And why should we call them liberals?
Category Archives: Philosophy
Living On Mars
Some thoughts from Bob Zubrin, who apparently has a new book
out on the subject.
I have to say, though, that when he says:
It’s a common view that Columbus was just interested in finding a spice route to the Indies, and that was his sales pitch to the Spanish courts. But I actually believe that contrary to conventional history, Columbus was looking for unknown continents — he just couldn’t pitch it that way.
I’d be curious to know the basis for that belief, or if it’s just wishful thinking or projection. My reading of the history does not indicate that Columbus was averse to making a buck.
Fishing for the Future
…Soylent green. The miracle food of high-energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world.
Soylent Green, 1973
The New York Times predicts that “if current fishing practices continue, the world’s major commercial stocks will collapse by 2048.” Their solution: lower energy content by eating sardines instead of feeding them to farm-raised salmon.
Mistaking energy content for price is a common mistake. Chew on this: organic lettuce is more expensive than a hamburger.
Wild fish will be eclipsed by farm-raised fish just as farm-raised beef has eclipsed free-range beef. Get used to it, perhaps by preparing to pay an extreme premium for free-range fish. Don’t expect the Chinese middle class to prefer wild cod once a year to farm-raised salmon once a month. Expect the coastal waters to be fenced into fish farms just as the Great Plains was fenced in during the 19th century.
It’s time to manage the pollution and reserve the wild fish parks upcurrent. This tide isn’t going to be turned back by pondering how the old days were until we’re eaten up.
Libertarianism and SF
Katherine Mangu-Ward, in an essay on Tor Books, says that the link remains strong.
A New Libertarian-Conservative Coalition?
It seems likely. We’re going to have to join forces against the fascists who are taking over Washington. Lots of good discussion in comments.
Beware The Bandwagon
Of all the dumb reasons to vote for Barack Obama (and they are legion, even if there are a few smart ones interspersed), one of the dumbest is simply because the media is telling you he’s inevitable. The bandwagon effect is a classical logical fallacy, that many fall for nonetheless (because most people are untrained in logic).
Don’t let them herd you like a sheep into voting for someone just because you want to vote for the winner. If you’re going to drink the redistributionist koolaid, at least do it because you actually believe it.
Food For Thought
From Robert Heinlein:
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as “bad luck.”
[Via Instapundit]
An Interesting Thought Experiment
Over at Winds of Change:
Stipulate that there is a small machine that I could put into your home or workplace that with absolute accuracy – I mean 100% accuracy – would send an alarm in the specific case that a person who had the true intent to commit murder was close to it. Yes, it’s Minority Report territory. But accept it as true.
Would you – as an American – be comfortable having something like that in your house?
I would need a little clarification: what is “close to it” and what does “murder” mean? Does it merely mean killing someone? Would self defense count?
A Devoted Mother
…has passed on.
Firefighters spotted Scarlett, despite burns to her eyes, ears and face, toting each kitten out of the building to safety. Once outside, Scarlett nudged each baby with her nose to make sure she found all five.
The hero cat was taken to the North Shore Animal League with her offspring – and their story soon attracted attention from around the globe.
It’s instinct, but it’s not just instinct, because there are some mothers who don’t make the mark. All species can transcend, to limited degrees. But there are variations within.
No One Tell Leon Kass
Ice cream tastes better licked than spooned. Dr. Kass will be appalled to hear about scientific discrediting of his “yuckometer.”
(And yes, before you bother to comment, I know that his point wasn’t that licked ice cream doesn’t taste good.)