Philosophy Now Forum

bobevenson wrote:On what basis should the government be able to dictate the conditions under which my vote can be cast?

Who should?

Civilization merely forces humans to turn their instincts for cruelty, hostility and hunting against themselves. It creates that bad conscience. Violence is a very human phenomenon. Without the repressive nature of the law, violence is a very common and acceptable feature of human society.only a s...

What if suddenly all coffee was pink labled. All Fast food red labeled. All animal products grey labled,. For what purpose would such things be colour coded? Why is a "will probably kill you prematurely" label objectionable? And why not put warnings on fast food if it's bad for your health?

reasonvemotion wrote:Can you give me an example of the question is often the answer?

I'd like to see a reply to this as well.

So you're a grandpa, well though you've obviously read philosophy a long time ago I once heard that people of old age has a great inclination for philosophy. Would be interested to see you in the field of battling arguments ;) Just because he's retired and had grandkids doesn't necessarily mean he'...

Welcome to the forum (do we call you "thedoc" or just "doc"?). Better expand the kids section of your DVD collection or you'll be sick of Polar Express soon :lol: Although I do realise that kids can become fixated on particular movies even when they have a lot of choices as my yo...

In a race, the quickest runner can never overtake the slowest, since the pursuer must first reach the point whence the pursued started, so that the slower must always hold a lead. Is this the Usain Bolt's Bad Start paradox? :lol: no it's the paradox you saw in a movie. You remade it to seem like yo...

One cannot have own unique ideas.. they are false. You cant get a degree in philosophy if you do not toe the line, like all ivory tower sects. If that is true then how do you explain the variety of philosophical positions offered by those with philosophy degrees? You could probably obtain a degree ...

Mark Question wrote:In a race, the quickest runner can never overtake the slowest, since the pursuer must first reach the point whence the pursued started, so that the slower must always hold a lead.

Is this the Usain Bolt's Bad Start paradox?

I stated that the kin-selection theory does not work, and that has been debunked. I don't know the actual study off the top of y head, but Edward Wilson mentioned it in his latest book. There are other evolutionary theories of morality. I assume the paper you're referring to is by Nowak, Tarnita an...

Mathematically, a group of mathematicians at Harvard proved that the attempt to explain altruistic acts based upon a genetic relationship is false. Think of Pat Tillman who left the NFL and joined the army after 9/11. Was he only defending his genetic relations? How many people will risk their live...

I, therefore, put forth the notion that we also evolved into caring machines. We could have evolved both characteristics: care for those whose genes you share but show hostility to those you don't (or don't so much). Most people care about their immediate family and parents are often willing to sac...

FIH There you go, "Treat others with kindness and respect." That's a moral rule. Now, how come we can read hundreds of pages of religious scripture and not find something so straightforward and meaningful? Too bad it was not listed as the first of the ten commandments. It may have saved t...

About Abraham and Isaac: Not easy to interpret or derive a lesson from this story. My first take on it was, "Do whatever God tells you to do, damn the consequences, and sometimes you'll get lucky." Then I thought, well, God isn't speaking to me, like the Bible claims He spoke to Abraham. ...

Anyway, just because Kant says something doesn't make it so of course not i was pointing at an argument i largely accept rather than repeating it if you reject it - or my interpretation - the mere fact that a famous philosopher made the argument is not important Well next time it may be more helpfu...