Erik

Yeah that's definitely true but this is pretty sober analysis for Kristol's fastidious audience of philosophically-informed neocons. I dislike the guy...

You've intuited his position perfectly. I agree with your strategy for possible reconciliation, but I doubt enough progressives would be receptive to ...

Highly recommend watching this lengthy conversation between Bill Kristol and Ronald Brownstein. Brownstein predicts civil war in the United States wit...

@"Benkei"@"ssu" Thanks for the thoughtful replies, guys. Valuable input on the perception of the US from European perspective(s). Lots to think about....

(Trying to post again - for some reason it didn't show up when originally sent) I would also add that our concern with the affairs of others around th...

I don't think the two things are incompatible; in fact that seems the most reasonable position to take at the moment: Russia may represent a genuine d...

Enlighten us on the motives and agenda of Russia. While you're at it, do the same thing with the ostensibly selfless motives and agenda of the United ...

Yes that's true. We have family friends who live in your area and they're total snobs. We've visited them a few times and it's definitely a "higher en...

Yup that's exactly right. I've never quite felt at home where I live now to be perfectly honest, and I think it's largely due to a sense of (lower) cl...

Well I'm just an "average" American who grew up in the belly of the beast (suburban Los Angeles) and it's insane to me too. Doesn't seem like it'll ev...

This may be getting a bit off topic but one of the strange things I've noticed about the genuinely wealthy - at least since I've been around "old mone...

:vomit: Seems an oversimplified scenario. Most of the rich people I know have been the beneficiaries of wealth accumulated by their families. These sa...

Precisely! Zizek's insight actually pinpoints what I've intuited about Trump (despite being been unable to articulate it) quite well. That is a big pa...

Strzok's claim that "every American has political beliefs but the vast majority of them are not biased" was pretty ridiculous imo. Bias is an obvious,...

I remember going around in circles with my buddy @"Agustino" over how he could square his high moral standards with support of someone as immoral as T...

If by "we" he meant the FBI, would he admit it? Yeah probably not. That cynical acknowledgement obviously doesn't mean he is lying about the message b...

Nice prediction. I would have been bummed if it was an evenly played game and England lost in PKs, but Croatia was easily the better team - esp after ...

:lol: :up:

Crazy that England's made it this far but it's even trippier that they may actually win the whole thing.

It's coming home.

Depends on the specific act and what type of impact is has on others. I tend in the direction of preserving individual freedom over the desires of the...

As much as I personally dislike the idea of abortion, I don't think the govt should get involved in this issue, or should legislate morality more gene...

:lol:

Brazil too. They were my two finalists haha.

:lol: I jinxed Sweden after the last game by picking them to reach the final.

Ugly game but hard fought by both teams. I predict Sweden comes through that side of the bracket to play Brazil in the final.

That was the intention! Had to counteract your earlier jinx.

WOW!!

Yup don't even have to watch to know how this ends.

We know England's going to lose if it goes to penalties. :fear:

Another interesting read identifying Trump's rhetoric and policies with pre-Cold War American conservatism.

You sure this isn't a misrepresentation of Buddhism? Going off memory, as well as an admittedly superficial acquaintance with the "religion", I recall...

:up: :razz:

I would have assumed that philosophy of law dealt with the different ways of grounding law: divine law, natural law, positive law, etc. That's not the...

:lol: No offense intended, guys, but while I do have some addictions TPF is not one of them. And I love the place. I like to think I can come and go a...

Must have been haha.

Lol, why didn't he just leave the site on his own? Darn, I liked him too.

Well I'm second-guessing myself now, but I'm almost positive I've seen him drop expletives here and there. I do it too occasionally. One possible diff...

Maw doesn't swear? Are you kidding me!

To my knowledge, Lincoln didn't originally advocate for the complete abolition of slavery but only opposed its extension into new territories. During ...

It's interesting to note that the concern with anxiety, death, and authenticity in the early Heidegger falls off in the later work in favor of notions...

Pretty sure those who dislike Trump personally also find fault with his policies. So the two things are seen as being essentially related, with his pr...

I think overcoming nihilism would/will involve a rejection of both sides in this conflict. No racist and nationalistic nonsense but also no longing fo...

Yes, it IS nihilism. That's where we're at IMO.

I think the only way to avoid being a hypocrite these days is by not succumbing to false dilemmas. The fact that Trump is a lying, manipulative con ar...

@"Wayfarer" Conservatives have been split on issues for some time though: neoconservatives and paleoconservatives, fiscal conservative and cultural co...

Made fun of a guy (a protester) for having long hair too. This was the first time I listened to one of his speeches in its entirety. Unimpressed.

People subjected to shaming will conform outwardly in order to avoid public humiliation, but they will also harbor grudges against you - which they'll...

I'll have a look. I'm only vaguely familiar with Merleau-Ponty through secondary sources but would like to learn more - I'll definitely join the readi...

Hey Arne. Nice to meet someone who shares my interests in Nietzsche and Heidegger. You could be right. My views on Nietzsche are highly provisional, a...