NotDarkYet

Allow me to vent for a moment. We've all heard about the push for plus size models: https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/six-empowering-beauty-campaigns-that-prove-beauty-110642145568.html This is hypocritical. If beauty isn't skin deep, why do all of these people still have GREAT skin. Why don't we hear a push for models with bad skin, bad teeth, wrinkles? Wouldn't that be the consistent position for beauty not being skin deep? I'm not pushing to see regular people presented as beauty icons. I'm just asking for consistency and honesty here. We all know that physical beauty is skin deep...by definition. Why are we lying to ourselves? Calling everybody hot doesn't help anything. ---- On a personal note: As a person who has battled acne for years, it was painfully obvious that all manner of diversity is allowed on magazines, posters, advertising......all except skin quality diversity.

The lefties chickens are coming home to roost.

If people can't be trusted with freedom, then they can't be trusted with power.

A minor thought. I say infinity isn't a number. It's a direction. Wherever you're at, keep going. If infinity were a number, how could some infinities be bigger than others? X can never not equal X.

I imagine a bad-guy falling to his death, firing his last shots into the air.

"You can choose to live in a place that has whichever you prefer" Can you live in a house somebody else built? If not, then why?

Here's to Stefan Löfven failing the Shit-Test.

I was mentally tortured and bullied by Christians during my whole childhood. I will never forget it. Nor will I forgive them. So, allow me to make an admission: I feel hatred and revulsion toward Christians. To say I feel otherwise would be a lie. In my childhood, when I tried to get answers to my rational questions, I was dismissed. It was the ultimate in Kafka-esque frustration. No more. If somebody wants to declare in a public forum that they believe in the reality of Santa, talking snakes, or zombie jews, then they should be prepared to elaborate rationally. Don't be a jerk about it. But if somebody is skirting around the questions, then you should call them out on it.

The insane people are the ones who don't question unjust authority.

Are you saying it's "true" that you can't define any truth? Compared to what?

I recall the Introduction To Philosophy series covering this. But I think it goes something like this... 1) You exist 2) Existence (outside ourselves) exits 3) Your senses are your tool for interacting with the world 4) Truth = those statements that are consistent with reality 5)..... etc.... 6) ....etc... Ayn Rand was big on first principles, and would (rightfully) criticize people for "philosophizing in mid-stream". Meaning, jumping into an argument without establishing a foundation.

Wealth grows with productivity. In 1150, the world could barely support 1 billion humans In 2015, the world can adequately support 10 times that. Wealth is a function of productivity (which itself it a product of property rights & technology). Your friend doesn't understand resources.

Interesting question: Ayn Rand said that there can be no conflict of interest between two rational people. Taken to its ultimate conclusion, any realistic conflict (taking place in a highly rational society) would have to be Man vs Nature. But, of course, people enjoy watching drama, so I think writer will always create 'irrational' characters, even in a rational society.

With all do respect, the burden of proof is on you: 1) What is God, and why does she exist? 2) Why do you believe Jesus was the son of a God? (What does it mean to be the "son" of a God anyway?) 3) If there are things in the Bible that false, why can't the Jesus-Is-Magic bit also be false? 4) And why don't you believe in the tales of magical humans from thousands of other religions? Did you investigate them and come to the conclusion that the Jesus story was rational? 5) Do you find it rather coincidental that the one true religion happened to be one taught to you? 6) You believe in Hell. So, wouldn't not convincing your child of Christianity be literally the most abusive thing you could do in the long run?

Keeping in mind that those stories originated at least 21 centuries ago, before Science, in an age of barbarism and superstition, where many opposing religions were born ...why are just those particular Christian stories believable to you? Or is this really less about your thoughts on the matter, and more the fear of family/friends/community? I understand the pressure to conform. I grew up in a religious household too. They teach you punish yourself for questioning the dogma.

I'm genuinely curious. It's not often I get to meet a Christian willing to discuss the rationality of their ideas. What exactly do you mean when you say you're a "Jesus freak"? What, exactly, do you believe? Adam and Eve? Water into wine? Noah's Ark?

Do you believe in Heaven, but not Hell?

Will you tell your child that they're going to hell if they don't accept Jesus? If you truly believe this kid will go to hell without Jesus, wouldn't it be abusive to not indoctrinate (or convince) him early? I mean, what's a little force compared to eternal burning and torture. I know it sounds like I'm being facetious, I'm genuinely curious.

If you have children, what will your approach to religion be?

Wow. I wrote that original youtube comment you're quoting

The only diet that worked for me was the low-carb, high-fat, diet. I walk a few miles a week. That's it.

How is 8 hours a day x 5 days a week not enough time to deliver information?

What made me aware of the podcast was "Ron Paul, a Postmortem" or (or something like that) that he posted on Strike the Root. Most of us seemed to have found FDR based on our interest in something tangential to philosophy. So, it seems like a good idea to make more current event videos, and Stef-responds-to-X-celebrity videos

I first heard of Stef back when he was posting articles on Lewrockwell and Strike the Root (was that 2006?), I remember being blown away at his clarity of thought. Then I randomly saw the "Will Kill" video (and I didn't associate it with the guy who wrote the Lewrockwell articles ) and thought, WOW, this guy knows how to think. Then later I realized, it's the same awesome dude.

Many businesses will ask a customer, "how did you hear about us", to gauge the effectiveness of advertising resources, etc Do we do something like that here on FDR? If not, would this be valuable? Maybe we could ask this question when people sign up on the forums. Just a thought. I ask because I often mention FDR when commenting on Youtube videos and I wonder if anyone has ever come here because of one of my comments.