Philosophy Wire: US, mathematics, "predictions"...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-11-07]: Maths showed the US shutdown coming [1]. Always funny to look at "predictions" happening AFTER an event took place…

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Philosophy Wire: Prove you are not a racist!

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-10-04]: The new Miss USA. She is Indian. [1] Media rule the world today. All try to prove they are not racists...

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Philosophy Wire: Genes, Supreme Court, common logic...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-06-29]: US Supreme Court decided that human genes cannot be patented. [source: web news] We have such a lack of education today, that someone must be a Supreme Court judge in order for us to hear something derived from simple common knowledge...

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Philosophy Wire: 1000 conspiracies!

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-06-20]: NSA chief announced that his agency averted 50 terrorism conspiracies due to its spy-on-my-citizens program. [1] Why stop at 50? Why not 100? Why not 1,000? Why not 1,000,000? ONE MILLION CONSPIRACIES AVERTED DUE TO SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM! Ouaou! I am so glad I am watched over!

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Philosophy Wire: The American dream, asthma, allergy…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-05-03]: Allergy and asthma seem to be less frequent in foreign-born kids in U.S. But for some allergic complaints, the mysterious protection weakens after long exposure to an American lifestyle, researchers report April 29 in JAMA Pediatrics. [source: science news] The American dream is all about money. No body ever told anything about health…

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Philosophy Wire: Greek Orthodox, USA, EU, Islamists…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-04-24]:

One Greek Orthodox and one Syriac Orthodox archbishop abducted in Syria. [1] While some people are fighting for their faith, others (USA, EU) are fighting for their right to rule the world. Remember this day when "civilized" countries support Islamist terrorists...

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Philosophy Wire: Phobocracy

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-02-09]: A Muslim U.S. Air Force veteran, who had trouble entering the country last year to visit his ailing mother, was barred Wednesday from boarding a flight in Oklahoma City to return to his home in Qatar. [source: Yahoo! News] This is the new face of “democracy”. It is called “phobocracy”…

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Philosophy Wire: Netherlands, USA, Greece & Double standards…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-02-01]: The Netherlands nationalized one of their oldest and greatest banks. [1] USA decided to postpone the solution of their debt problem (on their... own, since they answer to no one). [2] News which passed well below the radar of the markets. Much milder news of economic problems from Greece caused - up until very recently - worldwide stir and a whole debate of whether Greece should exit EU. As if Greece was and still is the greatest and only problem of them all. Different states, different standards... Unjust world...

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Philosophy Wire: Women in the Army, easy “hard” questions…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-01-26]:

Hard philosophical questions....

In the coming years, lifting the ban on women in combat, announced Thursday by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, might prove particularly challenging in the most iconic of military occupations - the infantry, among the most physically demanding and tradition-bound branches of the Marines and the Army.  [source: CNN News] But will that really pose a challenge? Modern warfare has changed so much, that no physical strength is required to kill the enemy. All you have to do is press a button. This is quite scary if you ask me: questions that were once hard to answer, are now become obsolete by the very reality in which we live in.

Easy philosophical questions...

Yes, women CAN be in the army. They CAN push buttons or press a trigger.

One more example which shows in an exceptional manner what Brecht implied: philosophers must be in constant connection with everyday reality. Either wise they are in danger of being surpassed by it.

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Philosophy Wire: Death Star, USA, prudence

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-01-13]:

The U.S. will not be building a replica of the Death Star from Star Wars,despite a more than 34,000-signature-strong petition for the government to begin construction by 2016.

"The Administration does not support blowing up planets," wrote Paul Shawcross, the White House's science and space branch chief, in response to an online petition on the government's We the People website. In order to receive an official response from the White House 25,000 signatures were needed in 30 days — the petition received 34,435 signatures.

In addition to Obama's stance on inter-galactic warfare, Shawcross wrote that the U.S. would not invest in a Death Star because:

• Construction costs have been estimated to exceed $850 quadrillion US, which would expand the deficit rather than reduce it.
• The spacecraft has a "fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship."

[source: web news]

 

Americans were always ahead of their time in many things. Politics is one of them. They are not afraid to consider even the most insane solutions to their problems. They DID consider Death Star and rejected it on specific grounds. Maybe next time they think it better. Maybe the next time this post does not have the “weird” tag…

 

> Check the new philosophy blog Philosophy Snapshots !

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Philosophy Wire: Guns, violence, stupidity.

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-12-18]: After the tragedy at Connecticut, many “difficult” questions rose to the surface [1]. Is it bad to sell weapons to small kids? Is it bad to let supermarkets sell weapons? Is is bad to show guns and killings in every movie? Is it bad to have children watch every second someone getting decapitated, shot or stabbed to death on TV? Hmmmmmm….. Veeeeeerrryyyyy difficult questions… Will have to think about them and get back to you. Well… now that I think of it. Maybe a mountza says it all better…

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Philosophy Wire: Tragedy, grief, causes…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-12-16]: Authorities try to find the motives behind the massacre in Connecticut. [1] But the truth is that sometimes there are no causes. The truth is that some humans just want to do harm…

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Philosophy Wire: Student loans and the need for (paid?) education…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-12-11]: More and more Americans have problems with their student loans. Only last year 375,000 people defaulted their student loans. In total, all the student loans in US are estimated to be about 1 trillion dollars. [source: BBC News] These are the merits of capitalism. Do you need education to understand the trap? Or do you need money to be educated? Or do you want to be educated so that you can have money so that you can get… educated? Complicated… Or too simple. The education for which you do not pay is the best.

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Philosophy Wire: Forced sterilization, US, “civilization”…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-06-21]: Victims of forced sterilization in the US state of North Carolina will not get compensation, after a payout plan failed in the state Senate. A plan to give $50,000 (£31,800) to each victim passed the House but was rejected in the Senate. Republicans said the state did not have the funds [source: BBC News]. What? Were you expecting ANY philosophical comment for that? Were you expecting a comment for the scientists who performed the sterilizations? Or maybe a comment for the civilization of the most “progressed” country in the world who performed the sterilizations? Or maybe a comment for the money-loving “logic” of our modern materialistic society which puts money above everything? Nuh…

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Philosophy Wire: Computer networks, courage for the obvious

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-03-25]: Foreign spies should be assumed to have penetrated the computer networks of the US military, American politicians have been told. Security experts testifying to the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee said the penetration was likely so complete that attempts to curb it should stop. Instead, cyber defense should be about protecting data not controlling access.

[source: BBC News]. Admitting the obvious (who can foolproof such a vast network 100% ?), sometimes requires courage. That is why US will remain ahead of all others for many years to come.

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Philosophy Wire: US Nazis! Why not?

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-02-10]: No penalty for the US marines who were photographed proudly in front of a Nazi SS flag [source: web news]. Maybe it is time western world accepts the obvious: we have for too long TOLERATED unethical acts in every sector of our lives. We have for too long TOLERATED the replacement of Ethics from nihilism. This is what we deserve.

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Philosophy Wire: Iraq, War, Heraclitus

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-12-18]: Americans have withdrawn from Iraq. So many wars, so many dead and still no result. The Iraqis still live in the same horrible conditions and still hate the Americans. The Americans still have not learned anything concerning their mistakes in foreign policy making. War is the father of all things, said Heraclitus. In this case war must have been sterile…

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Philosophy Wire: Army cares for Science! Science does not care for Science!

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-12-09]: SETI has started to search for aliens again, after being shut down for a long time due to lack of funding. It seems that the US Space Command is one of the major groups that funded the SETI program to “life” again [source: web news]. US Army has always been in front of every new development. Now that a planet with similar conditions to Earth has been discovered, we all think (or fear?) that aliens can actually exist. And the one actually funding the research is the Army (for its own purposes of course). Not a scientific research group. They are too busy making money.

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Philosophy Wire: B53 retired. Who needs it anyway?

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-10-27]: US announced that it will decommission the B53 atomic bombs [source: web news]. But who needs atomic bombs today? Don’t you see Libya? The new government there ASKS for the western armed forces to stay more there!!! [source: BBC News] So long “sovereignty”… The difference between the coward and the brave does not lie in the deep knowledge of martial arts. It lies in the simple capability of opening your mouth and speaking up.

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Philosophy Wire: US, Bankruptcy and the Power of the “System”

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-07-16]: Obama discusses with the Republicans for the increase of the country’s borrowing limit, while Americans are worried about US going into default. Credit Rating Agencies have already warned about the downgrading of the US debt rating. The System of Money has become so powerful that even the country that once invented it cannot control it… But in any case some things are just common logic: How can a country with a continuously increasing 14,300 billion debt have a credit rating of AAA? China's Dagong rating agency had downgraded US back from 2010 [source: Reuters News]. But no one listened then…

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