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Though I understand that www.braincrave.com and The Atlasphere are technically competitors, at a higher level of abstraction, their goals overlap. This is a brilliant video that discusses some of the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
People study science and natural science (i.e., philosophy) to understand the nature of reality. Presumably, the more accurately we understand reality, the happier we will be. (Similarly, when we ope...
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braincrave
in braincrave
The great political theorist and economist Frédéric Bastiat wrote in The State: "The oppressor no longer acts directly by his own force on the oppressed. No, our conscience has become too fastidiou...
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Today I learned through math that Aristotle was correct on the law of identify (i.e., A = A), and that everything that exists does have a specific nature. Specifically, all numbers do not equal all o...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Life is a constant struggle, especially because the lessons we learn are oftentimes knowledge gained after we really needed it. It's one of the reasons mentors are so important - they've "been there,...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
How do we know the right thing to do in our lives? In other words, what moral principles are at the foundation of our actions? Utilitarianism is the philosophy that the moral worth of an action is de...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Possibly suggesting that religious beliefs were necessary for maintaining social order, Voltaire once wrote: "If God did not exist, he would have to be invented." Karl Marx agreed, calling it the "o...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Can a person strive to be something that he doesn't understand? Take integrity: are you a person of integrity? If so, how do you know? Is integrity always associated with virtue, or is integrity amor...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ayn Rand wrote that the process of thinking "is the process of defining identity and discovering causal connections." She claimed that thinking is a choice - not an automatic function - and she admon...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
John Adams once wrote "Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
When it comes to non-violent, ideological leaders, Mahatma Gandhi has got to be toward the very top of the list. His resistance to British tyranny through mass civil disobedience is famous. Needless...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozl...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
On September 14, 2001, Princeton professor Paul Krugman, who won the Nobel prize in economics, wrote the following in the New York Times: "Ghastly as it may seem to say this, the terror attack -- lik...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Considered the third, best-selling poet of all time, Khalil Gibran once said "Desire is half of life; indifference is half of death." Apathy is defined as having a lack of emotion, interest, or conce...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As scary as it might sound, we already know that evidence doesn't matter much in the context of politics. So, even when there is clear evidence of a certain idea being factually true, many people don...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
For those of you who refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils, take comfort in knowing that you're in the majority. Politicians are always claiming their wins indicate that "the people have spoken....
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Have you ever heard the term moral hazard? Here's a good 3-minute video called Economics 101: Moral Hazard that discusses one of the biggest issues with ALL government policies which touch on busines...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Many of you here have often made the claim that you consent to the "social compact" by living where you live, or receiving the benefits from the state that you do. How can you call it consent if ther...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Attention US government. You're not very bright. By having a high corporate tax rate, you are pushing jobs, profits, patents, executives, research, and operations of US companies overseas. (And, as a...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Through Hamlet, Shakespeare said "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." You'd never believe it if someone told you the secret to happiness in life is to accrue wealth, power...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Socrates, the philosopher who claimed the contradiction "I know that I know nothing," provided us with a method to help us question what we think we know and to demonstrate otherwise: the Socratic me...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's a funny t-shirt for babies that says "Santa doesn't exist but I can't read, so it's okay." Do you lie to children about Santa Claus (or leave it ambiguous)? What are the benefits and limitati...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Politics. Morality. Religion. Relationships. Even science. These are examples of the many categories in which you will find disagreements. These debates occur just as much with intelligent people as...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Good etiquette facilitates relationships, and good relationships help us live better lives. We've previously discussed proper manners in communications. Continuing in our etiquette and manners series...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
From a WoW forum:
Original post: "So many trolls be trolling....thugs be thugging....haters be hating.... I love everyone on this server Spread the love."
Reply post: "Homo."
Sarcasm aside,...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
We all have previously learned about the Great Flu Pandemic of 1918, which killed between 20-40 million people worldwide in our history classes. Now with the advance of modern molecular biology techn...
editorial posted by
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in braincrave
FTA: "By stimulating a certain region of the brain, scientists can alter a person's ability to make moral judgments... The study results show that stimulating a specific brain region interfered with...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ayn Rand warned us. She did it in her books such as Atlas Shrugged (and, to a certain extent, >The Fountainhead). She did it on TV such as in this famous interview between her and Mike Wallace on...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ayn Rand claimed that morality is a "code of values to guide man's choices and actions - the choices and actions that determine the purpose and the course of his life. Ethics, as a science, deals wit...
editorial posted by
braincrave
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Throughout most of human civilization, centuries of men have starved, died from the elements (for lack of proper housing), suffered terrible health, and barely lived. Even today, starvation kills mil...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
What's the difference between being a slave and a serf? When slavery was common hundreds of years ago, your master kept 100% of what you earned. Now they take about 50%. Masters used to keep you in l...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Alexander Pope once said: "A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying that he is wiser today than he was yesterday." As in any discussion about a topic of...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Einstein once wrote that "our conscious acts spring from our desires and our fears." Many agree. For example, David Hume suggested in A Treatise of Human Nature that humans are prone to letting emoti...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's a funny sign that reads: "Confused Socialist Party. Smash capitalism! Then blog about it on your $2500 Macbook." All of the major economies in the world are known as mixed economies. You migh...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a process of stimulating the brain with magnetic fields that changes/disrupts the way the neurons work. Is it possible to use TMS to unlock "hidden" cogniti...
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braincrave
in braincrave
Through John Galt in Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand said: "The source of man's rights is not divine law or congressional law, but the law of identity. A is A - and Man is Man. Rights are conditions of exis...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
BrainCrave.com Book Club starting now. We will attempt to do this in group chat unless there is significant lag. If so, we'll switch to local. Please join us at Within Ten Years
http://www.braincr...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As Thanksgiving rolls around to the US, children will be taught the false story of the first Thanksgiving (just one of many myths children are taught). The real story is a case study that teaches a v...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ayn Rand said in Atlas Shrugged: "Happiness is the successful state of life, pain is an agent of death. Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values....
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Many women like having big breasts. They also like looking good. According to the American Society for Plastic Surgeons, of the 13 million cosmetic plastic surgeries performed annually, women seek 9...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Meanwhile, as people in Haiti continue to starve in a country "occupied" by 10,000 aid organizations under the government umbrella of the United Nations (an organization designed for war)... They're...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Most of you are probably aware of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. It states that it is not possible to know the precise position and momentum of subatomic particles such as electrons. (There is...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Once upon a time, in a land far away which has nothing at all in common with the world we humans inhabit, a horse was running free in the plain. He longed to climb up the mountains and see the world...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, a...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's an old Russian political joke where an American and a Soviet car salesmen are arguing about who makes better cars. The American asks: "How many decades does an average Soviet man need to work...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
You're an idiot.
That's right. According to New York spin doctor Sheherazad Jaafari (aka press-aide or press attaché), Americans are easily manipulated. All politicians need to do is admit that th...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
FTA: "Why do good men do nothing in the face of evil, especially when evil aggressively invades their lives? ...Some people are paralyzed by fear; some by denial. But many others are immobilized by a...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Obama has a car czar, a food czar, a bank bailout czar, a poverty czar, bird flu czar, a czar czar... he has 37 czars in all. Interestingly enough, he doesn't have a philosophy czar. Perhaps you thin...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
If we don't stand for something, then we stand for nothing. In her famous novel Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand asks through Dr. Robert Stadler: "Have you ever felt the longing for someone you could admire?...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Is there a proper methodology to discuss politics with?
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Dec 13, 2009 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=54
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ron Paul has entered the US presidential race for the third time as a Republican. But he's not really a Republican - he's a Libertarian. Ron Paul, like all Libertarians, is always talking about limit...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. displays the ominous words: "Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander." Although there are except...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The holidays are often difficult, and can be downright depressing, especially for those who have pain from a loss, a traumatic experience, or just plain loneliness (e.g., not having a date for holida...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
By definition, a contract has to be an agreement. It's intellectually dishonest to call something a contract without an agreement. To paraphrase Lysander Spooner, a contract made hundreds of years ag...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
New research confirms scandal: not just anyone can be a supermodel. Such discrimination! Say the word discrimination and most immediately think of prejudice. In many countries, by law, employers cann...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
No doubt about it - we humans have a strong desire for sexual intercourse. It certainly makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, as the desire helps further humanity. But some are programmed for...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Although it's impossible to define it with objective standards, the concept of the "common good" is directly linked with "society" and the "majority." Which is better for humanity and should take pre...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Here's the backdrop: in 2005, the US Supreme Court ruled in Castle Rock v. Gonzales that a person does not have a constitutional right to police protection, even in the presence of a restraining orde...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Why aren't liberals abandoning Obama when he does the same things for which they screamed at Bush (e.g., indefinite detention at Guantanamo, approving torture)? Because they have nowhere else to go....
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw...
editorial posted by
braincrave
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(Meanwhile, as the Italian cabinet approves a tough austerity plan, and as Nero feasts while Rome burns...)
According to the AP, "France, Italy, Spain and Belgium are banning short-selling on sele...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
All economic goods must be produced by someone. They aren't gifts of nature or something that can be conjured up by waiving a magic wand. Somehow, people have gotten the false idea that it is governm...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Is feminism doomed to fail? Is there even one accepted definition of feminism? Are there any benefits of feminism?
FTA: "Although it is not Susan Pinker's intention in writing it, reading her exce...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Are there absolutes? If so, does absolute morality exist, or is all morality relative? Why or why not? What makes something an absolute? Do objective standards exist for morality? If not, should they...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
How we do love eye-candy. And, after all, "since when is a woman dressing sexy in public a bad thing?"
By now, you've probably heard about the various "slut walks" that are happening all over the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Have you ever seen posts on social networks where someone will say to all of her friends indiscriminately "I love you all!" or something to that effect? Well, if the Beatles were right, that all you...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In politics, it seems that everything is an issue. Why? Because everything that politicians do is based on wealth redistribution - taking from one person and giving to another. As a result, politics...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
How can laws be legally binding on me if I haven't explicitly and voluntarily agreed to them? Why is it automatically assumed that I agree to them even though I didn't sign anything agreeing to them?...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The Road Not Taken (by Robert Frost)
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To w...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
It is true that the welfare-statists are not socialists, that they never advocated or intended the socialization of private property, that they want to 'preserve' private property - with government c...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's a new 5-day "morning-after" pill that's been tested for US approval (New 5-Day 'Morning-After' Pill Tested For U.S. Approval).
Some people say the choice to abort is moral and use various...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Written in 350 BCE. 'nuff said.
FTA: "Democracy, for example, arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim t...
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braincrave
in braincrave
If you're a person who prefers the grayness of relativity to the "black or white" positions of an absolutist, ultimatums likely make you uncomfortable. But such is the nature of choices - selecting a...
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braincrave
in braincrave
It was all the rage.
Following 14-year old Jamey Rodemeyer's tearful "It Gets Better, I promise!" video, in which he tried to show how positive he was in the face of gay bullying, other well-know...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
If we are to believe UNICEF, there are about 158 million children aged 5-14 engaged in child labor, "working in hazardous situations or conditions." Most people give this a scary name like "child ex...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Someone once made a comment that he was 100% supportive of a tyrannical, socialist government as long as he was the only citizen of his country (paraphrased). Throughout the world, and especially in...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The end does not justify the means; you cannot achieve anything good by evil means. No one's rights can be secured by the violation of the rights of others. - Ayn Rand
DISCUSS!
Original posting...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In order to avoid offending, is it proper to limit your criticism of someone's beliefs? Which is more respectful: critically examining someone's belief system or ignoring the topic to keep the relati...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
You can call a fish a duck, but that doesn't make it so. Does anyone else find it funny that people claiming to be anarchists - which is, by definition, being against government - are rioting in su...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I'm talking about the real anarchists here, not bloody bomb-throwers or anti-capitalist window breakers. I'm referring to people who have faced the scary fact that all coercive power corrupts and tha...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Which do you consider more delusional: flying a plane into a government building in retaliation of government abuse or believing that the government exists to protect your individual rights?
If yo...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Aristotle spoke of music as having "influence over the character and the soul." He noted that "Rhythm and melody supply imitations of anger and gentleness, and also of courage and temperance, and of...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Capitalism gets a bad rap, often claimed to be the destroyer of everything good. One argument made is that capitalism creates class warfare - the rich against the poor. So-called "social crusaders,"...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In her interview with Playboy, Ayn Rand stated "My views on charity are very simple. I do not consider it a major virtue and, above all, I do not consider it a moral duty. There is nothing wrong in h...
editorial posted by
braincrave
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During the Spanish Inquisition, the Catholic Church authorized massive torture and violence against so-called "heretics" (non-conformists/non-believers). Although this history has been mocked by the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
For too long, our society has been tainted by this adage... this taboo of good things. Why, oh why, is this? A product of our psyche? A product of shared cultural values? Or, is it really undeniably...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ayn Rand once wrote that "Definitions are the guardians of rationality, the first line of defense against the chaos of mental disintegration." Perhaps that's one of the reasons politics always appear...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which revolutionized the cotton industry. But he had a hard time profiting from his invention because he tried to charge farmers a huge price (2/5 of their profits...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Let's assume for a moment that morality is a system of values that a group of individuals (i.e., society) must generally follow in order to live. Let's also assume that the closer individuals get to...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Referring to the sexual abuse of children by priests, the Pope said "forgiveness cannot be a substitute for justice." Some people admit it when they are wrong and say so. But is that enough? Is forgi...
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braincrave
in braincrave
I'm a month late on this, for the spotlight of public attention, but I have an Ayn Rand story, too. 11 years ago I blind-pitched Wired magazine an ill-defined article on Rand. In response, they asked...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Winning people's hearts and minds through ideas is one way to affect change, but it's a very, very slow process. Most would consider it "impractical." For those who want to implement change quicker,...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Philip Larkin once wrote in a poem: "They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do." We've discussed in this forum the benefits of self-responsibility on self-esteem. But what...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
What do you love? What are your passions? Have any hobbies? Want to make some money from them? With the economy suffering, many continue to look for other income sources. Granted, many of the article...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." - Galileo Galilei (aka the founder of the scientific meth...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Given the growing unrest and corruption in the world, it's reasonable to generalize that social relations are strained and getting worse. It's difficult to pinpoint one specific problem but it's logi...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In group chat, we recently went on a tangent to discuss the effectiveness of charity. (To quote one of our Braincravers, "teach a man to fish and he'll stay drunk on a boat.") Benjamin Franklin obser...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
People always complain that freedom, self-rule, and/or anarchy are unworkable and too extreme. Why are any of those more radical or extreme than going into $14 trillion of debt, being in a permanent...