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Archive for November, 2005

NBA Trade Rumors

Honzo November 29th, 2005

  1. The Bulls are looking to deal Tim Thomas and are wanting Peja or a big man.

  2. Michael Olowokandi might be traded to the Jazz for Boozer.

  3. The Heat might trade Doleac to the Nuggets for Voshon Lenard.

My first Tivo Hack

Honzo November 28th, 2005


Heat break winless streak, Zo ties team and personal record.

Honzo November 28th, 2005

ESPN.com - NBA - Recap - Knicks at Heat

Wade scored 33 as the Heat soundly beat the Knicks to get back on
the winning track monday night. Alonzo Morning had a team record 9
blocked shots, a team best that he has achieved for the sixth time. His
last block came on a dunk attempt and he had the follwoing to say about
it:

“Either it’s going to be a great dunk or a great block,”
Mourning said. “I think statistics work in my favor. I don’t like
getting dunked on.”

Check out the block:

alzonzo morning zo blocks Channing Frye

Christians and Ethical Conflicts.

Honzo November 28th, 2005

Philosophy Notes - Post details: Graded Absolutism - Christian Conflict Theory.

In talking to some people about my post on Ethical Relativity I came across an article from Norman L. Geisler that deals with the subject from a Christian Divine Command theory perspective.

Graded Absolutism - Christian Conflict Theory.

Henry Imler November 28th, 2005

Norman L. Geisler, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary, presents a Christian view of how to deal with consequences in conjunction with divine command theory in his article entitled Absolutes? Absolutely!. I thought it was an interesting read in light of my earlier post on Ethical Relativity.

In the first part of the article, Geisler attempts to refute the various branches of ethics. He then goes on to argue for the Divine Command Theory for ethics, with the divine command coming from the Christian God, via the Bible. Critiquing this part of the article, especially his treatment of consequential or teleological ethics, is a topic for another post. What I am interested in for the sake of this post is the latter part of the article, where Geisler attempts to answer the question of what to do when two divine command conflict with each other. Under the “Conflict Situations” portion, he lists the following six ways of approaching conflicting moral absolutes:

  1. Antinomianism - Bypasses the problem by maintaining that there are no moral absolutes.
  2. Generalism - There are only general moral laws, but not absolute ones.
  3. Situationism - Only one absolute law, i.e. Love, is to be followed.
  4. Unqualified absolutism - Many absolute laws that never conflict.
  5. Conflicting absolutism - Many absolute laws that sometimes conflict and we are to do the less evil (but evil is being done.)
  6. Graded absolutism - many absolute laws that sometimes conflict and we are responsible for obeying the higher law.

Of the six approaches, only four of them hold to absolutes, which Geisler has argued for with his argument for Divine Command Theory, so we can throw the first two out. Geisler maintains that only Graded Absolutism holds up to a Christian Divine Command Theory worldview. Because the Christian Ethic demands that there are many absolutes (even though Jesus’s golden rule could indicate otherwise) Situationalism does not hold.

Nor does the idea that none of the laws conflict fly. It seems that lying is sometimes justified. It would seem that lying to save 50 lives is a moral duty. To suggest that the moral weight of not lying overrides the moral weight of 50 lives is hard to justify. Despite this difficulty, there are many Christian Divine Command Theorists that would say that you simply can say nothing when asked to lie to save 50 lives. You have a duty to reveal the information and a duty not to lie, therefore you must remain silent. While this does rid oneself of the problem in some situations, there is always the issue when the storm troopers search your house if you remain silent. In those cases, the same difficulty arises. Sometimes there is no third choice.

So at this point we are left with the last two possible choices, either we have a duty to choose the less evil path and are held responsible for it, or we have the same duty to choose the less evil path and are not held responsible for it. The first approach seems to be unjust because one can only be held responsible for the situations one finds himself in.

Giesler maintains that the only way to deal with the problem of conflicting absolutes is Graded Absolutism. Put briefly:

[Graded Absolutism] insists there are many moral absolutes and they sometimes conflict. However, some laws are higher than others, so when there is an unavoidable conflict it is our duty to follow the higher moral law. God does not blame us for what we could not avoid. Thus He exempts us from responsibility to follow the lower law in view of the overriding obligation to obey the higher law.

Which is the higher law? Giesler paints a picture of a hierarchy of values. First one is to respect the source of the law (God), then moral objects (persons) and then everything else (animals, and other non-persons).

For a more detailed discussion on the topic, see Giesler’s Christian Ethics: Options and Issues, chapter 7.

Shaken off that n00b

Honzo November 28th, 2005

bit-tech.net | The Path to Pwn

How to get to sleek l33tness.

1. Deride everyone you just sucked up to in the local electronics store

Remember, you’re now an expert and experts never ask for help in PC
World under any circumstances. At the first opportunity, when
approached by an enthusiastic employee who asks “Can I help you?”,
scoff contemptuously and say “I don’t think so” whilst wandering over
to the individual components section. When he’s not looking you can
shuffle over to the Photo Paper and budget games.

Darfur and Troop Safety

Honzo November 27th, 2005

Just Some Poor Schmuck: Facing Up To Being Inconsequential

But
didn’t the Post get the word? I’m sure it has been in all the papers.
The role of the United States military is not war fighting, it is not
peacekeeping, the role of the U.S. military is to keep the troops safe.
We’ll even accept defeat if it means keeping our troops out of harms
way.

It is a pretty good slap in the face if you read the whole thing.
Before the 2000 elections one of main things was against nation
building and being the world’s police. I just don’t know anymore.

Update: For those of you comming from Dave’s blog, I think he misses my point. Consider the following from the above linked post:

Of course there might be some lives saved. But if it
were at the expense of American lives it would not be worth it. Far
better to have the troops remain in the U.S. where they’re safe. We can
alway put out press releases deploring the Darfur situation. It’s
worked so far and it’s much safer that way. That’s what we did in
Cambodia and Rwanda and look how well that has worked.

If people in the Third World are looking for reliable allies, they
might talk to China or Iran. They may be murderous, but they still have
a backbone.

As for the U.S.?

We’ll still be around making brave speeches about American ideals of freedom. Just don’t expect us to try to live up to them.

Wind power, Good for the Air, Bad for the Birds

Honzo November 25th, 2005

Wired: Unexpected Downside of Wind Power This is ironically hilarious.

Though
the Altamont Pass is known for its strong winds, it also lies on an
important bird-migration route, and its grass-covered hills provide
food for several types of raptors. “It’s the worst possible place to
put a wind farm,” said Jeff Miller, a wildlife advocate at the
nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s responsible for an
astronomical level of bird kills.”

I am thankful for Hyperlinks.

Honzo November 24th, 2005

I
am thankful for a lot more than just that. Namely the Lord’s grace and
sacrifice for mankind, my lot in life, and my wife, Meredith. However,
my purpose in this post is to present to you some links. Some of them
are goofy and funny, some are serious, some are partisan, and finally,
some are partisan. Whelp, here they are. I am hoping you are having a
good and thankful thanksgiving - unless you are an American Indian.
Then, I just want to say that I am sorry you all lost your land and I hope you like taking money away from the millions of gullible gambling American non-Indians.

Goofy:

Wuzzdem Funny:

Fun:

Serious:

Capitalism Prevents War

Honzo November 21st, 2005

At least that is the claim by Erik Gartzke in the 2005 Economic Freedom of the World Annual Report put out by the Cato Institute.

In chapter 2 of the report (document in pdf), Gartzke maintains that

“Capitalism
encourages cooperation among states by creating conditions that make
war unappealing or unnecessary…Conquest becomes expensive and
unprofitable. Wealth in modern economies is much harder to “steal”
through force than was the case among agricultural and early industrial
societies..”

While this economic principle has been slow to bear fruit and will ,
Gartzke says that the report has the data to back him up. Check it out.

NBA Quote of the Day

Honzo November 21st, 2005

Eric Dampier has not had a standout season this year. Shaq said he
should be playing in the WNBA. This is what Eric had to say about it:

“It’s time for me to man up. I’ve been dogging it, some
might even say stealing money. Six points and six rebounds a game. For
$73 million? I’ve got to admit, it’s no coincidence that I had my best
season in my contract year. I was kicking tail back then, averaging 12
points, 12 rebounds a night. Obviously, I had extra incentive because I
wanted to get paid. I mean, it’s human nature.

But still, that’s no excuse for me falling off like I have. I’ve got
to start playing with the same fire and intensity I did that 2003-04
season. With me playing like that, we might really be able to contend
here in Dallas.

That said, I still didn’t appreciate Shaq saying I’m a WNBA
player. Didn’t like that at all. But hey, what am I going to do? He
would beat me like I was his son. So I’ll just lean back and keep my mouth shut.”

– Erick Dampier

The Alternate Plan to have a Plan, from the North end of the Southward bound Democratic Chairman

Honzo November 21st, 2005

Transcript for November 13 - Meet the Press Russert interviews Howard Dean

Abridged Version:

Russert: We asked independent voters:
Do you believe that Democrats have a clear message, a vision for the
future? Fifty-two percent of independent swing voters say no. One in
four Democrats say you have no clear vision, no agenda, no clear
message. So, what is your plan?

Dean: To make America Strong and Honest! Give
universal healthcare univerally, to be honest. Strong and honest
Schools! Universal Schools, Universal and Strong Solar Power! And
honest!

Russert: While that is good grandstanding, what is your actual plan?

Dean: Besides the plan to grandstand?

Russert: Yes.

Dean: Our Plan is to make America Strong and Honest
in Iraq! Give universal healthcare univerally, to be honest. Strong and
honest Schools! Universal Schools, Universal and Strong Solar Power!
And honest! and a Strong and Honest Social Security Plan. I think that
is a good plan.

Russert: Specifically, what is your plans on Iraq, Social Security, Public Education, and the Budget?

Dean: Uh… Uh…. I am not falling for this one. Come on. We are not going to tip our hat to the Republican’ts. Then they will steal our plan!

Russert: So, when will we hear about this plan?

Dean: So and very soon, we are going to see the plan.

Russert: This year?

Dean: 2006.

For the real version, click below:

=> Read more!

Fun with hotlinkers

Honzo November 21st, 2005

I was going through my logs yesterday, banning the IP addresses of
spammers, when I noticed that a lot of people have been hot linking to
the UNC logo I used in a post about the Tar heels winning the National
Championship in men’s basketball. A bunch of Myspace and Xanga users
were using it as well as some people in some sports forums. So, I
renamed the file and today there are a bunch of searches coming though
looking for that filename. It is pretty funny.

images.google.co.uk

images.google.ca

In a side note, I just grabbed a tankful of $1.95 Super Unleaded
Gasoline. It sure beat the $3.20 I paid a couple of months ago. Price
gouging eh? What about manipulating supply and demand vs. shortages? Record profits, what about profit margins?

al-Zarqawi finally greeted by Satan?

Honzo November 20th, 2005

Jerusalem Post | Breaking News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World

The Elaph Arab media website reported on Sunday that Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of the al-Qaida in Iraq terror group, may
have been killed in Iraq on Sunday afternoon when eight terrorists blew
themselves up in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

The unconfirmed report claimed that the explosions occurred while
coalition forces surrounded the house in which al-Zarqawi was hiding.
American and Iraqi forces are looking into the report.

Update: It looks like the US is being overly
cautious with this one, but in related news, it looks like al-Zarqawi’s
family has disowned him: White House: ‘Highly Unlikely’ Terror Leader Dead / Al-Zarqawi’s Family Cuts Ties To Him

China vs. the United States, a scripted duel

Honzo November 20th, 2005

Telegraph | Opinion | China is the perfect enemy… almost.

…Which is perhaps why Sinophobia has become so popular
in America, in the run-up to George Bush’s visit to China this weekend.
China has got pretty much everything you want in an enemy: the world’s
largest population, the fastest growth rate of any of the bigger
economies, an impressive record of human-rights abuses, nuclear weapons
and the world’s largest army. Best of all, it’s Communist.

What’s more, China has been enthusiastically fuelling American hostility recently.

Humans and the Environment - A minimum level of responsibility.

Henry Imler November 19th, 2005

I have always wanted to delve into the Environmental Ethics debate at some point. I have not done any official reading on the subject. Right now my best guesses on the subject spring from my personhood theory. The short version of what responsibility humans have toward the environment and why is as follows:

  1. At the most basic level humans are animals.
  2. The most basic responsibility / duty / instinct of an animal is the survival of it’s species.
    • Note that the survival of the individual animal is not the highest, but the survival of the species. This allows for the noticed seemingly suicidal behavior of certain animals for the greater good of the herd / family / species.
    • This line of reasoning is gleamed from the work of a Charles Darwin. In his theory, the goal is not progress, but a perpetuation of the species, survival.
  3. :. The most basic level of responsibility of the human race is to ensure its own survival.

Following from that basic principal, that the most basic level of responsibility of the human race is to ensure its own survival, we can extend to the following:

  1. The most basic level of responsibility of the human race is to ensure its own survival.
  2. The earth has to be maintained at a minimum level X in order to ensure the survival of the human race.
  3. :. Humans have a duty as a race to maintain the Earth at level X.

Humans, at the very least, have a duty to maintain the environment at the minimum level to ensure their survival as a race. However, is that all that is required of us? We are not merely Darwinian animals. We are Darwinian animals to be sure, and as such we have a responsibility to perpetuate our species, but is there more to it? If so, why do we have a greater responsibility? The environmentalists emphatically maintain that we do, to varying degrees, but often what is not stated is why humans do. I suspect that it lies in our personhood. Because humans are not only animals, but persons, and with that comes additonal rights and duties.

God Cannot both be a Person and Rational

Honzo November 18th, 2005

The Emotion Requirement for Personhood and Choice

Think about it, any choice that is not predetermined must have at it’s root, a non-rational basis, otherwise it would be as predetermined as 2+2=4. Persons are the only beings that have free will. If we hold that God has free will, then he must be a person. If he is a person, then he must be subject to emotions. If he is subject to emotions, then He cannot be purely rational.

A lot of people put a lot of stock into God being purely rational. If he is, he cannot have free will.

Time’s 25 Most Amazing Inventions

Honzo November 18th, 2005

Go vote for the best inventions of 2005. My favorite was type of “large-area sensor array” that could give our comming overlords the ability to have the same sense of touch as we “electro-carbons” do.

The Emotion Requirement for Personhood and Choice

Henry Imler November 18th, 2005

If we are to accept Carmen Price’s conclusion that in order for S to be considered to be a person, it must be capable of non-rational behaviors, otherwise known as emotion; then what does that mean for personhood theory? Must all persons have a non-rational basis?

  1. Only Persons have free will.
  2. Persons must have the capacity to make non-rational behaviors.
  3. :. A being that does not have the ability to make a non-rational choice is not a person.

Under this situation all robots and animals that simply react with instinct or via code are not persons. I think that the argument holds. If it does then here are some interesting consequences of Carmen’s argument:

  • Spock (or a similar being) is a person.
    1. Spock has the capacity for emotions, he just chooses to deny them.
  • Data (or other non-emotive android) is not a person
  • God, if he is a person, must have emotions and therefore must also be non-rational.

The first two outworkings are just imaginative fantasy, they are of no real consequence, unless we meet or construct such beings. The last one may have interesting consequences for certain religious matters. It seems that either God cannot be completely rational and be a person at the same time.

Daily Iraq Comments, now with Video and perhaps one made up story

Honzo November 17th, 2005

  1. November 16, 2005 Text of Remarks By Vice President Dick Cheney (As prepared for delivery)

    What we’re hearing now is some politicians
    contradicting their own statements and making a play for political
    advantage in the middle of a war. The saddest part is that our people
    in uniform have been subjected to these cynical and pernicious
    falsehoods day in and day out. American soldiers and Marines are out
    there every day in dangerous conditions and desert temperatures –
    conducting raids, training Iraqi forces, countering attacks, seizing
    weapons, and capturing killers – and back home a few opportunists are
    suggesting they were sent into battle for a lie.

    The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing
    their memory, or their backbone – but we’re not going to sit by and let
    them rewrite history.

    - Vice President Dick Cheney

  2. Where the WMDs Went, an interview with Bill Tierney By Jamie Glazov:

    FP: Ok, so where did the WMDs go?

    Tierney: While working counter-infiltration in
    Baghdad, I noticed a pattern among infiltrators that their cover
    stories would start around Summer or Fall of 2002. From this and other
    observations, I believe Saddam planned for a U.S. invasion after
    President Bush’s speech at West Point in 2002. One of the steps taken
    was to prepare the younger generation of the security services with
    English so they could infiltrate our ranks, another was either to
    destroy or move WMDs to other countries, principally Syria. Starting in
    the Summer of 2002, the Iraqis had months to purge their files and
    create cover stories, such as the letter from Hossam Amin, head of the
    Iraqi outfit that monitored the weapons inspectors, stating after
    Hussein Kamal’s defection that the weapons were all destroyed in 1991.

  3. In their own words…
    (WMV file) - A collection of Democrats who now accuse the President of
    lying about Iraq saying the same things Bush said against the war.

  4. New Documents Reveal Saddam Hid WMD, Was Tied to Al Qaida
    Ok, this report, from News Max, seem too good to be true. I honestly do
    not know if it is or not. But these documents supposedly say the
    following :

    • Chemical Agent Purchase Orders (Dec. 2001)
    • Formulas and information about Iraq’s Chemical Weapons Agents
    • Locations of Weapons/Ammunition Storage (with map)
    • Denial and Deception of WMD and Killing of POWs
    • Ricin research and improvement
    • Chemical Gear for Fedayeen Saddam
    • Memo from the [Iraqi Intelligence Service] to Hide Information from a U.N. Inspection team (1997)
    • Iraq Ministry of Defense Calls for Investigation into why documents related to WMD were found by UN inspection team
    • Correspondence between various Iraq organizations giving instructions to hide chemicals and equipment
    • Correspondence from [Iraqi Intelligence Service] to [the Military
    Industrial Commission] regarding information gathered by foreign
    intelligence satellites on WMD (Dec. 2002) • Cleaning chemical suits
    and how to hide chemicals
    • [Iraqi Intelligence Service] plan of what to do during UNSCOM inspections (1996)
    Still other reports suggest that Iraq’s ties to al Qaida were far deeper than previously known, featuring headlines like:
    • Secret Meeting with Taliban Group Member and Iraqi Government (Nov. 2000)
    • Document from Uday Hussein regarding Taliban activity
    • Possible al Qaeda Terror Members in Iraq
    • Iraqi Effort to Cooperate with Saudi Opposition Groups and Individuals
    • Iraqi Intel report on Kurdish Activities: Mention of Kurdish Report
    on al Qaeda - reference to al Qaeda presence in Salman Pak
    • [Iraqi Intelligence Service] report on Taliban-Iraq Connections Claims
    • Money Transfers from Iraq to Afghanistan

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