humanities.philosophy.objectivism Google Group

Re: Pro-Life: a Chink in Our Armor

tommc...@gmail.com (Tomm Carr) — Mon, 11 Nov 2009 02:17:40 UT

I generally keep away from the abortion issue because there is so much
emotion and so little coldly rational discussion on either side.
For example, the idea that if someone is not allowed to get an abortion,
they are, in effect, being fined for unwanted children -- or, as Obama
put in, "punished." This is pure emotion. Such a statement cannot be

Re: Do computers need feelings?

ilou...@hotmail.com (Potroast) — Mon, 11 Nov 2009 01:24:25 UT

On Nov 8, 7:13 pm, Arnold Broese <arnold_broeseREM...@hotmail.c om>
wrote:
Exactly. They avoid pain and seek pleasure just like us. There are odd
exceptions to the rule though (e.g. I wouldn't want to be a a male
praying mantis having sex :). There is also instinct which is
behavior that somehow became hardwired via natural selection.

Re: Do computers need feelings?

arnold_broeserem...@hotmail.com (Arnold Broese) — Mon, 11 Nov 2009 00:13:40 UT

The essence of living is survival, and in most animals, survival is assisted
by the pain - pleasure system. They have an automatic "moral code" of
behavior, based on pain and pleasure.
In Human terms, survival is not automatic; that is the price for having
volition - the ability to choose. A moral code, is geared towards not just

Re: Republicans against competition and free choice

cbel...@bellsouth.net (Charles Bell) — Mon, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:39 UT

As I posted in the sarcastic "No difference between Republicans and
Democrats"
HR 3962, called the "Affordable Health Care for America Act"
Democratic: 219 for 39 against
Republican: 1 for 176 against
And the $787 billion stimulus/pork bill: the House GOP was unanimously
against. I think when it comes to fundamental political differences --

Re: GW is a right wing myth

puppet_s...@hotmail.com (Puppet_Sock) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 22:46:01 UT

[snip]
[link]
Richard Dawson holds up his hand, points at the big board
and shouts: Survey says.... A rude horn goes off.
Thanks for playing.
If you are a dem, then there's a 75% chance you believe in
catastrophic
anthropogenic global warming. If you are a repub, only 35%.

Re: Republicans against competition and free choice

puppet_s...@hotmail.com (Puppet_Sock) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 22:35:34 UT

[snip]
[snip]
While there are certainly some repubs who are more in support of
freedom than average, and maybe more repubs than dems, it's
by no means a defining characteristic of the party. Nor even of
most splinters of the party.
I am reminded of a certain conservative science fiction author who
is four-square in favour of punitive import duties. Yet thinks he is

Re: Do computers need feelings?

ilou...@hotmail.com (Potroast) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 22:32:47 UT

I'm not sure I understand your question Rod. Proteins aren't
repetitive? Dendrites aren't repetitive? DNA is not repetitive? I'm
not a neuroscientist either but it seems self-evident with even a
cursory knowledge that many parts of a neuron are essentially the same
thing repeated. This is true about practically any part of the human

Re: Who is John Galt?

puppet_s...@hotmail.com (Puppet_Sock) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 22:31:41 UT

On Nov 6, 12:30 am, Sergeant Malenoid
[quoted article by]
[snip]
[snip]
Is this accurate? Or is there more to the final sentence.
The problems were are facing cannot be solved ... Unless <something>.
And the <something> they hold up is some grotesque.
The problems cannot be solved... Unless we destroy the economy with

Re: Checking Ayn Rand's premises

acarm...@mail.com (acar) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 22:06:09 UT

Piet, you have an interesting name. Are you Spanish? Arcilla is the
Spanish word for a natural earth product very similar to clay. The
only other Piet that I know of is a Dutch cubist painter whose last
name I don't remember.

Re: National Crisis in British Health Care

acarm...@mail.com (acar) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 22:00:37 UT

On Nov 8, 2:03 pm, Sergeant Malenoid
Equidistance
Laws put together by elected representatives of the people. As long as
the elections are free and legitimate it doesn't matter whether the
laws are good, bad or indifferent. Impeach, wait for the next
elections, or endure. There is no good system of governement. We have

What is a Wong decision for America

cbel...@bellsouth.net (Charles Bell) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 21:01:48 UT

[The kernel of the following argumentation originates with Leo
Donofrio
[link] ]
Article II section 1 paragraph 5 of the U.S. Constitution states:
<< No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United
States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be

Re: Do computers need feelings?

use...@rknibbe.com (Rod Nibbe) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 19:33:29 UT

Can you provide your source of evidence for this?
I'm not a neuroscientist but I know something about
the structure of a basic (there are many types)
neuron, and it is not divisible into "smaller
repetitive structures".
> This is just one more reason why I suggest Mandelbrot's
> approach to complex shapes seems most likely to create a believable

Re: Do computers need feelings?

lcargil...@comcast.net (Les Cargill) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 19:22:35 UT

What's striking to me is that the example "trolley problem" is
clearly underpinned by the overall process of evolution. We're
anthropic-ly more likely with it than without it.
I realize he's using this to study what regions of the brain
do what - to 'reverse engineer" the brain, but the structure here

Re: National Crisis in British Health Care

malenoidathotmail....@giganews.com (Sergeant Malenoid) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 19:03:38 UT

acar <acarm...@mail.com> wrote in
..
..
..
Relevant to what?
..
Laws based in principle? Or laws based in pandering to the envy of
others?
..
It has to do with any welfare state, which would include the U.S., where
they use the government as a means of redistributing wealth, garnered
through taxation, to those who have a valid legal claim on it. If those

Re: Do computers need feelings?

ilou...@hotmail.com (Potroast) — Sun, 11 Nov 2009 18:35:30 UT

And intelligence is not only connected to emotions. There appears to
be a very specific connection between emotions and moral reasoning.
Joshua Greene is on the cutting edge of essentially a new field that
is trying to bridge science and philosophy. (neurophilosophy). What
makes Mr. Greene's research unique is that he decided to examine how