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Re: Thread derail by whom? At last we can finish this silliness as once again it is pointed out that Brontosaurie's insistence that he knows my motivations better than I do is wrong. Done.

Re: Thread derail by whom? Don't worry about it. You will never get any sort of acknowledgment from individuals like Brontosaurie regarding false statements or assumptions they have made. It's a waste of time to even continue trying.

Re: Thread derail by whom? A few things I have learnt from all of this; - Edit future posts to replace 'whom' with 'who'. - Other people think they know my motivations and thought processes better than I. - Laziness in writing is more acceptable than honest mistakes.

@ BAP The reasoning that I hear the most often would be something like; "The nudity and sex is real but the violence is artificial". I don't believe the above is the actual reason or even a valid reason but it's what I hear. In terms of evolutionary psychology (as I understand it) it...

Re: Thread derail by whom? @ Brontosaurie I acknowledge that I make mistakes in regards to who vs whom. But it's not even a conscious choice to use either one or the other. Like most of English grammar it seems to be habitual for me. However this is all about you attributing motives to my...

Re: Why is it that those who remain calm during a conversation/debate are usually those whom are right/correct? @ Brontosaurie So, you are better able to determine my thought processes than I?

Re: Why is it that those who remain calm during a conversation/debate are usually those whom are right/correct? @ Brontosaurie Um, what? I don't even consciously think about which word I'm using so I don't understand how it can be a case of; Years ago when I was still in school I did...

@ redbaron Fair enough, I suppose.

What sort of studies would be required to show whether or not this could be used as a predictive model?

@ The Introvert How was I 'being a douche'? I'd just like to know so as I can avoid doing so again.

@ The Introvert I believe the question posed was 'Should there be a Hardcore Porn Sub Forum?' not 'Is pornography (and masturbation) a 'good' thing?' Besides which I haven't been offended by anything I've read on this entire site so far. I take it you support a Hardcore Porn sub forum...

Exactly my point. I wouldn't consider involving myself in their close-minded sex lives. Why would they feel the need to involve themselves in the open-minded sex lives of others? Why even point this out to ME?

Once again we have a bunch of people thinking they have a right to tell others what is and isn't a correct form of sexual expression or pleasure. I wonder how many people against porn are also against things like; - Gay Marriage - Polygamy - Open relationships Most people that seem to...

@ ProxyAmenRa Yes Yes Yes :confused:

@ redbaron I'm well aware of the adage 'correlation does not equate to causation' and I try not succumb to it. I feel I should note that I'm not advocating any of this as a replacement to evaluating the ultimate veracity of a belief or view.

Re: Why is it that those who remain calm during a conversation/debate are usually those whom are right/correct? Why is it that people whom (usually) don't understand when 'whom' should be used in a sentence make statements like the above?

@ Grayman I don't know. That's part of the problem and why I'm here discussing this. I'd like to think I'm rational enough to be able to tell the difference. As I stated in the OP, this may all be a function of the limited subset of people I associate with. Or it could be a false...

@ wonkavision If it isn't too much trouble please explain this typological bias. I'm not sure what I believe in regards to all of this, thus my reason for started this discussion. All I know is that in my personal experience these are the tendencies I've noted. Maybe I have only noted...

@ paradoxparadigm7 I don't think I'm assuming the existence of 'true/false' any more than you are assuming the non-existence of the same. Besides, if a debate/discussion involved a truly subjective subject with no 'true/false' dichotomy then it would be incumbent on the rational individual to...

I feel very much the same. False confidence and braggadocio in a debate/discussion really annoy me.

I couldn't agree with you more.

@ Hawkeye There will always be exceptions to a rule. And just as BAP pointed out, you seem to be discussing anger/emotion in regards to a debate/discussion method versus topic. You say 'raging' does not mean that one is wrong. Fair enough. But how would you explain that the vast...

@ Jennywocky Doesn't that just explain why people who are irrational or (overly) emotional resort to tactics such as 'appeals to emotion' or 'raging'? They know (on an intellectual level) that there is no substance in their arguments yet still feel the need to defend them leading to crappy...

@ Puffy I wasn't just discussing such behavior as it occurs in formal debates. I've noticed the same tendencies in 'dinner table' discussions and other non formal settings. Even when we look at things like political or religious debates we see the same tendencies. Sure, any yard-stick or...

Since writing this I've spent a bit of time looking at various discussions/debates on youtube and I've almost reached the conclusion that this could be used as a yard-stick to determine to veracity of an argument that you don't know much about.

I'm not sure if this is just a tendency of the people I associate with (in real life and via the internet) or if it is a tendency of humanity in general, but I have noticed that the majority of times I witness a conversation/debate/argument the party who remains calm and doesn't become (overly)...

@ walfin In Australia, the UK and the US (that I am aware of) there are already men who are paying child support for children that are not their biological offspring. The difference with institutionalized polyandry would be that the men are entering the situation knowing that they may support...

I've never understood why anyone felt they had any say in the romantic lives of others. As long as the individuals involved are consenting adults I see no problems with any 'partnership system' available. The weirdest marriage arrangement I've heard of is that of people in regions of...

Everyone is talking about what to do to save the environment because environmental change would cause human suffering and impact on human life styles (which I don't deny). My issue is that the ultimate reason (human well-being) is being held in a greater regard than the damage to...

@ THD So you are claiming the relationship of technology to biology is one of predator and prey? Or is it just an illustration of how biology can't keep up? If so, the lynx (tech) is always behind the hare (biology) in numbers. It's existence is dependent on the hare.

@ Grayman Sorry, that should have been 'haven't'. Corrected

@ THD Are we only interested in environmental change when it negatively impacts on humanity or are we worried about it for the destruction it causes to nature? I wonder how many environmentalists wouldn't give a damn if humans weren't effected. Would the fate of an alien eco-system be of concern?

@ Grayman Is technology advancing too fast? Too what would we compare it? This isn't always the case though. Maybe for large species with a slow reproductive rate or geology. Look at the constant struggle humanity has with diseases for the simple reason they change so fast. I understand...

@ Hawkeye I'm not exactly sure but I take it you are against humans altering the Earth's environment or speeding up a natural process that alters the environment. If this is not the case please disregard the following. If it is 'bad' for humans to alter their environment what about other...

@ ProxyAmenRa I'm sorry, but not placing any value in the environment is sort of like shitting in your nest and not caring about biodiversity is sort of like wanting to live in a beige world.

I'm rather undecided when it comes to climate change. I acknowledge the climate is changing/warming but am unsure if we are the cause or if we should even try to reverse the changes. Some of my considerations; - Humans are a natural product of their environment and everything they do is...

Wow, that's fantastic. I could easily get lost in it for a few hours. Longer if there was a translation to be found.

If there is anywhere in the world where insults are illegal they need a serious re-evaluation/over-haul of their legal system. To pass a law making it illegal to insult would be about as silly as passing a law making it illegal to offend. Wait a minute. Looks like we're already headed there.

Due to issues IRL I've actually given this some more thought and I would have to say I actually disagree with the notion of 'pushing someone's buttons'. It implies we are nothing more than machines and aren't responsible for our own actions. Ultimately it is up to the 'pushee' to decide how to...

This is all reminiscent of creationists bagging the crap out of evolution. Generally those that deride a theory don't understand it.

OMG This is like listening to a creationist.

@ just george Wouldn't that class as an Argument from Personal Incredulity? Because you don't understand it it can't possibly be true? If you were a physicist or a cosmologist I might be willing to except what your saying, but as it is you just seem to be disagreeing with everything...

Based on all of my reading I'd have to say the Big Bang Theory seems the most likely.

@ TheHabitatDoctor I realize this wasn't directed at me, but I've just got to say that even if such a patently absurd notion were true it wouldn't be for Lucifer van Satan to disprove. You made the ridiculous claim that all beliefs are true therefore you need to offer proof.

I can barely stand the taste/texture/thought of a rare steak so I don't see me moving to raw meat anytime soon. I can remember being in a restaurant in the town I grew up in and the waiter told me that the chef refused to 'spoil' a good steak by cooking it till it was well down. I got up...

@ Rook I feel sorry for you.

My Grandmother was a devout catholic (in her mind) and I learnt from a young age to never discuss religion with her. Later in life I've learnt to apply that precept to all theists (and deists to a lesser extent). You can't change their minds. They have to be willing to educate themselves and...

Re: What can we do about government? @ just george For give me if I'm wrong but you seem very angry about many things. I've re-read the thread and I can't find any examples of Cognisant coming in on the discussion with 'unprovoked insults'. Isn't calling someone a 'snot nosed kid' or a...

Re: What can we do about government? I thought he was only rubbing me up the wrong way. Apparently not.

Most people will experience an hallucination at some stage of their lives. They can be enjoyable or scary but I doubt they ever really mean much. Most people don't make a lot of sense when awake so I can't imagine they'll make any more sense when asleep. The biggest trap to fall into is to...