"every possible universe exists"
Under what kind of metaphysics or semantics could this sentence not be a tautology?
The universal trouble is that long-term, flexible and 'ethical' strategies always seem to get trumped by
It's easier to build than to destroy or steal, sadly
Japan can be incredibly inflexible, rigid, and inconsistent with the rules and expectations they follow. There is also a great deal of respect/homage paid to Buddhism and Daoism.
In short, I really don't think rationality is by any means a linear metric, and you certainly couldn't use it as a value-measure of how 'good' a society is.
I just wish the throat swabs didn't trigger my gag reflex.
I didn't even know I had a gag reflex until I took one, and it makes the swab pretty useless as I can't get near my tonsils without having to stop before I throw up.
Without other people, any existence would be
That's the only hope I have for escaping death,
Well... there is, of course, any variation of quantum immortality
I have a highly specific vision of a virtual reality heaven. Basically, I would be left alone for all eternity on my personal island
Funnily enough, you've just described, for me, a virtual reality hell
On quarantining/geo-boxing:
Even if the different regions have similar numbers of cases, is there an argument to be made for confinement in that it keeps variants more isolated?
Indeed, since there is no absolute distinction between the parts of reality that are 'you' and those that aren't, then solipsism isn't by itself a meaningful concept.
Everyone on this site obviously has an interest in being, on a personal level, more rational. That's, without need for argument, a good thing. (Although, if you do want to argue that, I can't stop you...)
But...
As a society, we're clearly not very rational, and it's becoming a huge problem. Look at any political articles out there, and you'll see the same thing: angry people partitioned into angry groups, yelling at each other and confirming their own biases. The level of discourse is... low, shall we say.
While the obvious facet of rationality is trying to discern the signal above the noise, there's definitely another side: the art of convincing others. That can swing... (read 247 more words →)
Well, I made the mistake of looking at one of the pictures from Bucha, and...
... I don't think I'm going to be feeling rational about anything for a while. I have 2 small kids, and another on the way, and right now all I want to do is cry while tearing the throat out of the people responsible.