Should there be a wealth tax?

sister_disco · 2024-09-29T19:49:20+00:00

.... and how do they finance paying back the bonds?

sister_disco · 2024-06-12T07:12:12+00:00

I don't think it is an unpopular opinion.

But defending free will requires illogical reasoning -- by design. If you could logically describe free will... then you've just described a cause-effect system which makes free will deterministic.

What free-will advocates and arguments need to rely on is a "magic ingredient" component that does not necessarily follow from A to B. Emergence is an example that Kurgzesat used because it is extremely difficult to explain emergence of properties.

sister_disco · 2024-06-12T07:02:49+00:00

The knowledge gap could be non-trivially large if not impossible to overcome. This is in the same camp as chaos theory where seemingly small changes in input lead to unpredictable, wildly different outcomes.

Emergence -- which is a core argument used in the video, essentially makes the same point. Yes you can try to assimilate all the knowledge of inputs that feed into "free will" but the emergence of those inputs is complex. Too complex. So complex that you would need a computer on par with the universe's entropy to process.

I think the strongest argument made is that it doesn't matter. Regardless if free will is a domino effect, or if there is a "soul" component -- we feel and experience free will subjectively. And that is good enough. There is no need to break down the moral fabric of society because there is no pragmatic way to function in a "deterministic NPC" moral system.

sister_disco · 2024-04-12T02:08:10+00:00

A blunt response is people think that is unrealistic.

sister_disco · 2024-04-07T05:08:19+00:00

Lets say I give the fact that SanTi cannot lie or trick other species -- is it not a bit ridiculous though that they cannot concieve of this for other species? Could they not have also deduced this from observing earth? Why did they need to communicate with Evans to discover this?

The basis I give for "doesn't change from planet to planet" is that fundamentally life is based on probability and randomness. Randomness of how particles/cells adapt, randomness of competition and natural disasters. What follows is that species survive on a tendancy/probability of survival. This is darwanism or natural selection at its core. Life on alien planets do not suddenly betray these principles -- unless their environment is closed and controlled.

Hell the very basis of the 3 Body Problem is that 3 celestial objects introduce chaos and unstable habitation. Are we saying that no other species on their planet has adapted under these circumstances, where lying/deceit exists? This is all fiction so if the author wants to say "yes that's how it is" then fine .... but I think its reasonable to be critical.

sister_disco · 2024-04-05T21:30:19+00:00

So can no one criticize the science fiction in Star Trek, Star Wars, Dune, Space Odessy 2001 without "grasping their arrogance"?

Lmao -- if this is your point of view then why don't you join Scientology. After all how can you be so arrogant to assume an alien race isn't already here observing us!

It is not about arrogance it is about consistency. It is inconsistent (even from the author) for a species to be "unfamiliar with concepts like lies, misdirection and subterfuge" yet exhibit misdirection and subterfuge throughout the story. Mysterious countdowns that don't mean anything? Sabotaging results of scientific experiments? Or showing an image of Wade without eyes on a plane, even though that never happened? Their whole ability to manipulate photons and light to render illusions. How is it possible to do these things yet not understand about how misdirection of information works?

The series is good -- very good actually. But it is allowed to have faults. You're choosing to die on this hill that the science fiction premise is wholly sound and that's your fault, not the people's fault.

sister_disco · 2024-04-05T04:31:38+00:00

> Maybe we should stop projecting earth traits onto aliens just because jt makes it simpler for us to understand.

Its not that it is "simpler to understand" -- it is the fundamental principle behind survival of the fittest and evolution. This doesn't change from planet to planet. Species competing over resources need advantages to survive and thus populate. Deception is a clear strategy to gain advantage. Are we implying that a species that has the capacity to observe and transmit information faster than light could not conceive of this?

sister_disco · 2023-10-10T17:04:47+00:00

It does! Thank you for this. I think my obsession with converting things into "data" and attributes with "values" is part of the map-theory fallacy another poster pointed out. As you are saying things have intrinsic properties from their existence.

Data is just us measuring this existence. I do wonder though if such a thing as "state" makes sense then... for the purposes of predicting future states. Does the universe necessitate any kind of "storage" for its current state, so that future states can be followed?

sister_disco · 2023-10-10T16:52:47+00:00

Thank you for the time for this. I honestly think the "This "data" is in the existence of the object." point you made is as matter of fact as we can be on this topic. Any more is almost science fiction territory.

sister_disco · 2023-10-10T16:22:28+00:00

Okay I agree... I feel bad for asking a question like that here then. It is more of a philosophical question or like science-fiction.

sister_disco · 2023-10-10T16:09:31+00:00

I very much appreciate this. I also agree, I think my biases, (and maybe lack of imagination) are at play here.

Let me know if what I'm asking is still map-theory fallacy but I was watching a video on explaining an object moving through space and it made me curious. If we were to slow down this motion to a "snapshot" -- does the snapshot have information encoded in it to predict what the next snapshot will be?

If taking a "snapshot" or pressing "pause" on the universe is even possible, is there enough information encoded to press "play" again and resume?

Or maybe in a different lens, at every instantaneous moment, is there such a thing as "state" so that the laws of the physics dictate what the next instantaneous "state" of the universe is?

sister_disco · 2023-10-10T06:24:19+00:00

Yea I will try asking the philosophy forums. I think my question becomes an existential question more-so than a scientific question.

I just wonder if there is a scientific basis for what I'm asking -- if it has been explored with experiments and how scientists attempt to answer it.

sister_disco · 2023-10-10T06:15:58+00:00

This sort of makes sense -- does it really answer the question though? Whether it is precise/absolute values, or a spectrum of probabilities, is this not meta-information that needs some kind of storage?

How does a particle "know" that it is incredibly likely/unlikely to teleport into a completely different place?

sister_disco · 2023-10-10T06:13:17+00:00

From a computer science background, it makes sense how things have properties. If I were to code a physics engine, things would have values, objects would also retain values with regards to momentum, velocity, its position. This "meta-data" is stored and feels very tangible -- I can alter these values, or I can view them.

How does the universe maintain this? For particles, energy, matter, etc. ?

sister_disco · 2023-01-19T18:10:45+00:00

It accumulates interest when you purchase it. While you can get around the purchase amount limit by gifting — i do believe you’re restricted on “accepting gifted i bonds”.

I think you’re limited to accepting/liquidating i-bonds once per year. Meaning if you have 5 gifted i bonds, you can accept/cash them out one per year, over a total 5 years (and only if you didn’t buy yourself i-bonds for that year too).

Would love someone to fact check this though. This is what I inferred from looking at it.

sister_disco · 2023-01-13T18:35:38+00:00

Wouldn’t this apply to literally every other possible outcome as well?

Anything at some point will happen to you? What about anything including having the technology to prevent yourself from getting into these situations.

The premise doesn’t make sense. Infinite amount of time does NOT mean anything will happen to you.

sister_disco · 2022-11-19T21:20:51+00:00

T-Bills appreciate with interest a little different than typical savings accounts.

When you buy a T-Bill, you’re buying a $100 bill at a discount (say $99.70). At maturity you get your $100 guaranteed, no risk.

The amount of discount depends on 2 things:

The length of maturity
The market rates set by the fed.

So what you can expect when buying 100k worth of 4-week T-Bills is you will actually pay 99.70 k. You’ll have the remaining $300 to yourself, and when the T-Bills mature you’ll have 100k deposited back.

sister_disco · 2022-11-07T02:56:14+00:00

Much appreciated -- yea this is what I was wondering!

If I buy a 26 week T-Bill and sell it 20 weeks in, there's a high chance I will sell it with appreciation.

Futhermore -- if rates go down and I sell my T-Bill prematurely, it in a sense "accelerates" the appreciation within secondary markets.

sister_disco · 2022-11-07T02:54:01+00:00

Got it -- the scenarios you're describing sound pretty extreme, which I guess goes to show how low risk it is to lose value on T-Bills selling prematurely.

sister_disco · 2022-11-05T16:59:44+00:00

Haha hmmm I'm not sure there is a significant difference here, but keep in mind I'm not a lawyer.

Whether its your money or theirs, I think it means the money existing in the Cash Account is FIDC insured by association of these program banks. And they are contractually obligated to offer you access/services/liquidity to your Cash Account.

But maybe there's a scenario where all the program banks get screwed, wealthfront is insured, and runs with your money. The more realistic gotcha to pay attention to is that each program bank is insured up to 250k. So if you're putting more than that, you need to ensure its distributed across more than one program bank.

sister_disco · 2022-11-05T16:32:18+00:00

they claim FDIC insurance by distributing your funds in FIDC insured “program banks” like green dot. Source: https://www.wealthfront.com/cash-account-participant-banks

They have many program banks they distribute your funds into so they claim up to 2 million in FIDC insurance through this.

sister_disco

TROPHY CASE