GENIUS FORUMS

He had controversial views and wasn't shy about speaking out but he was still a human being and he didn't do all bad in his life.

Guns are irrelevant to this topic.
Guns are immaterial.
Gun ownership and usage aren't in themselves unwise, or motivated by fear and attachment.

So, um, what is relevant to this topic?

I know a fair amount about Australia because I did a little research after watching Gallipoli (great movie, I recommend it). Otherwise one of my favorite bands, Big Country, I believe is Australian and if you believe pictures Australia must have the largest Hot Babes/Acre ratio in the world. Oh, and...

I thought that was the original idea.

If that was the idea then they show is quite far off the mark already.

A show where the hosts lecture the guest would be 1.) Boring 2.) Disappear quickly due to lack of guests 3.) Not the point. It's more interesting to hear about her beliefs than hear someone tell her she is wrong, it's up to everyone listening to figure out if they agree with her or not and not up to...

If the only criteria for being wise is eating Vegemite that is far too high a price to pay for wisdom.

How do you logically know no one in history has ever been, and no one in future will ever be, perfectly enlightened? If you could logically describe Ultimate Reality, perfect enlightenment, and perfect wisdom? That would go a long way towards providing criteria which could be applied to people to d...

I1 knew Philadelphia had a higher murder rate, but I am surprised by the other crime numbers. (I live in a Philly suburb.) I live right outside of Philly too, that's why I used it as a comparison. The first time I started looking up crime rates I was in shock to see how high Philly is compared to s...

Yes, it is essentially illegal to have a gun in New York City. (NYC still has a highish crime rate, though.) Actually, New York City has an amazingly low crime rate compared to other large cities in the US and it it's own past. Numerically it may look high, however, if you compare it to rates per 1...

To restrict guns you have to have a reason beyond "people aren't wise enough and are too emotional". This is a real situation not an argument in intangibles which consumes the majority of discussion on this board. To institute gun control one has to prove that it will actually reduce crime...

No, as I said earlier, as long as the majority of humans on earth are not wise, and highly value emotionalism, then it is sane to restrict access to firearms. First of all, what constitutes a "wise person" in your opinion? Second, we may highly value emotionalism but you would have to pro...

Kelly,
You seem to believe restriction of firearms as the measure of a society. Though you haven't explicitly said so, I believe that is the undertone of your posts.

Why do you believe that and what do you think is accomplished by strictly enforced anti-gun laws?

I don't consider that a good thing. It's an unavoidable thing. What matters is what you do with your confusion and not whether you are confused or not. Whether you go to bars or parties constantly and block out disturbing thoughts with substance and mindless interaction or buckle down and work thro...

I stand by my post of May 4.

Seconded.

I suspect the reason for Africa's relative lagging behind is more geographical and social than biological. At one point in time every part of the world has been the "most advanced" it just so happens the most recent people to advance came from Europe and got to a point where they couldn't ...

I must be partially blind because I don't see this world where the majority of men are intellectually superior to the majority of women... I see large groups of people who are intellectually on par with hanging beef who have about as much drive to acquire knowledge as I do to have my genitals gnawed...

That is why I talked on the show about the role of attachments in triggering emotions. If a person were to have no attachments at all, not even to his own happiness or his own life, then the trigger for emotion disappears. That's where I think the disconnect was. It seemed like she was assuming you...

I don't think she believed anyone could actually get rid of emotions, that they are a physiological consequence of our evolutionary path and as physically tied to you as an arm or leg. In effect there is no "getting rid" of emotions simply suppressing them or consciously refusing to act on...

Overpopulation is invoked too frequently. We have the capability of supporting human growth for a while now and as technology improves so does our ability to support an ever growing population. Supposing we do hit a ceiling humanity will a.) Fine equilibrium naturally b.) Resort to violent means of ...

I'm not going to say "every" or "any" job can is worthy but I'd say there are quite a few. Our ability to control our surroundings and more efficiently govern those things which are necessary to our individual survival give us the ability to seek wisdom. Growing/raising food, pro...

In the same vein here is Frank Zappa (one of my favorite musicians) arguing against censorship on Crossfire. linkage My favorite part when he says America is turning into a fascist theocracy and they challenge him to prove it: Zappa: When you have a government which prefers a certain moral code deri...

I certainly don't care if his message is crude, I don't care if he's put less thought into his opinions as I have because they pretty much mimic my own. The value of a message doesn't come from the person who is saying it but the message itself. He touches on some important points such as religion i...

The solution: stop bitching, and basing your life around women, and truly be a man. My solution seems to have become: Don't actively look for women. I find all the normal social situations in which I'd generally ask a woman out such as parties, bars, groups (clubs, sports, etc) are a fantastically ...

If I'm having an especially bad morning I'll also vandalize Family Circus, Dennis the Menace, and pictures of people on the front page. Though this could be a secret belief of mine that everyone needs a heavily waxed "Captain Hook" handlebar moustache but lets not go there...