nfw2

45 ms·

541.
by nfw2 6y ago
Irreducible complexity is a somewhat compelling argument to me (a life-long atheist). I understand natural selection. I've taken graduate course in genomics with top grades. Still, the concept that random point changes to a several b
542.
by nfw2 6y ago
Even science is pretty hard to justify with formal logic. There's a pretty big gap between inductive reasoning (statistics) and deductive reasoning (formal logic), called the problem of induction. No logician or philosopher has come u
543.
by nfw2 6y ago
The point is much more clear when taken in context with the longer speech. When taken out of context it confuses the central point. The statement about atheists not existing is hyperbole used in passing. He doesn't mean there is abso
544.
by nfw2 6y ago
It's not trolling if the audience is intended to see the true meaning. The speech was given to a group of students graduating a liberal arts college. It's a group of people that would appreciate literary devices that don't
545.
by nfw2 6y ago
Thanks I will, and I will know I am doing a good job of it when I am regarded by many as the most talented writer of my generation
546.
by nfw2 6y ago
Make me think of the stephen colbert christmas special https://vimeo.com/57953108 " Then you got your nothing. Some folks believe in nothing. But if you believe in nothing, then what's to keep the nothing from com
547.
by nfw2 6y ago
You know who also sucks at writing? William Shakespeare "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." In this quote, Shakespeare is just fudging the definition of "name". He says people and flowers both have somethi
548.
by nfw2 6y ago
He is playing word games, but he's not trying to trick anyone. When he says atheism doesn't exist, it's just a stylistic flourish. It's not the point of the passage; he's not trying to argue that everyone believes
549.
by nfw2 6y ago
The purpose of this feature is to ward off those of us with design OCD. We are the most annoying users to support
550.
by nfw2 6y ago
I agree. The assertion in the article that "when engineers are developing products strictly for other engineers...their UX is fantastic" seems way off, at least from my experience. I think one of the problems that no one has ment
551.
by nfw2 6y ago
One of my friends was homeless as a child. He is now deaf because of an ear infection that was left untreated. Bringing children into a world when food and safety can't be provided is a violation of human rights as well. Yes, Child P
552.
by nfw2 6y ago
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5... Even with experimental concerns like the small sample size, 55% incidence of long-term neurological effects is pretty alarming
553.
by nfw2 6y ago
Fauci spoke on this matter recently. He said that phase 3 completion is not dependent on time, but rather dependent on the number of events (infections) in the control group. This to me suggests the main blocker for approval now is proving
554.
by nfw2 6y ago
The data we have gives some information about the risks, although it not a completely clear picture. There is uncertainty, but any sort of risk/benefit analysis has to deal with uncertainty. I don't think OP is arguing that peopl
555.
by nfw2 6y ago
The question of whether the virus or vaccine poses a greater risk seems like a controversial one. I (28, no health conditions) personally would be willing to take the vaccines that have gone through stage 2 trials. I registered myself as a
556.
by nfw2 6y ago
Sure, that makes sense. My comment was based on Fauci's recent comments saying approval could happen as soon as next month if there are enough infections in the control group. It seems to me that what he is implying is that the risk of
557.
by nfw2 6y ago
Yes, but figuring out whether something is safe is different than figuring out whether is something is effective. To answer the efficacy question you would look at the infection and mortality rate of the experimental group and compare it to
558.
by nfw2 6y ago
I see, thanks for the clarification
559.
by nfw2 6y ago
Phase III examines both the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. These are independent questions. Just because a trial takes x years to determine efficacy, it doesn't necessarily take the same amount of time to determine safety. Fauci
560.
by nfw2 6y ago
I can see why it may take years to determine if the infection rate has been significantly lowered. But what is the timeline for determining if there are serious deleterious symptoms? If we get to the point where we know a bunch of vaccines
561.
by nfw2 6y ago
After hearing Fauci's recent comments on the matter, my understanding is that the phase III trials can be considered for approval once there are enough infections in the control group to do a comparative analysis. Since the events now
562.
by nfw2 6y ago
I agree that comment uses anecdotal data. However, I don't think that it is attempting to refute the findings of the original post. Anecdotal data isn't inherently bad; it just shouldn't be used in attempt to prove or dispro
563.
by nfw2 6y ago
It sounds like you're suggesting that people are making comments along the lines of "This poll must be wrong because all the black people I know think police presence should be reduced." I scanned the first several posts and
564.
by nfw2 6y ago
"Personal in this sense clearly means 1:1." Why is that clear? The commenter said they meant the other definition. Wouldn't they know what they meant better than you do?
565.
by nfw2 6y ago
This a great point, but there is a counter-argument that reducing punishments for drug-related offenses may make the opioid epidemic in the US worse. This is a huge problem and roughly 70k Americans die per year from OD, which is much mor
566.
by nfw2 6y ago
My definition doesn't imply communication between people or any interaction at all. It just means literally physically present for something. "After a long solo hike, the researcher was able to personally see the inside of a volc
567.
by nfw2 6y ago
I think these are complicated issues, and I am not sure what the best path forward is. Changes to oversight and immunity policies would likely improve outcomes. I think solving the issues that lead to inequity and crime would indirectly h
568.
by nfw2 6y ago
I agree we are all humans. But as humans, we are strongly influenced by our environment, and I think the current system of policing has a number of fundamental issues that makes the flaws we share as humans worse. 1.) Positions of power ca
569.
by nfw2 6y ago
You are misunderstanding what they meant by "personally." They don't mean they were singled out. They mean it was a first-hand experience. As in "I thanked him personally for the gift." This is the primary defin
570.
by nfw2 6y ago
I'm not sure if this is the point you're making, but I think the problem starts with the United States having a lot of guns in general, not just in the hands of police. The United States in the only country in the world with more

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