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@FLRW
General Mark Milley, who chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Trump presidency, has voiced his emphatic verdict to author Bob Woodward: “No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump … Now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is the most dangerous person to this country.” Many others who served with the former president offer similar views.
He who holds the most power is always the most dangerous
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@FLRW
Trump’s derogatory comments are often targeted at nonwhite immigrants; in 2018, he referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries.” His latest claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio have no basis in fact and were pushed, in part, by a neo-Nazi group.“They don’t care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country, like MS-13.” [6/19/18]“The Democrats say, ‘Please don’t call them animals. They’re humans.’ I said, ‘No, they’re not humans, they’re not humans. They’re animals.’” [4/2/24]“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” [9/10/24]
I guess he was misinformed or believed in individual reports too strongly. Perhaps just a crowd-stir for his audience to hate on immigrants.
I do see that, thanks for the info
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@FLRW
Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic philosophy. From about the age of fifteen he became deeply concerned with questions like the existence of god, for which he could find no evidence. At the age of eighteen he became an atheist. He found it a great relief to be free of some of the fears and dogma surrounding religion.
"From about the age of fifteen he became deeply concerned with questions like the existence of god, for which he could find no evidence."
Unfortunate he never knew the Bible existed and how we verify historical documents.
"He found it a great relief to be free of some of the fears and dogma surrounding religion."
Yes, what a relief to not feel the pressure of responsibility or that our actions and thoughts have ultimate consequences.
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@Best.Korea
Come on man, you know that all statements are either true or not true. To claim not not truth is to claim truthTruth doesnt exist, thus the fantasy division between truth and not truth doesnt exist either.
Is that statement true or not? You are bringing up an exception to the rule, so you need to prove this exception, at least to show that it is more likely than the already established truth logic.
I would say that my logic demonstrates the reality that truth is self-evident.No, that was your claim which is circular logic. Do you think circular logic is true?
Circular reasoning is a fallacy, which means it is illogical.
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@Best.Korea
But then I would like to understand what is "proof" to you.Is the world and universe in all of its design evidence?No. The existence of the world and universe is only evidence if we assume that we should trust our eyes. However, I already explained that we shouldnt trust our eyes. God is by definition greater than our eyes, so why should one believe in what he sees with his own eyes? It is much better to believe in one of the thousands of interpretations of one of the few hundred versions of Bible.
If we should never trust our eyes, what is reality then?
Our vision is a gift from God to let us explore His creation and to enrich our lives
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@Best.Korea
Am I correct in saying that you believe proof has to precede truth?You claim that truth exists. So prove that truth exists. Otherwise, its just faith.
Okay, and here is my proof:
Let's take this conversation for example. One of us is correct, right? It could be argued that it is possible for both parties of an argument to be wrong, but for this instance, you believe what you are saying is correct.
Let's say you are right in what you believe.
Even if we were not having this argument, you would still be correct.
If what you are saying is true, then it would be true for all cases and circumstances--even if you didn't know about this truth you believe.
Thus, you are appealing to a proto-truth that transcends and precedes this conversation.
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@Best.Korea
Is that a true statement? It's self-defeating to believe in truth that says "there is no truth."Nothing is true, not even this statement. I already said that I dont believe in truth. I believe in Jesus. No "self defeat" happens, because the statement doesnt claim that its true. It claims that both it and all other statements are not true. This disproves science and truth.
"Nothing is true, not even this statement." Where does this truth come from?
Come on man, you know that all statements are either true or not true. To claim not not truth is to claim truth
Why is this a problem?Your logic proves that Jesus-God exists.
I would say that my logic demonstrates the reality that truth is self-evident. If God is truth, then He is self-evident.
But my logic is not needed for truth to be true.
It is unproven--because it's self-evidentSo you concede that your truth is unproven. This sounds like victory for the Bible.
No, not my truth. The essence of truth. I'm talking about truth in general, and then you try to shame it by calling it "the truth of the Bible."
Are you saying here that truth being self-evident is bad?
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@FLRW
And how did Hitler carry out his "cleansing" compared to how Trump is carrying out his "cleansing"?
And Trump is "cleansing" illegal immigrants, yes?
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@Best.Korea
Where can we see his hatred of minorities being demonstrated?
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@FLRW
Trump‘s often vulgar denunciation of his opponents’ alleged failures consistently highlights the claim that he alone can fix the problems in public policy and society. That claim finds an analogy in Hitler’s persistent demand that he be the sole leader in Germany.
Is this meaning that Trump wants a monarchy or a dictatorship?
I think people's main beef with Hitler was his "ethnic cleansing" ideology. Is there a parallel with Trump there as well?
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@Best.Korea
Am I correct in saying that you believe proof has to precede truth?
But then I would like to understand what is "proof" to you.
Is the world and universe in all of its design evidence?
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@Best.Korea
So it cant be proven. Its just faith.
All beliefs and religions require some level of faith.
If you're referring to just Christianity, the religion isn't built just on faith.
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@Best.Korea
Besides, your logic can be applied to Jesus-God too. Jesus-God is Jesus-God whether you believe in it or not.
Why is this a problem?
It also doesnt include any proof that truth even exists.
Is that a true statement? It's self-defeating to believe in truth that says "there is no truth."
The truth would already be true whether it is known to you or notThat sounds like an unproved claim.
It is unproven--because it's self-evident
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@Best.Korea
Oh, I misunderstood. Trump is Hitler 🤣
What are the similarities between Trump and Hitler?
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@Best.Korea
No it's not circular reasoning.You said that truth is self-evident (that it proves itself). That is circular reasoning where A is a proof for A.
I don't think it's right to say that self-evidence proves itself. Self-evidence doesn't need to be proven
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@Best.Korea
I'm bringing up the point of truth being the truth whether you believe it or not.
Is that something you agree with?
This point does not include trying to prove a truth to see if its true.
The truth would already be true whether it is known to you or not
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@Best.Korea
After meeting Hitler, Elon Musk said "This is what victory is", then he did a nazi salute two times.Here is a video from a different angle which shows Musk doing nazi salute two times after he met Hitler:He was excited, so he did the salute two times instead of one.
Are there any similarities between Hitler and Elon besides the controversy that Elon's hand gesture looks like a Nazi salute?
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@Best.Korea
No it's not circular reasoning.
The truth is the truth whether you believe it or not. It does not adhere to your worldview. It transcends your worldview or any system you try to enforce on it.
Why can't the truth of Christianity be self-evident if it is the true religion?
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Hawking is talking. Hawking is talking.
Heyo! We got a talkin' Hawkin'!
A'Hawkin is a'talkin!
Goin' for a walkin!
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@Best.Korea
Truth does not need to determine itself as true because truth is self-evident
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@FLRW
You can't use science to prove any creation or universe origin theory, and this understanding is easily ascertained from the fundamentals of how to practice science.
What science is Stephen Hawking adhering to?
Though I should admit Hawking was talking in terms of likelihood, and this is where the real argument is: How should we interpret the scientific facts available to us?
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@Mall
I did a debate on here almost two years ago defending the same thing as you are.
My argument was that Atheists are religious.
What you say makes sense
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@Sidewalker
@Shila
I guess I'm not a persona troll, unless someone think it's believable that a penguin is typing to you both right now.
So character troll I am.
I will only occasionally be a troll, don't fret
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@Shila
Dang, are you anti-penguin? I would've never been able to tell by looking at you.
Are you recommending me to a furry website or something? I don't know if I'd be able to relate to a furry
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@Shila
The fact that you think you are a penguin opens room for bullies.
I was just kidding about that.
I was making fun of McMieky for saying he's the best debater in the world.
This is the only social media platform where I refer to myself as Skipper the penguin.
When I first made this account, I put Skipper as random name.
But then I made a joke out it by putting Skipper the penguin as my pfp
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@Shila
What is a healthy expression of anger?Expressing your angry feelings in an assertive—not aggressive—manner is the healthiest way to express anger. To do this, you have to learn how to make clear what your needs are, and how to get them met, without hurting others.
I like your differentiation between assertion and aggression. I think that is important for me to remember.
I don't know if everyone can avoid needing to be hurt in some way.
For example, sometimes you have to punch the bully in the nose to make peace with him.
But this does bring another related problem to light, and it could be that I view too many folks as "the bully;" my reaction to them is not correctly proportional to the situation.
You think this is possible?
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@Shila
Sometimes I feel weak and cowardly when I try focusing on subduing my anger.
I've had bad experiences with people manipulating me and making me feel weak and afraid.
I fear that sometimes my actions of anger act as a revenge mechanism to "get back" at those that afflicted me in the past, even though my anger is not or cannot be geared towards them.
My trouble is: how do I feel confident and sure of my strength without "losing it" in social interactions?
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@zedvictor4
Though looking back at my early years, I see that friends were nonetheless always competitive.Always trying to gain one-upmanship
I had trouble with valuing friendships, and to a certain extent relationships in general, because of the competitive presence I could see in my interactions with my friends and classmates.
At times, I would view them as completely arrogant and self-absorbed. But I see some of the same qualities in myself at certain moments, so I try not to be a harsh judge.
I'd like to think I control my negative qualities better than most.
I try very hard to not get angry around people because I don't want to subject them to having to deal with my outbursts.
I display a lot more anger when I'm by myself and no one can hear me.
I know how angry I can be towards people, and so I try not to be so conflicting. But at the same time, I loathe being a coward more than anything, and I think this outlook can influence me to be a lot more serious than I want to be in social interactions.
It's a balance of not being too angry and not feeling like I am being too submissive and slave-like to those around me
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@Shila
Alberto substitutes as your super ego.
I don't know about that. He's more like an annoyance that voices itself from confidence and image then from logic.
I wouldn't say he acts as a moral compass of sorts for me.
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It seems like you've studied psychoanalytic theory, so I'd appreciate your thoughts.
I have anger issues that arise sometimes. Do you think this plays a part in how I view my friend and myself?
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@JoeBob
Not sure how many people on this website play Fortnite but I would be interested to hear what yall think.
My least favorite season was either Chapter 5 Season 3 with all of the "Mad Max" cars or the mythology season which came before Ch5 S3
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@JoeBob
Funny you say that… because you can’t even play Fortnite on iOS rn😂
You can play on iOS or iPadOS or macOS with the xcloud, Xbox's cloud gaming service on their website.
All you have to do is make a Microsoft account to make an xbox account, and if you are on an iPhone or iPad you need to add the website to the Home Screen.
There will be a prompt to add it to the Home Screen--it's pretty simple.
I've been using xcloud on my Apple devices to play Fortnite for many months now without a hitch.
Though you might find trouble or glitching with slower devices.
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@Mharman
It was such a banger of a season to start on, and no season I’ve played since has topped it.
I 100% agree with you. That spy season was the best
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The current bible has no reference to reincarnation because it was removed but there are some hints that lead us to think that reincarnation was a Christian doctrine at the beginning. "Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John 1, 24-25. In that verse, Elijah had already long died but the Pharisees asked if John the Baptist was him. It's not a direct reference to reincarnation but I think we all understand what the pharisees tried to say.
This is not support for reincarnation.
The Pharisees are asking John the Baptist, "Why are you baptizing people as if you are Elijah?"
"Why are you acting as if you are Elijah?"
They are saying that he's acting like their understanding of who Elijah is, not that John is a direct reincarnation.
The Pharisees ask this because they think he is a fake, not that he is some legit, future revision of Elijah.
Similar action between two people does not denote reincarnation of one to the other.
I can go out and act like Ted Bundy.
How does that mean I am the reincarnation of Ted Bundy?
This Bible passage is truly to showcase that the Pharisees, as is the norm, misunderstand the will of God, and they do not know how to make sense of the actions of those that serve Him.
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@zedvictor4
It that because when one is younger, they have more opportunity, time, and willingness to form friendships?
When you get older, is there a decline in making friends, but there's still a capacity to have positive relationships in the form of acquaintances?
I'm nowhere near being older for now, so I don't have the "older experience" to say for sure
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@Best.Korea
That's pretty simple. Just outlining a CMaj7 chord.
Besides that, it's easy because you only play four notes.
Any one can play it!🤠
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@Best.Korea
What is the letter of the key that is marked "1"?
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@zedvictor4
Is Alberto real.Otherwise it's just two opinionated people, getting along but never quite agreeing.Pretty typical behaviour.Especially for two comparative strangers, discussing contentious topics.
The other character in the story is real, but his name is not Alberto.
I do think it is funny when picturing the way I feel about my conversations with Alberto in retrospect.
It's sort of like those comical scenes in movies where two guys just keep on bothering each other, but then at the end of the day they still have a friendship
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@Best.Korea
Questions for some people are mainly "emotional arguments" which try to put burden of proof on opponent and which try to force opponent to explain what you tell him to.Questions are not arguments, obviously. They are just very good at presenting themselves as they were.
Yeah, I agree with that.
Your counter to questions have been helpful when I try to use them.
They make me feel more relaxed.
Sometimes I would get too stressed about the convo, which made me want to think harder and explain more, but this did not aid me in presenting myself better.
Sort of like a backfire with trying too hard.
Sarcasm helps keep the convo light, and it can make the other guy feel like maybe this argument isn't that serious
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@Lemming
It could be that some of his questions were rhetorical, and I didn't realize.
Though I think for most of his questions he wants them to be answered directly, and it felt like nagging to me so that's why I was annoyed.
After a few days of venting a little, I've come to understand that basically I am just annoyed with the way he is inquisitive in conversation, so I'll probably just talk less with him.
And not that asking questions in principle is bad, just, I negatively view the way he does it.
Not that I dislike him, but I would prefer less convo with him
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@McMieky
Oh, hello. My LARP character is that I'm the best penguin in the world
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We both believe in God, and so he thought my reasoning was ignoring God's commands of right and wrong and instead focusing on my own rationale.(I have my own thoughts to share about that above, but I've already typed a lot so I'll skip it for sake of relevance + being concise.)
Getting into this would explain more my criticisms of Alberto.
I might make another forum thread about it
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Intro
I have a little story to share about some recent things.
I have a friend that I have made not too long ago (let's call him Alberto), and he likes to ask questions about what I think and do a lot.
That's not bad in itself, because I do enjoy my beliefs being tested and seen from different perspectives.
It's just I have an issue with the way he asks his questions and his argument style.
Examples
I'll give some examples of how he thinks:
1. Alberto said that people who use 24-hour time are only "trying to be different."
I thought that sounded weird, and lo and behold, I found out that 2/3 of the population of the world use 24-hour time.
People don't use "military time" to stand out, it's actually more commonly used than 12-hour time.
2. The other day, I was telling him how I prefer computers over iPads, and he seemed to prefer the latter so one of his first questions was, "Honestly, what can a computer do that an iPad can't do?"
Someone who asks this question clearly does not know very much about computers.
Issue with the mode of questioning from Alberto
Now, the reason those conversations bother me is because of the way Alberto asks a question.
He asks a question like he's making a point--the question itself is a point to him, and I've noticed other people do this too.
But, the way I see it, a question is not a point, it is a prompt.
People carry so much confidence in an inquiry because they expect the person they're talking with to automatically understand the implications from the question, but understanding the points implied is not in the same stage as hearing the question.
I'll say it again, a question is not a statement, it is a prompt.
The problem is that people treat their question like it's a really important fact they've just shared.
I don't think these types of people know how to argue well, but this style of arguing is effective at slowing the other person down as I have experienced because:
1. The receiver has to first understand the question--the same as understanding any question.
2. But then secondly, the receiver is forced to try to read the inquisitor's mind because the inquisitor did not give a point, only a question, and the points are hidden in the question.
So this slows down the receiver's thought process by having to basically explain the inquisitor's point for them in his head before replying, which can take too long and thus the inquisitor can start to take the lead from the receiver taking too long to answer back.
Prime Example: Stealing batteries from Walmart
I'll give my best example of my problem with arguing with Alberto.
I accidentally stole batteries from Walmart the other night when Alberto and I went shopping for supplies together.
They were in my pocket and I had forgotten I put them there, purchased my other stuff, and then walked out the door.
I realized before we left the parking lot, and so I went back inside to pay for my batteries.
I explained why I did this to Alberto.
I started out with saying how I try to think about what is wrong to do in principle, such as asking myself, "Would X act be okay for me to do still if everyone else in the world did it?"
"Would X act be okay for me to do if it was a universal law?"
I didn't think everyone stealing batteries from Walmart was okay, so I decided to redeem myself.
I also explained how I didn't want to make a habit of stealing things because habits start small and then grow, and they can begin with things like stealing batteries from Walmart and being fine with that.
We both believe in God, and so he thought my reasoning was ignoring God's commands of right and wrong and instead focusing on my own rationale.
(I have my own thoughts to share about that above, but I've already typed a lot so I'll skip it for sake of relevance + being concise.)
Alberto led with the question, "What is good and bad?"
My immediate thought was "This is vague because he didn't give much context to it. Like, is he asking what are good and bad things to do?"
And it's a big question too.
I felt kind of stumped because I didn't know how to respond at first. The question seemed out of the blue since there was no support he had given for it.
I provided context by saying murder was bad, and then he asked why is murder bad.
I said for reasons such as it being an act of hatred and personal revenge.
Then he said why is killing bad which is not what I said, and this is where you can see I start to become annoyed with the way he argues.
More about Alberto's arguing
He likes to ask questions a lot without giving many points.
I've noticed this can make a person seem smart because the asker can become the conductor of the conversation easily by leading it with their questions.
It's more of a facade though because it doesn't actually display much knowledge of the topic, more like a distraction from letting anyone know that he doesn't know as much as you would think.
A question is not an explanation of anything which is something you need in order to argue, so Alberto does not understand the fundamentals of debating.
It seems like he eventually gets bored with my continuous answers, probably because I go a bit slower to counter him seemingly trying to speed things up for a quick victory by just asking big questions that can take a while to answer or not really giving any points at all, so the person he's talking to has to carry the weight of any meat of the topic being shared or explained.
An Ending
And the reason he questions me so frequently is because I tell him some of my deeper beliefs about life and the way I act.
I do this to sharpen my ability to explain myself, to make conversation, or to see if I'm actually wrong about something.
And, truly, I have it coming when he starts to question me because I know how he thinks, and I can tell when he is going to probe me with his own thoughts against mine.
I'd appreciate any thoughts from you guys!
Any similar situations?
Similar friends?
Ever steal batteries from Walmart?
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@JoeBob
My family tends to have a meal of cheese fondue with an assortment of food to dip with.
We’ll also watch some movies and enjoy each other’s company
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@Casey_Risk
Interested in joining us for another game?
Thanks for the offer, but I can't right now. I'm finishing up the semester, and then I'll have more free time afterwards.
I haven't really been active in two weeks or so. I only log in when I get an email notif.
Unfortunately, I forfeited one round in both of my current debates. If I do anything on here, it's just going to be responding to debates for now
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@Best.Korea
Is your solution that the government hands out all of the resources to its citizens?
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Speaking of clowns
Props to the bro
For getting so slow
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I have been busy with upcoming final projects and exams, as well as the usual grind that college demands.
(Why am I even going to college? *[insert goofy grin that hides depression and purposelessness]*)
I will have more time tomorrow to read everything
Stay crazy
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