Ideas, opinions, politics, humanities
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Quine did not disprove God. He questioned the question itself
Most debates about God begin with evidence. Believers point to miracles, religious experience, or the apparent fine-tuning of the universe. Atheists respond with evolution, cosmology, and the problem of evil. Both sides assume one thing. The debate concerns a meaningful question. The American philosopher Willard Van Orman Quine challenged that assumption. Quine did not spend…
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Israel tortures and kills people and it isn’t even trying to hide it
The vast majority of people live in countries where torture is prevalent. And I always knew Israel is no real democracy with a good human rights record. I knew torture and deaths in Israeli prisons were widespread. We also know a lot of people are missing (likely thousands). But what strikes me most is that…
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Everything you see may be an illusion. Can we ever know reality?
Look around you for a moment. You probably see walls, furniture, trees outside the window, or perhaps a computer screen displaying these words. Everything appears solid and obvious. Consequently, you instinctively trust what your eyes tell you. Nevertheless, philosophy asks a deeply uncomfortable question. What if you have never experienced the world itself? What if…
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I have an IQ of 150 and vote for corrupt parties
The title lies. The title is deliberately misleading. It is not about me. I do not have an IQ of 150. My IQ stands several standard deviations below that level. Instead, I am writing about someone else. An IQ of around 150 appears in roughly one person out of three thousand. Consequently, very few people…
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Even the Pope can be sometimes right
I am not only an atheist, but I also dispute central tenets of Christianity. I believe neither in a theistic nor a deistic God, and I also have serious doubts that Jesus Christ existed as a historical figure. In my opinion, he either did not exist at all, or the figure is based on someone…
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Banning a political party is no solution
Banning a political party may look like a solution. In reality, it creates a dangerous political precedent. A government first bans the extremists. Later, another government may ban the socialists, communists, nationalists, environmentalists, or anti-war movements. Eventually, the political establishment can outlaw anyone who threatens its power. Without free political competition, no real political change…
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I am against the death penalty. What about war criminals?
I am absolutely against the death penalty (for the record, it is scientifically proven it has either no effect at all or very little). Even if you have tortured and killed 100 children. Yes, you should get a life sentence, but we are not going to torture you. But what about war criminals? Famous American…
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USA’s and China’s AI Race. NATO buys scrap from the USA
Artificial intelligence will shape the twenty-first century. Anyone who still doubts that reality ignores the biggest technological revolution of our time. AI will transform the job market. It will reshape education. It will redefine healthcare. Above all, it will revolutionize warfare. That is exactly why the United States and China compete so fiercely. The race…
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We hate human rights and NGOs? Go and live in Russia or China
People in my country increasingly hate NGOs. They applaud every budget cut, every political attack, and every resignation of an NGO leader. They want the government to stop funding civil society and redirect every available crown to sports. That sounds attractive until someone asks a simple question: who will help the people whom the state…
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What is democracy? The rule of the people or the super-rich?
“Democracy is a system of government where power is vested in the people, who exercise it either directly through referendums or indirectly through elected representatives.” This is what Wikipedia says. During my formal studies, I was told there are lobbyists influencing politicians. And this process can be honest or truly dishonest (influencing for the benefit…