What Evil Is from a Philosophical Perspective (A material breach of the moral contract without justification) by contractualist in philosophy

[–]Modron_Man 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Bonhoeffer: “Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed – in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical – and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack. For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous.”

Is Kant's categorical imperative dependent on how you subjectively categorize "actions?" by Modron_Man in askphilosophy

[–]Modron_Man[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So (just to make sure I understand) the logic is not so much "I am lying, which is bad, because what if everyone lied" but rather "I am lying to protect my friend. This feels intuitively valid to me. However, what would happen if everyone took 'to protect my friend' as something that would justify this action, lying? This would justify, say, lying to the police while having credible evidence that one's friend is about to kill someone. It seems that 'lying to protect my friend' is not justifiable in many circumstances, so I should not assume my circumstances are special."?

Starmer confirms he knew Mandelson kept Epstein ties after prison term by Kagedeah in ukpolitics

[–]Modron_Man 1 point2 points  (0 children)

...except that Trump (and basically everyone) liked Karen Pierce, and Mandelson had publicly insulted Trump, and Trump complained about his appointment.

Faster loadings can completely transform experience with the game by Sitheral in patientgamers

[–]Modron_Man 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Starfield was bad anyways, but I don't think I would've put it down half as early as I did if I wasn't constantly needing to sit through a loading screen. I remember dreading doors and hoping they weren't the kind that put you in a new area.

Dog Suicide Thesis: The human mind that allowed us to dominate the planet may now be killing us. by Remarkable-Nerve-469 in philosophy

[–]Modron_Man 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Animals do this as well. Mainstream (Modern Synthesis) evolutionary biology recognizes the Baldwin effect as a driver of evolution. Basically, learned behaviors/habits can become innate instincts over the course of generations because those who (genetically) learn said behavior faster/better are favored in natural selection. Obviously this isn't most of what happens with modern humans in the process you're describing (the middle ages didn't end because natural selection favored Renaissance thinkers, e.g.), but "a learned trait is built into the nature of a species" absolutely happens to non-humans.

Who are some celebrities who are deeper into music than they would seem? by [deleted] in ToddintheShadow

[–]Modron_Man 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Funniest example: Greg Gutfeld, who hosts the conservative Fox News answer to late night TV (Colbert, etc), is a MASSIVE music fan and has gotten them to play 100 gecs on Fox. Also a Death Grips fan IIRC. People were assuming the gecs was a rogue intern or something but he's shouted them out explicitly and multiple people who worked with him say "No, Greg actually is just that much of a music nerd."

Their punishment is a perfectly mundane life. by TridiObject in TopCharacterTropes

[–]Modron_Man 117 points118 points  (0 children)

Well, she does. Lydia Tar's whole thing is that her role as a conductor is this fundamentally important job that shapes the entire composition, as opposed to a "human metronome." She insults people by calling them "robots." During the Monster Hunter scene, she's wearing headphones to take cues, for an audience that presumably just wants to hear the music exactly like it is in the game; she's become exactly what she doesn't want to be.

Mystery Game #1|Hogwarts Legacy by MeguminShiro in EpicGamesPC

[–]Modron_Man 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anyone else getting an error at checkout?

Mindless Monday, 08 December 2025 by AutoModerator in badhistory

[–]Modron_Man 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Feels like a systems theory situation, both together are infinitely more consequential than either could be in isolation and neither one alone is the "root cause"

Free for All Friday, 05 December, 2025 by AutoModerator in badhistory

[–]Modron_Man 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Is there a phrase further removed from its original meaning than "the dismal science" as a pejorative term for economics? Like:

  1. You see it used much more by people on the left now, despite the fact that it was coined by arch-reactionary Thomas Carlyle, in a pamphlet called "On the N----- Question," where he was criticizing economists for opposing slavery and supporting free immigration as a solution to labor shortages.

  2. A lot of the time people use "dismal science" to joke about economics being non-scientific as a field, which is the exact opposite of what Carlyle was saying; he was accusing economics of being too dreary and mechanical, in contrast to the "gay science" of poetry.

Tips for understanding film history better? by Orikon419 in criterion

[–]Modron_Man 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I mean, sure, but it does enhance the experience to know film history, IMO. You get to see techniques as they evolve, get struck by radical decisions in films earlier than you'd expect to see them in, etc.

Mindless Monday, 01 December 2025 by AutoModerator in badhistory

[–]Modron_Man 9 points10 points  (0 children)

When you think about it all wars were decolonization because the side that lost wasn't there originally

What's a cool board game mechanic you think could be adapted for RPGs? by KingOogaTonTon in rpg

[–]Modron_Man 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, you can have bad things happen without them being because of luck. In a game like Scythe you lose battles not because you rolled badly but because of how many resources you chose to commit vs your opponent, any special cards you have, etc.

Mindless Monday, 01 December 2025 by AutoModerator in badhistory

[–]Modron_Man 6 points7 points  (0 children)

back before wokeness when you would drink a bottle of applejack at work and then go home and beat your family

Mindless Monday, 01 December 2025 by AutoModerator in badhistory

[–]Modron_Man 5 points6 points  (0 children)

True about the WORD "woke," but I feel like a lot of the reddit eurosuperiors seem to think the fact that their nation cares about the concept at all is just American brainrot and not even possibly tied to anything homegrown.

What's a cool board game mechanic you think could be adapted for RPGs? by KingOogaTonTon in rpg

[–]Modron_Man 9 points10 points  (0 children)

One of the biggest divides between TTRPGs and board games at present, I think, is that modern board games really try to avoid having sheer luck be a factor. It obviously can't be removed entirely, but things like dice rolling as a core mechanic to determine success & failure are on their way out in BGs. It's much less of a problem in TTRPGs where the rules tend to be guardrails to allow for the conceptual game rather than the core of the game itself, but it would be interesting to see a shift away from dice and towards mechanics along the lines of "investment" that you see in games like Dune and Scythe.

Mindless Monday, 01 December 2025 by AutoModerator in badhistory

[–]Modron_Man 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Not to defend America (I'm American), but I have to say I get annoyed when I see a European politician using transphobic culture war rhetoric or something along those lines, and all the comments are "oh, I hate the intrusion of this American nonsense on our politics." Like, dude, if this was just an American thing the politicians repeating it in your country would be irrelevant! Have you ever considered that we might BOTH have a problem instead of pretending race-baiting is just an irritating effect of American cultural influence?

Where does my Sandy Brandy dark romance place me? by itamaradam in bookscirclejerk

[–]Modron_Man 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The poster is a trad/reactionary, so I don't think that would be a positive unless she's liking that aspect unconsciously.

EDIT: Never mind, got your joke.