RegularGuy

He has the keen ability to manipulate, which is a sign of intelligence at least in one forum.

If you like to win, then yes. I’m a terrible debater.

The most intelligent are often the most humorous, and at the same time, inaccessible to the masses.

I was thinking that selfishness and individualism cannot be the sole foundation as there is a duality to humanity which includes concern for the commu...

Maybe my title was confused. I’m not sure now. I don’t have a lot of confidence in that. I was thinking that if truth is a requirement of knowledge, t...

I’m not sure that games with rules have meaning, but they can be meaningful to some.

I found that what I’ve read from Chomsky is pretty disturbing and scary stuff. I think his criticisms should be leveled at the individuals who led and...

I agree. “Work” as in work you don’t enjoy or work that you mind is a dirty word.

“Work sets you free.” At one time a spiritual lesson, then made sinister by Auschwitz. Fucking Nazis.

Dare I ask for a translation?

I can’t tell if you’re being admonishing, analytical, or comical. I suspect it’s all of the above.

Got it.

Why is it “(1-.8)*.5” and not “.8*.5”?

Ha ha! I would go bananas if I had to do those jobs.

I’m sorry for your loss. Truly. Psychiatry cannot help the existential depression of a philosopher. They prescribe meds, and I don’t think meds would ...

Never mind. I think this answered my question, and I think I agree with you.

So metamathematics is provable, metaphysics is not. So, is counting apples meaningless? Or is that not mathematics?

Cool

Are you talking about frames of reference as used by Einstein in Special Relativity? Because Einstein said something like that what the universe is ac...

Still not getting it. I would need a detailed paper to understand what you are saying.

We’ll see what he says.

I thought he said the phrase referred to the concept which is mental and refers to something extra-mental, viz. what the physical world is from a part...

That’s not what he said.

I think you two are talking past each other. A concept is inherently both mental and as referring to something extra mental. My justification for the ...

I think @"alcontali" is talking about meta-mathematics. I could be mistaken.

I agree with you, however.

That’s what I envy you for. You always have the exact words you want to use to show your thinking. I’m much more muddled.

I would agree that they are very clear and systematic, but I think they are also simplistic in their analyses of how things really work; and they tend...

Karma is simply “for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This is true in the physical world and in society. Reincarnation may just b...

Classic Terrapin. :lol:

I felt the same thing when my dad died last year, but I had schizophrenic feelings of relief, emancipation, and sadness all at the same time. He suffe...

Are you talking about the as of yet unknown or perhaps unknowable nature of qualia of perception and emotions?

I appreciate the optimism. I know who I’m going to vote for (not Biden) but will vote for Biden if he’s the nominee. It’s still very early.

There are 50 state elections. How much of the Dems support is coming from CA and NY? It’s the polls in the battleground states that we should be looki...

That should end with “QED,” the equivalent of philosopher smack talk.

Those are national polls. On MSNBC tonight, a poll showed that the only candidate who was ahead of Trump in Ohio was Biden. They say that as Ohio goes...

What does “unintended” mean then? If your point is that in the case of governments, institutions, and even individuals, important decisions should be ...

I see. It takes a team of experts and a consensus then (always difficult) in order to determine best policy. If only lobbyists didn’t get in the way.....

That said, I am certain you know as an environmental engineer what is best policy for the environment more so than politicians or corporations.

It’s easier to know what the direct intended consequences will be, but there are unintended consequences to every decision. Some good, some bad. “The ...

All true for a lot of decisions.

One only knows a decision is bad after the fact. And bad for whom or what? Some consequences are good for some and bad for others. That’s where values...

Environmental epistemologist. I like that. People do make decisions. It was ultimately the business class and the desire of the people to make their l...

Epistemology as the foundation of good decisions then? Science has made many stupid decisions. One example, in my opinion, the industrial revolution t...

That was what I was getting at I think. Science is useful (and destructive). Scientific knowledge can only explain the physical world. A lot of people...

It seems to me (I may be confused) that I don’t agree with the concept of a “necessary” decision. What about discovery? Could you explain further plea...

So you’re a proponent of positive justification for belief that need not be true. Care to justify that?

It depends on the language game you’re engaging in. I think that @"creativesoul" hit on some of my concerns, though.

So am I, obviously. Something about his personality strikes me as defective, though. This from someone who knows personal defects. He’s absolutely pat...

At least you can disagree without being disagreeable.