I'm talking about an evolution in people's thinking. The same kind of evolution that led to women's rights, civil rights, gay rights. etc.... These were movements that were forced onto society by groups of passionate people. You're absolutely right that these movements were caused by evolutions in ...

So you will use force to change their behavior and they will use force to resist your efforts to change their behavior and where does that leave you? As Harry Browne once said, the only reason you should engage in political movements and assorted efforts to change the world is if you enjoy engaging...

I agree that there are some ways of living that are highly destructive, but is it my job to stop people from living this way because it is out of step with my concept of "right living"?  Does that entitle me to use force against these people to bring them in line with my notions of what t...

I have to do some productive work at the moment and feed the system...   I'll re-engage with this a bit later!

I am a decision-making "unit".  I decide what actions to take and how to direct my energies.  By seeking freedom in the way I make these decisions, it enables me to enter into exchanges, relationships and bargains with others that provide maximum benefit to all parties.  If you tell me th...

I agree that there are some ways of living that are highly destructive, but is it my job to stop people from living this way because it is out of step with my concept of "right living"?  Does that entitle me to use force against these people to bring them in line with my notions of what t...

we can all live like shire hobbits in our round houses, doing simple farming and animal husbandry to keep us fit and connected to our environment, with plenty of free time to hang out at the pub drink, dance, sing and flirt with the cute girls... it doesn't sound all that bad actually...    ;) the ...

If you get the idea that I am somehow a nervous wreck that is allowing my life to be spoiled by all of this, I am not. I'm a pretty happy and well adjusted.  I get the feeling though if someone proposed to stop the killing of dolphins you would come back at them with a "ces't la vie" type ...

Yet, we continue in our ways because what we are walking on is not a "path" where we can decide to stop or take a turn, but rather a "treadmill" which has been set in a permanent on position by a self reinforcing system. Not sure if you noticed, but every living being on the pla...

Caves don't come in perfect rectangles and mountains and trees aren't triangles and circles You are describing non-living objects that don't need to use attraction. A tree swaying in the breeze is beautiful, because of its wiggly shape...not its molecular structure. Big deal. We all admit that beau...

When you say to leave people alone and "only concern yourself with how you live" I say that sounds fine and dandy, but that it is absolutely meaningless. The choices that I take as an individual have repercussions on society. The choices that society makes have huge repercussions on me. I...

MT, You make a lot of good points in your "surf the wave" post....but I think you start to drift out of reality into what I would call "libertarian fantasyland" which I have discussed before as overlooking the interdependency and interconnectedness of nature. This fundamentally m...

Beauty is a hard mathematical fact.  It is all about ratios and symmetry: Nature is beautiful, yet it is all wiggly. Hardly. Nature is full of symmetry, complimentary colors and golden numbers. They aren't accidental. Even birds and bees need to be enticed by specific wavelengths and symmetries. Pe...

Yeah, I would argue that we are post scarcity already if one measures it in terms of basic needs being fulfilled. If we never draw a line, then post scarcity is impossible to achieve because human wants (at least in our present societys culture) seem to be infinite. At any rate, peoples happiness se...

Beauty is a hard mathematical fact.  It is all about ratios and symmetry:

Nature is beautiful, yet it is all wiggly.

There are no limits if you redefine what it means to be human. All of this technology is fine and dandy but what is the goal that it is aiming at? Where are we going with all of this and what is the point? The point is to transcend the stifling limitations of biology, i.e. ascension or immortality....

PS, I am also not criticizing the system in its entirety. I think there are many positive benefits that it has created for humans. Yet, I still feel that this system is slightly out of control. The answer to our present problems don't lie within the system, but outside of it. We are focusing a treme...

PS, They like the system in the same way that a baby loves its mother. It's all they know and so they cling to its breast. TennPaGa, Very cool! Never heard of him but just read synopsis on wikipedia. I admire anyone who tries to make this topic more palatable to people....God knows I've failed in th...

I've noticed something else....it's okay to make criticisms about how things operate "within" the system, but to step back and criticize the system itself is unacceptably unnerving for most people. Many people are so intertwined and wrapped up in the system that a critique of the philosoph...

MT, What people do you see making their own decisions? You are indoctrinated by the system from the moment you are born. Our system aims to create mindless consumers who don't do too much thinking lest they upset things. No, no, that won't do. Better you just shut up and consume. How can a person c...

What people do you see making their own decisions? You are indoctrinated by the system from the moment you are born. Our system aims to create mindless consumers who don't do too much thinking lest they upset things. No, no, that won't do. Better you just shut up and consume. How can a person conce...

In all of these efforts to control the planet's climate, resources and other fits of hubris, Mother Nature laughs at us There is a great George Carlin video on youtube about humans, global warming and our hubris is thinking we can have much effects on things. I like the idea of leaving people alone...

When we discuss the operational aspects of our monetary system, right or wrong, we do it to help understand our (economic) world better. It's highly relevant to topics about the impending doom many PP holders are trying to prepare for. Without MR (Monetary Realism) I think many of us would have sol...

Passion is great; I'm a passionate person too. But passion doesn't convince anyone… ever. I've learned this the hard way after fruitlessly bashing my head against entrenched attitudes for years. It doesn't work. It just causes people to become defensive, even those who would otherwise side with you...

doodle, perhaps you should ask yourself what it is about those other people's behavior that makes you so agitated. Since you cannot change them, you might want to pursue methods to be more at peace with them. I am at peace, but that doesn't preclude fundamental opposition to the system. I can survi...