tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post4688656731096649419..comments2024-03-19T00:44:18.309-05:00Comments on Althouse: "A carpenter came with a toolbox and said, ‘I’m a carpenter from the underground... Show me the house and I’ll build a hiding place."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26595336280569746372012-03-01T16:00:19.207-06:002012-03-01T16:00:19.207-06:00f we lift our hand and move our fingers because we...<i>f we lift our hand and move our fingers because we consciously choose to do so of our own volition, and not because of some pre-programmed biological memory and electro-chemical reactions in a computer-like brain, what might one call this component of our being that is able to rise above and go beyond the merely physical?</i><br /><br />"Free will exists" does not imply "things beyond the merely physical exist".<br /><br />Free will, if it exists, could be a property of certain arrangements of matter, e.g. neurons. We know that particles spontaneously come into being all the time; it is a natural property of space and energy. Perhaps thoughts are similar -- a natural property of neurons.<br /><br />The physical universe is sufficiently amazing that one doesn't need to imagine a world beyond it. The one we're in is weird enough.Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1275228179737270752012-03-01T08:23:36.143-06:002012-03-01T08:23:36.143-06:00I always wonder about stories of heroic women whet...<i>I always wonder about stories of heroic women whether it would be unusual for a man. Usually not.</i><br /><br />Don't kid yourself. Most people, whether they're men or women, don't act like heroes in situations like these. We've seen this over and over again in history and see it now, in the willingness to turn a blind eye to evil or turn on your neighbors and participate in atrocities, if you're not already a soldier or in law enforcement carrying out the atrocities to begin with.<br /><br />People like this lady have always been in the minority.<br /><br /><i>I detect patronising, namely a braver than you'd expect from a woman story.</i><br /><br />I didn't. Maybe because you were fixating on the fact that she's a woman you detected patronizing, or heard that tone in your own head, but the descriptions of what she did weren't harping on the fact that she's female. The article also links to the website for the Righteous Among the Nations - you'll find a bunch of heroic men and women there, and no one is getting patronized.EKatzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02922339934156078096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19748419842321671502012-03-01T07:29:51.113-06:002012-03-01T07:29:51.113-06:00I wonder if the carpenter got any recognition?I wonder if the carpenter got any recognition?Rustyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00938263272237104128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87119449929254232832012-03-01T06:48:54.995-06:002012-03-01T06:48:54.995-06:00Jennifer said...
How does the obituary of a phenom...Jennifer said...<br />How does the obituary of a phenomenal human being become an abortion debate?<br /><br /><br /><br />Ferget it, Jenn. It's MadisonRustyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00938263272237104128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-29363975499354267532012-03-01T06:46:27.842-06:002012-03-01T06:46:27.842-06:00What Jennifer said: the lady was a heroine. This...What Jennifer said: the lady was a heroine. This has nothing to do with abortion but only the innate good is some human beings irrespective of their political beliefs.Roger J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12639676792043324100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-50965306393793912202012-03-01T04:12:01.978-06:002012-03-01T04:12:01.978-06:00How does the obituary of a phenomenal human being ...How does the obituary of a phenomenal human being become an abortion debate?Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12824506338738265111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8145989354315865032012-03-01T01:23:00.124-06:002012-03-01T01:23:00.124-06:00No trap. No tricks.
But merely reflect upon the ...No trap. No tricks.<br /><br />But merely reflect upon the existence of transcendent truth and of such an extra-corporeal aspect to the person, that we are more than our physicality.<br /><br />If we lift our hand and move our fingers because we consciously choose to do so of our own volition, and not because of some pre-programmed biological memory and electro-chemical reactions in a computer-like brain, what might one call this component of our being that is able to rise above and go beyond the merely physical?Benderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322135500288738561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-17963993407071321402012-03-01T01:01:36.288-06:002012-03-01T01:01:36.288-06:00It sounds like you believe a child just born this ...<i>It sounds like you believe a child just born this second is so less sentient than one born last week that it can be violently killed without concern.</i><br /><br />I have no control over what my statements "sound like" to you.Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-63395894112465474582012-03-01T00:28:24.439-06:002012-03-01T00:28:24.439-06:00And they give Nobel Peace Prizes to Yassar Arafat,...And they give Nobel Peace Prizes to Yassar Arafat, Al Gore and Barack Obama.JALhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15503869597362866878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-55280358615544086892012-02-29T23:47:05.804-06:002012-02-29T23:47:05.804-06:00That is, are truth and the "good," whate...<i>That is, are truth and the "good," whatever they might be, objective realities that transcend the personal beliefs of the individual?</i><br /><br />I'll stipulate that goodness, truth, and free will all exist and are not dependent on perspective or biological processes. Did I spring a trap?Writ Smallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956452269460626177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-36223212435040569952012-02-29T23:18:51.525-06:002012-02-29T23:18:51.525-06:00"Don't cherry-pick, bagoh. Most definitio..."<i>Don't cherry-pick, bagoh. Most definitions of sentience include consciousness and self-awareness.<br /><br />And yes, I'm perfectly happy drawing the line there."</i><br /><br />I'm not the one hiding behind a technicality.<br /><br />It sounds like you believe a child just born this second is so less sentient than one born last week that it can be violently killed without concern. That is: one is sentient and one is not, and one is a person and the other not. Now you know that's utter nonsense. The only issue is the political aspect of the mother's choice. She can choose to kill it at the age of one second, but not one week. It has nothing to do with sentience. If the child was born with some temporary milady that prevented it from waking up (being sentient) for a week, we wouldn't say that piecing it's brain with scissors and dismembering it was OK, just because Mom didn't want it, and it never opened it eyes yet,even though we know it would. <br /><br />I really don't see much difference between an abortionist attacking that newborn and a guy pulling the levers on the gas chamber. Both are following the law, and doing something repulsive to anyone who values innocent life. I say this as someone who is mostly pro-choice.bagoh20https://www.blogger.com/profile/10915174575358413637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-21356460605251747952012-02-29T23:06:21.540-06:002012-02-29T23:06:21.540-06:00Her parents being atheists should make people refl...<i>Her parents being atheists should make people reflect on the idea that true goodness is possible without a connection to God.</i><br /><br />Question -- wholly apart from the issue of "God," does true goodness exist without a connection to <i>the self</i>?<br /><br />That is, are truth and the "good," whatever they might be, objective realities that transcend the personal beliefs of the individual? Or is whatever one might arbitrarily and subjectively assert to be "good" is therefore good?<br /><br />And whether they do or not, are those thoughts and beliefs of the individual freely made or are they wholly determined by the biological process of electro-chemical reactions in the brain? Do persons possess the capacity of free and autonomous thought, or are they slaves to biology?<br /><br />Do free will and self-determination really exist, or are they an illusion?Benderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322135500288738561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-12269084602441345942012-02-29T22:56:02.051-06:002012-02-29T22:56:02.051-06:00It should be noted that the eugenics and racial th...It should be noted that the eugenics and racial theories of the National Socialists proceeded upon a separate, but parallel track for the programs of the German medical community, including the child euthanasia and T-4 programs, and the political programs that utilized medicalized death, including <i>Sonderbehandlung</i>, (special treatment), and the 14f13 project.<br /><br />And it was these latter programs of the medical community that offered a solution -- the final solution -- to "the Jewish question" (a question which France had asked as well).<br /><br />Indeed, the same gassing equipment used in the T-4 and 14f13 hospital operations were dismantled, transported, and re-installed at Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Sobibor.Benderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322135500288738561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22807678324131386422012-02-29T22:55:05.972-06:002012-02-29T22:55:05.972-06:00Practice Tip: Never argue with Revenant.Practice Tip: Never argue with Revenant.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19464682063463817862012-02-29T22:50:31.224-06:002012-02-29T22:50:31.224-06:00There is a glow of goodness from what this woman d...There is a glow of goodness from what this woman did - courage greater than many of us are capable of. <br /><br />There is a strong inclination to try to associate one's causes with that goodness; it’s human nature. <br /><br />Her parents being atheists should make people reflect on the idea that true goodness is possible without a connection to God. Bender addresses this point. As an atheist, I disagree, but he well states the religious perspective. <br /><br />Now there will also naturally be an inclination for atheist activists who do a lot of intolerant things such as seeking to ban private religious displays on any public lands to associate this woman's goodness with their misguided tactics. <br /><br />Given this woman's specific partnership with a religious minority who the state actively persecuted for their religion, I did not think it was a significant leap to suggest that religious intolerance would be an unlikely characteristic of this woman. <br /><br />If that is tacky, so be it.Writ Smallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956452269460626177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2889288204936006002012-02-29T22:35:11.595-06:002012-02-29T22:35:11.595-06:00Meek Moses was only passing along what Yaweh told ...<i>Meek Moses was only passing along what Yaweh told him to say to Old Hard Heart after 9 warnings.</i><br /><br />Well, his heart had specifically been hardened *by* Yahweh , because -- per Exodus 11-12 -- Yahweh wanted to show his power to the Egyptians. Yahweh told Moses up front that the warnings wouldn't work.<br /><br />Basically, he killed kids to prove a point. This is one of several reasons why the Old Testament is lousy support material for a pro-life position. The other major one is that the laws handed down by Yahweh treat killing a fetus far more leniently than killing a person. The former is punishable by a fine whether it was deliberate or accidental; the latter is punishable by exile (if accidental) or death (if deliberate, or if the exile left the city of refuge).Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-56327582416437373122012-02-29T22:24:03.468-06:002012-02-29T22:24:03.468-06:00@Rev - If you're going to paraphrase what I sa...<i>@Rev - If you're going to paraphrase what I said, please stick to the words or ideas I used.</i><br /><br />If I stuck to the words you used, it wouldn't be a "paraphrase", now, would it?<br /><br />But since you brought it up, fine:<br /><br /><b>It was really tacky for Writ Small said "Just a hunch, but I suspect she was not the sort of athiest who go around trying to get public displays of religion stamped out". Although not as tacky as what t-guy said.</b><br /><br />There. Now you're being criticized for making the exact kind of tacky comment you made, instead of a paraphrased version of it.Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-90212849849798223842012-02-29T22:18:10.827-06:002012-02-29T22:18:10.827-06:00And yet the Nazis were influenced by Planned Paren...<i>And yet the Nazis were influenced by Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger's racist pro-eugenics theories.</i><br /><br />Not that I'm aware of. Sanger was a racist eugenicist, but not a source of inspiration for the Nazis. There were quite a lot of racist eugenicists in those days -- a majority of voters, judging from the popularity of the laws. Google Laughlin's Eugenics Record Office if you want info on their real inspirations.Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-57519002984376195822012-02-29T22:16:33.580-06:002012-02-29T22:16:33.580-06:00Rev...LOL.
Meek Moses was only passing along what...Rev...LOL.<br /><br />Meek Moses was only passing along what Yaweh told him to say to Old Hard Heart after 9 warnings. Or maybe the Judging part of Yaweh was still remembering the newborn male Hebrew babies that Pharoah's father had thrown in the Nile, and Yaweh's wrath overdid it a little. <br /><br />Moral of the story seems to be never to underestimate the power of a lamb's blood smeared on your door when Death Angels are levying Judgements.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-43633896828379732432012-02-29T22:07:52.914-06:002012-02-29T22:07:52.914-06:00@Rev - If you're going to paraphrase what I sa...@Rev - If you're going to paraphrase what I said, please stick to the words or ideas I used.Writ Smallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956452269460626177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-13181529994191964842012-02-29T21:56:53.764-06:002012-02-29T21:56:53.764-06:00Nice speech by Dr. Strobos<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fap4Y7ro70" rel="nofollow"> Nice speech by Dr. Strobos </a>Writ Smallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956452269460626177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-47550044207478957372012-02-29T21:46:46.879-06:002012-02-29T21:46:46.879-06:00As Moses may have thought, [...] one day I will fe...<i>As Moses may have thought, [...] one day I will fearlessly take my Rod and my extrovert brother and go see Pharoah</i><br /><br />... and tell him "my god's going to kill a whole bunch of your kids"? :)Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-68061736637159476232012-02-29T21:46:45.345-06:002012-02-29T21:46:45.345-06:00Jeff - note Rev's entire quote --
If you want...Jeff - note Rev's entire quote --<br /><br /><i>If you want a real head-scratcher, ponder that the Nazis were harshly anti-abortion; they overturned Weimar's legalization of the practice and implemented a death penalty for providing an abortion to an <b>Aryan</b> woman.</i><br /><br />They were NOT anti-abortion per se, they were against members of the Master Race aborting.<br /><br />As for Jews, Gypsies, the mentally handicapped, and other undesirables, <i>untermenschen,</i>, and "useless eaters," they were all too eager to have them self-exterminate. The Nazis even helped by forcible sterilization.Benderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322135500288738561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-64267314829290974302012-02-29T21:39:47.324-06:002012-02-29T21:39:47.324-06:00PHX...I can't follow your smug logic. I think ...PHX...I can't follow your smug logic. I think that you do not yet understand courage. Courage is the connection.<br /><br />And courage is very real thing. Whether it is a fool or it is a moron that exercises courage, he will fight you and he will win.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-21175197724303042512012-02-29T21:35:39.608-06:002012-02-29T21:35:39.608-06:00"If you want a real head-scratcher, ponder th..."If you want a real head-scratcher, ponder that the Nazis were harshly anti-abortion"<br /><br />And yet the Nazis were influenced by Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger's racist pro-eugenics theories.Jeff with one 'f'https://www.blogger.com/profile/05744612696537883583noreply@blogger.com