Down The Rabbit Hole

probability (noun) · probabilities (plural noun) the quality or state of being probable; the extent to which something is likely to happen or be the c...

Surely there could be arguments for and against god/s that adjust the likelihood we should put on their existence? Probability is the extent to which ...

I would say the best definition is something to the effect of, being/s that created the universe.

Oumph donner kebab is my favourite here in the UK :yum: . Vivera do nice kebabs too. Makes sense not to increase demand for bringing sentient beings i...

I think this goes to what @"Bitter Crank" was saying, that there are so many guns in the USA now that even if they were outlawed there would be no rea...

Ultimately you are right, as even if "gun laws" are the difference, it is culture that has lead to the difference in gun laws.

I have property in one of the roughest parts of the UK. It's like a different world. Would imagine it would be much worse if guns were legal?

Sorry to hear this. All of these attacks happened in Canada?

I suspect we have insufficient information and brainpower to make the correct decisions consistently.

Good. :up:

Do you think you're any closer to an answer to your question?

Man can do what he wills, but he cannot will what he wills.

I've missed your thought experiments. Remember the Willy Wonka one? :grin:

The math is a trick sending you in the wrong direction. All you need to know is that if she's 23 and he's twice her age, he'll be 46. It's this abilit...

Knowledge and intelligence are often conflated. People would disbelieve that anyone from the middle-ages could be as intelligent as we are today.

It would have to be an objectively correct answer. For example - a girl is 17 years old. Her brother is twice her age. When the girl is 23 years old, ...

It's the ability to work things out or determine the correct answer. This ability can be possessed from a low to high degree.

Determine the correct answer.

Words have many definitions. This is why statutes have a definition section (at least here in Blighty). Effectively. This is more or less what IQ test...

There are a multitude of measures of intelligence; which is why IQ tests are not dispositive. One of my favourite measures would be to the effect of "...

That's how they use the word in academic works apparently. Causing lots of debate over the correct definition.

Maybe I'm just cynical, but I suspect his late father being a minister may have influenced his change of heart. It is kind of poetic that the "most no...

You pre-empted my primary objection. In defeating the fine-tuning argument as evidence for God's existence, your argument would provide evidence for G...

You mean your version of the experience machine cannot exist? Still, I think there are many examples of pleasures that are not countering a negative e...

The other DNA based organisms don't have nerves and brains which are responsible for the transfer and experience of suffering. In any event, more plan...

A lot of UK criminal offences require there to be intent. It needs to be punished as a deterrent.

This makes sense to me. If we use "good" to mean better than the alternative, and "bad" to mean worse than the alternative, the axiological asymmetry ...

I think whether you accept the axiological asymmetry depends on whether you judge the morality of an action by its consequences. If you judge non-exis...

Agreed. As you've said, moral rights and wrongs only exist in minds. Is he not just proposing an argument and stimulating people's intuitions to gain ...

It feels right to say that non-existence is neither good or bad; it is neutral. However, if everyone stopped reproducing, it feels acceptable to say "...

You could say "it is good there is no one experiencing the pain"?

If memory serves, I heard that a background check must be done when buying in any state, and you cannot buy if you are a felon, domestic abuser, or me...

And does that reason not compel us to avoid death? Your wording in the OP is "bids us". Do you believe in evolution? It's basic science that our genes...

I think truth-telling is overrated. Sam Harris seems to disagree: "In Lying, best-selling author and neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radi...

Your OP says even those with a bad life are compelled to avoid death, and we would even saw off our arm to do so - I replied pointing out that this is...

No, I think there are reasons to avoid dying. I am arguing against trusting our feeling that it is self-evidently true that we should avoid dying - th...

@"Bartricks" It's not controversial that we are evolutionarily hardwired to avoid death. This is why it seems self-evidently reasonable to avoid it.

What do you think outlawing guns (like the UK does) would do to the US murder rate?

I'm guessing you're in one of the safest areas on Atlanta's crime map? https://s3.amazonaws.com/crime-maps-aws.neighborhoodscout.com/atlanta-ga-crime-...

It's just sad you're allowing your DNA to control your beliefs. Especially considering that it's responsible for reproduction, the greatest con of all...

@"Bartricks" No, I'm not getting it. Why is it reasonable to avoid death (save to avoid missing out on a good life and causing grief to our loved ones...

No I don't think so. Our DNA wouldn't care about our miserable life thought, all it cares about is spreading.

Yes, to avoid missing out on a good life, and to avoid causing grief to our loved ones. Your point about the after-life potentially being worse is som...

It's our DNA that compels us to desperately avoid death. And how can we trust our DNA when it's what's compelling us to drag poor souls into existence...

On the contrary, 40% of households with guns is surprisingly high to me. From American movies, I would guess guns are rampant in the South, but uncomm...

Good idea. I might struggle to find the figures, but worth a go.

I'd say - the stats for Atlanta show 20.2 murders per 100,000 people (more than 12 times that of London). Guns were used in 82% of the homicides. Not ...

The gun laws are the same, or essentially the same, throughout the United States? I assume Detroit, New Orleans and Baltimore are some of the poorest ...

You don't think the difference in distribution of wealth significantly contributes to the difference in murder rates?

The murder rate in Canada is only slightly higher than in the United Kingdom. San Diego, El Paso, San Jose, Austin, Virginia Beach, and New York City ...