Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

Discussion in 'SBAF Blogs' started by purr1n, Dec 26, 2018.

  1. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Made me think of ...


    I remember the long, hot summer holidays, sixty years ago.

    Don't know, for real, how accurate such childhood memories are. Not saying we are both wrong, but... Actual objective data is handy.
     
  2. skem

    skem Friend

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  3. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Impressive bit of reasoning. On the one hand, I like it because the author admits in the beginning the fundamental categorical difference between a "technical" problem and a "moral" one. Unfortunately, the rest of the essay is a long winded (though gripping) decent into a technical morality - that is, the replacement of a moral predicate (which categorically can not be "technically" analyzed) with technical categorical thinking. Historically, this kind of technical morality has led exactly to this:

    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...incorrect-audio-blog.7261/page-20#post-283776

    When morality is reduced, categorically, to a technical predicate, then any means justify the ends and humanity itself becomes yet another instrument/agent in a "system". The author either does not understand the depth of the moral/technical distinction, or he is perfectly willing to reduce humanity to a mere object in a "scientism". Either way, the logical end of his philosophy is as monstrous as it appears.

    All this points to the central problem that the environmental movement has: it has been fundamentally misanthropic since at least the 1960's. Perhaps David Suzuki expressed it best when he said very sincerely that humanity were cockroaches. Everyone knows what the moral stance towards cockroaches should be...
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2020
  4. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    When I was in kindergarten a cockroach woke me up by biting me over the eyelid. It got infected and swelled to a ridiculous size, I had to see a doctor and wear an eyepatch for a couple of weeks*. To this day the flesh over my one eye is slightly puffed, giving me an asymmetrical expression whenever I squint or frown. Even though this is reason enough for me to hold a permanent grudge against the creepy little specks I normally just leave them alone, only killing them when my mum or sisters freak out and ask me to.

    I usually apologize to them as I'm crushing them. I sometimes wonder whether my temperament would be a better fit for Buddhism than Catholicism, but I'm very much not a vegetarian and that's neither here nor there to begin with.

    Mosquitoes can all get fucked though, nasty little bastards. If their eggs weren't a critical part of many fish species' food supply then I'd happily petition for their extinction, the nasty disease-carrying bitches (I got dengue as a kid, spent a month hospitalised. Survived though so that's nice).


    *vaguely related story: a couple years back when I'd just started grad school I made friends with a dude around my age. He was into western comics more than Japanese ones like I am, but since I'm also a bit of a DC fanboy we hit it off and started chatting about whether Superman 1,000,000 could beat Dr. Manhattan (nope).

    On a random path through school we came across a cockroach just meandering through, minding its own business. I brought it to his attention so he'd not step on it, and he casually strolled out of the way. He asked me if I liked insects too, and I replied that while I happily murder any mosquito I can get my hands on I generally have a live and let live attitude as far as insects and arachnids go. I bring up my anecdote about getting bitten by a cockroach and having to wear an eyepatch as a result— he frowns a bit and says that he knew a kid from kinder who had to wear an eyepatch for a couple weeks for the exact same reason.

    I ask whether he went to (redacted), he confirms that that was the same nursery he attended and that I was probably the dude he remembered. Always a small chance he lied because I volunteered the name of the nursery without prompting, but the guy had no reason to lie so that's likely not the case.

    Small world.


    Edit: I got my religious beliefs mixed up. Sorry!
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2020
  5. skem

    skem Friend

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    true enough that morality in its fullest expression is not subject to technical considerations. But the basic point remains: unchecked reproduction will lead to the destruction of the species.
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2020
  6. squishware

    squishware Friend

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  7. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Yeah, Malthus and Ehrlich were right all along? Hard pass.

    Edit: spelling.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2020
  8. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    India turned me into a mass murderer. I used not to kill anything, but now I have the blood of many, many mosquitoes and quite a few ants, termites, etc, on my hands. Generally, though, if it leaves me alone and doesn't threaten to destroy my house, I leave it alone.

    Cockroaches I sweep up and put outside. They are welcome to live there: not inside.
     
  9. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    My 600 lb Life, the medieval warm period, contemporary China and India, and suburban sprawl shows Malthus was right.

    The standard of living rose exponentially in Europe during the later Middle Ages because the Mongols and Black Death killed so many people that it caused a land surplus and labor shortage. Feudalism, serfdom, and the manor system effectively broke down.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2020
  10. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

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  11. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    All true. Black Death effectively enabled the beginnings of a middle class.
     
  12. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    So does that mean a new middle-class will be rising up from Wuhan?

    (sorry, bad taste I know)
     
  13. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    To an extent. It depends on how you measure and define wealth. Now that is food for thought...
     
  14. squishware

    squishware Friend

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    Profit based human culture is our biggest problem. I posit that we will not transcend it until we create our world on a molecular level. How about we have a race to a working replicator ala Star Trek, like the race to the moon in the 60s.
     
  15. schiit

    schiit SchiitHead

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    Potentially controversial opinion: humans in Star Trek (TOS, TNG) were not actually humans, they were odd genetically-engineered altruistic offshoots that came about during the Eugenics Wars, a fact that was never actually revealed during the course of the series. That's the only thing that can explain how they were always the most reasonable and well-balanced species amongst a collection of aliens who acted wayyyyyy more like real humans.
     
  16. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    Let's say replicators were invented in 13th century, what you would be replicating? Gothic cathedrals and crossbows forever?
     
  17. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

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    Remember the Horta - "No kill I."
     
  18. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    Please turn away, there are no ultra-geeks here...

    But seriously - Jason (@schiit) I respected you for your audio work and blogs already, but now you just transcended to a whole other level with this observation

    PS - Was sad not to see you at CanJam NYC today! However, enjoyed hearing the JotR!
     
  19. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    The pinnacle of evolution will be reached when viruses develop altruism and environmental conscience.

    Hmm. Maybe they already have...
     
  20. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Correct me if I'm wrong now, but I remember reading somewhere that every single model that has been used to predict global warming hasn't been able to accurately project temperatures even remotely accurately when you go back and plug in known/existing data between 1900-2000. By "remotely accurately" IIRC it was something like the results were off by a few hundred degrees.

    On the flip side, aside from people using "green" to control the populations further / limit rights (which to me is like just taking a shortcut to the bad parts of environmental issues), is there really any real danger to not cleaning up a little bit aside from some slight inconveniences along the way? Personally, it baffles me as to why so many people don't at least try - something about not crapping where you eat and sleep yada yada - this includes not just the US or even China, but even some pretty remote parts of the world.
     

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