John Days

You make a compelling case. :)

I think CS Lewis had a pretty good idea of it. When discussing man's dominance over, and therefore right to vivisect animals, he said (Please excuse t...

Which would be design.

I believe it is in the study of these things we know about consciousness which will help us to know what consciousness is, and it may even be self-def...

One of the more diplomatic ways of putting it. :) I think your question really does require us to go there. There can be only 2 fundamental options; e...

Hey CynicalEye. Good question. I'd like to suggest the world lacks good judgment. I think "judgment class" should be mandatory in all schools from the...

If there is a mask, it is either because we lack experience or because we choose the mask. Take your national debt/sugar tax example. The national deb...

Hi Rich. Wouldn't that be true for human consciousness, as well? If there really is no intelligence or creator behind it, then the human brain is also...

I think we can. We understand that sometimes that thing can be rational, and sometimes it can be irrational. We understand that there are levels to it...

"Lets say there is no God and each man is free to do exactly as he chooses." Even with God, man is free to do as he chooses. That's the point of right...

It's what you're using to make an argument right now.

Sure, but the context was "sharing ideas with others". Listening is important, but if you want to share an idea, at some point you have to explain the...

Ahh, I see. Thanks for clarifying. :)

I wouldn't say "nothing". I think it's possible to understand a good deal of consciousness.

But what's the point of sharing ideas with people don't listen? When you're in quiet solitude there's really not much else to do but listen.

I'm thinking more so in terms of dissatisfaction with the contributions of others around us. I think we've probably all been in situations where we kn...

So, do you think it would be crazy to create an imaginary debate partner?

I think it depends on the individual's sincerity. For example, even if I am the only human on the planet, I can still come to the realization, after s...

Ahh, philosophical matters. Good to get that straight. :p

Yes, I was. I think it's amazing the way our desire for meaning slips out. A computer that could feel deprived if it did not get the information it wa...

Can you really deprive a machine of data?

This is a good explanation. We're constantly being influenced by good and bad. CS Lewis made a similar argument about the difference between sickness ...

This reminds me of a person who worried that insulting another person's grandfather's bad back might be taking things a little too far...

Excellent question. How does physical matter cause desire, motivation, and purpose?

Yeah, this is my point. "Free speech" is a convenient, lazy doctrine which requires no consideration. Without judgment, there can be no justice, which...

"You probably think this tattoo is about you, don't you, don't you..."

*eye roll*

The dictionary finally catching up to reality, thousands of years later. :)

No, of course it is not free speech, if the speech is forbidden because it is unfair. That is my point. No one should have a right to unfair speech. I...

Mayweather looked like he could go another 10 rounds by the end of the fight. All the pre-fight psychological games were interesting, where they postu...

You want to be part of the rat race, forever? If there is a hell, I could imagine that being it.

I think so. It's a tricky question, because I think happiness is a natural bi-product of worth. If a person believes life is worth living, then that w...

This is pretty good summation of what goes through my head when someone uses "it is what it is" in a debate.

The trial of Socrates is pretty amazing. It's not complex reading and it touches on some pretty deep concepts.

So, you've discovered a formula for examining what things are?

Convincing seems unavoidable even if we think it doesn't matter. We're all trying to convince someone of something. The economy, and the masses who pa...

Sorry, would you mind simplifying this for me?

Then the saying would be "it is more than it is".

That's the catch with free speech. You don't have to consider each example on its own merits. It is free of any restriction. You can say what you want...

You're a glutton for irony. :)

Heh, I like that; the more diplomatic way of saying, "ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer".

Hi Michael. I just noticed your post after I made my post. I see we basically said the same thing. Nice. :)

I personally find the phrase frustrating when it comes to debates because it adds no information; it's only a rephrasing of information already explor...

I watched the video. A problem with free speech is that it seems to have a lot of potential for confusing the issues, so that people invariably seem t...

Hey wisdomfrompomo. I think the answer probably lies somewhere in between; limited free will. We can't choose to literally become a mouse, but we can ...