Tom Storm

I'm an atheist and I hold that (for now) methodological naturalism is our best source of reliable knowledge. There are people who hold philosophical n...

I doubt it. Can you think of an example where people are less preoccupied about the contents of a minimum standard provision than a more comprehensive...

I'm not sure you can get agreement on whatever you mean exactly with 'minimum amount to maintain its own existence.'

Amen Brother.

You will find millions of words on this subject under 'ethics' or 'morality'. People do not agree on good or bad and probably never will. There are to...

Or perhaps a substitute for doing anything practical.

Yes and Tony Judt's book 'Ill Fares the Land'.

Indeed. No argument there.

Thanks for clarifying, I though you must be referring to this. I can't argue with God (not sure what 'in public' refers to) as I haven't heard anythin...

What are you thinking of here?

Sorry - I was being superfluous.

This can mean several things and I am not sure what your intent is. My experience is that good arguments often do not change minds. I think there may ...

Indeed. I hear you. Guilt effects even super-brains. I, however, am not John Locke or the Buddha, for that matter - my time spent alone is only benefi...

Sure - I don't really have an opinion on this but I understand how it might be seen by some. I imagine a pragmatic person who finds introspection some...

I can see it. Choosing to be alone could be seen as narcissistic, self-important and entitled. My reading would be: Who am I that I need to set myself...

Nice line BC! Was it not Wittgenstein who quipped that serious philosophy could be written entirely in jokes?

It's the great post-modern theorist Kris Kristofferson.

I haven't been following the issue except via the odd smattering of media coverage. I have to say the origin of life has never been a preoccupation of...

I can't possibly say. Chasing my tail makes me dizzy, so I generally chase other people's. But I do know that there appear to be a lot of people with ...

I thought you might say that. So all we have in public discourse are declarations of personal value judgements. Which is pretty much where I've always...

I'm not trying to trap you. I can answer the question for me. I think I was largely socialised to believe that suffering is wrong (but whose suffering...

I made a similar point on one of the religious morality threads. Yep, an oldie but a goodie. Using reason to justify the use of reason seems similarly...

Yes, the old way of putting it was, how did chemistry become biology? I wonder what would happen if we solved the question of anabiosis and actually m...

Cool. Thanks.

Do you think you were socialised into thinking this is the right thing to do, or do you believe that the prevention of suffering forms the basis of a ...

I've often been fascinated by similar ideas. Just how does one investigate an action to determine if it is good or bad? I read your brief critique of ...

Sure - which is what I do. But it doesn't really matter what I choose does it, as long as it is the version I most want?

There are many people who are not interested in and probably not concerned by in the suffering of others. What do you think is the difference between ...

Banno, I am representing these arguments as they are generally presented. My own views have not been included. The OP has not yet made a case that he ...

Yes, but as you say that is opinion. The matter is not settled. There are members here that believe everything is consciousness and all matter is an i...

You've answered your own question here. The specific question I responded to addresses the 'objective' and 'universal'. As you say we 'don't know what...

Why what?

In answering this kind of question human history is littered with claims in the affirmative and negative. How would you go about trying to determine w...

Not crazy about the word 'redeem' for me it has some awkward religious/conversion overtones - but let's place that to one side. My point was just that...

Nationalism, amongst the people I know, has always been seen as the first step towards ethnocentric barbarism and to be greatly feared. Hitler himself...

My comment wasn't a criticism and thank you for responding as you have. I don't dislike Peterson the ways some do. I have watched a lot of his videos ...

I don't think we have enough common ground to continue a discussion. Why would we accept claims in the Bible over, say, the Upanishads? You seem to be...

Before you get into describing elaborate cosmologies and foundation myths it would be helpful if you provided an account of evil and how you know it e...

Those are just words stuck together. We can't even define what love is, let alone the 'infinite' variety and the 'absence of love' does not bring with...

This is far from agreed upon. There are nondualists, for instance. There are those (including some physicists) who believe that everything is consciou...

This is echt Jordan B Peterson. I'm not trying to be a dick but can you make the connection between those ideas? I don't think postmodernism or neo-Ma...

Very nice TC. Respect and common ground go a long way. The subject of politics seems to be a hate generator. I decided long ago that much politics is ...

Yes, that's definitely the case. And we even see this with secular humanist rituals where ceremonies and the right words of reassurance bring individu...

That's very well considered, Jack.

True. My main concern is when people's world views are set to take over other's views. Have you noticed however that the person with the carefully con...

I think so too. Take care.

I have no reason to accept the idea that there are souls to begin with, however if there were, why would the soul have a gender? Could it not be the c...

I understand. :pray: Yes! As most of us know, much racism and stupidity we hear comes to us in ways that we cannot directly respond to or fight - in m...

It's a very interesting question. It could be argued that every profession would benefit from lessons in aesthetics and ethics. These are often seen a...

A key influence on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy as it happens. Epictetus: “Men are disturbed not by things, but by the notions they form concerni...