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 Discussion on question by dspyz: What…

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Ask About Monica
Sep 29, 2020 15:21
I've been coming around to defining the universe as 'me, and everything that has or could interact with me, directly or indirectly.' It's maybe a bit solipsistic, but I think of it as Bayesian.
 

 Discussion on question by uninspiredU…

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Ask About Monica
Apr 25, 2020 09:47
His argument is one of many that (paraphrasing liberally) say: "You can't derive magic from physics, and we know people are magic, so nope." It's a ridiculous argument, and it's disappointing that it's gotten any traction.
 

 Discussion on question by Studoku: Wa…

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Ask About Monica
Dec 16, 2019 08:45
A tired 4-year-old will sleep on the floor, on a chair, on a lap, propped up against the wall, on the back of a dog, and so on... whether they're perfectly healthy or not. There is a bit of manufactured "shock! outrage!" to this.
 

 Discussion on question by Italian Phi…

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Ask About Monica
Nov 6, 2019 10:48
The mass surveillance state tended to be brushed off as a conspiracy theory, until revealed by Edward Snowden and others.
 

 Discussion on answer by zooby: Is Sch…

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kbelder
Oct 8, 2019 10:29
Infinite in the same sense a spreading wave covers an infinite set of points. We just happen to have a perspective from one of those points.
 

 Discussion on question by Joshua Fran…

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kbelder
May 31, 2019 17:04
13 year olds? Talk about how multiplying complex numbers can be used to rotate sprite images in video games.
 

 Discussion on question by GGMG: Are t…

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kbelder
May 21, 2019 19:42
Every grade-school play, ever.
 

 Discussion on question by CoedRhyfelw…

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kbelder
Apr 3, 2019 05:58
Are you also advocating for a 100% gift tax? Gifts and wills are fundamentally the same.
 

 Discussion on question by Mark Sloan:…

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kbelder
Feb 13, 2019 08:47
I think the mere existence of values imply that one ought to act effectively to achieve those values, and to act effectively implies that one ought to do a bunch of other things... collect evidence, behave in accordance with reality, etc... I think that's a bit of a fringe view, though.
 

 Discussion on question by Erguy: Why …

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kbelder
Jan 26, 2019 05:34
I know it's impossible, but I wish that we could keep a list of these companies' names so everybody could avoid them.
 

 Discussion on answer by elliot svenss…

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kbelder
Oct 2, 2018 20:18
Under "Christine Blasey", does she have over 65 peer-reviewed articles? I don't see an actual yes/no in your answer.
 

 Discussion on question by user32889: …

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kbelder
Apr 27, 2018 19:37
I get fed up with philosophers arguing things that they obviously don't actually believe. Does Taurek believe the coin flip is the right method when picking between 1 person and a thousand people dying? A billion people? There are so many untenable consequences to that sort of belief that it's clearly completely useless to a real human in the real world.
 

 Discussion on question by Dario: Why …

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kbelder
Apr 7, 2018 11:25
I think the more interesting case is "(a) Smoking is healthy (b) No, we have thousands of studies saying otherwise, and you're an idiot." Sometimes the insult will accompany a perfectly valid argument. In a sense the insult is pointless and adds nothing, or is even distracting; in another sense, it would be wrong to disregard the argument because of the insult, and... maybe insults are warranted sometimes.
 

 Discussion on answer by Russell Borog…

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kbelder
Apr 2, 2018 18:25
First, go to Pluto. Then, taking advantage of its 4.7 km/s orbital velocity, fire your gun backwards along Pluto's orbit. Wait a large number of decades, hope your bullet avoids Jupiter, then score a bulls-eye. Easy as pie.
 

 Discussion on answer by Javier: Is it…

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kbelder
Jan 3, 2018 20:15
While immensely distorted space might allow an elephant-sized creature inside a box that wouldn't hold an elephant in traditional euclidean space, I don't think there would be any way of getting the elephant through the mouse-sized facets of the cube without significant biological distress.
 

 Discussion on question by Conor Manco…

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kbelder
Dec 20, 2017 03:00
By the way, thanks for taking the extra step and providing feedback. I wish all my interviewers did that, no matter how brutal.
 

 Discussion on answer by Captain Emacs…

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kbelder
Jul 2, 2017 16:58
I had an employee once who claimed her ex-boyfriend, an employee in another department, abused her. I had her go discuss it with HR. Many months later, I heard from a friend who coincidentally know the guy accused, about how the guy was struggling because his ex-girlfriend made a bunch of false accusations. Who was telling the truth? Who knows? It's always easy to believe the one you happen to be friends with.
 

 Discussion on answer by matt_black: A…

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kbelder
Apr 25, 2017 00:51
This discussion has devolved into worthlessness. At this rate, we can open a new category for 'far-left extremists', include Lenin and Mao, and declare them the death-count winner.
 

 Discussion on question by SonOfThough…

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kbelder
Dec 7, 2016 12:32
It's hard to logically argue someone out of a position they weren't logically argued into.
 

 Discussion on question by 0-60FPS: Ar…

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kbelder
Aug 24, 2016 18:08
This is also begging the question of whether all 'sexist' treatment is inherently bad. There are some behaviors, gender-based, whose existence benefits both genders... those around physical capabilities, or reproduction, etc.
 

 Discussion on question by William: Is…

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kbelder
Aug 18, 2016 23:42
What is the square root of -1? You can't avoid philosophy in math. You just have to make sure that there is agreement on what philosophical assumptions are in place, in order to ensure proper communication of information.