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Timecube is too far ahead of our time for the average joe to comprehend.

It's not relativism, per se, that I was suggesting could be the object of passionate belief, but rather 'relative truths', e.g. value claims like 'we should minimize the amount of harm we cause sentient beings'. I hold some of my values quite strongly despite recognising, at a certain level...

Yet another mischaracterisation of relativism (and of human nature itself). I'm a relativist but I favour a community minded social democracy (as do many relativists that I know - of course, I also know some who go for the individualistic libertarian approach). Belief in transcendental moral...

Mmm, Catholicism has done a great job combating that barbaric pathogen HIV... Edit: Here's a fun example of ideology driving 'truth': http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/oct/09/aids

Haha, I'd often wondered whether it was genuine or not (just today my sister said something to the tune of "surely it can't be for real..."). Is there any source showing it up as a parody or do people just assume it on the basis of its absurdity?

Oh, and while I'm in the mood, a brief stab at organised religion. I can't believe this site exists: Taken from objectiveministries.org ... Viral theism at its best.

They align him with postmodernism and yet he clearly accepts what are, more or less, Platonic ideals of Beauty (capital 'B', etc...), Truth and, of course, God. Ratzinger <--> Nietzsche = a silly comparison? (though, as per usual, this depends on your reading of Nietzsche... Ratzinger's views...

Dead set, funniest thing I've seen all week. Did you see the related video of the bird?

I understand where you're coming from, but there are problems with this kind of argument. Think of things which are, or have been, frowned upon, e.g. interracial marriages or marriages across 'classes', single parents and, as a contemporary example, homosexual parents. Similarly, is it selfish...

I'm not sure what the data is on this, but it might be the case that there is a correlation between UAI and UMAT scores (i.e. so that those with high UMAT scores will tend to have high UAIs anyway) ---> which would serve to explain why there isn't a large number of people with cut-off level UAIs...

Wow, I wonder what the nervous system situation is. Does she have just one normal brain sitting in an abnormal cranial cavity? How many pairs of cranial nerves does she have? etc... Quite a curious case.

Certainly, it would bother me. However, I still think it is worth asking what is wrong with incest in the first place. There are the genetic issues of course (I read somewhere recently that, on average, we have between 2-6 alleles which, if homozygous, would be lethal and of course the chances...

I actually don't think this case is that bad. Certainly, it is outside the norm, but I think it is made somewhat tame by the fact that their relationship did not arise out of the typical parent-child power dynamic(/imbalance). Sure, they share genes, but it sounds as though he was absent during...

What Enteebee said. Three relatively obvious options: (1) JC existed but much of what is written about him, and his actions, is fictional or exagerated (2) JC never existed (3) The story of JC is really just a parable in which it is the underlying concepts that are important, not the...

No problem mate. On 'ad hoc' arguments - yeah it's fair enough for you to change positions. Certainly I think we can apply an attenuated form of responsibility to individuals' actions. We must always realise, however, that although they commit bad actions because of their personal qualities...

Aye, it is a good book (and it's half the price in paperback! though still on the expensive side... as much philosophy is, sadly). There are a couple things I want to point out with regards to what you wrote above: (1) You seem to be constantly falling back on new mechanisms for freedom. I...

What you've said still doesn't show that more than one choice is possible. That we don't always act in accordance with our values doesn't entail that multiple chocies are always available at those points where we deviate. Also, it is not our lack of free will which prevents me from believing...

A spread of results from Medline for all who are interested (I should point out that I suspect that the 2nd study, looking at 7th day adventists, does the best job of controlling for relevant lifestyle factors). There are a lot more available if you search (Vegetarian, Diet) & (Mortality)...

Grandmother Hypothesis? Past adaptations don't have to prove beneficial in all other contexts. Medicine is full of examples of biological tendencies which fair poorly with novel lifestyles, e.g. the way our penchant for fats and sugars puts us at risk of a general metabolic syndrome in a...

Also, metaethical discouse will naturally remain coherent. We can examine the categories used to make ethical claims without making ethical claims ourselves, similar to the way in which "there are no objectively true moral claims" is not itself a prescriptive statement (though it has a lot...