editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
We deal with philosophy in one form or another, multiple times every day. For instance, every time we form an ethical viewpoint or act on such, we are forming a philosophical (ethical) idea or applyi...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"America's leading leftist intellectual" and MIT professor Noam Chomsky once remarked that "The U.S. is a leading terrorist state, as are its clients." He has said "that there is no War on Terror." H...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The problem really is crime, isn't it? It doesn't matter whether it's legal crime, as committed by government agents, or whether it's crimes committed by communal garden scumbags. Before we can enjoy...
Live without regrets:
On November 4, Jeff Bezos was interviewed by his brother Mark at the ideas festival Summit LA17 event in Los Angeles. During the course of this interview, Jeff revealed...
After comparing him to a 42-year old woman who can't find the "right man... a soul-mate from her zip code," actor and comedian Mike Rowe (best known as the host of Discovery Channel'...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Are human values detached from science? Many, such as moral relativists, argue that morality has little, if anything, to do with reality. Science attempts to prove what reality is through an objectiv...
editorial posted by
c_prompt
in Note to Self
In order to be born, you needed:
2 parents
4 grandparents
8 great-grandparents
16 second great-grandparents
32 third great-grandparents
64 fourth great-grandparents
128 fifth...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Administrator's Introduction: The Greek philosopher Epictetus believed that only the educated are free. With that in mind, BrainCrave.com is more than just bringing people together for dating - it's...
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
In the movie Braveheart, William Wallace says, "Every man dies, not every man really lives." For thousands of years, people have thought about the values to live for. Aristotle suggest we should live...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Through John Galt, novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand discussed the "hero in your soul" in her famous book Atlas Shrugged: "Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless s...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Recently, Harvard University had a panel discussing the legacy of the Human Genome Project. Started in 1990, and with scientists from six countries and initial funding of $3 billion, the project publ...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Libertarians and others who don't like government (e.g., anarchists) are always talking about limiting and shutting down government programs. Yet they continue to use the benefits of these programs....
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
In honor of upcoming V-day (and maybe to give you something to talk about over dinner with your significant other)...
Love is our response to our highest values. Love is self-enjoyment. The nobles...
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
Putting aside the debates as to whether or not social psychology is less rigorous because it is a soft science, or whether or not it is really science at all, how closely do our political choices mir...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I was recently having a conversation with a friend who was getting on my case because I don't vote in political elections. She likes Ron Paul but ultimately decided to vote for Obama because she knew...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Can you think of any other or, at this point, are we out of options? How do you convince and/or reason with people who think civility is no longer an option? What other ways do you suggest to people...
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...
From the About page:
Symphony of Science is an online video series created by John D. Boswell, aka melodysheep, which aims to bring scientific knowledge and philosophy to the public, in a novel...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Pain is a part of life, and we all have different ways to deal with it. In what might appear to be a strange contradiction, some even go so far as to self-inflict pain in order to avoid pain. It's al...
Last week Larry Page, the CEO of one of the largest corporations in the world, and possibly one of the most powerful people on the planet, released an interview with the Financial Times endorsing m...
Listen to the podcast
ROCKWELL: Good morning. This is the Lew Rockwell Show. And what an honor it is to have as our guest this morning, the great, Jesse Ventura. What do we say about Jesse...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In the future, will you look back, shake your head, and regret that you didn't follow your passions? Feel that you went against who you really wanted to be? Don't wait until another New Year's Eve -...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Paris Hilton did it to Lindsay Lohan. Tiger Woods did it. American Idol did it. Couples do it. Sometimes we even do it to ourselves. Politicians do it as well, but they do it badly (just like everyth...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Remember that the socialist/collectivist mantra is that the NEEDS of the many outweigh the RIGHTS of the few? As I think we've established that socialists/collectivists have no problem with stealing,...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In the adventure film Sahara, General Kazim states: "Don't worry. It's Africa. Nobody cares about Africa." In 2009, it's estimated that 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with almost 70% liv...
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...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Albert Einstein once said: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Although not supported by math or science, and certainly not an axiom of physics, Occam's Razor (or Ockh...
I love quotes. The ones to which I most relate become a part of me. They inspire me. They guide me. They strengthen my resolve. They reinforce my values. They comfort me.
These are mine (without a...
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 US government consists of a bunch of hypocrites. I know, tell you something you don't know, right?
Recently, Hillary Clinton and her lackeys at the US State Department released the Country Re...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Obama is currently getting criticized because of his recent speech asserting that the US government officially supports a two-state solution based on Israel's pre-1967 borders along with negotiated...
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
As a soft science, sociology is the study of the social behavior of humans in the pursuit of social welfare. Dr. Sam Richards suggests that the sociological analysis of the various aspects in your ow...
At a high level, SDT [Self-Determination Theory] makes a simple claim:
To be happy, your work must fulfill three universal psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
In m...
Why has the art world of the twentieth-century adopted the ugly and the offensive? When has art in the twentieth century said anything encouraging about human relations, about mankind's potential...
Great podcast about the Lisp programming language and why it's special.
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
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
Humans and chimpanzees share 96% of the same DNA. In other words, from a scientific perspective, humans and chimpanzees are genetically very similar.
As the battle between evolution and intelligen...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
One of the problems with democracy is that it leads to corporatism. "Corporatism is a system where businesses are nominally in private hands, but are in fact controlled by the government. In a corpor...
So much brouhaha over Facebook acquiring a game manufacturer. It's a great reminder of where the revenues from your ad clicks and no-longer-private data are being spent. More fun and games. Mor...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"I believe there are three rules we must teach our children if we have any hope of humanity seeing freedom some day: 1. Question everything. 2. Never accept an answer just because it is presented by...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Getting people to agree on objective moral principles is difficult, to say the least. Moral codes seem to span the gamut of culture, time, environment, experience, geography, gender, race, etc. Could...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Make everyone equal. It is a common battle cry across the centuries. Just look at the current class warfare that Obama is pushing because we are not all equal. (Or, as Orwell famously put it in Anima...
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
Just when you thought you understood how the world works, the tachyons come to shake things up.
For those who haven't heard by now, the masterminds at CERN who brought you the LHC rap have made wh...
editorial posted by
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...
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
Sigmund Freud famously said that "...we men... find reality generally quite unsatisfactory." Over the years, we have become less polite and more sloppy. Now-a-days, we say reality's a bitch. Regardle...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In 1996, Dolly the sheep made headlines around the world as the first mammal to be successfully cloned. As a result of the experiment, President Clinton ordered research into the legal and ethical is...
When a precocious yet nonconformist teenager asks why they need to learn calculus, what should you say?
You know they will never use it in adulthood, outside of certain career choices.
You co...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Morality is basically the principles/ideals that should direct everyone's conduct. What is it that makes moral fundamentals different than personal preferences (if there is, in fact, any difference a...
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...
Chris Anderson, who runs TED Talks, calls Musk “the world’s most remarkable living entrepreneur.” Others know him as “the real life Iron Man,” and not for no reason—Jon Favreau actually...
A society that can’t talk sensibly, publicly and perhaps at length, about beauty inadvertently condemns itself to ugliness.
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
We need a new demotivational poster: "Science. A quick way to mess-up all those great love poems."
The definition of rational isn't very controversial: "having reason or understanding." The defini...
Art is mostly fraud perpetrated by narcissistic academic quacks on a public easily gulled. They should be prosecuted. This is as true of literature as of painting and sculpture. If modern sculpture...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
An embryo has no rights. Rights do not pertain to a potential, only to an actual being. A child cannot acquire any rights until it is born. The living take precedence over the not-yet-living (or the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
When I was much younger, I told my father I believed I would live forever. He asked how that would happen and gently reminded me that we all die sooner or later. I explained that I believed we would...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The folks at the Venus Project and the larger Zeitgeist movement think society has many problems, and they are concerned. Hard to disagree. When a doctor is trying to cure what ails you, he'll typica...
editorial posted by
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
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
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...
They call it political science. They study things such as the origins of the state, history, political ideologies, law, war, taxes, regulation, international relations, and free trade. They claim t...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I Learned that the media can legally lie.
FTA:
In February 2003, a Florida Court of Appeals unanimously agreed with an assertion by FOX News that there is no rule against distorting or...
1. On His Schooling:
"At school, I was never more than about halfway up the class. It was a very bright class. My classwork was very untidy, and my handwriting was the despair of my teacher...
On Tuesday, July 14, Mark Weiner exited the regional jail in Charlottesville, Virginia, having been incarcerated there for a crime he never committed. He was facing nearly a decade in prison after be...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Making generalizations always comes with challenges. After all, just because a claim is oftentimes true doesn't make it fact in all cases. Although intellectual dishonesty abounds, I generally catego...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Morality is about determining which choices and actions are good or bad, which always leads to the question - what is the good? There are some who consider the good as those choices and actions which...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
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
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
The higher your self-esteem, the more confidence you have in your ability to cope with life's never-ending challenges. Strong self-esteem is based on many factors, one of which is self-responsibility...
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...
Have you ever tried to nail Jell-O to the wall? It’s easier than getting a socialist to stand pat on what socialism is, which makes socialism an endlessly moving target.
Socialists are so intell...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Want to see a piece of paper that gives me the RIGHT to rob you? You don't believe there is such a thing? Are you SURE you don't believe it?
From the video: "If you believe this piece of pa...
editorial posted by
digdug
in todayilearned
I enjoyed writing The Cost to Connect - Internet Prices Around the World. (Doing the research? Not so much.)
I posted it to /r/technology on reddit with the title "TIL the best Internet va...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Do a search on the web and you'll find all sorts of criteria for what makes an effective leader. People can't even seem to agree on the definition of leadership. As a result, theories abound. But wha...
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
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
Technology is so grand. With the research from this experiment, we might finally be able to replace the lowest form of humans - politicians - with robots. After all, if you can teach robots to lie, t...
Suppose I said "Love is the answer to the question. Now, what is the question?" To consider this requires you to think abstractly. You likely wouldn't ask this question to a child, but why not? Pe...
tl/dr:
Given that marrying the wrong person is about the single easiest and also costliest mistake any of us can make (and one which places an enormous burden on the state, employers and the nex...
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
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
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
What does it mean to be a "good" person? Is there an objective way to define good? Is there a specific procedure/method to evaluate something as good? Does defining the good in life even matter? Assu...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There is enough evidence now to implicate the US government of a massive cover-up of 9/11. At this point, it's ignorant to claim otherwise. Yet, the only ones who suffer from the terrible events of 9...
The general rule is that a person’s behavior does not invalidate that person’s arguments. This is because ideally philosophical arguments are based on reason. Thus if the reasoning is valid, it do...
What you are about to read is not a philosophical argument. It’s a personal testimony. The aim of telling this story is neither to make a political statement, nor to score points for a particular i...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's an adage that goes: if you've got enemies, it means you stood up for something in life. Out of all of the potential philosophies that you could adopt in your life, perhaps none may be more co...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
It's interesting to trace the history of controversial subjects. Take political correctness for example. Political correctness, "used to describe language, ideas, policies, or behavior seen as seekin...
I don't agree with everything on his list, but included are many great principles.
Here is why you should take me seriously. I was born in 1942. I have seen what works and what doesn't.
I hav...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The senses have no power of distortion; what they observe is what is. Optical illusions do not validate the claim that the senses can deceive us: optical illusions are the senses making valid observa...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Philosophy is effectively the study of the fundamental, universal principles of existence. Are we ignoring both reality and philosophy when we claim that universal principals don't exist (e.g., that...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
What does it mean to be human? Transhumanists want to use technology to enhance the human body. What are the ethical considerations for enhancing human biology with technology? Are we less human with...
I think the ignorance that surrounds sex is absolutely astounding. People tend to think that the way we think about and view sex here in our culture and time is the way it’s always been and...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Through Francisco d'Anconia, Ayn Rand claimed in her marvelous novel Atlas Shrugged that "Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You...
They say it is piracy. Downright stealing from other people, that’s what downloading is. You’re taking something for sale and not paying for it. Do you shoplift, or break into houses?...
editorial posted by
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...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Besides death and taxes, there is arguably another clear constant in the world: war. Seemingly at all times, someone, somewhere, is always using violence to either get what they want or protect what...
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,...
The real goal of tu quoque (or any ad hominem attack) is to shift the focus to your opponent’s weaknesses as a way to hide your argument’s weaknesses. To create a hypocrisy meme: 1) pick a trigger...
Choice is a signature of our species. We choose to live, sometimes we choose our own death, but most of the time we make choices just to prove choice is possible. Above all else, we value the right...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
(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...
The artist Saul Steinberg, who immigrated to the United States in 1942, was deeply preoccupied with identifying the essential threads of American life. For him, baseball was rich material. In 1954, h...
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 m...
Should we be satisfied with limited government rather than no government?
AFFIRMATIVE: Private, Contractual Methods Are More Efficient and More Just (Katherine Mangu-Ward)
NEGATIVE: In Praise o...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I believe that Adult Education is best described as a continuous learning process through which adults acquire desired knowledge to satisfy their needs at that time. Adult Education is not restricted...
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 this is an article about the theory of games, I thought that, as I intend to do this systematically, I should start with a brief post defining what a game actually is. You might think that I could...
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
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
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
Today I learned the adage "you can't prove a negative" is false because you can prove a negative. It's very easy. We need to stop saying that. A better statement to use is "he who asserts a positive...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
A neuroscientist is someone who studies "the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, or molecular biology of nerves and nervous tissue and especially their relation to behavior and learning." Although the...
As I’m walking on my treadmill while working to the sounds of life passing by my open window, I hear the distant cry in frustration of a neighbor’s daughter (as all parents learn to differenti...
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
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
My last article dealt with the various aspects of romantic love. However, value comes in many forms and so does the emotional payment, love. Acts of kindness are pleasant in many aspects and many of...
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...
Being young, I don't have as much experience with love as others, yet the ideas around it keep me up at night. Often, I've thought it might be productive to write some of them down.
Roma...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
How we do like to complain about politicians. We vote them into office (well, some don't vote) and expect them to change the world. To reduce war. To make our lives better. To keep their promises. Af...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with morality, and the moral code/ideology used when differentiating between right and wrong is critical (e.g., consider that Hitler used national socialis...
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...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Thomas Jefferson warned that "Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong." A high I.Q. does not necessarily transla...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
When people argue against capitalism (aka the free market), almost never do they argue from an efficiency perspective. Instead, the arguments typically claim capitalism exploits the working class by...
They’ve been popping up on campus all semester: intricately worked chalkboard messages with one signature, #dangerdust.
Dangerdust has captured the attention of students and taken social m...
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,...
I understand this quote is a bit of hubris, and I don't agree that these are the only two outcomes. I still like the quote and do agree that many people are terrified of freedom. People's fear of fr...
The most recent aberration of climate science is the apparent cherry picking of ocean temperature data by government scientists, Richard Feely and Christopher Sabine. The objective is not to determ...
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
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
When it comes to politics, it's difficult to say "liberals believe this" or "conservatives believe that." After all, within each political ideology, there are many views; sometimes even views that se...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander. - Holocaust Museum
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Mar 21, 20...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the...
I enjoy writing. It helps me think and organize my thoughts. It prompts me to constantly ask why. The other day, I discussed with someone the difficulty I was having selecting a topic to write abou...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Putting aside for a moment the idea of quantum entanglement, as of now, we know that you cannot physically be both in Spain and America at the same time. This is an absolute. We know that you cannot...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
My daughter just came back from camp and, as we were discussing all of her wonderful experiences, she mentioned that she bought a "happy book" at the camp store. You list all the things that make you...
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
In the movie The Rock, Sean Connery says to Nicholas Cage "Your best? Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen." There are those who think that perfection can be...
Mention of eugenics inevitably results in whoops of horror, gnashing of hair, rending of teeth, and discussion of Hitler. Occasionally, however, matters of importance merit discussion even if they...
I assume we have all wondered about the meaning of integrity at one point or another in our lives. This idea has always been in my mind, and that's why I've decided to write a little essay...
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
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...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Our Second Life intellectual discussion group is about bringing people together who like to think. We have wonderful discussions in group chat but, in an effort to constantly improve our discussions...
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
Contrary to what the United Nations does, Mother Earth doesn't have a conscience. She can't tell us which of her resources she wants us to save, which to take care of, and which to use. Ergo, how we...
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
If you're looking for the meaning of life, religions are ready with an answer. As of yet, science doesn't have an answer, other than to possibly claim that there isn't any purpose. (Nihilists of the...
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
One of the many fun things to do as a kid is to sit around a campfire late at night and hear adults tell ghost stories. Our imaginations would run wild - are there really such things as ghosts?
Bu...
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
Noam Chomsky said Ayn Rand was "... one of the most evil figures of modern intellectual history." Yet I find Atlas Shrugged an amazing book (and so do many others, like the man who recently drove aro...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
So many consider money as the primary asset in life. Sometimes we are so caught up in the "rat race" that we forget that money, and each possession we acquire from it, costs us something very valuabl...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
History repeats itself. Men have constantly fought and died in the war for equality throughout the centuries. However, not all of them had in mind the same idea of equality when they gave their lives...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"Always blame yourself. It's the only way your problems get solved."
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Mar 12, 2010 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=136...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Can we all agree that, no matter who it is, the US president does not have the legitimate power to bomb another nation without an act of Congress formally declaring war?
Five wars have been declar...
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
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...
By day’s end, it was over. Except not really. This one incident is over. But the reality that none of us really control our lives, that none of our property is really our own, that we all stand v...
I don’t believe in religious freedom.
Freedom should have nothing to do with one’s religious beliefs or lack thereof. The reason we intuitively have a concept like freedom is because we...
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
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...
The final lines "I took the one less traveled by / And that has made all the difference" are often cited as emblematic of America's individualist spirit of adventure, in a reading that assumes the...
editorial posted by
Clarisse88
in philosophy
Throughout history, humans have repeatedly attempted to understand the nature of their existence. For some, it is a personal quest to understand the roots of human behavior. For others, the motivat...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The history of humanity is based on progress. Progress has been the result of individuals coming together to solve problems and to enhance our lives. But history also provides numerous examples of gr...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Forgetting to Live for Myself (http://www.mybiggestregretever.com/)
My biggest regret ever is forgetting to live for myself. I've been selling myself out for the people I want to love me. My whole...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Robert LeFevre is said "If men are good, you don't need government; if men are evil or ambivalent, you don't dare have one." What is it that makes a good man? What are the aspirations of a good man?...
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
b_independent
in politics
There are those who cannot think of a world without some form of government. I can. I do not expect to ever see such a paradise in my lifetime. But one can dream...
What if, with your magic wand...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I Learned that moral principles are not determined by majority vote.
FTA: "A majority vote is not an epistemological validation of an idea. Voting is merely a proper political device within...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Imagine that you are a human brought to another planet. You are not religious. You haven't any belief in God or the supernatural. On this planet, the aliens are immediately able to cure all your dise...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"I think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.'...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Why are so many children familiar with the adage "do as I say, not as I do?" The answer should be obvious - because we, as adults, often do things that we don't want our children doing. Let's face it...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Contrasted with being a "good guy," what does it mean to be a "real man?" Putting aside the obvious requirements of XY chromosomes "and a pair of testicles," what determines masculinity? Is there a w...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Today I learned hot water sometimes freezes faster than cold water. Although there isn't one, conclusive scientific explanation for the phenomenon, one of the theories for why this occurs is that hot...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Ron Paul just came out with a plan to cut $1 trillion from the US's federal budget and severely curtail entitlement programs. According to the "Plan to Restore America," it cuts $1 trillion in spendi...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Whether you're a moral relativist or absolutist, and based on whatever standards you choose, there are actions that you think are immoral. What is morally contemptible to you now might have been comm...
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...
But... I love America!
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
Insurance companies have been getting a lot of negative press lately, especially when it comes to health care. It seems that, generally, people believe that insurance companies exist primarily for so...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Politics are a disgusting abyss of failed attempts to legislate morality. But why is it like that? Perhaps one of the primary reasons is because people can't seem to agree on what morality is; or, mo...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
We experience art as an emotional reaction to our senses. Enjoying art has a personal meaning and relevance; therefore, we evaluate art differently depending upon our own values, perceptions, and kno...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who "passionately" believes in the welfare system, is lashing out at parents who are raising their children through social welfare programs. He thinks the issue is a...
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...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"Facts don't necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite."
Before you read this article to determine where that conclusion came from, ponder that quote for a moment...
Funnyman, Jim Carrey, was on hand to give a moving commencement address to Maharishi University of Management's class of 2014 in which he revealed how his late father inspired him to follow his dream...
editorial posted by
b_independent
in sex
Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. One of the greatest books of all time. Though Atlas Shrugged is, by far, the better book (considered the second-most influential book after the Bible), it's all...
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
Every act of communication - or non-communication - is a choice of influence. The essayist is confronted with a peculiar difficulty: he will have time to consider how he wants to influence others - w...
THE HEAVENS—While pacing across His Eternal Kingdom on Friday, the Lord God Almighty, He Who Commanded Light to Shine out of Darkness, suddenly realized He had forgotten to provide human beings with...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The latest weapon of mass destruction: starvation.
The situation is dire. It's the worst drought in Africa in 60 years. The UN is airlifting food to Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. It's estimated th...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
H.L. Mencken once wrote "Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." This is an amazing story about Davy Crockett and how he learned what it means to uphold your principles. Why ar...
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
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
Today I learned that Platonic love isn't what we thought it was. In fact, Plato didn't even believe in it, was pro-sex, thought erotica was a spiritual force that helps us find our true selves, and e...
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
Who's Ayn Rand?? Only one of the most well-known and life-changing philosophers out there. Her philosophy is unlike any most have ever read. It's philosophy mixed in with drama and lots of great sex....
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
Probably the most important question for most philosophers is what's the meaning of life. Although individuals have their own values that provide meaning to each, we don't yet have a verifiable princ...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The Noble physicist Richard Feynman once said "There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to cal...
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
Mark Twain once said "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." What does it mean to think for ourselves? How often do we base our choices and actions...
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
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
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
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....
Art is a reflection of what we are. It is the essence of our own existence, the key that leads us to the world outside, and it returns to us a door leading inside ourselves. Creating art is to inve...
A deeper look at what brought Tony Hsieh, CEO of the online shoe store Zappos.com, billion dollar success.
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
What are your premises for your life? Have you ever thought of your philosophical base in concrete terms? What principles do you uphold and to which do you just pay lip-service? Were your premises de...
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
Porn is like bacon: some won't eat it for religious reasons, some consider it filthy, some feel guilty after eating it, but everyone else (which is most of the population) loves it. Funny enough, sci...
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
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...
It seems extraordinary that in defiance of all factual history and philosophical knowledge anyone should celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Karl Marx. More than anyone, through wrong-headed ide...
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...
What is Passion
Common to most peoples’ thoughts about passion are the following three foundational beliefs:
To feel passionate about something is to be engaged and fulfilled by work...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. - Ayn Rand
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life sta...
How do babies learn so much from so little so quickly? In a fun, experiment-filled talk, cognitive scientist Laura Schulz shows how our young ones make decisions with a surprisingly strong sense of l...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
I recently read "Conservatives Freak Out Over MTV's "Skins" -- Teenagers Have Sex. Get Over It." posted at the liberal blog AlterNet. If you have any question as to why kids, especially teenagers, ha...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Men have been taught that the highest virtue is not to achieve, but to give. Yet one cannot give that which has not been created. Creation comes before distribution - or there will be nothing to dist...
editorial posted by
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
In the movie Extreme Measures, a brilliant doctor attempts experimental surgeries on live patients (who eventually die), trying to find a way to help spinal cord victims walk again. I think most agre...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Have we become a culture of dependence? As far as we can see, the "producers" continue to support the "non-producers" instead of, say, "going on strike." Why do people generally think that they have...
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
Selfishness is often defined as an evil that deals with one caring for oneself more than for others. Many evils in the world are blamed on selfishness. Hunger, poverty and illness are supposedly all...
Cook County (Illinois) Sheriff Tom Dart wrote in letters to Visa and MasterCard that it is “increasingly indefensible for any corporation to continue to willfully play a central role in an...
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...
For two millennia, great artists set the standard for beauty. Now those standards are gone. Modern Art is a competition between the ugly and the twisted; the...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
It appears the "natives are getting restless." Liberals were "up in arms" (pun intended) because the organization Oath Keepers is preparing for violent revolt. They blasted Tea Partiers for purported...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
When it comes to protecting civil liberties, it just keeps getting worse. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now testing what it calls Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST). It i...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Is there any circumstance in which the government should be a gate-keeper of information? What are the benefits of holding back information vs. letting information flow freely?
FTA: "In a recent c...
I was having a discussion with a friend the other day about online dating. She agreed there are some silly rules people have when it comes to initial messages and laughed at how we both break them (e...
Introduction
I've a bone to pick with a libertarian. Possibly more than one, but not everyone. At the moment, my focus is this one (who also penned this and this and this). Surely, Gary Nort...
by Jason Stotts
Summary: Our language related to sex must be expanded to capture all of the variations that we see in real life. And we need to understand this because sex is good and a valua...
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Rumi, he was a Persian poet who lived more than 800 years ago and who wrote some of the most beautiful and most profound words that were ever written. There...
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
A few days ago, the US celebrated a holiday dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. A prominent leader of the civil rights movement, he was a huge proponent of civil disobedience. As the "did they kill...
editorial posted by
b_independent
in objectivism
Her name was Nicky Romashko. Though I'm having a hard time remembering our ages (probably about 10), it was sometime during grade school that I experienced my first love. If you'll allow me the pun,...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Sometimes it seems that the worse things get, the more we tolerate. It's not that we become impartial to a particular wrong, but it does seem that we often "sit on the fence" when we see wrongdoing....
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Competition increases change and motivates people to excel. For example, gamers recently competed to solve a scientific problem that has "vexed researchers for a decade." Companies compete for your b...
Nominations are now open for the second MIT Media Lab Disobedience Award, which carries a $250,000 cash prize, no strings attached.
This award will go to a person or group engaged in what we...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
There's a button that some wear on election day. It says "I voted." It's as if voting makes them feel powerful.
But the vote they cast typically isn't for a specific law - it's usually for a polit...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As many mourn the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs, they use words such as visionary, brilliant, innovative, leader, entrepreneur, capitalist, and philanthropic to describe him. Many aren't aware th...
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
Ayn Rand wrote "Modern collectivists... see society as a super-organism, as some supernatural entity apart from and superior to the sum of its individual members." Those who support freedom are often...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Louis Pasteur once wrote that chance favors the prepared mind. But is that the way it always works? Isn't it also true that, sometimes, good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
As Murray Rothbard put it in his marvelous article The Anatomy of the State, "Some theorists venerate the State as the apotheosis of society; others regard it as an amiable, though often inefficient,...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
In his famous treatise On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau argued that individuals can promote justice by disobeying the law. History is replete with examples of civil disobedience...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
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
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
In 1967, psychologist Martin Seligman performed an experiment on dogs by shocking them with electricity which appeared to start and stop at random. After the dogs were conditioned, he put the dogs in...
By re-embracing the relevant branches of philosophy—a central field of the humanities—scientists will see and think more broadly, perhaps rediscovering what drew them to the field in the first pla...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Libertarians are often talking about freedom and liberty. Thomas Jefferson claimed in his magnum opus the Declaration of Independence that we all have a right to liberty. But freedom and liberty aren...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"Gamers are super-empowered hopeful individuals." They are masters at figuring things out, even medical problems. So who wants to use gaming to change the world?
There are many problems to address...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Can a moral relativist and moral absolutist have an objective debate on morality if you don't share the same core values? In physics, a scientist will say that time is relative, but he will not say t...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Jesse Ventura, of wrestling, acting, and conspiracy theory fame, is disgusted with politics. (And anyone who isn't disgusting isn't sane.) So he's come up with some new ideas.
What do you think el...
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
Let this sink in for a moment: the United States has the highest prisoner population rate in the world. That's right, even more than China. (And, no - that doesn't include all of the hidden prisons i...
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
Ron Paul famously said of neocons:
The neoconservative ethos, steeped in the teachings of Leo Strauss, cannot abide an America where individuals simply pursue their happy, peaceful, prosperous l...
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
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...
When conformity and rigidity are replaced with free thinking and innovation, the results can be quite stunning. Such was the case with 13-year-old Logan LaPlante, who left the public education system...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
You sometimes have to wonder why teaching children seems to be more complicated than rocket science. There are many valid debates in education as to the proper conditions required for a child to lear...
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braincrave
in braincrave
To sustain life, the human body requires nourishment. Such is the "catch-22" - how to sustain life without destroying life? Most (but not all) consider cannibalism as the ultimate cultural taboo, so...
The best way to raise financially responsible children is to teach them cause and effect. The idea is simple: Give kids logical consequences and explanations for your decisions. When possible, include...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The cover-up of the Iraq war is significant. Whereas many of us suspected it, WikiLeaks has provided the facts to support the truth. And the truth is - the US government has been lying to everyone (a...
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
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...
I sometimes feel like an alien creature,
for which there is no earthly explanation.
Sure I have human form,
walking erect with opposing digits,
but my mind is upside down.
I...
A general solution to the cubic equation was long considered impossible, until we gave up the requirement that math reflect reality.
References:
Some great videos about the cubic:
50...
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...
My daughter is graduating from eighth grade today. I bought her a card and gift, both which reflect a few of my fundamental wishes for her. Despite spending $6.00 for the card (why are cards so ex...
By Hans-Hermann Hoppe
June 23, 2014
In the most fundamental sense we are all, with each of our actions, always and invariably profit-seeking entrepreneurs.
Whenever we act, we employ some...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
"Philosopher of revolution" Pyotr Kropotkin (aka Peter Kropotkin) once wrote: "America is just the country that shows how all the written guarantees in the world for freedom are no protection against...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
It is said that bad habits die hard. How many times have you read in someone's dating profile: "I'm a positive person?" How often have you told someone to "think positive?" Psychology suggests this m...
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
A few months ago, I was discussing certain aspects of quantum mechanics with somebody. I got around to saying that certain claims within the realm of physics can be rejected outright on philosophical...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Historically, friendship was based on shared values. Ayn Rand considered friendship as "the emotional response of one man to the virtues of another, the spiritual payment given in exchange for the pe...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Nowadays, you have to take on massive amounts of debt to go to college, only to graduate and find that there aren't any jobs available. So you leave college, go back to living with your parents, and...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Monty Python famously sang "life's a piece of shit when you look at it." There's also the adage that, if everyone threw all their problems on the table, most would reach back down and pick up their...
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...
“Microdosing” on psychedelic substances like LSD—ingesting just enough to heighten cognitive faculties, enhance creativity, improve concentration and alleviate depression—is currently back i...
Steve, I'd post a comment welcoming you back to reddit if I was still a member. I'm not. My account was shadowbanned long ago (an account, by the way, which purchased $50 in ineffective reddit advert...
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 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
As I get closer to formally launching the real-life dating website braincrave.com, I've spent a lot of time reading about how to advertise. Not having any real experience, I first turned to the maste...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
My answer is that love is...
Contemplation.
Many would tell you that love is something beautiful and powerful. They might tell you that it is inexplicable and entirely irrational. They would be...
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...
Never did I expect to write a screed with that as the title. But principles must be defended even when the actors are evil.
First things first: however reluctantly, I admit to using Google for som...
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
Space is a concept which is very rarely correctly understand by anybody, including modern physicists. However, the purpose of this essay is not to discuss the confusions of others in relation to this...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
The collectivists assert the socialist moral imperative that the highest good for each individual is to live for the sake of others (e.g., for the good of "society"). Marx summed it up perfectly: "Fr...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Though I personally prefer Henry David Thoreau ("That government is best which governs not at all"), in honor of Martin Luther King, an advocate of non-violent civil disobedience...
Here's a moral...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Our current culture appears to revolve more around "dos and don'ts," which is to suggest that society appears more focused on rules of what you are and aren't allowed to do. With that premise, perha...
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
If I had a nickel for every time someone said to me that I'm too black-or-white, I'd be a rich man. It usually comes up in conversation with anyone that I've known longer than 30 minutes. I even had...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Discussing sports, Noam Chomsky once remarked: "Take, say, sports -- that's another crucial example of the indoctrination system, in my view. For one thing because it -- you know, it offers people so...
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
Article 21 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states the following:
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely ch...
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
A placebo is a sham or simulated medical intervention by a doctor in which some patients experience actual improvements in their conditions. Although it doesn't work on everyone, these effects in pat...
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
Praxeology is a general theory of human action or, more specifically, purposeful behavior. Unlike unconscious behavior such as breathing or reflexes, we act in conscious, chosen ways to achieve vario...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
First, let me make this perfectly clear: I am an anarchist (or, more specifically, an anarcho-capitalist). I do not support any kind of government, including a president. The last election I voted in...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
Remember the guy who talked about change? Where'd he go?
In 2006, Obama said this:
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a...
editorial posted by
braincrave
in braincrave
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...
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