In the eyes of libertarians, is it an unethical act to egg on incompetents of society to unite in force?

Of course, the act itself doesn't harm you directly, but I thought libertarians might think it's still unethical because successful formation of such unions will destroy liberty down the road.

Is your opinion different between alienated incompetents (e.g. disabled) and "lazy" incompetents?

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 7 hours ago

What are the arguments for saying (1) A happy life is the necessary condition for a good life, (2) the converse, (3) A happy life is a sufficient condition for a good life, (4) #3's converse.

Which thesis is most likely true, on the basis of either the argument or intuition?

Finally, which one is, if true, the most substantive, informative, or "enlightening" (opposite of trivial)?

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 9 hours ago

Can the concept of the area of a triangle be defined without calculus?

Strictly speaking, the definition (width) × (height) seems to be undefined for any 2D enclosed figure other than rectangles.

Of course, I know we can informally prove the 1/2 × W × H formula by applying the Euclidean properties of parallelograms. But is there any way to rigorously define the concept of the area of a triangle as such without introducing ideas of limits? In other words, I'm talking about the very conception of the area of triangles in view of the W×H formula.

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 20 hours ago
▲ 0 r/Ethics

Does the concept of nepotism ever apply to the owner of a family-owned business?

I see that a public company with multiple shareholders ought always to strive to hire the most qualified, to strike the most profitable/promising deal, etc.

But can we ever accuse a 100% owner of a business of nepotism? In other words, does he have every right to exercise nepotism? Or, can it be argued that, since the customers are from the general public, he is still guilty of nepotism?

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 1 day ago

A rich man saying "Money isn't that important in life," shouldn't be trusted, because he's rich.

AND a poor man who says the same shouldn't be trusted, because he's poor.

If it's said by a man with a median-level wealth, then I'm willing to listen to his reasons.

Is there any other fallacy than ad hominem involved here?

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 2 days ago

In English, is the expression "person of average intelligence" an euphemism for "dumb"?

I know that out of courtesy I should never give the person I'm talking to the impression that I think of him/her that way. But should I never use the expression even when referring to a third, specific person because it's the above euphemism so an insult?

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 2 days ago

According to the mainstream Calvinism, it seems like a an evil-doer who is pre-destined to go to heaven is pre-destined to repent in the limbo ...

as sort of the "rite of passage" to heaven, so as to "purify" your soul. But has there ever been a soul to begin with? Well, I suppose nobody would not not repent in that situation, fake or not.

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 3 days ago

If someone accidentally found Jack's hidden barrels of money but doesn't know any history behind them,

and say he finds that for 2 years there's no sign of anybody checking them, is it a criminal offense to even take 10k out of it? Or is it a criminal offense to merely not report the whole amount to the police immediately?

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 3 days ago

Do all laws of physics "break down" at singularity or in black holes, or only some subset of them?

Particularly, do only the laws of relativity and quantum physics that we know so far break down? BTW what about Bell's inequality?

Or do things behave completely lawlessly & chaotically so that no law or regularity is in principle even conceivable there?

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 3 days ago

Does the Reformed Church believe in the Calvinist doctrine of heaven/hell pre-destination?

I read that the original Reformers were inspired by Calvin. But does the current official doctrine of the Reformed Church still conform to that particular Calvinist doctrine?

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 3 days ago

Is the Hidden-variable interpretation never falsifiable?

I'm referring to one of the interpretations of quantum physics. After reading Karl Popper's theory of falsifiability, I'm wondering if the Hidden-variable hypothesis is a pseudo-scientific proposition because no conceivable empirical phenomena seem ever to be able to disprove it.

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 3 days ago

Is the Hidden-variable interpretation never falsifiable?

After reading Karl Popper's theory of falsifiability, I'm wondering if the Hidden-variable hypothesis is a pseudo-scientific proposition because no conceivable empirical phenomena seem ever to be able to disprove it.

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 3 days ago

Reposting a post in another Sub following Reddit's recommendation to do so is risky.

The algorithm is so crude that the repost is very often removed by the moderator of the second Sub, or you can even get banned there. If your post in the original Sub was already successful enough to get that recommendation, it's probably not worth taking the risk or taking pains to go over the 2nd Sub's rules closely.

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 5 days ago

All conversations are boring after the 5-min. mark with people who think philosophical talks are all BS, even on topics outside philosophy.

Obviously, this applies to people who value intellectuality.

Of course, not all conversations need or can become philosophical. But the kind of people who despise the topics that Western philosophy deals with only engage in conversations at a superficial level. The first 5 minutes can still be interesting because there is naturally some exchange of new information. But afterward it's no more interesting than asking AI. I wonder why.

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 10 days ago

13 out of 16 biochemistry profs died of cancer according to the dept. memoriams.

The biochemistry department is at a research-heavy (R1) university in the Northeast.

All the 13 profs who died of cancer also died at 77 or earlier (1 before 50, 1 in his 50s, 3 in their 60s)

Is there any chance the high incidence of cancer (+ leukemia/lymphoma) is significantly caused by their research career?

EDIT: I meant, of the 16 who died (& commemorated) 13 died of cancer, not that the dept had a total of 16 out of which 13 died.

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u/Exciting_Ad_6837 — 12 days ago