tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post7600127147479275299..comments2024-03-26T16:03:42.608-06:00Comments on Flares into Darkness: Reaching for the Starsambisinistralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03836786826294202405noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-56648805336270501252007-12-16T13:56:00.000-07:002007-12-16T13:56:00.000-07:00Barry,Why did psychology adopt figurative speech d...Barry,<BR/><BR/>Why did psychology adopt figurative speech derived from the Greek mythos to describe mental disorder? Does anyone have more personal freedom than a totally delusional schizophrenic? Shoot, he's not even lonely.<BR/><BR/>Do you have to be a fuddy duddy to see anomie as a logical outcome to the extension of personal freedom without regard to negative influences on the entire community? I'm very uninterested as to the manner in which isolates choose to spend their time and effort until they damage the innocent. At that point some relflection upon the reason that elevation of the isolate above and apart from the community on the basis of "personal freedom" is denigrated within the Greek mythos is in order. Not that the fiercely independent thinkers gathered so tightly together in defense of isolation will ever acknowledge that possibility.Rick Ballardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082425215912372067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-50932927365933605232007-12-16T11:56:00.000-07:002007-12-16T11:56:00.000-07:00Rick,It is interesting that in order to maintain g...Rick,<BR/><BR/>It is interesting that in order to maintain genuine freedoms, one has to have self control and be willing to risk letting the chips fall where they may or instead become a slave to hedonism. Or maybe I'm becoming a fuddy duddy.Barry Dauphinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808109325931309525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-88009249841470993192007-12-16T11:27:00.000-07:002007-12-16T11:27:00.000-07:00Barry,Noting pitfalls along the path of the long s...Barry,<BR/><BR/>Noting pitfalls along the path of the long slouch to Gomorrah will never be popular. There is simply too much tied up with too many in the sophomoric pursuit of "self realization through hedonism". I doubt that you will see any acknowledgement that the "freedoms achieved" have all the substance of a Barry Bonds record, let alone any acknowledgement that the price of folly appears to be increasing rather than decreasing.<BR/><BR/>I wonder why the principles behind Gresham's law haven't kicked in with sports? I suppose that it's possible that the "true gold" is being withheld from the market but I doubt that the opportunity to make such a determination will arise any time soon. The popularity of the Circus Maximus doesn't seem to be diminishing.Rick Ballardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082425215912372067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-49400096261041091212007-12-15T21:38:00.000-07:002007-12-15T21:38:00.000-07:00Ha-ha... yes. Re SYT. And your response Barry. I'm...Ha-ha... yes. Re SYT. And your response Barry. I'm still formulating a reply to you. I may have it before the post runs off the end, then again I may not.Lutherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08901441364329385474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-65154840931312553172007-12-15T17:30:00.000-07:002007-12-15T17:30:00.000-07:00Looks like you succeeded.Looks like you succeeded.Barry Dauphinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808109325931309525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-53210068054789387202007-12-15T17:07:00.000-07:002007-12-15T17:07:00.000-07:00I wish I coud express just how uninteresting I fin...I wish I coud express just how uninteresting I find the whole subject.Charlie Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14586506407851173416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-2193877177937534122007-12-14T21:26:00.000-07:002007-12-14T21:26:00.000-07:00I wish I had great answers for your thoughtful que...I wish I had great answers for your thoughtful questions. I don't believe there are easy answers, as I certainly have my own libertarian streak. And for society it can be a fine line between aggrandizement and <I>greatness</I>. <BR/><BR/>Sticking with the baseball analogy, I wonder if it would be such good policy to, in essence, <I>require</I> baseball players to take steroids in order to compete. If MLB is too carefree about this issue, it would become virtually impossible to play (at the professional level... and then what other level?) without taking (potentially unsafe) enhancements. Benefits usually have trade-offs. I am far from being anti-progress, and I don't think I'm a reactionary ninny (hope not at least). We can't know ahead of time a lot of the time what the benefit to humans as a whole would be. Can we recognize aggrandizement (should it occur) and back away, if necessary. Or do advances have a logic of their own to which resistance is futile? (I'm better at questions than answers).Barry Dauphinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808109325931309525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-54292332643995667702007-12-14T20:11:00.000-07:002007-12-14T20:11:00.000-07:00Hmmm, Barry. A fine ethical line you draw. Or, is ...Hmmm, Barry. A fine ethical line you draw. Or, is it. Yes, easy enough on an individual level to reach for self aggrandizement. But... should we make the leap from there, to advances that benefit humans as a whole... say going off world, then what. Do we refuse them? And exactly how would entitlement enter into that particular tryst with the devil.<BR/><BR/>Not trying to be contentious. I think your point interesting.Lutherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08901441364329385474noreply@blogger.com