Agent Smith

Maybe I've watched too many movies; life is a movie too, oui mon ami? One thing I learned though is not to generalize from a small sample.

Same thing!

Well, if what we value the most is just a trick evolution plays on us to keep us addicted to the game of life, I'd be down in the dumps. I'm mildly su...

I defer to your more nuanced assessment of the situation. Would you agree with me more if I replaced crime with immoral? Personally, I would like to b...

Entropy has been described by some as disorder but others say this is incorrect/inaccurate/only an approximation. I don't know what to believe. Statis...

I wish I were enigmatic. I'm the last person who could fit that adjective. By the way, maya is fun for some.

Holists are those who say 2 + 2 = 5.

Yes, Yep, and Aye! We're criminals, all of us, at least to the extent we kill & eat for fun/pleasure (meat is tasty, oui?). However, predators hunt ou...

That's a good question.

I dunno, but it seems possible and actual in some cases.

Power + Money (the other thread).

True, true, but you know what, money does buy ... everything. We just have to quote the price right, oui mon ami?

Most unfortunate that! Children are our investment in society - our contribution to the group, an extra hand, an Einstein, a good samaritan. Sadly, th...

Money!

Yep, that's one way of describing it.

I believe that's a skill one has to learn, the easy way or the hard way. Saving for the lean season is a good idea, but sometimes people go overboard ...

Danke!

What can it be called then?

In other words power trumps ethics and hence evil; I suppose all crimes/evil deeds can be reexpressed as power play - might is right?

It's rather humbling and depressing when even our loftiest thoughts, our deepest feelings can be shown to be nothing but means by which evolution keep...

On target mon ami! Much of the world's misery can be attributed to a lack of effective contraception. Some of us should've never been born, but here w...

@"GLEN willows" We're just a complex self-sustaining electro-chemical reaction according to science. Holists disagree, saying there's more. Bring in e...

If I were an evil genius, I'd make the most evil the most pleasurable.

:up:

:up:

https://youtu.be/IalyzVV5yAE Technological (over)dependence! From optional tools to essential life-support.

Well, not all machines were created equal - some are more essential than others. This would mean losing our capability to produce one may not be as di...

I don't know if it's the same with other philosophy forums, but this one has a conspicuous scientific bias. It's as expected though (Streetlight effec...

Yup, we're looking at the whole chain from raw material to finished product - each link is a potential point of failure.

Perhaps, but does it make sense?

Good exegesis of our predicament: specialization (in technology) is a vulnerability, an Achilles' heel. Technologies are interdependent and if only on...

Indeed, hence the problem of evil vis-à-vis god?

The red pill is a metaphor for the willingness/desire for knowledge no matter what the cost.

Good question. Could it be that those who make the cut are the ones who choose good over evil? A selective breeding program, si? Free will? :chin: Hmm...

The cost of freedom is evil.

Sorry, but it's not your fault.

Stupidity is underrated. Its value is amply demonstrated by it persistence and dissemination in the gene pool. It's as if mother nature's mantra is ke...

Are lies, illusions (deception) dangerous?

It's that bad, eh?

We should conduct a poll.

We should conduct a poll.

Should we fear being led down the garden path? Should we fear illusions? Should we fear lies?

An Appeal to Fear

I don't know. Some have graciously stepped up to the plate, offered their services for free. Skeptics like the late The Amazing Randi have made signif...

Is this thread about Jordan Peterson specifically? He's human and part of being human is to err. It's just that his worldwide audience makes his mista...

Indeed, you are right!

There is nothing in philosophy that could make a novice or a veteran in the subject a fanatic and you need to be one to find brinkmanship appealing.

You mean to say philosophy is a luxury item? Some would argue that it's an esssential item.

Without incentives, mediocrity. With incentives, paywalls. Lose-lose! :sad:

Estrangement, yep, tools, although they make life easier for us also distance us from reality and living. Without 'em we become aliens in our own home...