TogetherTurtle

You can't have it both ways. You can't say that "Oh if they never exist, they never suffered", and, "Since they didn't exist their potential happiness...

These threats. They cause so much anxiety and therefore suffering. These are the problems we need to solve. We can't do that unless we go on living. I...

To bring us back to my prior point about objective morality, why is being used bad? People (not all of them, but I would think a majority) like to be ...

I think that again you are only looking at the disadvantages. Society certainly uses us. We work from 9 to 5 and come home exhausted. We lose free tim...

I think this is the first problem. Your argument is based on an objective view on morality. Now, look through any of my comments and you will see I ha...

I think you may have accidentally taken what I said out of context. We are in agreeance. Apologies for any confusion.

This kind of reminds me of 1984. Not in a good or bad way, just in respect to how artificial both signs and language is. If we were to experience the ...

I like this one. I believe most of this. I don't think that any politician since the beginning of recorded history has cared about those they represen...

Well, it’s all up to speculation anyway and I think we’ve come to a conclusion on that. I’m interested in the “what makes people better” discussion as...

They are not interested in the how, but they are certainly the what. That was my point. If they didn't exist we wouldn't have a culture to study. Perh...

It would be useful in life or death situations. If a robot has a choice is saving a human from a fire or itself, empathy would be useful. Sure, the co...

How do you know that consciousness is more than neurons firing? I would think that we should start small but start to teach machines more complex subj...

To define what a virtual mind is, we must first define what a mind is. I find that a quick definition from the internet that sounds about right is a g...

Fascinating. Maybe someday we will find a way. Until then, we work towards that.

I would consider it me, but as for others, I think it is once again up in the air. Maybe I just worded that wrong. Sorry about that. I think the quest...

The reasoning here is interesting. I think the difference between a virtual fire and a virtual mind is simply in function. Sure, a virtual fire can't ...

I think anyone's brain could be of use as sort of a "librarian" for a database. It's hard to give computers personalities or the ability to differenti...

I think that is my problem. I don't think any meaningful change happens at all. It's my belief at least that life doesn't have any meaning besides wha...

Ultimately, I think this is up to opinion. The idea of self is too abstract to really put in objective terms. I personally don't think it is the same ...

I think that probability has a say in it, but I don't think it has to be observed or at the very least just by a human. Generally, most things happen ...

Sure thing. I don't think anyone cares too much about getting off topic, as it happens a lot here, but if you would feel more comfortable sending stuf...

Don't even worry about it. It is said that you can't rush perfection, and even so, we are far from that. I think there is a Benjamin Franklin quote ab...

I've always questioned why the cat isn't dead or alive just because we don't know if it is. Just because we don't know a true/false value doesn't mean...

I actually disagree about the whole "fire in a theatre" thing. I think this contributes to a phenomenon known as "bystander apathy". Essentially, byst...

I believe that this changes when we talk about mental capabilities because we are also talking about a hypothetical even playing field. I like to thin...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the underlying idea of democracy is that power should be distributed. I never implied that the power would disappear, sim...

My view has always been this: If you are objectively correct, you can prove it. If you can't, you aren't. I don't think governments or any authority f...

And so we all come to the same conclusion eventually. We enjoy the journey but the destination is disappointing. Or maybe we haven't reached the desti...

I think this is true within context. Within the context of the modern world where many of the resources in the new world are being put to use to grow ...

What is the difference between the masses thinking they have the truth of God and disagreeing on exactly what that is, and scientists thinking they ha...

Completely agree. I think the human mind is too unreliable to find objective truth in most things. Don't get me wrong, I don't think the reality we se...

Yeah, sort of. I think that applies for the past just as much as other places today might put it better.

I believe that free speech is important, but some people just don't. A lot of the time people see progress as a straight line, and never consider at a...

I suppose that's true. I'll look into more reading about this and maybe we can discuss it some day. For me at least, a utopia would have to be a socie...

I think one of the main things that makes a society utopian is access by all to cures for these kinds of things. So in my belief, a prerequisite for a...

Sorry for misunderstanding at all. I haven't taken any classes on economics or looked into the writings of many capitalist or socialist advocates. I p...

At least to me, that just sounds like capitalism between socialist states. It's an interesting discussion though. As you said, I am also a sucker for ...

I guess the question now is, where do we fit into this? I believe (well, hope) that someday these advocacy groups can live in peace. It won't happen s...

I think that it does perhaps damage democracy a bit. I just can't help but feel bad for all of the people being deplatformed. There are of course more...

I don't think this whole ordeal threatens democracy itself. I think it more threatens certain people's cultures and lifestyles. After this is all over...

It always is. Only time will tell if we can all make this happen or screw it up. It will take everything we have to make a future our posterity can no...

Sometimes I find it hard to decide where Philosophy ends and Science begins. I suppose that's why. I like the idea of Art and Science being two pawns ...

I can hardly fathom that. If I came up with any new Math or Science or even Philosophy, even a small footnote, I would probably consider my life compl...

I suppose I have a lot of reading to do. I have found that a common theme for my time here has been thinking of something on my own and finding out th...

When are we not paraphrasing something that we have heard before? I've got a long road ahead of me in terms of reading in all of these things, but it'...

I have always seen Philosophy as somewhat similar to math we haven't found a use for yet. It exists for the time being as useless but becomes importan...

I've made it a point to not get involved in politics too much. Nowadays it's too much of a headache and you can lose friends over something as stupid ...

Man creating god from language is just a step in understanding ourselves then, in a process that culminates in us becoming gods. To understand is to c...

I already knew about the quote button, I had just neglected to use it. That's my fault. In futurism and Sci-Fi circles, the term "Post Human" refers t...

Maybe we are all just a bunch of stupid monkeys. Our brains, while being the key to what has made us so great, are still lacking. 1000 years ago, no o...