dimreepr

 

However, has religion ever helped?

 

In the early days, more so than now, I have absolutely no doubt religion has helped many people, greatly.

My only real objection to religion, other than genocide in its name, is its desire to convert everyone; even when those they seek to convert share the same basic beliefs (whether through god or other).

Is there such a thing as a 'fundamental human right' ?

Indeed, that. seems to be the question.

Not everything worth fighting for is a right. I would fight to save my marriage (were it in trouble) but that doesn't mean I have the right to keep it (or even to be married in the first place).

 

So which question are you trying to answer - what's worth fighting for, or what rights are worth fighting for?

I'm asking the question, not trying to answer it.

A bonus is never a right. It's a bonus - it doesn't matter how long you received it.

So is a pension?

Let’s forget legality, just for the moment, in order to determine the line that it’s legitimate to fight for.

Good question.

I’ll start with an obvious example of a privilege that over time becomes a right; let’s say your employer, for the last ten years, has given you £/$ 1000 Christmas bonus and this year they retract it, my question, how many unions would let that slide?

We need to recognise the difference between a fundamental ‘human right’ and a right born of privilege and be prepared to give up a few privileges for the greater good, sometimes.

So... where do we draw the line?

If your beliefs negatively impacts on others, like trying to convert an atheist, then stop; otherwise feel free to believe what you want, if it helps.

That's not it either; just read my initial link in post #3

Morals or moral hazard! I never mentioned morals at all. It's more to do with ending up with destitution and chaos - possibly even anarchy. Morals don't enter the equation.

 

And nothing to do with economics!! Now I've heard it all.

 

Different concepts!! Now we're into gobbledygook with concepts. It's money, if you haven't spotted the point. You know, that stuff one has to work hard for, and pay taxes for the privilege. And what might happen to those taxes you've worked hard to pay? Your government might on this occasion, after writing-off loans already made, give some of this hard earned as further loans - which, in the fullness of time, may also never get repaid.

 

With luck, any leaders that undertake a policy of writing-off and lending more feel the power of democracy when seeking a plebiscite when the people speak at the next election.

 

It's got nothing to do with politic speak like 'concepts' and 'morals'.

Your understanding of this subject borders on the laughable; I’m sure iNow will highlight the reasons.

i don't believe you ever can truly forgive someone if they hurt you strongly. A daughter can never truly forgive her mother for abusing her physically. The families of murdered children never forgive the murderer. A child may forgive his friend for stealing his lollipop.

 

It certainly depends on the gravity of the act, but because of the fact that things that impact you cannot be easily forgotten, therefore it is hard to truly forgive, the definition of forgiveness is mostly seen throughout biblical interpretations, which state to offer a sacrifice, to lose something of yourself out of human compassion in order to forgive someone. And that I must say is utterly useless and you do not have to forgive everybody that hurts you. It is your choice to make and shouldn't be tied to anyone else's point of view.

Again (the same nonsensical reply in my other thread) you have obviously not read any of this thread either; this only compounds my opinion that your thread contains nothing meaningful.

I don't think money is the only source of happiness or the only cause for unhappiness which is what I think the matter at hand is. It would be terribly absurd to think so. In fact I think this thread in general is almost useless seeing that it is obvious people get their happiness from almost anything, it is a basic human necessity to be content, it's what drives us away from suicide.

 

A boy in central Africa could be extremely happy to have found a source of clean water, where a middle class white male can be extremely unhappy because his Wi-Fi is taken down for 20 minutes.

 

This is not a useful question.

You’re conflating happiness with contentment and as that has been addressed in post #6 I assume you haven’t read the thread; so your opinion as to the validity of the question can safely be ignored.

This reply is exactly why I asked for a contribution in your thread; so I see no reason to bother with a reply but thanks for your efforts.

And yet your solution is to borrow and spend more.

It’s a historically validated method to stimulate growth and therefore viable now.

That's not what I'm talking about. What I was talking about is the Earth isn't perfectly spherical. It's wider around the belt, the equator, so the poles are like a lower elevation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figure_of_the_Earth

While "radius" normally is a characteristic of perfect spheres, the Earth deviates from a perfect sphere by only a third of a percent, sufficiently close to treat it as a sphere in many contexts and justifying the term "the radius of the Earth".

 

So you think dimreepr has correctly understood your point of view?

 

I confess I am not a big globe trotter but living around Houston means the world comes to you, in a sense.

It’s not about being correct; true understanding is born of mistakes.

Forgiving such a high debt would lead to some economic issues, I would think. There would be major inflation in nations that lent the money, would it not?

Only if ‘leading economists’ decided that was the case, thus leading to both certainty in the prophecy and uncertainty in what that might mean for the future.

Republicans and Democrats, then. The history of these factions is a topic unto itself, I would think.

 

Hi, John, please elaborate if you are inclined.

That’s like saying “the right and the ‘even more right’” which, I imagine, is what John alludes to.

The notion of justice, in this and many other modern issues, is born of ‘Hollywood’ justice rather than ‘actual’ justice.

I think you need to work a little harder explaining this morality issue. I'm not getting it. Still simply a business issue in my opinion.

 

Also, I think you are being disingenuous with your "They borrowed thus must pay now, now, now." I think they borrowed, borrowed again, borrowed some more, and were then showered with free money. Now nations like Germany are saying enough is enough. No one is taking about "pay, now, now, now. They know that money is gone, gone, gone, and never to return. Germany must be thinking "if we are going to throw money down a rat hole at lest we should get a few more of those pretty windmills as reward for the farce." Merkel must be thinking "how do I explain to my own people (voters) that they should work hard so the Greeks can get free money. Instead of giving the Greeks free money, Merkel could subsidize beer and brats and become a national heroine.

Let’s suppose this issue is the same as an alcoholic in a bar run by the Germans (and French); who’s to blame when he/she gets drunk?

True understanding is achieved via a complete education; so both chopsticks are required.

I'm sorry, but it is. They took out the money and spent it. Booze is not the only thing one can blow money on.

 

Had no say! Yes they did and do, as in case you've missed the point, it is a democracy. The people get the government they vote for.

 

How did you work that one out? They did see the money, they saw it in the form of the level or lack of taxation and the result of state spending.

 

And as for this business of printing money, money is a representation of human labour. And printing the stuff is nothing more than undermining labour; which like death and taxes, a certain way to descend into chaos and destitution - similar to borrowing.

Are you trying to display a lack of understanding (of the economy, humanity and democracy)?

Personal debt doesn’t equate to national debt.

From my understanding, since the Earth spins around the equator and it is wider around the equator, the North and South Poles are like the bottom and the cold air will try to sink to the bottom.

That would be the case in a snow shelter but the poles are cold for very different reasons.

History isn't doomed to be repeated but it should be learnt from.

What's tour point (on topic)?

I would be delighted if you would comment on either of these threads:

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/89548-if-you-cant-be-content-without-money;-you-cant-be-content-with-money/

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/83468-why-forgive/

Allowing corporate greed be detrimental to good health and a good society.

The wisdom of the founding fathers laid the foundations of a very good society; unfortunately those foundations have been eroded by certain amendments and their wilful misinterpretation by interested parties.