The System

Is it possible that there can be a foolproof system for predicting the winner of horse races? Watch as Derren explores this.

It moves a little slow but it is well worth watching. It is very well done.

Love Hope Fear

Great post from Seth Godin on motivations that marketers use.

Google, amazingly quickly, became a beloved brand, something many people see as bigger than themselves, something bigger than hope. Apple lives in this arena as well. I think if you deliver hope for a long time (and deliver on it sometimes) you can graduate to love. Ronald Reagan was beloved, even when he was making significant long-term errors. So was JFK. Hillary may be respected, but Obama is loved.

All Life is Sacred Except When it's Not

sa·cred /ˈseɪkrɪd/
–adjective
1. devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated.
2. entitled to veneration or religious respect by association with divinity or divine things; holy.
3. pertaining to or connected with religion (opposed to secular or profane): sacred music; sacred books.
4. reverently dedicated to some person, purpose, or object: a morning hour sacred to study.
5. regarded with reverence: the sacred memory of a dead hero.
6. secured against violation, infringement, etc., as by reverence or sense of right: sacred oaths; sacred rights.
7. properly immune from violence, interference, etc., as a person or office.

"All life is Sacred." - George W. Bush, June 21st, 2007

Yesterday Bush used the premise "all life is sacred" to justify why he vetoed the stem-cell research bill. His argument goes something like this:

1. All life is sacred
2. Embryos are "life"
3. Stem-cell research violates embryos
4. By definition, sacred things should not be violated
5. Therefore, stem-cell research should not take place

In order to agree with his argument, you have to accept his premise that "all life is sacred". Let's take a closer look at it. The first thing to notice is the word "all". "All" means the whole amount. By "life" does he mean human life? With the word "all" there he either means "all human life" or "all living things". Since I'm skeptical that he doesn't mean "all living things" we'll go with "all human life". And the definitions of "sacred" are above. Which one does he mean? I would guess he means it something like "secured against violation, infringement" with some religious overtones.

So premise #1 is probably "All human life is secured against violation because it is sacred".

I believe bush uses the phrase "all life" to really mean that embryos are human beings and that he would use the same argument to say that abortion is wrong. My point here isn't to debate the status of embryos. My point is that by saying "all life" to make a very specific point (viz., that embryos are human beings") he steps into a huge logistical trap. If anyone has followed the words of G.W. Bush closely you'll know that logic really has no meaning for him and I hold no illusions about this. However, I want to spring the trap anyway.

If we hold Bush to his premise that "all (human) life is sacred" then we can make the following argument:

1. All life is sacred
2. The invasion/occupation of Iraq violates human life (many humans have been killed because of Bush's decision to invade and occupy so this premise is clearly true)
3. By definition, sacred things should not be violated
4. Therefore, the Iraq invasion/occupation should not take place

We could take it a step further if we thought he literally meant all life and not just human life:

1. All life is sacred
2. Factory farming violates animal lives
3. By definition, sacred things should not be violated
4. Therefore, factory farming should not take place

Or how about:

1. All life is sacred
2. The death penalty violates human life
3. By definition, sacred things should not be violated
4. Therefore, the death penalty should not take place

Wow, "all life is sacred" sure is a handy premise.

Does Bush really mean "all life?" Or is it "all life, except Iraqis, convicted murderers, terrorists, animals or ...?" Or is it "all life is sacred except when it's not?"

Global Climate Change: An Interesting Argument

I love this kind of philosophy. He asks not whether global warming is true, but what action should we take. Thanks to Shawn for sending me this video.


Interesting Argument About Global Warming - Watch more free videos