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Comments Posted By ADONAI

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The Battle of Thermopylae: How Democracy Was Saved

Khirad,I could not agree more. Greece lucked out in facing Xerxes. A whiner, a poor strategist, and just a miserable person. And this from a guy who was raised to be a conquering military king.

And thank you for that link. I love reading about Persian culture. I feel bad that I know so little about it compared to Western culture and judeo -christian views from the area. They borrow so much from each other. And not just religiously. I wish we celebrated our similarities and didn’t argue our differences.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 22, 2011 @ 3:54 pm

Thank you for that Pluto. I didn’t know they had tossed him out afterward.

And the way I hear it, the Oracle warned the Athenians that Athens would be burned to the ground and they had to flee and hide behind a “wall of wood”. Many Athenians thought she meant the Acropolis but Themistocles convinced them that the “wall” was the Athenian navy. Turns out he was right. Bummer to be thrown out like that after helping save Greece. But every democracy, even one of the first ones, has always loved it’s excesses I guess.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 22, 2011 @ 3:33 pm

RS, that is true but not everywhere. Slaves were unimportant everywhere in Greece but in many places women had power. They could own land and had equal civil rights with men in Sparta. In Athens they could hold certain public offices.

The poor actually could do quite well in Athens. Themistocles was born to a very low family but thanks to the new Athenian democracy he rose to great prominence. In many parts of Greece the lower class were farmers. Many of the city-states took care of them. Some even had “welfare programs”. Ancient Greece was really a few enlightened rulers away from being America. Persia for that matter too. Persian rulers could be very despotic but they gave their subjects incredible autonomy.

Foreigners,though….. You’re probably right. Especially in early Sparta. And yes, children had it pretty rough there too. 🙂

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 1:09 pm

How do you Build a Million Dollar Mousetrap that Steals Cheese

PW, I hear ya. Self defense is totally justified but it’s usually against some prick who has no business trying to kill you in the first place. We kill for dumb shit. And it’s not all sociopaths and psychopaths.

We kill to eat like other animals. We sometimes kill to defend ourselves like other animals. But most aren’t defending themselves from their own species.

But this is dancing way off topic. I just think we’re dumb animals and we invent needlessly complex systems to hide it.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 4:12 pm

PW, The fact we kill each other at all makes us one of the stupidest animals on Earth. No matter how we reason it.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 3:58 pm

Isn’t politics needlessly complicated because it’s the invention of an incredibly stupid animal?

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 3:49 pm

What IS leadership and what kind of leader do WE want?

KT – Well, you can’t really have a fascist state anymore without some form of totalitarianism. It’s a small step from authoritarianism. Since the early 20th century, anyways. Fascism kinda went hard right then. It’s not classical fascism, I know, but it’ll work in a pinch!

I agree with the flexible leader part. But I would favor the one who leaned to the left on most issues. Liberals have always been concerned with people, and conservatives are concerned with property.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 15, 2011 @ 3:19 pm

KQ, People didn’t elect Obama to be their President. They elected him to be their nanny. Their babysitter.

And we have plenty of time to “improve the country”. I just want to whip these loud babies into shape before we do.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 15, 2011 @ 2:05 pm

Put simply, a leader is anyone who can convince people to follow them. I think the definition of a “good leader” is transient. Changing depending on the situation we are looking to be led from or to.

There are some qualities that most people agree on as far as leadership. Confidence, intelligence, moral certitude, and, most importantly, similar religious beliefs.

What kind of leader am I looking for? Well, what kind of leader would I be? In a word: ruthless. America needs to be ruled by an iron-fisted tyrant for awhile. Not the pretend ones we claim are in charge now, but the real deal. An actual fascist state. I just want to see what the people who call this place a fascist state everyday would do if they found themselves in an actual fascist state. I bet it doesn’t go well.

That’s what America needs. Perspective.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 15, 2011 @ 4:44 am

It’s Official: Huffington Post Is Now Out-Drudging Drudge

HA!

But I see the comments on there all the time about people who just love her and are always wondering what she’s doing next. Those people are weird.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 15, 2011 @ 2:46 pm

Now, when this douche bag talks about “honest debate” does he define telling blatant lies in his columns, reporting them as though they were truths, then defending them as so in the face of indisputable evidence to the contrary, as “honest debate”?

If so, then yes, he is a champion of honest debate. But since that’s not actually the definition of honest debate, he’s just a terrible person.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 15, 2011 @ 2:37 pm

Exploring Morality, Chapter 2

PW, I think you’re right. It should never come to that to begin with.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 6:17 pm

bito, If I worked at that plant, I would volunteer with those other guys. Whatever it took. I do not fear death.

But many do. The question for me is how much do you care about what you are defending? Will you give up yourself for others. I think a lot of people would but I don’t think they would just jump into it. I don’t think they would volunteer to stare down death. That takes a special breed of person in my opinion. And how you come to that is really a personal thing, unique to the individual.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 6:16 pm

No problem at all kes. I did not even notice I had left out a letter. You are correct. I hope people click on the link to see the correct spelling.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 6:10 pm

PW, i know every hypothetical is just that; hypothetical. But I appreciate you playing along. All semantics aside, it’s lose the people or lose your whole country. What would your choice be? The actions that led to this moment are inconsequential. There is no going back. All that is left is this one decision.

Maybe your divided force can repel the attack, but probably not. But your force as a whole WILL repel it. Are you willing to sacrifice everything on that chance? Or will you be building memorials?

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 5:38 pm

2ccP – That is exactly what I refer to. I cringe as well at the thought of having that kind of responsibility. But past rulers have had it.

I would exhaust every possibility to save everyone but if I had to let people go to save everyone, I would not hesitate. If I had to be in their number, I would gladly join them, like you.

But I’m a needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few type of person. Of course it’s a terrible decision to make but I feel it would be the right one and would weigh on me for the rest of my days but I would move on.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 5:28 pm

Moral question:

Would you knowingly sacrifice lives to avert a larger disaster?

**EDIT**

I speak of loss of life.

Would you willingly give up, let’s say, thousands of lives in one city to save your whole country? If you move to protect the city your ultimate defeat is almost assured. Do you die defending them or do you sacrifice them for the common good of all?

» Posted By ADONAI On March 17, 2011 @ 5:04 pm

wts, I just thought it was a funny story but I was sure there was more to it. Thank you fro adding some back story.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 16, 2011 @ 4:02 pm

choicelady, These are by no means the only ethical theories. Just a branch of normative ethics which is only a branch of a larger philosophical tree. This deals mostly with the processes and standards of the person and the intentions of the act more than the action or the definitions of a “moral act”. I may hit closer to home for you in later chapters!

When you say morals come from somewhere else, what do you mean? Do you think morals are inherent? That we are naturally moral creatures? If morals have no definition or principle then are they just an illusion. Something human beings invented to maintain order and only have as much authority as the people enforcing them?

I often fall into consequentialism when judging the morality of someone. But I believe a person has their own morals they must follow and that is the most important thing. There are amoral people and sociopaths who lack empathy but most of us carry a certain moral code with us. For some it’s flexible and for others it is very rigid. I differ from dentologists in that I can see someone doing something immoral but still consider them an overall moral person.

As far as these codes shaping society, virtue ethics and consequentialism are all over Confucius’ writings. Dentology is similar to the chivalry code of medieval knights or the Bushido code of Japanese samurai. Dentology had a strong influence on Europe during France’s revolution, and particularly with Puritans in England. It made it’s way over to the New World and colonial America. George Washington read many dentologist writings. The early Western territories in America had a code of ethics resembling consequentialism. In some territories it resembled moral-nihilism. With the “law” doing very little to make a judgment.

Whether any of that that has made us a more compassionate society is debatable. I think it’s ALWAYS wrong to kill. Many do not. But I don’t think they are any less moral than me. Many think stealing is highly immoral. I do not. I still think I’m a moral person and could be counted on to “do the right thing”. I hope they do to. Morality is subjective. I tend to lean toward consequentialism but I make exceptions. Such as killing. I don’ think there are any objective moral truths.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 16, 2011 @ 4:00 pm

KT, I believe good men can do things that result in terrible consequences. Possibly things we consider evil.

And that some of them may even feel justified in it. But I don’t believe it makes them immoral. Morality is always subjective for me. I tend to side with the people who believe there are no moral truths. I don’t think I’d go as far as moral-nihilism but definitely anti-realist.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 15, 2011 @ 10:12 pm

KT, I think they mean that even though they brought about a negative result, was it their intent? If they are a virtuous person then the consequences of their actions shouldn’t be the basis for judging their morality.

You know they are a good person and even if the act was immoral you know it doesn’t mean they are an immoral person.

Virtue ethics were spiritual in origin, especially in the sense of Plato’s writings. Even if these virtues were given by a god or gods, it is still mankind who defines them and society that shapes them.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 15, 2011 @ 9:13 pm

KT, I think most people fall somewhere between virtue ethics and dentology. A person’s makeup is often times considered in judging their actions but it is most often weighed against the preset laws and standards of a particular culture. And it is a case by case basis that decides whether intent or action was the most severe or worth the most scrutiny.

We all have ideas of what a “virtuous” person should be, our own beliefs. But for most people these are based off of systems and beliefs that have existed in their society for generations.

That’s my rough draft opinion on it all.:) I’m still wrapping my head around these concepts myself. What is a moral person?

» Posted By ADONAI On March 15, 2011 @ 8:54 pm

The Sheen Smokescreen

Don’t listen to these assholes Charlie! I love ya! They just don’t get it. They can’t process you with a normal brain!

[img]http://www.collegebound.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Charlie-Sheen-Winning-Poster.jpg[/img]

» Posted By ADONAI On March 13, 2011 @ 10:22 pm

Thank you to the people of Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

This is why I refuse to give up on humanity. I fear for our future but I will not give up hope. It would be a great disservice to these good people.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 18, 2011 @ 1:47 pm

Friday Music Thread – Friends and Lovers

Pride & Glory – Lovin’ Woman

» Posted By ADONAI On March 11, 2011 @ 7:11 pm

Tenacious D – fuck her gently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn7oEYe4ePc

That’s my contribution

» Posted By ADONAI On March 11, 2011 @ 6:15 pm

Turn left, Turn right, Turn off

Stupid, selfish politicians are elected by stupid, selfish people. If we want a better government, we need better people.

And you are so right when you say this does not fall on the people who didn’t vote. It falls on the people who did vote. If people got “tricked” because they merely saw a (D) in front of the name and voted, I have no sympathy or understanding for them.

It’s a 2 Party system and if no one cares enough to change that, then they deserve what they get. It’s easy to “own Congress” when you know the people will keep re-electing them regardless of their success or failure, simply for the letter in front of their name.

If this country falls, if we stumble and lose our way, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 13, 2011 @ 12:37 pm

Wisconsin and Learning from Our Mistakes

funksands, I don’t want it to have to come to a police strike either and I hope your idea is tried and that it works.

But, you do what you have to do.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 10, 2011 @ 2:37 pm

This is a very good article Marion. Kudos.

I’ve read it twice now and I think you hit upon just about everything.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 10, 2011 @ 2:00 pm

choice, I’m with you on that. I just noticed a Hitler comparison in the article and wanted to point out that he doesn’t own the patent on union bashing.

» Posted By ADONAI On March 10, 2011 @ 1:49 pm