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I just don't get it. Why is it considered such a compelling argument/question? Am I missing some profound insight into reality that philosophers are privy to? As it stands it seems like such a shallow issue. The Weak Anthropic Principle would seem to make any inquiry into the issue...

My google-fu is failing me. Has there ever been a case of an adult failing to pass the mirror test? I don't see how they could function in society but people are able to function without an inner voice or a minds eye so what do I know?

Would it be fair to state that computation is substrate independent? If such is the case would it be possible for a group of humans to pretend to be circuit components and thus 'simulate' a computational system that could run programs. Taking this further, could a computational/programming...

I have always had this tendency and recently I began to wonder if other INTPs also deal with a similar thing. If you tell me to do something (even if it is for my benefit) I won't. If you tell me not to do something I will. I used to think I was just being contrary, but it goes deeper than...

I've spent the last hour or so looking for any info regarding humans with mutations that have resulted in extra joints (elbows, knees, fingers joints, etc) and have been unable to find anything. Does anyone here have any knowledge regarding such mutations?

For those who don't know ditto means 'the same thing again' and is used to agree with something said without having to repeat it. Recently I got into an argument with an ex and she called me a cunt. My immediate response was 'ditto'. Apparently that makes me a misogynistic arse-hole, despite...

Most songs are about love and other boring topics. Consequently I have a preference for either instrumental music or foreign language songs. Recently I discovered a japanese musical unit called 'Nowisee' (pronounced 'noise') and something about their sound makes me start to tear up. Which is...

My google-fu skills must really suck. I have spent the last few hours trying to find a list of school shootings that is broken up by country that also shows how strict each country's gun laws are. My reason being that I find it hard to believe that the US has the slackest gun laws in the world...

I can't believe I am going to ask a relationship question (ew) but this situation has me confused and worried. I am still in contact with my most recent ex (broke up nearly 2 years ago) and recently she has been complaining to me that her current partner is beating her (she thinks he broke her...

Can shadows have holes? I can't come up with a satisfactory answer to the above question. The answer depends on the subtleties of our definitions of shadow and hole. In one sense shadows are holes (in the cast light) so the question becomes 'can holes have holes?'. In another sense...

I'm not exactly sure how to word this, but is it possible for an individual to hold prejudiced views regarding an object or class of objects that don't exist? An example would be something like unicorns or people with purple skin. Maybe a person could be considered prejudiced against those who...

I have been wondering if it is possible to 'know' something that is false. Given that the most common definition of 'know' is justified true belief I would say that it isn't possible. Do all conditions need to be met for something to be known? Is a true belief that isn't justified considered...

The term phobia has come to mean both fear and hatred/aversion, with the deciding factor appearing to be whether the target is a group of people. Some examples, Arachnophobia - The fear (but not necessarily hatred) of spiders. Cynophobia - The fear (but not necessarily hatred) of dogs...

I've never been a big fan of sports (probably because I'm not good at any), but lately I've been searching for sports that allow unusual/atypical plays without everyone instantly accusing the player of a lack of sportsmanship. I want to see a sport where 'thinking out of the box' is rewarded...

Who has the BoP in regards to claiming some action is good for your health? My understanding is that it would be the one making the claim. Would an Appeal to Authority or an Appeal to Consensus constitute proof?

I was under the impression that the function of pain was to let us know when we were harming our bodies or compromising its integrity. If pain serves a valid purpose why aren't medical professionals more concerned about its occurrence? Blood tests cause me pain yet every doctor and lab...

Do they not realise that their very existence is contingent upon all past events involving their ancestors? A few examples (that aren't very controversial); - Citizens of colonial countries being against colonialism. - Australian's descended from convicts who claim it was wrong to send...

I have heard many people excuse the behaviour of others by claiming that such behaviour is not their fault because they were indoctrinated. A few things about that have always struck me as wrong. - We see people who have escaped their indoctrination, so it can be done. Either they are...

Given that the public discourse of the last few years seems to focus in some part on rooting out certain forms of bigotry I feel that this may be more important than it may seem at first. Are claims of bigotry falsifiable? How would a person disprove a claim of bigotry laid against them?

After they have already bitten you? Isn't it just a response born of anger or irritation? Would such a response be appropriate for a dog bite or a cat scratch? I ask because I have heard numerous vegans claim it is wrong to needlessly kill animals yet they will happily kill all insects and...

I figure that this is probably the most linguistically diverse 'community' that I am a part of so this might be a good place to ask this question. Does anyone know of any language in which meaning is formally embedded in the speed at which a word is said? So, if a word takes 0.5 seconds to...

It seems only logical to me that if a person fears x then they should also fear anything with a greater chance than x of occurring. A few examples; - People afraid of strangers should also fear friends and family as statistically we are more likely to be hurt by a loved one. - People afraid of...

My daughter (16) is going through an issue with being bullied. Nothing too bad, but enough to upset her. The other day she asked me why everyone is always making excuses for the bullies. Apparently her teachers and even her mother (my ex) have repeatedly told her that her bully is obviously...

How exactly can causation of anything be proven (beyond any doubt)? Most of the time when I hear about x causing y it is just a correlation between x and y. Cigarettes and lung cancer, poverty and crime, etc. It seems rather unethical to claim knowledge of a cause when at best you have...

Just as the title asks. I'm not asking who determines whether or not something is funny as that seems to be a purely subjective determination. But whether or not something is a joke is a matter of fact. A person need not find every joke funny. Have any of you ever judged something to not...

What type of tax charges everyone the same dollar value (not tax rate)? As in the expenditure of a community divided by the population of a community. It's not a Flat Tax as that only refers to percentages.

Is there any productive activity that due to it's very nature can't be automated even with the use of some future Super AI? Personally, I think not. It seems to me that if a 'system' is capable enough then it can learn any activity that humans can. I'm not saying that everything that can be...

Can a person receive financial compensation for saving someone else's life? For example, a percentage of their income until they die. Nothing is free. If I don't want to pay for my life to potentially be saved then I have an opt-out card (like organ donors) and no-one has to save me. The...

Every single one of us is an ape. One can't be a human if one isn't an ape. Therefore to claim that someone isn't an ape is to deny them their humanity. Actually it is saying they aren't even closely related to us.

I have never been able to understand the point of NSFW tags in any situation outside of working with children. What does it even mean? Does something have to be illegal to be classified as NSFW? Let's use pornography as an example. How does it cause harm to anybody if they see it in...

I've been reading a bit about various hybrids that exist in nature (liger, wolphin, pizzly bear, etc) which has raised a few questions. Are hybrids considered to be a new species if they can breed true? Maybe an isolated population is required (not sure). If a population of humans are found...

How could a society eradicate unwanted behaviours in it's citizens and would this even be desirable? For example, murder is widely considered as wrong/immoral. What could a society do to completely eradicate murder? Would any solution be worth the cost in personal freedom?

I recently got into an argument with a family member regarding the moral status of stereotyping. They claim it is always wrong. I disagree. Is it wrong to stereotype sharks as dangerous? If not, is that because they don't have feelings as we know them? Most people have no problem making...

I'm not sure if anyone else here shares my interest in language and semantics, so I apologise in advance if this seems boring and/or meaningless. I'm sure that most English speakers are aware of the fact that literally can sometimes mean figuratively. In these situations would it be correct to...

I've been considering the notion that on an unconscious level everyone is good at mathematics, or to be more precise everyone's brains are good at mathematics. There is mathematics involved in everything we do. Signal processing, movement and cognition are just a few examples. I'm not sure...

Is there a specific term for people who can't (or won't) be convinced by factual evidence? Would delusional be an accurate term? An acquaintance of mine thinks the moon landing was a hoax and he refuses to acknowledge any factual evidence to the contrary. My neighbour is a YEC and refuses to...

I've been thinking about this for quite some time and I still don't really know how to express my point. In much of what we do in our lives how important is truth (or to be more exact, an accurate perception of reality)? I don't mean this in terms of beneficial falsehoods but rather deceptions...

I'm trying to come up with various methods by which I could wrought superstitious people of their money (based on their stupid beliefs). Examples; - Release a black cat in a neighbourhood and collect money to capture it. - Find houses that have had a murder/suicide occur within them and offer...

Is anyone here aware of any movies in which characters are too busy kissing (at an inappropriate time) and they get killed? I would love to be in a cinema watching a movie in which a couple can't control themselves when they should be running or fighting and instead start making out only to...

This has probably been done before, but what is your most hated movie and why? I'll start with mine. After Earth Such a slow, boring, empty film made so much worse for me because it was a science fiction. I can't imagine how bad I would have thought it had I watched it with high expectations.

Hello All, I hope you enjoyed your forced break from the forum. Anyway, recently I got into an disagreement with my brother regarding the meaning of the word Homophobia. I believe there should be two terms, homophobia and homomisia (fear and hatred). This got me thinking about how to use the...

In my arrogance as a law abiding citizen (mostly) I have this belief that violent criminals should turn themselves in or else face double or triple sentencing. Anyway, is it expecting too much of these criminals to actually take legal responsibility for their crimes? To clarify, I'm not...

I realise that I have no way of knowing if anyone here actually believes that 'Everyone is Beautiful', however this is one of the few communities I have ANY involvement in so I figured I'd ask this question here. If everyone is beautiful does that mean everyone is physically attractive? If...

Hello all, It's been a while since I've posted anything but recently an issue has arisen that I would like some insight into. A couple of weeks ago my mother had to visit the hospital with some kidney troubles and I started thinking about the issue of organ donation. I've always agreed...

I was just reading an article in the local paper about a suicide 'vicitim' and it got me thinking. Are people that commit suicide victims or perpetrators of a 'crime' or both? Obviously another individual can't be the perpetrator else the 'crime' would be murder, yet whenever I hear...

Whilst I was wondering around the net I stumbled upon this 'article' that seemed to describe something about me quite well. http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html It's not that lengthy and it even has a funny cartoon. Anyway, I was wondering how many of...

I'll start off by making it clear that I don't suffer from any phobias and thus find it rather difficult to understand them. I do have a tendency to dislike and avoid painful stimuli but I'd hardly classify my responses as phobic. Anyway, recently I started reading about zoophobia and I...

Seriously, what is wrong with these people that feel the need to eat an animal whilst it is still alive? I think they must be suffering from some form of psychopathy. Has anyone here ever knowingly eaten living animals (swallowing a fly doesn't count)?

I've known since my schooling days that the easiest way for me to understand a complicated concept in maths was for me to try and explain it to a third party. Recently I also came to the realization that I find it so much easier to correct or improve something rather than create something from...

I apologise in advance if people find this question to be crass or disgusting but I feel it is quite valid. This question specifically relates to the inconsistencies present in most people's thought processes. So, if you were to (somehow) have some faeces splashed on your leg would you be...