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by Bakustra
2012-07-09 01:00pm
Forum: News and Politics
Topic: British Democracy "In Terminal Decline"
Replies: 32
Views: 6225

Re: British Democracy "In Terminal Decline"

This should probably explain why people are abandoning the three major political parties of the UK: *img* Why? According to Wiki results for 2010 , the Conservatives, UKIP, BNP and Lib Dems were the ones to increase their percentages, and a total of 88% of all seats went to Conservatives, Labour an...
by Bakustra
2012-07-09 10:57am
Forum: News and Politics
Topic: British Democracy "In Terminal Decline"
Replies: 32
Views: 6225

Re: British Democracy "In Terminal Decline"

This should probably explain why people are abandoning the three major political parties of the UK:

Image
by Bakustra
2012-07-09 10:38am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

So I am given to understand that because these things arise within our brains they are not learned behaviors (memetic replicators, if we wish to go down the road of jargon) and must be genetic because you say so. I am given to understand that John Maynard Smith and Richard Dawkins didn't and don't r...
by Bakustra
2012-07-09 10:29am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

So, you're finally advocating the simple position that morality is solely a function of what better equips a society of humans to survive or not. Well, group selection is a minority position within biology, but I am not a biologist and so will accept that for now. So, what determines which system o...
by Bakustra
2012-07-09 09:14am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

So, you're finally advocating the simple position that morality is solely a function of what better equips a society of humans to survive or not. Well, group selection is a minority position within biology, but I am not a biologist and so will accept that for now. So, what determines which system of...
by Bakustra
2012-07-09 08:20am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

See, "morality is subjective, but it is a product of collective human consciousness" is, since there is no fucking collective human consciousness, and not even collective subconsciousness if we use 20th-century psychology, just a way to avoid the implications of "morality is subjecti...
by Bakustra
2012-07-09 07:30am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

The problem with Bakustra and similar species of idiot is that they assume we must choose between two alternatives: 1) Morality is absolute and objective to the universe. 2) Morality is subjective, and the subject is each individual, so anyone can make up his own morality. Through a combination of ...
by Bakustra
2012-07-08 03:47pm
Forum: News and Politics
Topic: British Democracy "In Terminal Decline"
Replies: 32
Views: 6225

Re: British Democracy "In Terminal Decline"

The basic problem here is that even if Keynesian economics are somehow ineffective in the current financial structure (PS: This is a lie put together by austerity advocates to justify themselves), austerity would actually make things worse and impoverish people generally. All this garbage about &quo...
by Bakustra
2012-07-08 01:53pm
Forum: News and Politics
Topic: British Democracy "In Terminal Decline"
Replies: 32
Views: 6225

Re: British Democracy "In Terminal Decline"

If they implemented true austerity in the UK, as in cut ALL spending to within what the government brings in with tax receipts, then the riots of last year would look like the proverbial tea party in comparison to what we'd then get. Greece is a country on the brink, and Spain could go either way y...
by Bakustra
2012-07-08 01:45pm
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

So now you're carefully rephrasing yourself in order to go from "this particular socially coercive thing that I call ethics is the best moral system because of science" to your current "social ethics are generally recognized as better than antisocial ethics". Well, while I can ha...
by Bakustra
2012-07-08 09:37am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

Bullshit. You are just following religious dogma, which says that atheism has no source of morality. And you believe this because you believe that morality is defined as absolute rules of "right and wrong" which can only be declared through fiat. Who says that we have to define morality t...
by Bakustra
2012-07-06 09:59pm
Forum: Fantasy
Topic: You can shape a Medieval Nation (RAR!)
Replies: 30
Views: 4239

Re: You can shape a Medieval Nation (RAR!)

I shape the nation along the lines of Ming China, only with convenient hallucinogenics so I can get totally baked to ease away the knowledge that I am effectively a puppet for the schemes of my advisers, like any late-stage "absolute" monarch. I spend the rest of my (sober) days straining...
by Bakustra
2012-07-06 09:47pm
Forum: Fantasy
Topic: You can shape a Medieval Nation (RAR!)
Replies: 30
Views: 4239

Re: You can shape a Medieval Nation (RAR!)

I shape the nation along the lines of Ming China, only with convenient hallucinogenics so I can get totally baked to ease away the knowledge that I am effectively a puppet for the schemes of my advisers, like any late-stage "absolute" monarch. I spend the rest of my (sober) days straining ...
by Bakustra
2012-07-06 10:15am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: 5 Sigma [Higgs][Standard Model]
Replies: 40
Views: 6285

Re: 5 Sigma [Higgs][Standard Model]

Go outside and get some fresh air. Meditate on the world for a little while, and I think that you will soon see the true answer to the question.
by Bakustra
2012-07-05 09:15pm
Forum: News and Politics
Topic: 9% of Pennsylvanian voters not allowed to vote.
Replies: 113
Views: 13629

Re: 9% of Pennsylvanian voters not allowed to vote.

Well, that and poll taxes have an entire amendment to the Constitution specifically banning them. It would be interesting to see whether the Supreme Court would be willing to wade into this, which way "In a 5-4 decision..." would play out, and how Scalia, Thomas, and Alito would justify ch...
by Bakustra
2012-07-05 09:12pm
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: 5 Sigma [Higgs][Standard Model]
Replies: 40
Views: 6285

Re: 5 Sigma [Higgs][Standard Model]

Question: If the Higgs Boson is confirmed, and is is what imparts most mass to the universe.... What would happen if we found a way to repel, or shield against them in matter? i.e "Zap! This ship no longer has mass!" That's not how bosons work, really. Bosons are the particles that mediat...
by Bakustra
2012-07-05 02:47pm
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

You cannot know whether something is or is not moral except by declaring it to be so. One can declare rules, or virtues, or principles on which to hang these declarations, but even your vaunted "social morality" is just the accumulation and reduction of individuals declaring something to ...
by Bakustra
2012-07-05 10:56am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

You cannot know whether something is or is not moral except by declaring it to be so. One can declare rules, or virtues, or principles on which to hang these declarations, but even your vaunted "social morality" is just the accumulation and reduction of individuals declaring something to b...
by Bakustra
2012-07-05 10:12am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

With regards to the idea that "promoting social order" is the essence of morality, indeed the only course between the Scylla of religion and the Charybdis of nihilism, I find that utter bullshit. Coercion is, at its core, not immoral, but antimoral . Bullshit. Social morality requires coe...
by Bakustra
2012-07-05 09:44am
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

I'm not sure why people are providing hongi with such opprobrium for not buying into deontological ethics. That is the only system of ethics which presumes actions to be inherently evil- utilitarianism and virtue ethics do not consider actions to be inherently good or evil at all- their focus is on...
by Bakustra
2012-07-04 10:49pm
Forum: Pure Star Wars
Topic: Another "Awesome" Fan Idea For How the Movies Should've Been
Replies: 102
Views: 22791

Re: Another "Awesome" Fan Idea For How the Movies Should've

This article, like most of the fantasy re-writes offered up by disgruntled fanboys, is illuminating -only not in the way the author intended. I remember numbskulls talking about Obi-Wan/OB1 in fan magazines more than 15 years ago. It was stupid then and it's stupid now. Drama-wise, the more of some...
by Bakustra
2012-07-04 10:03pm
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

I'm not sure why people are providing hongi with such opprobrium for not buying into deontological ethics. That is the only system of ethics which presumes actions to be inherently evil- utilitarianism and virtue ethics do not consider actions to be inherently good or evil at all- their focus is on ...
by Bakustra
2012-07-04 09:46pm
Forum: Science, Logic, And Morality
Topic: moral nihilism
Replies: 211
Views: 56639

Re: moral nihilism

Here's another question Hongi, one that is simple: is slavery evil? Yes and no. Not inherently. I'll ignore the wishy-washiness and ask you another question: Why is slavery not inherently evil? Explain yourself, please. Why exactly is the negative proof reasonable in this situation? Can you satisfa...
by Bakustra
2012-07-04 08:19pm
Forum: News and Politics
Topic: Obamancare "tax"
Replies: 42
Views: 5103

Re: Obamancare "tax"

Not "me personally", but it's much more common for people in other countries to accept that taxes need to be higher in general, not just for some distant class of people they don't plan to interact with. As I said, America has some uniquely ridiculous tax breaks, like the home mortgage in...
by Bakustra
2012-06-29 08:49am
Forum: News and Politics
Topic: Supreme Court strikes down Stolen Valor Act
Replies: 8
Views: 1009

Re: Supreme Court strikes down Stolen Valor Act

So I finally can talk about my navy cross? I guess it's only fair. When News Stations aren't legally bound to telling the truth, why should common people be? Next step - strike down libel laws. Libel laws concern civil torts- they are about the civil harm caused by false statements made about peopl...