your views? If life has no intrinsic value, what are your thoughts about suicide, or imprisoning the Mansons or Hitlers of the world rather than just killing them?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    I wouldnt say so, no. That is only one type of life you are talking about, there is other life that doesn't have that appreciation as you yourself stated and therefore life itself cannot have this intrinsic value.
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    I think its because people are not thinking clearly, they have been trained and indoctrinated to see racism where the is none. That certain words make a person racist, rather than what a person actually believes about race. (To varying degrees, some people think anything about race coming out of someones mouth is racist).
    You’ve heard of Trump derangement syndrome? I think racism derangement syndrome is a thing too.
    People lose their fucking minds about Trump and race.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Ok, moving onto someone else then, as per your request.
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    Whats important about the distinction is that when people hear you use “colour blind” in the non-racist way you mean, they take you to mean “color blindness” in the sense a racist might use that word as a cover for racist sentiment. Thats what happens when people see racism in everything and everyone (everyone white anyway, which seems kinda racist, but welcome to the wacky world of diluted terms we find ourselves in.)
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    I dont mean to make reference to an objective standard, whatever people/society decides has value is fine.
    I think we agree, and I agree with your reference to religion as well. It seems pretty obvious that religious thinking places an inherent value to life because of the immortal soul, salvation and all that.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Interesting, didnt think of AI. Maybe people who think life has intrinsic value have something purely biological in mind as part of that intrinsic worth but to me if we are talking about personhood I dont see how we could exclude AI provided the AI has personhood (however you want to define personhood).
    In order to answer your question about personhood being of intrinsic value, I would need to know exactly what you mean by personhood. If personhood has intrinsic value then personhood would have to be intrinsic to life in order for it to make life itself intrinsically valuable. I dont think thats the case, as I wouldnt say a plant or bacteria have personhood...but you might have something else in mind concerning what counts as personhood.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Well the murderous individual could have value if they offset the murders with saving lives or something I suppose, but I was meaning to make a point about a case where there is no offset. I used a relentlessly murdering and hurting person as an obvious example of that but you are right, its not always going to be the case that a murderous person has no value. What about the cases where it actually is the case they have no value (to people/society in general)? Do you think that life has something above and beyond the contents of that life?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Sorry you lost me here. What statement is contrary?
    Im not saying life has no value, Im saying life has no value on its own. I dont think we should worry about preserving life in the case of a person who just goes around hurting and killing, we would only need to do that if we believed life had some sort of special, intrinsic value that we should preserve despite the hurting and killing. Some folks think we should lock that person up and expend time, energy and resources because life should always be preserved when possible.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Yes, I would agree life is important but I would still base it on the merits of that life. The import of a life correlates directly with the important things dine with that life.
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    Good post, I think you captured an important distinction in a nutshell.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    It was more the context of something like someone braindead but kept alive by medical technology. Does life have value just on its own, so that we should respect and revere it even if it has nothing else going for it but itself?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    The basic idea of the golden rule is pretty useful, yes.
    To me if you are framing it as about people having intrinsic value then you are talking about the merits/demerits of that life, where as Im curious about what value life is supposed to have absent those specific things that are encompassed by personhood.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Well Antinatalism is about an individuals value assessment and I am trying to frame this at a societal level.
    Also, I do not agree that Antinatalism is correct or even coherent.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    I meant to use Manson as an example of a general principal but I take your point.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Well Im trying (unsuccessfully it seems) to illustrate a distinction between life and the contents of life. Im not trying to judge life as having nothing of value in it but rather question what value a life has when it has nothing of value in it, if that makes sense. Does life on its own have some sort of sacred, inherent value, so that we should preserve it for its own sake regardless of its contents?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?
    [reply="I like sushi;348481"

    Again though, you are talking about the inherent value of something other than life, in this second case “rare” and “quite fleeting”. Those are the things you see as having inherent value, but what about life itself? (In the sense that we should preserve it regardless of practical consideration)
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Right, I suppose what I have in mind is a more practical set of values, and meant in a broad sense of humanity. Value to us, our societies. (Though not necessarily the law).
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Things do not always have value if they are “very curious”, except if being very curious is what made it valuable in which case isnt it being very curious that has the intrinsic value?
    As far as the standard of “value”, I have No particular preference or expectation, I just dont think it matters that much. Its the application I think is interesting.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    It doesnt really matter to me how “value” is defined/viewed, in the sense that im not asking for anything like an objective fact about any of this. Wherever you think the “value” comes from isnt important (to me at least), im not taking a position on that I just want to know about how the values are being applied. For example, you made a value judgement about charles manson, so lets start there. Would you view his life as having no value, when he was alive?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    I see. Well the value isnt intrinsic if there are things (merits) that you enjoy. Its those things in life you are enjoying, that are of value. What Im asking is what value does life have without those things.
    Maybe we just mean different things by intrinsic. What about sacred? Do you think there is something sacred about life that we should always preserve it even in cases where the life has no real value to anyone or actually have a negative far outweighing any merits such as in the case of a serial murderer?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Im not following you, how does that answer my questions?
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    I wasnt using those definitions...and I dont even see where I used “worth” at all.
    The “value” I have in mind is more about utility or importance.
  • Is life sacred, does it have intrinsic value?


    Interesting, although not at all what I was talking about.
    Edited: Also, I didnt say life has no value of any kind, so we would be is disagreement rather than agreement
  • Pronouns and Gender


    I applaud your patience and calm responses sir, but I cant help but wonder why you keep at it. Neither of those two are really listening, and constantly use straw men In their “arguments”. Its just a bunch of self righteous douchery, id have given up long ago.
    What are you getting out if it, if you dont mind me asking?
  • Why are We Back-Peddling on Racial Color-Blindness?


    What do you call it when someone hates someone based only on the colour of skin/race?
  • Here is how to make a computer conscious, self-aware and free willing


    However you want to define consciousness, im asking how would you know. The reason why Im asking is because it would be very difficult to do, considering how very little we actually know about consciousness. How do you know you will have replicated it in this computer when you would have no way of accounting for missing aspects/basis (because you do not even know what they are)?
  • Here is how to make a computer conscious, self-aware and free willing


    How do know that what you have created is conciousness?