baker

The real world is not so simple. There's a reason for the saying, No good deed remains unpunished. So often, doing "good" ends badly somehow. Just loo...

For all practical intents and purposes, "good" is whatever those in a position of more power than you believe is "good".

In my experience, this (bolded part) is not how ethics is usually taught. Instead, teaching ethics goes something like this: "You don't know what is g...

Talk about virtue signalling and stopping a conversation!

Really? If you were to tell the North Koreans about, say, the homeless in the US or the suicide rates in Switzerland, the government there would punis...

Take capital punishment, for example. Killing some people might be good for society, or the species, but how is it good for the individuals who are ki...

*sigh* Oh, the irony. Now who's here for not having his views challenged. I'm saying that when discussing metaethics, it's normal that people have con...

And "we" don't care if all these peace, safety, and security come at the expense of the other group.

I don't think this is a relevant difference at all. What is different is that the range of socially acceptable means of responding to this "bombardmen...

Back then, stoicism was mostly a matter of the upper class. Being part of the upper class is a whole other category of existing, with quite different ...

And in most cases, also quickly enough forgotten.

In Schopenhauer's time, the foundational text of Buddhism, the Pali Canon, was not yet conveniently compiled and translated, so he can be excused for ...

Do you listen to audiobooks that way? If yes, how do you retain any of the heard (given that you can't make notes when driving or jogging)?

@"Tom Storm" How do you measure "wisdom"?

To fight, to be strong, to rule. People love to fight, to rule.

Why do you call these "negative"? Based on what standards? Why those standards? These comparisons with animals seem to be very important to you. It's ...

Like they say, follow the money. If you look at why in particular someone wants to "grasp something beyond" themselves, the motivations are mundane. P...

Metaethics and virtue signaling go hand in hand.

Actually, it is our own actions that we must always present to other people as being good and right, we must talk about ourselves as "I'm only doing w...

I can't think of many contexts in which this particular dichotomy would apply. One such context is those religious/spiritual apologists who think this...

Do you mean those people were confident?

No. It's about the intention to kill. I've been talking about it all along. These are statistical minorities. The vast majority of abortions are simpl...

It's just that people usually die before they figure this out. The moratorium you speak of is indefinite. The fact that we exist is something over whi...

The problem of "existential anxiety" only ever exists precisely in reference to religions and spiritualities, old and more recent. It's inconceivable ...

So much for the social contract ... Abortion erodes social trust, like I sketched out above. As does adultery or any other crime. But perhaps you want...

Exactly. Indulging in the results of many decades of Russophobia. Pointing the finger at Russia (and China and South Korea) in order to detract attent...

Like I said right away in the post you're quoting:

But the intention for doing either is the same: destroying someone, acting in a way so that someone would not exist. When and how are just practical m...

You said earlier: If all of us are ignorant, then who is going to teach us? The ignorant? Responsibility and accountability toward whom? The ignorant?...

Not at all. It's natural for people to take sides, it's a necessity of survival to do so, and survival takes precedence over everything else. But mala...

Agreed. And the polarization is due to economic pressures, not ideology.

That's a problem right there: trust cannot be a matter of "should". Trust requires time and effort on both sides. But many people want to force it, ex...

The blind leading the blind, the blind judging the blind? You don't see just how authoritarian you are.

Not at all. Vote with your wallet. The question is, whether you're willing to do that.

"If someone is willing to kill even their own unborn children, then how can they be counted on that they won't kill other people?" This, as far as I c...

To people who understand nothing that is less than lethal force?

The same type of reasoning has been used to justify discrimination against women, children, the poor, the sick, those of the wrong skin color, those "...

I didn't even interpret you. Schopenhauer didn't believe in rebirth and didn't see the problem with it, did he? See here on the Buddhist idea of the c...

How do you propose to "/dismantle/ an ideology or behavior" without reaching people? You can write a book where you "/dismantle/ an ideology or behavi...

The "middle way" is probably one of the most misunderstood terms when referring to Buddhism. For old-school Theravadans, the "middle way" actually mea...

Only for someone with a too fragile ego. The politically correct madness has reached the point where we aren't supposed to distinguish between a socio...

@"Wayfarer" "Yeah! Hate wins! Lies, division and dishonesty carry the day. Don't it make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Baker?" It's not Trump's ...

But there is better than merely limiting engagements (while thinking eliminating engagements altogether would be best): to prioritize them according t...

And yet it appears to be possible to come up with such a set of values and goals, and thus priorities, accompanied by sufficient pride, that the vicis...

Or a way to control the weak and gullible into submission and generosity. "You should transcend yourself ang give me your hard earned money so that I ...

Sure, withdrawing is fine and "leads to greater happiness" as long as someone else is paying your bills (such as in the case of Buddhist monks), or at...

I doubt many Trump voters actually count on Trump doing anything for them. Because the worldview of these people is typically rugged individualism. I ...

Philosophers should know better than to try to reach people through arguments. Most people respond to (perceived) status, not to arguments. Respect fo...

I don't think this is what is actually going on, at least it's not the complete picture (although I find it highly pertinent to explore why some peopl...

I've been holding my breath for 4 years to tell you, I told you so!!!!