bobthechef

20 ms·

31.
by bobthechef 5y ago
> Eternal life doesn’t appeal to me much. Imagine living a quadrillion years. Even as a god, that would be miserable. That isn't necessarily what eternal life would be. Indeed, eternity is not temporal at all. For example, in the Ca
32.
by bobthechef 5y ago
That’s not quite what Plato held. What you call the intellectual class (the philosopher-kings) would actually be forbidden from procreating. Here’s a description in the context of an analysis of our social predicament[0]. (Whether you agree
33.
by bobthechef 5y ago
> In many ways it is a victory of style over substance - UI's are now designed by the same crowd who designs high fashion, that is clothes not designed to be worn but to be gawked at. Is it? Style is no style at all if the thing in
34.
by bobthechef 5y ago
The dealer will not charge less than he can afford. He’s not being coerced into beggary. There is clearly a market. And tourists will still overpay as they always do. It’s not the tourist’s job to worry about the knick knack dealer’s financ
35.
by bobthechef 5y ago
There is some confusion here. There is no moral obligation of the sort that you are claiming . Speak to a tour guide in these countries and he will tell you that many tourists from western countries that don’t have a culture of bargaining v
36.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Coincidentally, this blog post[0] on Chomsky's propaganda model is related. [0] https://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2022/03/chomskys-propaganda...
37.
by bobthechef 5y ago
From Wikipedia: “ The Theory of Moral Sentiments is a 1759 book by Adam Smith.[1][2][3] It provided the ethical, philosophical, psychological, and methodological underpinnings to Smith's later works, including The Wealth of Nations (17
38.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Not likely to happen, I think. It would be construed as "antisemitic". But even apart from sanctions, Israel receives foreign aid and grants from the US.
39.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Are you claiming companies cannot use open source software unless they contribute? If so, that's preposterous. If the author of the product has released it under a license that doesn't make that stipulation, then where does this s
40.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Nobody remembers Iraq anymore and the million dead Iraqis, the destroyed country, the resulting vacuum that produced ISIS, the destruction of Syria, and all under false pretense. Oh, and Afghanistan, that unconquerable land that makes a moc
41.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Pathologizing your political opponents is a two way street[0]. Your opponent might be insane, yes, but it can also be all too easily deployed to dismiss your political opponents and a lost opportunity to learn something, if not in the subst
42.
by bobthechef 5y ago
That you can find bad eating habits doesn't disprove the notion that taste has something to do with nutrient content. Our senses are not distinct from our psyches. Why we might choose to eat in ways that are not good for us is not dete
43.
by bobthechef 5y ago
> abstract/concrete ideas If by "idea" you mean "concept", then they can only be abstract. Images are of concrete things. "and when you speak of the 'time-keeping function' of the clock, or of it
44.
by bobthechef 5y ago
"rioting mobs are not rational, that they attack the wrong targets or the innocent." This is true, and this alone makes justice incompatible with rioting, never mind the arrogance and viciousness of riotors. But even if the rioter
45.
by bobthechef 5y ago
That is absolutely false and made clear in the Catechism (though abortion is, fundamentally, not a matter of faith, but of ethics, contrary to popular misconception). Abortion understood as the intentional killing of the unborn child, even
46.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Such "laws" or rules of thumb should always be interpreted in light of reason. There's nothing reasonable about paralyzing yourself by entertaining random risks or possibilities for which there is no justification. That'
47.
by bobthechef 5y ago
> the usual Guardian dalliance with identity politics I especially liked the "people who live in bodies" bit (or "black bodies"!). Your body is not a house that some "real you" inhabits. You are your body.
48.
by bobthechef 5y ago
> it seems clear that there was a catastrophic fall in science, technology and living standards According to what evidence and causes? Besides, what's this "great science" of the ancient world? Science did not become a sus
49.
by bobthechef 5y ago
What would make this post and any comments substantive is to actually look to the historical and technical[0] meaning instead of drawing on vague popular sentiments. A good first step is to look at the etymology which brings us to the Greek
50.
by bobthechef 5y ago
It isn't even unethical. You could make the case that you shouldn't take the name because it misrepresents the identity of the game, but the gameplay itself?
51.
by bobthechef 5y ago
There might be a bit of that. 12 hour days are not unheard of in other parts of the country. Doctors in the ER can work even longer shifts (though obviously the stakes are incommensurate; still, I would contest the soundness of having tired
52.
by bobthechef 5y ago
What religion? Because as I'm sure you well know, there is no such thing as "religion" per se. I'd challenge you to point to someone who is an adherent of "religion", as opposed to some particular faith (which
53.
by bobthechef 5y ago
"ingested 500 mL and 50 mL of mineral water " Try drinking water with a bit of salt dissolved in it (sole water some call it), best prepared using rock or sea salt which is richer in minerals than refined tabled salt. (The categor
54.
by bobthechef 5y ago
"According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four
55.
by bobthechef 5y ago
W.r.t. rituals, well, yes, they're signs, sensible signs. Human beings communicate through sensible signs. All cultures have ritual. The more important the think communicated, the more we need special and extraordinary words and gestur
56.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Exactly. This is one of the (many) problems with the vulgar "homo economicus" view of human beings. Culture and nationality are likewise factors. Moving to another country is difficult. You are moving to an alien culture with an a
57.
by bobthechef 5y ago
An example closer to home, though perhaps not as stark, is the loss of expertise in various industries that have been outsourced. The US is a good example. This is one (of many) arguments against outsourcing your industry just because it&#x
58.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Who are not conservative. It's just a misleading label. It has liberal roots. The Trotskyite past of its founders and prominent figures is interesting to note as well (e.g. Irving Kristol).
59.
by bobthechef 5y ago
What is interpretation? What is spin? What is framing? There is such a thing as an incorrect interpretation. Calling my flooded basement a "global crisis" is simply wrong. If I know it isn't a global crisis and yet continue t
60.
by bobthechef 5y ago
Miscellaneous commentary. 1. It seems like a rather bad sign to rely too heavily on immigration. Immigrants like that come to the US because of better opportunities, so they may be selection bias here, but why aren't those opportunitie

More ›