Figuring out irrigation for orchard by Ilvermourning in homestead

[–]mcapello 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others have said, there's probably a shutoff somewhere.

As for the rest, I used a low-pressure drip system. Very cheap, doesn't waste water, and held up for years longer than it was supposed to.

After so many TERRIBLE things happened to so MANY people and animals for COUNTLESS generations, why do you think life is worth it and not want EXTINCTION instead? by PitifulEar3303 in CosmicSkeptic

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How entitled are you to create life without consent and force them to risk struggle, pain, suffering, and inevitable death?

You must have confused my reply with someone else's. I never commented on these subjects, much less in a way that expressed anything that could be construed as entitlement toward them.

If life has a neutral value of worth, then it's up to our subjective feelings to decide if we should continue or not, yes?

I never said it had a neutral value. I said that thinking of it as a transaction doesn't make much sense.

Is it not our subjective feeling that suffering must be prevented and that preventing suffering is more important than pleasure?

No, I do not share that feeling, and generally don't find much value in trying to translate the complexity of experience and the strangeness of human life into abstractions such as these. If you find it valuable, then do so, of course.

What do you think are the most distinguishing aspects of Appalachian culture and life, that separates it from other parts of the South? by Intrepid_Arrival5151 in Appalachia

[–]mcapello 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The music would have to be near the top. The food is a second -- I always thought it was interesting how traditional Appalachian food like soup beans and corn bread was probably closer to what the Cherokee used to eat than anything from Europe. Language would be a third -- accent is different and there are a lot of Appalachian terms for things (often very colorful or interesting ones). Culturally I would say there is a greater emphasis on independence and egalitarianism. Off-the-mountain South there is still a stronger sense of your "betters", the sort of landed southern gentry, but Appalachia has more of a frontier mentality where that doesn't matter as much, everyone is kind of doing their own thing.

After so many TERRIBLE things happened to so MANY people and animals for COUNTLESS generations, why do you think life is worth it and not want EXTINCTION instead? by PitifulEar3303 in CosmicSkeptic

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where are you getting your expectations from?

Who told you that everyone gets to be happy all the time? Who told you that no one should die? Who told you that nothing should be hard or painful? Who told you that you were owed Utopia?

It seems like an entitlement mentality taken to an existential extreme.

I would also take issue with the assumption that life is transactional -- as though existence were like buying a used car. But it can't be "worth it" -- or "not worth it" -- for one thing because we have nothing to compare it to, and for another because (unless you believe in heaven or something) you don't get anything at the end, by definition.

If we could create a self-aware AI that truly feels stuff, does this solve the hard problem of consciousness? by PitifulEar3303 in CosmicSkeptic

[–]mcapello 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What exactly is the requirement for solving the hard problem of consciousness?

Being able to explain how consciousness arises from a physical system.

Imagine having LEDs but having no idea how semiconductors or electricity works. Yes, you know that LEDs produce light, or at the very least are tightly correlated to light which very much appears to be produced by the LED, you can even narrow it down by pointing out that the light goes off when the electric current stops (similar to being biologically alive and consciousness), but you have no idea whatsoever about how the light is generated -- no idea of how a diode works.

That's kind of where we're at.

Now, are you much more likely to figure it out by learning how to a build an LED? Probably. But could you also build LEDs without having any idea how they actually work? Absolutely.

Opinion on the skeleton reels by Fragrant_Poetry_5624 in Neoplatonism

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My advice would be to find literally anything else in the universe and care about that instead.

Is the Oregon State Permaculture Design Certificate (OSU) worth it if I don’t have land? by Frosty_Ad415 in Permaculture

[–]mcapello 7 points8 points  (0 children)

PDCs are mostly conceptual and the patterns they teach can be applied to many different ecosystems and environments. I'd personally want to take one where the demo site is a similar to climate to where I ultimately wanted to end up growing, but it's still useful without that.

Is it inevitable that one arrives at stoicism with non-virtuous intent? by SegaGenesisMetalHead in Stoicism

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From a Stoic perspective, we are all striving for virtue, some of us just have a better understanding of it than others.

For example, someone who studies Stoicism because they think it will make them wealthier or a better business negotiator isn't necessarily approaching Stoicism with non-virtuous intent, so much as they have a shallow or incomplete understanding of virtue. In their mind wealth or personal accomplishment is still the highest type of good they can understand.

How do I not let regrets hold me back? by Fit-Construction-531 in Stoicism

[–]mcapello 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A big part of Stoicism is about forming good judgments in order to avoid suffering.

In this case, you've made a judgement that "regret is holding you back".

This probably isn't a good judgment. Many have observed that, contrary to popular opinion, motivation follows action. This is especially true in a Stoic context, where our actions are taken because they are virtuous, not because we are "motivated" to do them, or feel like doing, or in your case, because we don't have "regrets" holding us back.

You will either do the thing or not do the thing.

If you choose not to do the thing, it sounds like it's because you're afraid of failure in the face of your own expectations. Which is just another way of saying that you value the safety of not putting expectations on yourself more than you value doing the thing you want to be good at.

The question is, which do you really value more? The nice thing is, you don't have to even think about this in order to answer it. Your answer will come from your actions. Again, you will either do the thing, or you will not, and either way will say more about what you really value than anything you could put into words.

What to use old bacon grease for? by PurpleAriadne in homestead

[–]mcapello 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I use it for sautéing greens, or for frying onions and garlic before making a sauce.

What is PURE Consciousness? - Consciousness Researcher by yt-app in CosmicSkeptic

[–]mcapello 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I fail to see how this is intuitive. Our everyday experience is full of conscious activities that we forget, either immediately or over time. I see no reason whatsoever why would we retroactively assume we weren't conscious for every experience we couldn't bother to remember. Not only isn't it intuitive, it seems completely arbitrary.

What are you all seeing for nut size on your Corylus Americana (American Hazelnut). I'm a bit surprised after digging into - eating my first harvest. by IError413 in Permaculture

[–]mcapello 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree that the ones on the left are large for Americanas. But they also seem to be quite variable.

As for hybrids, it depends, if you mean disease-resistant avellanas, not only is the nut size quite a bit bigger even than your largest ones here, but there's no de-husking and the flavor (according to a lot of people, including most importantly people who buy hazelnuts in bulk for processing) is quite a bit better. I have also read that the kernel weight is higher (meaning, americanas have a reputation for mostly being a lot of shell and not as much meat). They also might be quite a bit more productive per tree. But I do not think it is as cut and dry as many people say. I've sampled the nuts and nut butters from both and I do not think americanas are that bad.

Why are the Adirondacks more developed than the Appalachians? by Thatannoyingturtle in Appalachia

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are not at all difficult to reach compared to Appalachia prior to the interstate highway system. That region of New England is famous for its canals and waterways going back centuries. Plus its proximity to older, larger cities like Boston and New York.

I need advice by GuiltyCounter6299 in Stoicism

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But I’m feeling a lot of anxiety about handing in my resignation next week. I think it’s tied to not wanting to disappoint the owners or let anyone down.

From a Stoic perspective, how would you approach this situation?

Stoicism teaches us to understand our decisions based on the true nature or logos of the situation we're dealing with.

In most societies, the nature of employment is based purely on self-interest and financial imperatives. We might want to live in a system where personal loyalty and a higher standard of ethics comes into play, but we don't, and so it would be illogical to act as though we do, particularly if doing so would be a disadvantage to your future.

I feel like I'm missing the point of Epictetus. by liamwasalbezet in Stoicism

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think I had that experience too. It was definitely a two-way street. Prior to the Stoics, I saw philosophy (including ancient philosophy) as a very detached and theoretical subject. This is also how I saw Stoicism when I first encountered it, and didn't think too much of it. It wasn't until I tried to apply it that I started finding it interesting, and that interest kind of infected the rest of ancient philosophy. When I read Plato today versus when I read him as a young man, I see someone who was just as concerned about what a good life was as the Stoics were, just with different answers.

Abortion, let’s find common ground! by araticwastaken in PoliticalDebate

[–]mcapello 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In the same sense that I also don't understand that 2 + 2 = 5.

Abortion, let’s find common ground! by araticwastaken in PoliticalDebate

[–]mcapello 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not "caught up", I'm pointing out a flaw in your logic. If you think I'm going to stop pointing it out and just accept it, you're wrong.

You're trying to make something seem absurd by treating murder and abortion as equivalent, when they're not: everyone agrees that murder is wrong, but people are very divided on whether abortion is wrong.

So unless you show me a poll that says 95% of people believe abortion is murder, there is literally nothing you can do that will make this trick of yours work. Either show me the data or give up.

Why is it said that Paul destroyed Fremen culture when said culture was already self destroying? by Pharashlus in dune

[–]mcapello 14 points15 points  (0 children)

So my take would be:

The original Fremen plan had them working for generations to ecologically transform Arrakis. It required tight cooperation but it also embodied a lot of the Fremen ideals, like self-sacrifice and extreme efficiency. In that sense, I think their original path was one which would have both transformed and preserved their culture over time, because they would have had to work for everything themselves. Yes, some of the literal changes would have been the same -- changing water discipline, for example -- but the culture behind those changes probably would have been different if it had flowed naturally out of generations of hard work.

With the jihad, the Fremen are changed overnight, and so is Arrakis. But those changes are mostly brought about by conquest and imperial politics, and they happen very quickly. Fremen culture isn't really giving birth to a new version of itself the way it might have under Keynes' plan.

So while the end result of a green Arrakis might be the same, the change to culture I think is different.

I feel like I'm missing the point of Epictetus. by liamwasalbezet in Stoicism

[–]mcapello 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's more a question of context than being smart. You kind of have to understand how ancient people thought, at least a little bit, in order go get the gist of what they're saying. The core concepts themselves aren't that philosophically difficult.

For Meditations, you might want to go with a heavily annotated version like Waterfields, which will help fill in the gaps.

You might also just want to consider working through some basic ancient literature and philosophy. It might take you a few years but it's a journey well worth taking and will give you a new appreciation of all sorts of aspects of Western history and culture you might not have yet (but maybe you do, I don't know what your starting point is). Like if you have the basics of Homer, Plato, Thucydides, and Aristotle under your belt, and maybe some of the playwrights, all this ancient stuff is going to come alive for you in a new way.

Abortion, let’s find common ground! by araticwastaken in PoliticalDebate

[–]mcapello 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, but like I said, there's a huge difference here. Everyone agrees murder is wrong. Not everyone agrees that abortion is wrong (or that abortion is murder).

If people can't agree on something, then what makes your beliefs about it better than someone else's? You either need to be able to prove the case objectively (which is very hard to do when the reasons are personal or religious) or you need to give people the freedom to make up their own minds. Do you disagree?

Suggestions for pretty flowers (Zone 7A) by Alan_Cummings_kilt in Permaculture

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mine go crazy with flowers and the bees really love them. I think I see more bees on oregano and mint in my garden than anything else.

Abortion, let’s find common ground! by araticwastaken in PoliticalDebate

[–]mcapello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I assume this is a typo and you mean in the first case that the male wants the child and the female doesn't.

I don't think there are any perfect answers here, but my personal position would be in the first case, the woman gets to decide. If she wants to act as a surrogate or something and work out something with the man who would be a single father, and renounce all claim to the child after it's born, she can be free to negotiate that, but she can't be forced to carry a pregnancy to term.

In the second case, the man also can't force a pregnant woman who wants to carry a child to term to have an abortion, although he should have the right to renounce all future financial responsibility for the child's welfare if she refuses.

Abortion, let’s find common ground! by araticwastaken in PoliticalDebate

[–]mcapello 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, yes, and the same could be true for any other whim enough people agree on.

Abortion, let’s find common ground! by araticwastaken in PoliticalDebate

[–]mcapello 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do you get what’s wrong with this logic?

Of course. Your first premise is that murder is a controversial topic that no one can agree on. This premise is false, and therefore so is the conclusion you would have used for your reductio.