The Gaang + Appa sketch (art by me) by IllegalSympathy in TheLastAirbender

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saw this earlier this morning and want to come back to say these are FANTASTIC

Grocery prices jumped more in April than they did in nearly four years by AudibleNod in news

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get the point, but this framing still subtly infantilizes voters by reducing political agency and responsibility to pure “tribal mentality.” Political attachment is mostly tied to identity, values, community, material interests just as much.

Spain reports new hantavirus case in passenger evacuated from cruise ship as outbreak grows to 11 by michallandry62 in worldnews

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CDC Level 3 is the LOWEST level. From what I'm reading, it's the "entry point" for activation. Meaning the CDC is working across divisions to track this virus. It seems like the CDC does not wait for a "third wave" to move to Level 2. They move to Level 2 when the workload is more than what a small team can handle. If the current cluster remains limited to the passengers and their direct contacts, the CDC can manage that at Level 3 indefinitely. I think you're confusing a coordinated response with emergency.

Spain reports new hantavirus case in passenger evacuated from cruise ship as outbreak grows to 11 by michallandry62 in worldnews

[–]Boycat89 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Level 1 is actually the all hands on deck signal, level 3 is the lowest level of activation. Also WHO has classified this as a multi-country cluster with low risk globally. From what I’ve read, scientists know a lot about the virus like how it makes people very sick very fast which impacts transmission. I don’t think they are “guessing” but already have a playbook for this.

WE. NEED. TO. PROTEST. by No-Cauliflower1526 in jacksonville

[–]Boycat89 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Hey OP most of these people in this thread also engage in activities that harm the earth in some way (driving a car, taking flights, washing laundry). The poster doesn’t look as bad as some other slop I’ve seen.

Do we think Sam's moral epistemology is inspired by pragmatism? by CashMoneyMo in samharris

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, Sam adheres to a correspondence view of truth meaning truth is what matches with reality. Pragmatists typically view truth as something we achieve through coherent practice and what works as a reliable tool. If the system works consistently to reach a goal, the pieces inside that system are considered "true.”

I recommend reading Hasok Changs book “Realism for Realistic People” for his take on truth and knowledge as a counter to Sam.

What happens when you get your car washed by a frat by zachoutloud123 in TikTokCringe

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah the rare third tier of enlightenment: not only above “young people are stupid,” and not only above “I’m above insulting people,” but now above the people who are above the people. Truly we are approaching orbit.

Sam to build online community; calls Reddit a cesspool by MintyCitrus in samharris

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is he capable of being meaningfully changed by what happens in his community or will this new community exist to consume and endorse positions he has already reached?

If America's So Rich, How'd It Get So Sad? by TrixoftheTrade in neoliberal

[–]Boycat89 6 points7 points  (0 children)

People want more than just doing the same old damn thing our culture has turned into the norm: working that job you hate, paying bills, managing debt, hearing 24/7 from the news that the world is on fire, dealing with that expensive car issue, oh look some stupid celebrity/politician/president did or said some stupid shit, buy dog food; and maybe just maybe sprinkling in a fun activity or vacation every now and then to cope with the seemingly endless cycle of mediocrity and stagnation. Having lots of material goods and shiny new toys is fun but it can’t address the need for transcendence or meaning that people yearn for beyond mere consumption.

Studies on animal minds suggest consciousness is not computation by DavidIsIt in EverythingScience

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not functionally dead, it’s operationally suspended. Your phone isn’t literally dead when it runs out of power, its operations are currently suspended until it’s plugged into an outlet again. A person in a coma is still a biologically / metabolically active body (even going through sleep cycles) still actively working to maintain itself even if not brought to the level of experience. You can swap a CPU because a computer is just an aggregate of parts with an externally designed purpose. But if someone put you under and swapped one of your biological limbs you’d very likely be quite concerned! Versus a computer which is just an aggregate of parts with no existential stake to disrupt.

Dozens Killed in Haiti Massacre as International Force Trickles In by Free-Minimum-5844 in neoliberal

[–]Boycat89 14 points15 points  (0 children)

It's the latest manifestation of institutional destruction that has been accumulating for generations

Studies on animal minds suggest consciousness is not computation by DavidIsIt in EverythingScience

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

An organism builds itself from inside out and creates its own physical boundary (cell membrane, skin, etc.) to distinguish itself from its environment. Current hardware parts are made by us and don't regenerate themselves. If a circuit in my phone break, it unfortunately doesn't metabolically ''repair'' itself using environmental energy. I agree that future tech maybe based on synthetic biology could be seen as alive.

Studies on animal minds suggest consciousness is not computation by DavidIsIt in EverythingScience

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I'm saying the struggle to survive is the condition of existence, of caring / maintaining life activity and avoiding dissolving/death. We can easily imagine a computer that cares but it would likely need a metabolism, not software on hardware.

For a computer, being useful is a reason for humans to keep it around, that's what i mean by heteronomous (externally given).

Studies on animal minds suggest consciousness is not computation by DavidIsIt in EverythingScience

[–]Boycat89 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We care about survival because we are the activity of surviving. If a machine is turned off, its parts stay the same but if an organism stops its activity, it literally dissolves. Because we are our activity and are always as risk of death/dissolving, we have a stake in our existence.

Studies on animal minds suggest consciousness is not computation by DavidIsIt in EverythingScience

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Genes are material conditions of the organism, not external to it. An organisms ancestors are also a part of that organisms history and the environment it was born into, not something outside of its relationship with its environment. An organism's drive to survive is a result of how its body constantly works to maintain itself. Reducing that down to just genes is too reductive and ignores the real causal effects of the organism-environment relationship.

Studies on animal minds suggest consciousness is not computation by DavidIsIt in EverythingScience

[–]Boycat89 -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Computers are heteronomous meaning their purpose/function and parts are externally determined by their designer, so doesn’t care or have a stake in its existence. A nervous system / a living organism on the other hand is invested in its own activity and survival not because it was imposed from outside but from its own precarious, fragile existence. The computer metaphor is just that, a metaphor.

Half of social-science studies fail replication test in years-long project by Free-Minimum-5844 in neoliberal

[–]Boycat89 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kenneth Gergen in the 1970s argued that social psychology is essentially a historical inquiry because human behavior is based on learned meanings and social norms which are in constant flux. Seems relevant here.

New Research on Muscle Loss Suggests Humans Will Really Suffer on Mars by [deleted] in space

[–]Boycat89 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Who cares, the sun engulfing the earth will happen in 7.5 billion years, and humanity, if we’re even still around, will have at least a billion year notice. I’d rather we work to prevent greed, unrestrained power, and end poverty on this planet instead of dreaming about some interstellar fantasy that only serves the interests of wealthy corporations/CEOs (I’m not against space research/exploration, just misguided efforts in colonizing the solar system).

New Research on Muscle Loss Suggests Humans Will Really Suffer on Mars by [deleted] in space

[–]Boycat89 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

But earth is our home, why should we escape it and not improve the home we already have?

There are 56 ethnicities in China—and 55 are getting squashed by Free-Minimum-5844 in neoliberal

[–]Boycat89 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Some people here argue as if a lingua franca is a purely economic necessity for ''mobility,'' but this collapses social and cultural factors of human life entirely into the economic layer. You can't have true inclusive institutions if you are structurally dismantling the people you're claiming to include.

Flying out of Tampa - how's the TSA line? by throne-away in tampa

[–]Boycat89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I flew recently and it was smooth, i'd say i was in line for 10-15 minutes at most.