Do your best. Speak the truth.
…Concern shifts, then, from care of the person, or care of the other, to care for the relational process. From what forms of relationship do we flourish? Here again is a pragmatic question for conversations now in progress.
The pragmatic answer is do FIML. ABN
Women against gun ownership are irrational. Guns are called the ‘great equalizer’ because they allow the physically weak to protect themselves from the physically strong. Gun-control in USA originally started to keep guns out of the hands of blacks, who to this day have by far the highest murder rate in USA. American whites as a group have a lower violent crime rate than Europe. It’s no longer a secret that our ruling cabal hates white people and white culture. We are down but not out. At least learn how to protect yourself and then do it. Even the Dalai Lama supports this position. ABN
Researchers have discovered strange entities hiding in our guts and mouths that may represent an entirely new class of life—if they are even alive.
Dubbed “obelisks,” these tiny rings of RNA can fold into a structure that looks more like a rod, hence the name. They’re also surprisingly commonplace in our microbiomes—the community of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and their genes that live in our bodies. Yet, they’ve gone undetected until now and represent the latest discovery in an ever-growing list of mysterious “genetic agents” hiding in plain sight. Indeed, the researchers who discovered them report that their function, if they have one, is a mystery.
I hope the word scientist becomes obsolete. Insofar as it has any meaning at all, we are all scientists. Frequent use of the word scientist promotes scientism as we saw during the plandemic. Fauci even claimed he was the science and most of the world bowed before his nonsense. People who do research in special fields are researchers. That’s a good term for an honorable profession which describes what they actually do without conferring upon them the sketchy status of priest of something arcane. ABN
The problem of the criterion is a fundamental issue in epistemology, which is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge. It is a problem that arises when trying to determine the extent of knowledge and formulate the criteria for epistemic values, such as truth, justification, and evidence.
The problem can be phrased as a pair of questions: “What do we know?” and “What is the extent of our knowledge?” However, these questions seem to be circular, as it appears that we cannot answer the first question without already having an answer to the second, and vice versa.
This problem has been discussed by philosophers for centuries, with ancient roots dating back to the works of Pyrrho and Sextus Empiricus.
The problem of the criterion is closely related to the issue of justification, as it is difficult to determine what criteria should be used to justify our beliefs and knowledge claims. This problem has been addressed in various ways, including the development of different epistemological theories and the exploration of the nature of truth and evidence.
In essence, the problem of the criterion highlights the difficulty of determining the starting point of knowledge and the criteria for evaluating knowledge claims. It is a problem that has puzzled philosophers for centuries and continues to be a topic of ongoing debate and inquiry.
the above was AI generated in Brave browser
~Beckwith, Christopher I.. Greek Buddha: Pyrrho’s Encounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia
The quote from Beckwith just above highlights how Beckwith has very convincingly connected Pyrrho’s skepticism with early Buddhism. The Trilaksana or Three Characteristics are the foundation of the Four Dharma Seals, belonging to the very earliest (attested) teachings of the Buddha. They are the heart of virtually all Buddhist philosophy and practice. They also define the Problem of the Criterion in Buddhist terms. The Fourth Seal is nirvana or freedom from the anxiety and suffering of not fully understanding the the first Three Dharma Seals.
I am making this point to encourage Buddhists, Skeptics and Stoics to read Beckwith’s Greek Buddha: Pyrrho’s Encounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia.
I am also making this point because the Problem of the Criterion, or the Four Dharma Seals, are very real and impact our daily lives at every level all the time. And this is not just an abstract philosophical problem. It affects all of our relationships and everything we say and hear. In this vein I want to say that FIML (without my specifically knowing it at the time) is designed to address the Problem of the Criterion as it arises between two people in a close relationship.
I have said more than a few times over the years that it is hard for me to understand why ancient philosophers, including the Buddha, did not discover FIML or teach it. I believe it is possible Buddhist monks in the Buddha’s day were given instructions that amounted to some form of FIML, but there exists no evidence of this.
Whatever the case, FIML is designed to deal with interpersonal conundrums that arise out of the Problem of the Criterion, our inability to solidly nail what we know to the wall. FIML cannot completely fix the problem. It does not solve the Problem of the Criterion but it does make everything much clearer and better by at least an order of magnitude and probably more. By fully recognizing this inherent problem within all communication FIML partners can cooperatively work to solve it for the most part between themselves. ABN
They probably are showing us stuff like this to completely discredit Diddy while distracting the public long enough to cover up the truly bad stuff. ABN
I have only watched a few minutes of this but am posting because it looks like a reasonable overview. I’ll watch it later and comment if warranted. Tapes like those purported to exist typically never become public. ABN
Seems many/most influencers have similar backgrounds or similarly compromised positions. ‘The best way to control the opposition is to lead it’ — Vladimir Lenin. ABN
This starts well be descends into moralistic woo woo, all of which I agree with abstractly but know is not realistic because so many people are simply too stupid. The only ‘realistic’ hope I can see for our human mundane future is digital babies leading to consciously controlled digital evolution, which even if it is not wise or entirely humane may work in the end simply because whole populations of people 3X smarter than anyone who has ever lived would probably understand the value of morality and probably be better able than us to agree what it is and live by it.
Consciously controlled digital evolution would work sort of like IVF today but with vastly more choices. Within 100 years it is probable people will be able to genetically augment their own gametes enough to produce children that are mostly the same as them, or at least built on their genetic framework, but vastly smarter, healthier, and better looking. This technology does not need to be coercive. Who would refuse to remove genetic illnesses from their bloodlines while also doubling IQ and athletic ability? ABN
It’s been obvious all along that the Western cabal is gunning for WW3. The strategy appears to be moving ahead on two fronts: 1) Europe/NATO/USA versus Russia; and 2) Israel/USA against Iran and whoever else. Massive geopolitical effects will flow from this. ABN
I accept we have an elite. Musk is better than Gates. Trump is better than Harris, who is a puppet of the totalitarians. RFK Jr is better than Fauci. Yes, Whitney, I know no one is perfect. As a pragmatic probabilist, I prefer the Trump faction over the other choice, which is truly a dead end. With Trump our odds for a better country with a better future are higher by far than any other probable option. ABN
Last week’s job report showed a shocking 1.3 million drop in jobs for native-born workers.
Replaced almost precisely by 1.2 million jobs for foreign-born workers — many in the country illegally.
Every policy always generates harm for USA, no exceptions. Same is true for Europe and the collective West. Every policy generates harm, weakens the populations, replaces them, mocks them. Once you see the pattern, it reveals how and why this is happening and indicates infiltration by non-Western peoples who hate the West and now control it. ABN
This is a good short talk. Trump is focused and speaks well. Also, his shorter hair looks good. ABN
He is right and also his statements prove: 1) the core of globalist thinking is anti-Western and thus this core is not itself Western; smarmy Western toadies, opportunists, traitors and hangers-on are numerous and being used at all levels but they are not at the core; 2) the core globalists are not just anti-Western, they are anti-everyone in the world who is not them and thus they will not stop until they have achieved global domination, the essence of the word globalist. In this light, all peoples in the world who are not part of the core anti-Western/ anti-everyone who is not them globalists should fear and oppose core globalists. All peoples in the world who are not them are grossly mistaken to frame the world’s plight in anti-Western or anti-White or anti-Christian terms because after Russia falls and the West is entirely cucked, destroyed and conquered, they will be next. ABN
This is the inevitable escalation Western cabal has been working towards. Possible consequences are numerous — full-scale nuclear war; less drastically, prolonged war between Europe and Russia; thus keeping Russia occupied while Israel-USA do full-scale conventional war in Middle East; elections in USA cancelled or postponed; economic chaos throughout the world as chaos always benefits the strongest, which is how Western cabal (probably rightly for now) sees itself. It must also be considered that the West has a super-weapon which global chaos will both facilitate and conceal the use of. This is possibly that super-weapon, outlandish as that may seem. It could also be something else. ABN
A few agitated commenters have once again begun denouncing Prof. Jeffrey Sachs for allegedly being responsible for the Western looting of Russia during the 1990s.
Frankly, a decade or two ago I’d vaguely had the same opinion since I’d always seen him described in the newspapers as one of the key economic advisors to the Russian government of that period and had read some article somewhere making that claim. But I’d never explored this matter and over the last couple of years I’ve become convinced that my impression was entirely mistaken.
Therefore, I’d urge that people read Sachs’ article providing his version of the history, very similar to what he’d said in his 2005 book, which I’d read earlier this year. I’d also strongly suggest that people watch his detailed interview, which he apparently arranged after Taibbi and the other hosts had casually made that same mistaken accusation in a previous show.
Over the last couple of years I’ve watched a number of his interviews in which he discussed these matters, and all I can say is that he’s either being honest or he’s about the best liar in the history of the human species.
As far as I can tell, the only reason people believe Sachs was responsible was one 1998 article published in the Nation plus portions of Naomi Klein’s 2007 book. Mistaken ideas sometimes get into circulation and are then repeated back and forth so many times that everyone assumes they’re correct. But I’ve carefully read those two sources and I found Sachs’ account much more persuasive.
More importantly, President Putin and the top Russian leaders have denounced the 1990s policies as one of the greatest economic disasters of the 20th century and have been scathing in their denunciations of the American advisors who they blamed for the looting of their country and the total impoverishment of the Russian population. However, they’ve never included Sachs in that category, and instead they have always treated him with respect and friendship.
I think that Putin and his leadership team have a much better idea of what really happened during the 1990s than any of us do, and the identities of the heroes and the villains. So I trust Putin’s judgment on such things.
This issue has major importance because of Sachs’ current status as one of the foremost critics of American policies. Indeed, in my articles I’ve made that point that Sachs has probably now become the highest-ranking American ideological defector of the last one hundred years, or at least no other obvious names come to mind:
I have been extremely suspicious of Sachs and avoided posting any of his material on this site. I am willing to consider Ron’s argument but also can’t not notice, once again, it’s one Jew defending another. ‘The best way to control the opposition is to lead them’. If you click on the link to Ron’s comments and read some other comments, you will get a fuller picture of this issue. I, for one, remember the rape of Russia and that Sachs was a prominent exponent of economic ‘shock therapy’ not only in Russia but also South America, if memory serves. I may be wrong and am willing to change my view of Sachs but am not eager to do so. Below is a recent video of Sachs commenting on Ukraine. In that video, he blames everything on ‘USA’ when the reality appears to be different and rife with his tribe always at or near the top. So, I dunno. Best to be suspicious, yet at the same time ready to forgive anyone who honestly repents and changes their ways. Of course, Sachs is claiming he never was doing bad things in Russia and Ron’s use of Putin’s non-criticism of Sachs is illuminating, but there are surely many dark wrinkles inside of that. A non-confession, non-repentance, I-was-always-right-and-good argument might be true, but consider the sources. ABN
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