Re: virus: Philosophy wars

Tim Rhodes (proftim@speakeasy.org)
Wed, 17 Sep 1997 10:50:03 -0700 (PDT)


On Wed, 17 Sep 1997, Nathaniel Hall wrote:

> > Mother Teresa may have save many lives and stood
> > forth as a living example of Christian values but who saved more
> > people Mother Teresa or Louis Pasteur? He was only concerned with
> > discovering the nature of infection and its causes yet his efforts
> > save the lives of millions and even more untold suffering.

Read a biography of Pasteur's life.

> > Suppose a man yearns for power and he has a profound hatred of jews.
> > He makes multiple statements to many audiences carefully crafted to
> > appeal to the particular group he is talking too. Suppose most of the
> > people of this nation are committed to the thought that consistency is
> > of little importance. They don't bother to weigh one speech against
> > another and note the inconsistencies.

What if they think consistancy *is* important and that killing jews is
consistant with making the world a better place? Same sins without the
"poison". Maybe the "poison" isn't the true toxin after all? Maybe the
damage comes from another source? (Act like a scientist and look at the
problem *objectively*, Nateman!)

> > Suppose that A was being alive. Then Not A is dead. Your life would be
> > totally different because you'd be dead. (Let me guess your counter
> > response: Hurray! Dead people have come back to life!)

I only have to walk downtown or watch TV to know that zombies do, in fact,
rule the earth.

With your supposition, is a nebula A or Not A? A piece of bark? A mold
spore? A cell? The earth's bioshpere? Defining "alive" becomes very
important, doesn't it? And that definition can't help but be subjective.

-Prof. Tim