Building the infrastructure for a better tomorrow.
We need to create and promote a Political system which upholds the needs and desires of the working-class families of this Country. Rather than being wielded as weapons by Special Interest Groups and large Corporations, our Instruments of Power ought to rest firmly in the hands of the Common Man. . . . . . . . . . We must also create and promote a Culture that celebrates the experiences of common people: their hopes and dreams, their attempts, failures and successes, their romances, their journey through Life, their failures and lost opportunities, their virtues, vices, and the behaviors which falling somewhere in between the two give us our character. Rather than celebrating or worshipping Money or Fame, let us be proud of who we are, and build up a culture around our own shared abilities and experiences.
Just about Anything. I'd like to hear your opinion on what you are passionate about.
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A comment on Conversation: What is the biggest challenge that you feel your country if facing?
We have the most intelligent and socially connected society in the History of Man - we can see our problems and broadcast them to others, but we struggle mightily to summon the collective urge to address the problem. This leads many to say our biggest problem is one of apathy or inaction. But I feel Purpose drives Action, and without a clear Purpose one struggles to Act.
We have a culture that celebrates Money & Fame to such an extent that we no longer are familair with even ourselves. Why are we here? What am I doing? To what end?
This leaves us as loosely knit fabric with no real cohesion. I feel we must re-make our Culture, find value and purpose in our personal and collective existence, and then begin to affect positive change in the world.
A comment on Conversation: If you have NEVER been to Africa, when someone mentions "Africa" or you hear "Africa", what is the FIRST thing that comes into your mind?
A comment on Conversation: Is the heart overlooked when it comes to intelligence?
Thanks for sharing what you learned in Class. It is some interesting material.
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The idea of a Body-Mind, or Heart-Brain, dichotomy is deeply ingrained in most world cultures. One is typically elevated and given importance over the other, or the duality is implicitly acknowledged and a 'balance' sought.
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Coming from a Brain-over-Body perspective, any research illustrating decentalized bio-info computation will seem amazing and mind-blowing, but it should not surprise us. We are, in fact, whole Human Beings, and each and every aspect of us is intelligent, social, and rather lazy in nature.
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I don't think this research will change how we view each other on a personal or emotional level. Most of us intuitively understand things such as 'muscle-memory' and 'body language,' and hopefully view our friends personalities as something that resonates from something more than just particular regions of their neo-cortex. It will, however, make for interesting discussion over wine.
A comment on Conversation: How can we involve more people in voluntary works?
First, we must set an example.
Second, we must communicate different ways to volunteer in all aspects of life, whether it be at a soup kitchen or helping pick up trash on a road or volunteering at a veternarian office or tutoring neighborhood kids, & etc.
Third, we must offer ways to socially re-enforce such behavior. Social incentive is the only way to truly drive volunteerism, because monetary incentive is necessarily sacrificed. I think that Facebook and other internet sites (possibly already do) should offer a widget which tracks service hours, almost like a status update or 'like' monitor.
SEP
A reply on Conversation: Is Abortion good or bad???
"I do not believe abortion will go away so it is better in my opinion that it be legal..."
Opponents of abortion often equate it with murder.
Interestingly, murder does not seem to be a eradicable behavior either.
Should we legalize it (common law murder) as well?
The basis of the legal system is how society responds to reoccuring harmful activities. Your reasoning seems faulty here. Not that I necessarily equate abortion with common law murder, but I am interested in hearing why you think your reasoning is sound in one case and not the other.
In response to your story of the poor girl who was abused and impregnated by her father - I think the difference in opinion on the topic of abortion arises from the same place all disagreements arise from: a difference of perspective.
When viewing it from the mother's side, it seems awful to make her carry it to term. From the child's side, it seems awful to deny her the gift of life because of the circumstances of her conception. I do not think the life of a baby girl conceived of two consenting adults is any more valuable than that of one conceived by an incestuous rape. Life is a secular miracle that I, for one, can raise a glass and shed a tear for.
I cannot fathom the emotional stress involved in the type of situation you describe, but I do not think our legal framework ought to be based on an emotional sentiment - or else we would probably legalize the murder in many revenge scenarios (cheating spouse/business partner, etc.), as well as theft by the very poor.
SEP
*If abortion were to be criminalized, I think we would have to make it possible for a person in a situation as such as you describe would be able to bring a civil suit against her abuser for emotional distress in carrying said child. Of course, the girl could put the baby up for adoption immediately, and the child could be shielded from knowledge of the civil suit and the circumstances of her biological mother, if so preferred.
A reply on Conversation: Fairer form of taxes for all citizens
Allow me to (try and) simplify Krisztian's comments:
Why isn't the transaction for road use (or any publically funded venture) the same as the transaction for a hamburger? Why can I not play a flat rate on what I use?
An eaiser example: I paid for my house. I use my house. I pay property taxes which pay for education system. I have no kids in education system.
Even if I paid a flat rate income tax, it still is not fair that I pay taxes for schools that I do not use. Similarly, even if we paid a flat rate income tax, it would still be unfair that somebody could possibly be paying more absolute dollars in taxes (which fund roads, for example) than someone else, but is using the roads substantially less (a work at home entrepeneur v. an assembly line worker that commutes 25 miles to the factory everyday, for example).
All of this is to say that your premise - a flat rate would guarantee 'fairness' - is faulty and only works if you define 'fairness' as a 'flat rate tax system', in which case your argument is circular.. and still faulty.
SEP
A reply on Conversation: Fairer form of taxes for all citizens
"The tax system itself is fair in most cases"
How? Or should I say - by what criteria is the tax system 'fair'? Almost half of America does not pay any income tax, which is the tax system I assume you are referring to. How is that 'fair'? Wealthy Americans are able to manipulate their assets to pay the lowest possible tax rate. How is that 'fair'?
Moreover, what makes it 'fair' that the federal government taxes income at all? And if it is fair that they do so, are we certain it is the most fair or most effective form of taxation?
And another point - the current tax system brings in roughly $1.4 trillion less than we spend a year. That is not fair. Granted, you say the taxes are not spent fairly (that is an entirely different debate), but you seem hesitant to bring spending down to these 'fair' revenue levels.
"Ignore the billionaires complaining about it"
The moral superiority of Socialism. You know, if it weren't for 'billionaires', you might actually have to get creative when discussing public policy.
If you are interested in the actual effects of stifling taxation (income and other forms), look into the capital flight suffered by NYC and New York State. The problem with making a very few select people responsible for the bulk of the public treasury is that these people will either demand special privileges or will just leave.
SEP
A reply on Conversation: Why is it all about the college degree?
"I suggest you familiarize yourself with epistemology... Empiricism offers one example of how knowledge does not require a teacher."
Thank you for the good-natured suggestion, but I believe your entire paragraph can be summarized as 'experience' which I conveniently listed as the second way to knowledge. QUOTE: "a. a teacher or b. experience".
Interestingly, the thesaurus lists 'experientialism' as a synonym for 'empiricism', and Merriam-Webster defines it as 'a theory that all knowledge originates in experience.' Perhaps it is not I that needs to familiarize myself with epistemology, but you that needs to read what it written rather than jumping to pat yourself on the back for knowing a tenth grade vocabulary word.
As to your suggestion that parents and school teachers preparing kids for what is the first and one of the most important decisions of their adult lives constitutes 'propaganda' - I simply disagree, though I would classify the college recruiter as such.
And in response to your charge of 'scapegoating' - personal responsibility extends to preparing your children for life. That is your responsibility as a parent.
SEP
A reply on Conversation: Can we ever know how another person "senses" the world?
"Didn't notice! Point proven!"
Most will see 'unchagend", the phrase promoting the idea ends on that word. But having 'caught' that one, the reader immediately resumes reading normally and begins to fill in the middle of the word subconsciously, to the point that they do not even realize the other two examples in the very same sentence. It is interesting.
What is more interesting is extrapolating from there. You fill in the words because you are familiar with those words. What do you do in other familiar situations, like driving home from work or watching TV? Do you 'fill in the middle' here as well? How much of life do we miss, because we automatically use other parts of life as reference (and perhaps substitute)?
With a word, the beginning and ending are easily defined as the first and last letter. But experiences are more complex (right?).
It is a can of worms.
SEP
A reply on Conversation: Why is it all about the college degree?
Yes.
"So people should have leaders to teach them how to do things?"
Yes.
"People have no responsibility to teach themselves?"
Of course people have a responsibility to teach themselves, and they often do. Unfortunately, knowledge requires either a. a teacher or b. experience. I am of the opinion that when it comes to making a decision such as investing in higher education, it is preferable to learn from a mentor (parent or teacher) rather than from experience (being saddled with enormous debt with or without the degree). I am not absolving the individual from his or her inherent responsibility to his or her self, just acknowledging that parents and teachers have neglected their responsibility to him or her.
"Medical is another one."
Agreed.
SEP