Patterner

I think we should be consistent. If it's murder then so is abortion. If abortion is not murder, then neither is this.

Trying and trying to figure out what you mean, but I'm not getting it. But I feel this sentence is key. Can you explain the relationship between movin...

What I meant is, if she wants to have the baby, and you sneak drugs into her food so it aborts, it's not murder. Men have been known to punch a woman ...

Many believe not. But if we aren't talking about a child, I don't think "parents" is the right word. There is only a pregnant woman. And, again, sneak...

You're talking about the right and duty to make decisions about their children's lives that are in the best interest of their children. Even when we d...

I don't understand how you mean things. What is epiphenomenalism? In what way does the physical act of walking fit any definition of epiphenomenal? I ...

I would not think so. But wanting to walk would be, as wanting milk would be, if we are nothing but physically deterministic machines.

Some think a fetus is a stage in the life of a human being, so nobody should have the right to choose what to do with the fetus' body. Some think it i...

I'm comparing us to an example of something that unquestionably operates entirely within the bounds of physical determinism, in order to show why I th...

Right. But, if all is physical determinism, then why would we experience the wanting? A robot that is programmed to fill a cup with water when its sen...

Humans are the worst. It's hard to articulate how stupid we are. We know love is the best thing about life. We know you can't use it up, because givin...

I guess there are those who say the neural activity isn't experienced as wanting to have milk. Rather, the neutral activity is wanting to have milk. E...

She's as good as it gets!

You two nailed it. Before they're born, you know you'll love your kids. It's a given. Then it happens, and you realize you had no idea. To steal a lin...

I agree. I'm just brainstorming a possibility of a physicalist scenario. I don't know if any physicalist agrees. But if physicalism is the answer to e...

Is there any chance you can give any guidance on that? You must know it fairly well to have recommend it multiple times as having found a solution. I ...

Yet they are entirely compatible. There can be no question of that. Here we are. There is some commonality, or they could not exist in the same univer...

We have devices that can detect the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we call visible light. They can even distinguish different frequencies, ...

If those two kinds of explanations cannot be unified into a single paradigm, then one or both of those kinds of explanations need to be modified or di...

Reading back to try to get a better handle on your position. my apologies for making you repeat yourself at any point. I'm just not understanding. You...

I understand that. I'm asking literally how does it exist. I'm referring to the HPoC. Always looking for how such things can exist in a physically det...

That makes sense for behavior. Behave this way, and you have success. Behave that way, and you fail. But it doesn't explain the subjective feeling of ...

I agree. I'm not sure how guilt even exists in such a scenario. It's true that there would be no responsibility in such a scenario. However, the knowl...

What you say makes sense, and was what I was expecting you to say. But I'm thinking, we know a) it is possible for something that is immaterial to be ...

Why are immaterial things we deal with all the time that are organized not relevant? Logic and mathematics, for example.

Yes, matter is a requirement of consciousness. At least the only kind of consciousness we're aware of. But we don't have to declare consciousness non-...

I thought I understood. But I had a typo. I meant "immaterial." I just wanted to verify that you are saying only material things can be organized.

Material things cannot be organized? Sure, not very useful until well defined. Still, I don't see how you could not be talking about an uncaused cause...

I haven't read Aristotle, or much of anything else. So I don't know what I don't know. This may be universally understood in a specific way, but I'm n...

Not roadblocks so much as I'm just done. No scenario you come up with can possibly be anything but lose/lose, lesser of the evils. I think it's wrong ...

What is the science which supports the premise of immaterial Forms which are prior to, and the cause of material existence? Is there some -ology?

I think the "Let's says" have gone too far to allow any points to be made. What are extraterrestrials going to do with our money?? Let's say they aren...

Yes. They would have been wrong. You don't kill children because of what their parents do. Find a better answer.

But it isn't explained through physicalism alone. Physicalism explains physical things. If atoms are mainly empty space, how are solids solid? Why is ...

Yeah, different on my cell. I see my avatar and make at all my posts, and it says 795 posts. This will be 796. But not mentions. I can find mentions i...

Is there a count somewhere? I only use my cell phone. I've noticed other things not easy to use or find that are right there the couple times I've log...

[ I'm not jumping on board for any hypothesis or theory of how non-living matter became living, because, even though we can stack the deck any way we ...

**Ding Ding** We have a winner!

No. We live in societies, with laws. The point of it all is to ensure our rights and freedom, and make our lives better. Not take our freedom, quality...

Indeed! :grin:

We should fight the aliens to the death. Not only because it's wrong to sacrifice people (Did we learn nothing from Omelas?), but also because we woul...

If doing nothing means everyone dies, and throwing the switch means only he dies, then saving everyone but him isn't sacrificing him. His fate want ch...

I think it would be wrong to throw the switch. We should not sacrifice people. Anyone is free to sacrifice themself. Fine if the one says, "Throw the ...

Is there any chance Nagel's perspective is as scientifically well informed as that of anyone here?

"Jane, you ignorant slut!"

Don't sugar-coat it. Tell us how you really feel. :rofl:

What hypothesis of the origin of life is better than abiogenesis? Genuinely asking,

There are different kinds of existence. The table in my dining room exists. It is a physical thing, verifiable in all the ways we can verify physical ...

There is no absolute freedom. I am limited in various ways, due to the nature of my being. I cannot flap my arms and fly to Hawaii for the weekend. I ...

I gotcha. I misinterpreted your post that I initially responded to.