fractional slacker

My thoughts are facebook is tricky. It's a medium that doesn't encourage or support in-depth discussion because the average user is, to put it nicely, deeply submerged in the sewage of propaganda. It's a medium of convenience, brevity, and bravado. Pictures and memes tend to be the most effective means of getting a message across. I think your transcription of Steph's video would make perfect sense if your audience was rational, mature, and open to alternate viewpoints. But those types of people are not so common. Approaching the typical FB audience with a viewpoint that challenges their whole ethical structure takes courage and bravery. Kuduos to you, sir.

Would be nice if the "new Consciousness" could first learn how to do video. I can' understand a word dude is saying.

My thoughts are basically what xelent said. This is postmodernism garbage masquerading as some sort of truth proclamation. They don't dare use the term ethics or morals, so they come up with counterfeit rubbish and pretend they are doing good. The vast majority never question this sort of chicanery. Philosophy exposes these parlor tricks like a laser in fog.Futhermore, according to the relativists there is no such thing as objective morals or truth, they will use tolerance and acceptance to justify bigotry.

First off, big thanks to Bulbasaur and others for sharing thoughts on this subject. Lanza has some radical ideas even if only to spur discussion rather than to honor science. I came across the following video and thought it might serve as an adjunct to this thread. It's 11 minutes long and touches on the relationship between science and philosophy in regards to consciousness and the soul (and consciouness without matter; eek!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytcew7PvQsw.

They can't use the term teach? They will nicely weave "values" into curriculum. I have some thoughths but want to hear what y'all think about this here public schooling plans. http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/11/hamilton_schools_to_weave_values_such_as_tolerance_acceptance_into_classroom_curriculum.html#incart_m-rpt-1

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/ Dr. Dean Edell used to dispell the vitaim myth all the time when he was on the radio. He called it faith based medicine. It was a real eye opener for me. BTW, Edell knew quite a lot about the topic being raised by parents who were highly invested in the holistic medicine not only for personal but also business reasons.In shot the article shows how even a great scientist can be susceptible to confirmational bias. And thus a $23 billion dollar industry, without scientific grounding, was born.

Way beyond my understanding of math or science. It seems to be a claim that can not be disproven. Not sure that makes it a proof. Would like to hear any thoughts from those who have a background in science.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2503370/Quantum-physics-proves-IS-afterlife-claims-scientist.html

How is volunteering on that list but eating is not? Alcohol places high on the list but drugs are nowhere to be found? Facebook and texting are considered negative? This study has no basis in empiricism.

Guess I shouldn't be shocked a holllywood type would stoop to this level. This is the type of audience he attracts.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK-oQfFToVg#t=173

Technically calling the police is consistent with being a libertarian. It seems closer to a violation of the NAP. But I understand your concern. You had a Hobson's choice drive up and park in your driveway. The drunk guy imposed his presence and noise on your peaceful setting. Your girlfriend decided to use the local gun thugs to remove the problem. That's understandable, but it is going to cause the guy major problems for years to come. Some will say he deserved it for committing the ultimae precrime of driving with certain chemical in his blood. The problem is the punishment does not fit the (pre) crime when guys in costumes are called. How would I have handled that situation? I realize this is ex post facto, but I think there are a few things I would have tried before resorting to gun thugs. 1. Try calling the room mate and telling him he needs to fix the situation immediately. 2. Offer to give the guy a ride home. That's going above and beyond, but you would help the guy avoid a run in with the blue gang. You might make an impression and he may modify future behavior. 3. Try to reason with the guy. I know drunks are not always pleasant so this is asking a lot. Ask him to turn down the radio and suggest him to rest a few hours until room mate gets home or whatever you feel like saying so he will be calm and not disturbing anyone. If he drives off, so be it.

Burn the village to save the village. Statism 101.

John Rosemond won't be a popular guy around here with his authoritarian and biblically based views on parenting. That's a given. What is interesting is how he is being prosecuted for giving his opinion in a newpaper. He is being charged with not having a license to practice psychology in Kentucky where his column has run for many years. Who made the complaint? A psychologist pointing out how North Carolina’s licensing standards are not as strict as Kentucky’s. John Rosemond is also on record as saying licensure is bogus and thinks it should be done away with. Thoughts? http://www.roanoke.com/living/family/2080675-12/parenting-columnist-john-rosemond-targeted-by-kentucky-board.html

When I first heard Steph talk about the effects of beauty and the distorted reality it leads to, especially in females, it made sense to me. Humans, especially males, are visual creatures. The primary means to making a first impression is beauty or lack thereof. I have found this idea useful in how I interact or my expecatations from "the beautiful people." Based on their beauty I try to ascribe them a rating. I call it their DRS - distorted reality syndrome (1-10). A DRS is directly correlated by their DRM -distorted reality mechanism. Many females have a beauty based DRM. Many males have a money or power DRM. All of us have to some degree a psychological DRM based on our past. We can have different levels of DRM at play at any given time. I don't know if any of that makes sense, but that's what I took away from Steph's insight on beauty and distorted reality. Philosophy is the primary method in keeping our DRMs in check.

So the argument from effect. I got it.

They can, yes. And maintain credibility? If yes, can you explain?

As long as those 89.3 million are exempt from needing wages to earn money, everything is just fine. It will all work out. No need to worry. [] Paul Krudman and Robert Reich have a 10 year central plan. What else could we possibly need?

I recently listened to podcast 998, and I have to say that was one of greatest examples of patience I have ever witnessed. The discrepancy in word quantity is unmistakable. That in of itself would doom (frustrate) the patience of the average conversationalist. Moreover, the power of the "whirlwind" to conjour up vast amounts of steam, sand storms, clouds and chunks of fog in an attempt to derail or deny certain points would wipe out any but the most steadfast of patient personalities. If the Olympics had patience as a sport, that would have been gold medal worthy. I am marking 998 down for further review because it is a great teaching tool in my opinion for those, like me, who want to improve their patience skills.

Ex Marine, Ex Mormon in the city of Lost Wages. What a combination. I'm another new guy around here. Welcome aboard. Look forward to reading your posts.

I'm not familiar with Dr Edell but took a few minutes out to see what an internet search turned up. I'm learning to pay attention to a man's critics before getting too involved in his own work and for that reason I refer you to this webpage for what it's worth. I only skimmed the webpage you referred to. Do I have this correct? A German Guy was railroaded (detained/deported to Canada) by the US Immigration Service for investigating/questioning history and Dr. Dean Edell publicly approved or cheered that fact (because Dr. Dean Edell was threatened by others questioning a historical event) ? If that's the case, it seems the German guy has bigger fish to fry, if you will. Dr. Dean Edell is also a proponent of forced fluoride consumption via public water - something I have a problem with. There are other things I disagree with Dr. Dean Edell. However, I found his criticism of alternative health matters to be spot on. He used to refer to many of the alternative medicine treatments/fads as "faith based medicine" due to their lack of any scientific research or studies showing efficacy. John, can I ask your opinion or take on dietary supplements as a means for improving health? For instance do you take a multi vitamin? Do you take any supplements?

That summation of how the frog is slowly being boiled, if you will, resonates with me. Feminism didn't start the fire that engulfed my FOO; it just poured on a bunch of rocket fuel. When did Alan Watt make these predictions? I recall hearing something similar, albeit less detailed, back in the 1980s.

The following is my opinion and reflects my experience with reading Natural News on occasion. I feel a bit uneasy whenever I see a NN article. Why? On several occasions I have read articles full of hyperbole, sometimes misleading, and sometime outright false information. That's not to say it's 100% propaganda, of course not. My problem is how NN seems to cloak itself as almost altruistic by being alternative media- the flip side of mainstream news and thus noble. I think NN and Alex Jones are a natural fit. NN seems to have an agenda. I would suggest that agenda is not always truth nor objective. FWIW, my opinion has been influenced by the likes of Dr. Dean Edell (no longer on the radio) and I realize is therefore subject to criticism. Dr. Edell is highly skeptical of the supplement industry. I realize Dr Dean Edell also has an agenda, some might argue as pro-Big Pharma.

The title is at best misleading, I agree. All three individuals seem highly intelligent. Andrew, due to his rabid faith in the sky god would be least likely to listen to logic and reason about the fallacy of his missioin. I would place remote odds that Amelia, under the right circumstances (whatever that means) could be persuaded she is wasting her time trying to attain freedom through political non-sense and more specifically her obsession with violence as the means for change. Caleb, primarily due to youth, seems a most likely candidate for listening to reason, logic and truth about why politics is a losing game. I think if Cabeb, or similar individual gets exposed to philosophy in print, audio, or video, they have perhaps a 50/50 chance of eschewing their unproductive ways and discovering truth. On a side note about Caleb. The most cringe-worthy scene is when Caleb is at a Tea Party rally and the old man comes up and lays on the biggest patroninzing line of BS about a first Asian-Amercian president. It just makes you want to hide under your desk.

If animals are exploited, is vegetation also exploited? Consent from animals before we touch them? Yeah, that seems reasonable. Maybe every animal should be assigned a human interpreter (of course paid for by the magical state I am sure this woman worships). I couldn't listen to this woman harp on anymore after 7 minutes. Her vocabulary has a rewind and play function around two words: privilege and exploitation. I am guessing she paid tens of thousands of dollars to some statist shyster to learn how to feel powerful using those terms.

I only watched first 5 minutes. As soon as I realized it was a Jason Burmas film produced by Alex Jones, I lost interest. The Loose Change thing was interesting when it came out. It opened up the discussion about the implausable nature of the official story. But since that time I have grown skepitcal and somewhat cynical about the purpose of that movie.