tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54929062024-03-07T08:52:56.502+00:00Virtue PureHere is my <a href="http://virtuepure.blogspot.com/2003_06_01_virtuepure_archive.html#105601840605990015">introductory post</a>. My email is virtuepure[at]yahoo[dot]com.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1067915054707502552003-11-04T03:02:00.000+00:002006-01-02T07:53:06.463+00:00FarewellDear reader,I've decided not to post again. Farewell.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1064860631677334482003-09-29T18:35:00.000+00:002003-09-29T18:37:11.440+00:00Dear Nicholas Babb,You asked:[A]ny thoughts on the implications of the following Popper quote: "No rational argument will have a rational effect on a man who does not want to adopt a rational attitude."I believe this quote embodies an Essentialist and a Foundationalist mistake. It is not true that, in essence, people do or do not want to adopt a rational attitude. They are mixed about it.
In an debate, Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1064823176785478592003-09-29T08:08:00.000+00:002003-09-29T08:12:56.756+00:00Roleplaying Is Primitive Virtual RealityI believe my title says it all. I wanted to suggest that games like Dungeons & Dragons are a form of virtual reality (VR). I concede they are nothing like a holodeck, but they are about as close as we can get to experiencing a medieval fantasy world today (the other main approaches today are novels and computer games). Roleplaying games have distinct advantages over novels and computer games, Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1064644753517491232003-09-27T06:38:00.000+00:002003-09-27T06:45:55.773+00:00Dear Tom,You asked:Do you agree with the propositions below? If so, do you foresee any difficulties for TCS parents in reconciling them?
(1) Where conflicts arise, parents should work with their children to find common preferences
(2) Morality tells us when we are free to ignore the preferences of others
(3) Some moral knowledge is inexplicit
(4) Godwin: "If a thing be really good, it can be shownAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1064468944134279182003-09-25T05:49:00.000+00:002003-09-25T05:49:03.623+00:00I'm Not DeadDear reader,
My apologies for the break in posting. I believe I needed a break (still need, perhaps). The cost of posting had become higher, and I still am not sure what to post about.
To address the cost of posting, I mean to cut down on the formality. I overshot, using many stylistic tools because I was not sure which were important. I think I know now, and I won't be doing the rest. I'mAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063946347416162832003-09-19T04:39:00.000+00:002003-09-19T04:39:07.010+00:00Against FoundationalismDear reader,
In my words, the strong form of Foundationalism is the theory that epistemology needs foundations. The weak form is the theory that epistemology should like and can have foundations. Wikipedia states:Foundationalists generally tend to argue that there must be some set of epistemologically basic propositions or else the process of justification will always lead to an infinite Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063920380458209982003-09-18T21:25:00.000+00:002003-09-18T21:26:20.256+00:00InductionDear reader,
If you're interested in an academic philosophy take on induction, you might visit this. I've written a criticism in the comments.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063862949162434982003-09-18T05:29:00.000+00:002003-09-18T21:43:29.056+00:00Post TomorrowDear reader,
Sorry for not having a post today. I needed a bit of a break. I mean to post about Foundationalism tomorrow. If you're not sure what Foundationalism is, check out this.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063749657160415142003-09-16T22:00:00.000+00:002003-09-16T22:02:18.560+00:00Unify For Non-coercionDear reader,
Coercion comes from conflicting theories (with regard to some choice). Non-coercion, then, comes from having a single, unified theory (with regard to that choice). Thus, the way to be non-coercive, is to help the subject unify his theories around one option. To do that, determine which option is right (for the subject), and try to help them see why it is right and why its rivals Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063692155423847572003-09-16T06:02:00.000+00:002003-09-16T06:10:57.326+00:00Dear Anonymous,In comments, speaking to Elliot, you wrote:I knew there'd be an explanation.
Anyway, my answer (which you'll have a slick rebuttal to, involving semantics, no doubt)I find myself somewhat at a loss. I do not know why you feel this way. I would like to help, but my powers are limited. I can tell you two things. They do not address how you feel about TCS, though. I do not know enough about Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063663122612913382003-09-15T21:58:00.000+00:002003-09-15T22:08:23.066+00:00Sweet VictoryDear reader,
I won the New Blog Showcase contest. I'd like to thank The Truth Laid Bear for hosting the contest, and Elliot for campaigning to get me votes, and, of course, I'd like to thank everyone who voted for me! The results of the contest can be found here.
Elliot tells me that some blogs voted for me twice, and that this was allowed. I wanted to apologise to the runner up if he felt Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063657296520841152003-09-15T20:21:00.000+00:002003-09-15T20:21:36.566+00:00On IntentionsDear reader,
I ended my last post by mentioning that TCS parents help their children towards their children's ends. I believe there is a greater theme here. Tools also help people towards their own ends (not the tool's ends). One controversial example is guns, because they can help people to kill. But even opponents of guns do not deny that guns help people do what they intend to. In other Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063574237520709142003-09-14T21:17:00.000+00:002003-09-14T21:17:17.570+00:00TCS Even In Emergencies?Dear reader,
Some people think TCS and non-coercion sound nice, most of the time. If the only thing at stake is whether we go to the pool today, even if the child chooses wrongly, nothing horrific happens. But when the stakes are higher, some people feel TCS can't always work. For example, what if there is a medical emergency? Then, can't we coerce children for their own good?
Well, it Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063395020075508852003-09-12T19:30:00.000+00:002003-09-12T19:30:20.056+00:00On InsuranceDear reader,
Some people may object to the idea of buying insurance on the grounds that it is a form of gambling with the odds stacked against the buyer. In other words, it loses money.
While it's true that insurance does cost money, it has more effect than just gambling. Buying insurance causes wealth redistribution from the fortunate to the unfortunate, with a guarantee that if you are Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063320387649090012003-09-11T22:46:00.000+00:002003-09-11T22:46:27.700+00:00I Am AmericanDear reader,
I noticed the date, and I wanted to say that I am American.
And I do not mean my citizenship, that's private. But rather, my worldview and values are in the range that are American. And I am happy this is so. I chose it of my own free will.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063235464630196552003-09-10T23:11:00.000+00:002003-09-14T20:55:17.586+00:00New Blog Showcase VotesDear reader,
For the New Blog Showcase contest, I am required to vote for three other entries. I found these fairly amusing:
Why oh why do I have to love women?
If Americans Ran the Afterlife
Cat's eyes (This link does not go to the entry, but is the link that will count for a vote. I failed to get a link to the entry itself, but did see the preview in the Showcase.)Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063166300992022202003-09-10T03:58:00.000+00:002003-09-10T03:58:21.053+00:00On ArgumentsDear reader,
I believe all arguments boil down to one of two basic approaches:
1) X is a non sequitur (does not follow), so we should reject X.
2a) Under worldview W, which best explains reality, believing Y false would create unexplained complications, so we should accept Y.
2b) Under worldview W, which best explains reality, believing Z true would create unexplained complications, so we Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063080461923039732003-09-09T04:07:00.000+00:002003-09-09T04:07:41.950+00:00ResolveDear reader,
Sometimes disaster strikes. Things go wrong. And we are threatened with feeling bad about it. Despair looms on the horizon.
Sometimes we respond by saying "Enough! I made mistakes in the past; I know this. But in the future, I will do better; I will not make the same again, and in fact I mean to make none at all." And this is all well and good, when we can manage it. But forAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1063008729626913952003-09-08T08:12:00.000+00:002003-09-08T08:12:09.693+00:00New Blog ShowcaseDear reader,
I have submitted my entry titled On Roleplaying to The Truth Laid Bear new blog showcase. In the competition, votes consist of links to the submitted posts (only to the specific post, not the blog). If you have a blog, I would most appreciate it if you would link to my post. Also, make sure your blog is registered with the ecosystem (worth doing even if you do not vote). To Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1062974509323026842003-09-07T22:41:00.000+00:002003-09-07T22:50:17.220+00:00Logic, Views, and DisagreementDear reader,
I wanted to go through some of the logic of having views and disagreeing with people, because I feel this is often a misunderstood subject in our culture. I mean to do more of this in the future, and I know what I present here is not a complete view of the issue, just one piece.
If my view is X then I think X is true.
If your view is Y then you think Y is true.
If the views X Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1062903604130329912003-09-07T03:00:00.000+00:002003-09-07T22:42:02.566+00:00Kant and the Categorical ImperativeDear reader,
I noticed this comment on my TCS introduction. I appreciate the feedback, but I believe the claim about Kant is in error.
For what it's worth, I'd like to deny any association with or appeal to Kant. I have read little of him, I did not much like what I have read, and as far as I am aware I do not draw any ideas from him.
After some time with Google, I see that one of my Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1062822765772186422003-09-06T04:32:00.000+00:002003-09-06T04:35:05.890+00:00Prying Into Children's LivesDear reader,
It is common for parents to pry into their children's lives out of concern. This is often thought to be a necessary evil. Sure, privacy is good, and children will have some secrets, but it's also important that parents can keep them safe, and watch out for them. That's how much conventional wisdom goes. But there is another way.
First, let go. Pry not at all. Children are Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1062499139892990882003-09-02T10:38:00.000+00:002003-09-02T10:38:59.793+00:00Hidden PremisesDear reader,
I previously mentioned that philosophical writing always has hidden premises, and that higher level ones tend to be more worthy of mention, but did not present a full explanation. Now I shall endeavor to do so.
To help illustrate, I will present a syllogism and then point out some hidden premises:
Premise: All roses are red
Premise: I'm holding a rose
Conclusion: I'm holding Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1062277452445166092003-08-30T21:04:00.000+00:002003-08-30T21:07:05.776+00:00Schools Use ForceDear reader,
I've read the comments on my last entry, and I wanted to make a suggestion. I think we can all agree schools are not set up to deal with, say, a child who disagrees with the numbers in his multiplication tables. They simply cannot cope with their facts being challenged on a number of issues. But maybe this is rare and not entirely damning. What else is there?
Disagreeing with a Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5492906.post-1062038188705166642003-08-28T02:36:00.000+00:002003-08-28T04:59:25.490+00:00Dear Anonymous,I'm glad you commented, and appreciate the opportunity to clarify my views. Please feel free to continue the discussion if anything I say seems at all lacking.any suggested behavior or system of behaviors that, if taken sufficiently seriously (enacted by enough people with enough precision), would lead to disaster, is wrong
Here's where you start to lose me. At least, it needs refinement. ForAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04377403176607105591noreply@blogger.com