There have always been human stupidity in the world and that manifests itself in poor-written, but popular books, beliefs in the idiotic, etc. If you haven't noticed, civilization doesn't always collapse when stuff of that sort occurs. People had really odd ideas about magnetic forces back during the time of the Enlightment (Franklin denounced such stupidites), but that didn't mean that the whole of Europe engulfed in that fell to barbarity.
Ghost hunting shows and others like it are moronic as hell. I wouldn't worry so much about the Harry Potter fad, though. Sure you'll have a few kids who think magic is real, but what do people expect to happen when they tell their kid that Santa is real?
"I was told is that he frequently describes his villains as "selfish" and his heroes as "unselfish." "
That's true of his early books in the Sword of Truth series, but that changes over time. The last book was pro-selfishness and the villains were clearly altruists. I believe I heard that he became more of an Objectivist in his later book. Regardless, His characters display an integrity and commitment to truth that I find inspiring whatever Goodkind's philosophy.
The Harry Potter series shows a group of brave, industrious kids battling evil--and winning. Its success was a good sign for the culture, not a bad one.
Well read, understanding this contradiction is difficult but also vital in dampening this barbarity.
Objectivism complains, rightly, that such beliefs are wrong, yet history shows that this complaint does nothing to halt their dissemination. It may be solved, not by impotent moralizing, but in seeing why it is that the objective structure & movement of society tends to propagate falsehoods. This is where you need to reach outside of Objectivism to some theory that might achieve this.
Fish oil is "good" if the rest of your diet is low on Omega3 fatty acids. One needs a healthy balance between all three types of fatty acids (1/3 O3 - 1/3 O6 - 1/3 saturated fatty acids) If it's not then it's bad.
People pick foods from other cultures thinking it is healthy for them, too. What they miss is that it's only healthy in combination with all the rest they eat.
In western diet a nice steak can be very healthy :) It all depends on the context, no food contains a magical substance.
...Concerning string theory, it can be tested experimentally with the Large Hadron Collider. When it is ready again, because something went wrong on the first launch, we will be able to prove if the assertions of string theory is true or false. I will not argue whether it is true or false but we will definitely know the answer pretty soon.
That's good to hear. I just hope that's indeed the case, and that if the results go against String Theory claims, there won't be a wave of rationalizations.
I absolutely agree with you, MrCropper, on the note that certain things feeds society to believe that life is mystical, when it obviously is not.
I do have to point out though, that fish oils are approved by a scientific background and the US, Canadian, FDA govt approve them as being healthy. Then again, I think what you mean is that some people think the omega 3 fatty acid 'will' make you smarter like magic and that is wrong.
Television has allowed us to create a common culture, and without it we would not have been able to accomplish our goal. - Dr Morris Janowitz, Prof. Psychology, Chicago University, December 1, 1984
For once I have to say I have a quibble with you. I see nothing wrong with Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings (other than fallacious premises). The writers are out to make a good story and earn good pay, and I would group them with what I think Ayn Rand called 'second-tier romanticism" akin to Dumas or Scott.
I agree with what your point about 'second-tier romanticism'.
With Goodkind though, who I personally have never read, I've heard that he's really not much of an Objectivist and his novels aren't really consistent with Objectivism. Just one example that I was told is that he frequently describes his villains as "selfish" and his heroes as "unselfish." If that's true, I consider it extremely damning, and don't have any idea how someone could tolerate the cognitive dissonance involved in doing....
Harry Potter is admired for his virtues and the heroic ends he achieves, not the means by which he does so.
Fish oil is Omega 3 fatty acids. Throughout millions of years of human existence the average person's ratio between Omega 6 and O3 fatty acids was 2:1. Since the rise of agriculture that ratio has been changing to the point where the average American's ratio today is 15:1. Having a balanced O3 O6 ratio regulates eicosaniod behavior and deeply affect inflammation and immunity.
"Potter is admired for his virtues and the heroic ends he acheives, not the means by which he does so."
And wouldn't you rest easier if children were reading about heroic actions of, say, an entry-level railroad worker, as the books in the 1800's often had? Instead a young magician?...
As I said in the video, maybe Potter was an early warning. If HE doesn't bother you, what about the growing fascination with vampires? How do you make yourself comfortable with that?
I certainly would rest easier. My point is that interest in Potter is not the result of a growing interest in magic (although I agree that there is one - the vampire thing being a perfect example), but rather an expression of what little remains of an admiration for heroism. It's sad that it has to be packaged with sorcery, but it's still there in those stories.
a great example of this are the daft followers and supporters of sarah palin. she is shown in a video being healed of witch's evil spells and being excorcised in a bizarre ceremony conducted by a self-proclaimed witch hunter from africa. She is being hailed as the next pres.nominee for repub. party in the next election and her utterly buffonish impertinence is overlooked mostly because the usa is quite religious and superstition is accepted as normal. frightening indeed, cheers -nabokov video?
I completely agree with you. Even more alarming is that certain prominent philosophers, objectivists, don't believe in quantum mechanics and general relativity ;) They think they can have their own opinion regardless of the reality. They think the reality will bend before their philosophical ideas, once they call them 'objective'. Are these objectivists really objective?
It's not that they don't believe in QM, but rather they don't believe a certain interpretation of it. Specifically, the QM interpretation that views reality as being decided by consciousness. i.e. those who literally believe that until you measure a particle, it exists in several states at once, when in fact a rational way of considering it is that you merely have uncertainty regarding the state, and your measurement merely helps you understand which state is the one which happened.
"when in fact a rational way of considering it is that you merely have uncertainty regarding the state"
What makes you think that this is the rational way? Why do you think your everyday common sense must undoubtedly apply at quantum scale? In fact, the facts and experiments prove to the contrary: particles do exist in multiple states.
All that being said, I don't like speculations about consciousness in QM. Nobody knows yet, what is it. Besides, measurements don't require consciousness...
MrCropper, U said that as long as scientists are lost in mathematical abstractions that can't be tested, U don't know what will save our culture. But I think U DO know what will save our culture: rational education, like the sort provided by Lisa VanDamme.
U're too hard on fans of paranormal books. Just 2 years B4 I discovered Rand, I was the biggest fan of books on UFOs, vampires, lake monster sightings. But the more I learned about Oism, the more I realized the real world is xciting enuf.
MrCropper, people who read about vampires, UFOs, lake monsters, & Chariots of Gods have something in common with many Objectivists: a fertile imagination. The difference is that Oist theories are backed up by empirical evidence. When the Wright brothers invented the airplane, they needed strong imaginations, as they had to construct something that hadn't existed b4. But their imagination was backed up by empirically verified scientific theories. We need both imagination & logic together. :-)
I wouldn't group up those who read about vampires, UFO's, lake monsters, and chariots of the gods in the same group as Objectivists. The first ones have zero basis in reality, while Objectivists observe nothing but reality.
say what? Arsehole?... what is your problem..arsehole?.. .. are we really going to argue about a fucking harry potter movie? I see you have been rude to everyone who doesn't agree with you... People are allowed to have different opinions. Get a life and get off the net, it's screwing with your brain. Everybody's an expert...it is opinions.. you dont have to be a nasty jerk
You started this whole thing with a VERY rude and nasty comment in which you implied (without any valid reason) that MrCropper wants to burn people at the stake. Don't try and tell me that I was the first one to be "nasty."
God I see swine like you all over the place on YouTube. You think you can say terrible things to people as long as you say it indirectly, and then get away with the moral high ground when someone retaliates with a direct insult. Fuck you. Go die.
That comment was not at Anyone. That is your presumption, It is presented as a 'stand alone' comment, not as a reply. I was trying to point out that balance was the key. I wrote 3 lines! Geezzzzz.... Actually if it was a reply to anyone it would be to Not That 3..who isn't on the attack... still wasn't a critiscm, more a discussion. Are you drinking? Stoned? there is no insult intended, just an opinion. "fuck you and die"... Charming..thanks... What is wrong with you?
*sigh* I gather MrCropper was not around during the 16th century when burning witches was the done thing. So how could I be accusing him of wanting to do such a thing. The whole thing is ludicrous. I am sure MrCropper can speak for himself if he has a problem with my comment.
I was saying we have came a long way since those times... when it was used as an excuse, for anything we did not understand.
Swine? Nice..and I am the one that you acuse of saying horrible things to people....
"Or perhaps you don't think that was such a bad thing......"
So the "you" in that comment was nobody? Bullshit. You posted that comment on MrCropper's video, it was clearly directed at MrCropper. If not, then don't blame ME for you're inability to be clear.
I don't have any problem with saying horrible things to people when they deserve it.
Ghosts, goblins, gremlins, vampires, werewolves, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, honest politicians...bah, I say! No evidence for any of them.
Not in all my past lives have I seen evidence for any of that bunk nor do I expect to see any evidence of those things when I come back in my next incarnation.
Now if you'll excuse me, my crystal totem has alerted me to the fact that I am tired and need to sleep and we all know that if one doesn't listen to one's totem, the boogeyman gets him.
Do you know a good place to buy crystal totems? Mine's becoming weaker with each passing spell I conjure, and is nearly depleted. Already I have had my polymorph-frog partially resisted on my target. He then proceeded chasing me down the street, half frog half man, hopping about on 4 legs. It was terrible.
Mr. Cropper I believe your example of fish oil as some sort of fad heath cure is rather ill informed. There have been numerous scientific studies that have illustrated the effects of the four major fats found in food, on cholesterol, blood pressure as well as susceptibility to heart attack and stroke. These four lipid groups, include saturated fat, monosaturated fat, polysatuated fat, and Trans fat. The fat found in fish oil is of the monosaturated variety.
I think the culture took a sharp turn in the right direction when dozens of popular Blink 182 tracks came out in 1999 and the new century.
Care free fun as well as whether money is proliferating are my barometers, nevertheless.. perhaps what I've gone over is superficial -- maybe I want to disagree with Cropper..
His analysis is spot on though, and I have to say I strongly agree.
I could be wrong, but a well known Objectivist has covered the Harry Potter books (lectures etc) and put them in..
..the camp of (essentially) rational material. This is a prominent Objectivist if I'm not incorrect. The ad to buy the series on Harry Potter was in The Intellectual Activist or something like that. I can't remember. Anyone?
Even if we're wrong on the particular (Harry Potter), there's alot of bullshit out there. I don't know what this firefly thing is about, maybe it's a good show in terms of character development (people get sucked into watching stuff to see what happens/addictive etc).
Objectivist vlogger Diana Mertz Hsieh contributed a chapter to at least 1 of those "Harry Potter & Philosophy"-type books. Those books are compiled by Shawn E. Klein and/or Aeon J. Skoble, both of whom are academic philosophers who are openly sympathetic toward Objectivism. :-)
"...a well known Objectivist has covered Harry Potter books..."
Yeah. The Ayn Rand Institute itself released an op-ed by Dianne Durante called "In Defense of Harry Potter." She explained that the magic isn't taken literally; what should be taken literally is Harry's heroism and benevolent sense of life.
I luv ya Mr. Cropper; I must say that on this 1, I side with ARI over you. ;-)
Mr. Cropper, herbs are chemical, & therefore affect our physiology. Some such effects are beneficent. :)
People eat chewable translucent omega-3 fish oil tablet/supplement thingy-ma-gigs everyday, especially old people. It's the new vitamin c, without the little children (like me when I was a child) breaking open the bottle and taking 10 yummy vitamin C tablets when no-one is around, only to get diarrhoea :D
This new fish oil thing is that everyone is realizing that if they have fish oil everyday that creaky leg joint is less of an annoyance.
She was probably serious and the chances are not good that she will sober up and become rational. She may decide auras don't really exist, but that, for instance, the spirit of the universe speaks to us all.
Making this change is definitely possible, but unfortunately far too many fail at making it.
(6) People talk a lot lately about 2012 as the year of the apocalypse of sorts (that's the end of Mayan calendar or whatever). Although I don't believe that nonsense, I like to think that if anything does happen, then it will be a clash of science and reason on one side, and all sorts of mysticism on the other - and that mysticism will fail miserably.
(5) Finally, there is yet hope for science and reason. For all his rationalism, I think Richard Dawkins is actually doing a good job for both. In fact, he's already figured out that bad ideas have bad consequences and vice versa. He's also figured out two of three axioms of Objectivist metaphysics. Moreover, Ayn Rand's books are selling at an increased rate every year.
(4) When it comes to Harry Potter, we are in disagreement. Sure, it would have been creepy if EVERYONE was reading it, which they weren't, but I found the books have a good philosophy behind them. There's an article by Dianne Durante at the ARI web site entitled "Thank you, Harry Potter!" which explains this better than I can here.
(3) In Croatia we also have a TV show that's supposed to promote popular science. Mystics and conspiracy theorists are frequent guests, scientists not so much. In fact, I've been reading reviews of it and people are actually complaining when actual scientists come on, claiming that the material presented was poorly prepared.
(2) Have you heard about shamanism? Well, that too is becoming popular. In fact, for my birthday I got a pentagram and an invitation to a lecture about shamanism. The only reason I haven't thrown the thing in the face of the person who bought it was because they had no idea what it is, only that it looks nice as a decoration.
(1) Oh, dear. I'm afraid you don't know the half of it. Have you heard of wicca? Well, look it up. It's a religion that's becoming increasingly popular in the world. People are going nuts about buying little packets all ready with items and instructions on casting spells. I know, because I was asked by one of my former friends to help her start up a web site to sell these things. Moreover, she's been invited to multiple Croatia's TV shows as a guest.
I don't believe that there's a corralelation between fantasy literature and other mediums, and what people genuinly believe. Not to the people who are relevant to society anyway. And isn't Harry Potter ultimately about how backwards and primitive the magical society is because of a lack of technological advancement?
I have been worried about the proliferation of ghost hunting shows and other nonsense as well, but I don't see a problem with Harry Potter and other fantasy stories. They are not presented as true and people don't become believers in magic by reading them. At least Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have clear plots and real heroes. Not like a lot of the garbage out there today.
I don't think using a nine-year-old girl as an example of superstitious belief is very convincing. She probably believes in santa clause and the tooth fairy as well. I'm pretty confident that most people who enjoy such movies, books and TV shows simply enjoy escapism, not mysticism and witchery. Don't worry too much about this one Cropper.
I know a 60 year old woman who believes in ghosts, and I mean really believes. I know a 35 year old business person who believes in karma and I know a 45 year old man who commented on the Body works exhibit that if god wanted us to know what our insides looked like he would have made our skin transparent, Cognitive Dissonance is an amazing concept it affects all ages.
Very good point. People are losing touch with science and reason. It is scary when people have no clue of how their cell phone works and believe that scientific theories are beyond their grasp. So ignorance is just at the door.
We've never had a true grip on civilization, I think if we don't get it now, we'll fall back into another dark age.
One day i decided to build a spider web out of string in my room. there was no real purpose behind it. While I was building it I started laughing uncontrollably. I made an X and a + tied to the ceiling and wove a spiral to the center. When I was done I smelled real bad, the smell was hard to describe, sorta like burnt vomit, it lasted bout 3 months. And I heard clicking in the wall like an enormous insect.
More recently I saw a green pillar of light in my room.
I recently told my brother that I found the proliferation of the ghost hunting shows and paranormal horror movies to be a disturbing sign of our culture. It'd be better if we had a strong cultural counterpoint, but we don't.
Mr. Cropper do they really BELIEVE it, or they just like to make pretend? For what I see, westerners have a lot of free time wasted in TV, internet and these stuff... isn´t that the cause of this superstition momentum? People are using these myths to escape from reallity? I sincerely do not believe people actually DO believe vampires, witchcraft, or jedi, or energy balancers. Maybe they want something satisfatory to believe in.
Great video. I didn't really think about Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings when they were coming out, but bells went off when this new vampire fad appeared. It's a pretty bad sign about the culture when they worship a blood-sucker.
The obsession with crystals and magnetism are surely nonsense; however, fish-oils and certain other supplements (as a former fitness enthusiast, I can say that most are rubbish) are actually beneficial to one's health.
Great video, though. I've noticed the same trend. The other day, while at the philosophy section of my local Barns' and Nobles', I noticed heavy traffic in the New Age section. In fact, I recall one young lady having to buy a book on Nostradamus for a school report!
Even worse are the traitors like Dr. Peter Breggin. He means well, but his latest book is trash, Wow, I'm an American! His primary principles are good, but he rests on a bed of sand that is religion. The videos of him on black hate you-tube channels make me wonder is an idiot or worse.
Don't you have faith in the power of LHC to finish the unified nonsense? It will prove that matter comes from nothing and verify our lord and savior the great dark matter. LOL JK :)
You must have knowledge in the idea that even if the world is collapsing, your own mind is not and your own mind will not, you can go and "stand on an empty stretch of soil in a wilderness unexplored by men" and bring forth something new, right?
There have always been human stupidity in the world and that manifests itself in poor-written, but popular books, beliefs in the idiotic, etc. If you haven't noticed, civilization doesn't always collapse when stuff of that sort occurs. People had really odd ideas about magnetic forces back during the time of the Enlightment (Franklin denounced such stupidites), but that didn't mean that the whole of Europe engulfed in that fell to barbarity.
altosax1st 1 year ago
Ghost Hunters lol
Ghost hunting shows and others like it are moronic as hell. I wouldn't worry so much about the Harry Potter fad, though. Sure you'll have a few kids who think magic is real, but what do people expect to happen when they tell their kid that Santa is real?
MagnusIan 2 years ago
"I was told is that he frequently describes his villains as "selfish" and his heroes as "unselfish." "
That's true of his early books in the Sword of Truth series, but that changes over time. The last book was pro-selfishness and the villains were clearly altruists. I believe I heard that he became more of an Objectivist in his later book. Regardless, His characters display an integrity and commitment to truth that I find inspiring whatever Goodkind's philosophy.
incrediblemulk42 2 years ago
Correction:
"The last book was pro-selfishness"
Should be:
"The last book that I've read was pro-selfishness"
incrediblemulk42 2 years ago
Do you even know what an electromagnetic field is?
Beethovens7th 2 years ago
Comedic gold!
BlackDots949 2 years ago
The Harry Potter series shows a group of brave, industrious kids battling evil--and winning. Its success was a good sign for the culture, not a bad one.
thewahlmighty 2 years ago
Well read, understanding this contradiction is difficult but also vital in dampening this barbarity.
Objectivism complains, rightly, that such beliefs are wrong, yet history shows that this complaint does nothing to halt their dissemination. It may be solved, not by impotent moralizing, but in seeing why it is that the objective structure & movement of society tends to propagate falsehoods. This is where you need to reach outside of Objectivism to some theory that might achieve this.
Zeitschen 2 years ago
Fish oil is "good" if the rest of your diet is low on Omega3 fatty acids. One needs a healthy balance between all three types of fatty acids (1/3 O3 - 1/3 O6 - 1/3 saturated fatty acids) If it's not then it's bad.
People pick foods from other cultures thinking it is healthy for them, too. What they miss is that it's only healthy in combination with all the rest they eat.
In western diet a nice steak can be very healthy :) It all depends on the context, no food contains a magical substance.
ForABetterTomorrow 2 years ago
...Concerning string theory, it can be tested experimentally with the Large Hadron Collider. When it is ready again, because something went wrong on the first launch, we will be able to prove if the assertions of string theory is true or false. I will not argue whether it is true or false but we will definitely know the answer pretty soon.
JEESherazi 2 years ago
That's good to hear. I just hope that's indeed the case, and that if the results go against String Theory claims, there won't be a wave of rationalizations.
NotThat3 2 years ago
I absolutely agree with you, MrCropper, on the note that certain things feeds society to believe that life is mystical, when it obviously is not.
I do have to point out though, that fish oils are approved by a scientific background and the US, Canadian, FDA govt approve them as being healthy. Then again, I think what you mean is that some people think the omega 3 fatty acid 'will' make you smarter like magic and that is wrong.
JEESherazi 2 years ago
Television has allowed us to create a common culture, and without it we would not have been able to accomplish our goal. - Dr Morris Janowitz, Prof. Psychology, Chicago University, December 1, 1984
MrHappy702 2 years ago
Fish oil shouldn't have been included in your vid!
rambo26 2 years ago
As for the vampire thing, I do find it a bit odd... Though my main beef is with the unmanly and unrealistic basis for romance.
khord77 2 years ago
For once I have to say I have a quibble with you. I see nothing wrong with Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings (other than fallacious premises). The writers are out to make a good story and earn good pay, and I would group them with what I think Ayn Rand called 'second-tier romanticism" akin to Dumas or Scott.
khord77 2 years ago 2
There is good Fantasy out there, though, Terry Goodkind writes fantastic fantasy novels and is an Objectivist, to boot!
Fantasy is a fine, fun genre, though not my favorite (I prefer adventure a la Vince Flynn or SiFi a la Leiji Matsumoto, another Objectivist)
I can read about the Battle of Helmsdeep, though, and enjoy the grand battle of good vrs evil without believing the fiction really exists.
khord77 2 years ago 2
I agree with what your point about 'second-tier romanticism'.
With Goodkind though, who I personally have never read, I've heard that he's really not much of an Objectivist and his novels aren't really consistent with Objectivism. Just one example that I was told is that he frequently describes his villains as "selfish" and his heroes as "unselfish." If that's true, I consider it extremely damning, and don't have any idea how someone could tolerate the cognitive dissonance involved in doing....
Beethovens7th 2 years ago
....that yet calling oneself an "Objectivist."
Beethovens7th 2 years ago
@spikebravo
I rest my case.
MrCropper 2 years ago
Harry Potter is admired for his virtues and the heroic ends he achieves, not the means by which he does so.
Fish oil is Omega 3 fatty acids. Throughout millions of years of human existence the average person's ratio between Omega 6 and O3 fatty acids was 2:1. Since the rise of agriculture that ratio has been changing to the point where the average American's ratio today is 15:1. Having a balanced O3 O6 ratio regulates eicosaniod behavior and deeply affect inflammation and immunity.
grantsinmypants2 2 years ago 3
"Potter is admired for his virtues and the heroic ends he acheives, not the means by which he does so."
And wouldn't you rest easier if children were reading about heroic actions of, say, an entry-level railroad worker, as the books in the 1800's often had? Instead a young magician?...
As I said in the video, maybe Potter was an early warning. If HE doesn't bother you, what about the growing fascination with vampires? How do you make yourself comfortable with that?
MrCropper 2 years ago
I certainly would rest easier. My point is that interest in Potter is not the result of a growing interest in magic (although I agree that there is one - the vampire thing being a perfect example), but rather an expression of what little remains of an admiration for heroism. It's sad that it has to be packaged with sorcery, but it's still there in those stories.
grantsinmypants2 2 years ago 3
a great example of this are the daft followers and supporters of sarah palin. she is shown in a video being healed of witch's evil spells and being excorcised in a bizarre ceremony conducted by a self-proclaimed witch hunter from africa. She is being hailed as the next pres.nominee for repub. party in the next election and her utterly buffonish impertinence is overlooked mostly because the usa is quite religious and superstition is accepted as normal. frightening indeed, cheers -nabokov video?
jeremyshambles 2 years ago
Mr. Potter,
I completely agree with you. Even more alarming is that certain prominent philosophers, objectivists, don't believe in quantum mechanics and general relativity ;) They think they can have their own opinion regardless of the reality. They think the reality will bend before their philosophical ideas, once they call them 'objective'. Are these objectivists really objective?
luarwick125 2 years ago
It's not that they don't believe in QM, but rather they don't believe a certain interpretation of it. Specifically, the QM interpretation that views reality as being decided by consciousness. i.e. those who literally believe that until you measure a particle, it exists in several states at once, when in fact a rational way of considering it is that you merely have uncertainty regarding the state, and your measurement merely helps you understand which state is the one which happened.
NotThat3 2 years ago
"when in fact a rational way of considering it is that you merely have uncertainty regarding the state"
What makes you think that this is the rational way? Why do you think your everyday common sense must undoubtedly apply at quantum scale? In fact, the facts and experiments prove to the contrary: particles do exist in multiple states.
All that being said, I don't like speculations about consciousness in QM. Nobody knows yet, what is it. Besides, measurements don't require consciousness...
luarwick125 2 years ago
MrCropper, U said that as long as scientists are lost in mathematical abstractions that can't be tested, U don't know what will save our culture. But I think U DO know what will save our culture: rational education, like the sort provided by Lisa VanDamme.
U're too hard on fans of paranormal books. Just 2 years B4 I discovered Rand, I was the biggest fan of books on UFOs, vampires, lake monster sightings. But the more I learned about Oism, the more I realized the real world is xciting enuf.
legendre007 2 years ago
MrCropper, people who read about vampires, UFOs, lake monsters, & Chariots of Gods have something in common with many Objectivists: a fertile imagination. The difference is that Oist theories are backed up by empirical evidence. When the Wright brothers invented the airplane, they needed strong imaginations, as they had to construct something that hadn't existed b4. But their imagination was backed up by empirically verified scientific theories. We need both imagination & logic together. :-)
legendre007 2 years ago
I wouldn't group up those who read about vampires, UFO's, lake monsters, and chariots of the gods in the same group as Objectivists. The first ones have zero basis in reality, while Objectivists observe nothing but reality.
NotThat3 2 years ago
"I wouldn't group up..."
o.O
I explained in what context such people were similar to Oists, & in what context they're different.
Similarity: Imaginative.
Difference: Oists use rational epistemology.
legendre007 2 years ago
And your point is?
Least we dont burn witches at the staje anymore. Or perhaps you don't think that was such a bad thing......
blusol2 2 years ago
Try watching the video again and paying attention, asshole.
Beethovens7th 2 years ago
say what? Arsehole?... what is your problem..arsehole?.. .. are we really going to argue about a fucking harry potter movie? I see you have been rude to everyone who doesn't agree with you... People are allowed to have different opinions. Get a life and get off the net, it's screwing with your brain. Everybody's an expert...it is opinions.. you dont have to be a nasty jerk
blusol2 2 years ago
You started this whole thing with a VERY rude and nasty comment in which you implied (without any valid reason) that MrCropper wants to burn people at the stake. Don't try and tell me that I was the first one to be "nasty."
God I see swine like you all over the place on YouTube. You think you can say terrible things to people as long as you say it indirectly, and then get away with the moral high ground when someone retaliates with a direct insult. Fuck you. Go die.
Beethovens7th 2 years ago
That comment was not at Anyone. That is your presumption, It is presented as a 'stand alone' comment, not as a reply. I was trying to point out that balance was the key. I wrote 3 lines! Geezzzzz.... Actually if it was a reply to anyone it would be to Not That 3..who isn't on the attack... still wasn't a critiscm, more a discussion. Are you drinking? Stoned? there is no insult intended, just an opinion. "fuck you and die"... Charming..thanks... What is wrong with you?
blusol2 2 years ago
*sigh* I gather MrCropper was not around during the 16th century when burning witches was the done thing. So how could I be accusing him of wanting to do such a thing. The whole thing is ludicrous. I am sure MrCropper can speak for himself if he has a problem with my comment.
I was saying we have came a long way since those times... when it was used as an excuse, for anything we did not understand.
Swine? Nice..and I am the one that you acuse of saying horrible things to people....
blusol2 2 years ago
"Or perhaps you don't think that was such a bad thing......"
So the "you" in that comment was nobody? Bullshit. You posted that comment on MrCropper's video, it was clearly directed at MrCropper. If not, then don't blame ME for you're inability to be clear.
I don't have any problem with saying horrible things to people when they deserve it.
Beethovens7th 2 years ago
Ghosts, goblins, gremlins, vampires, werewolves, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, honest politicians...bah, I say! No evidence for any of them.
Not in all my past lives have I seen evidence for any of that bunk nor do I expect to see any evidence of those things when I come back in my next incarnation.
Now if you'll excuse me, my crystal totem has alerted me to the fact that I am tired and need to sleep and we all know that if one doesn't listen to one's totem, the boogeyman gets him.
Nelapidae 2 years ago
Do you know a good place to buy crystal totems? Mine's becoming weaker with each passing spell I conjure, and is nearly depleted. Already I have had my polymorph-frog partially resisted on my target. He then proceeded chasing me down the street, half frog half man, hopping about on 4 legs. It was terrible.
NotThat3 2 years ago
LOL
blusol2 2 years ago
Monosaturated fat in general has been proven to have the most positive effect on afore mentioned factors.
CalvinJGreen 2 years ago
Mr. Cropper I believe your example of fish oil as some sort of fad heath cure is rather ill informed. There have been numerous scientific studies that have illustrated the effects of the four major fats found in food, on cholesterol, blood pressure as well as susceptibility to heart attack and stroke. These four lipid groups, include saturated fat, monosaturated fat, polysatuated fat, and Trans fat. The fat found in fish oil is of the monosaturated variety.
CalvinJGreen 2 years ago
I would have to say that this is one of your most interesting videos. I have never thought about this issue in this way before.
randianpole 2 years ago
I think the culture took a sharp turn in the right direction when dozens of popular Blink 182 tracks came out in 1999 and the new century.
Care free fun as well as whether money is proliferating are my barometers, nevertheless.. perhaps what I've gone over is superficial -- maybe I want to disagree with Cropper..
His analysis is spot on though, and I have to say I strongly agree.
I could be wrong, but a well known Objectivist has covered the Harry Potter books (lectures etc) and put them in..
PortfolioManager1987 2 years ago
..the camp of (essentially) rational material. This is a prominent Objectivist if I'm not incorrect. The ad to buy the series on Harry Potter was in The Intellectual Activist or something like that. I can't remember. Anyone?
Even if we're wrong on the particular (Harry Potter), there's alot of bullshit out there. I don't know what this firefly thing is about, maybe it's a good show in terms of character development (people get sucked into watching stuff to see what happens/addictive etc).
PortfolioManager1987 2 years ago
*Firefly is that vampire movie coming out, if I'm not incorrect.
PortfolioManager1987 2 years ago
*Twilight it appears
PortfolioManager1987 2 years ago
Objectivist vlogger Diana Mertz Hsieh contributed a chapter to at least 1 of those "Harry Potter & Philosophy"-type books. Those books are compiled by Shawn E. Klein and/or Aeon J. Skoble, both of whom are academic philosophers who are openly sympathetic toward Objectivism. :-)
legendre007 2 years ago
"...a well known Objectivist has covered Harry Potter books..."
Yeah. The Ayn Rand Institute itself released an op-ed by Dianne Durante called "In Defense of Harry Potter." She explained that the magic isn't taken literally; what should be taken literally is Harry's heroism and benevolent sense of life.
I luv ya Mr. Cropper; I must say that on this 1, I side with ARI over you. ;-)
Mr. Cropper, herbs are chemical, & therefore affect our physiology. Some such effects are beneficent. :)
legendre007 2 years ago
I'm not sure whether Cropper meant snake oil..
People eat chewable translucent omega-3 fish oil tablet/supplement thingy-ma-gigs everyday, especially old people. It's the new vitamin c, without the little children (like me when I was a child) breaking open the bottle and taking 10 yummy vitamin C tablets when no-one is around, only to get diarrhoea :D
This new fish oil thing is that everyone is realizing that if they have fish oil everyday that creaky leg joint is less of an annoyance.
PortfolioManager1987 2 years ago
Objectivist Ari Armstrong wrote a book called "Values of Harry Potter." Check it out.
Beethovens7th 2 years ago
Today a girl from school that I rather like told me that she can see auras. I hope she wasn't serious because that's a pretty big turn off.
emofacez 2 years ago
She was probably serious and the chances are not good that she will sober up and become rational. She may decide auras don't really exist, but that, for instance, the spirit of the universe speaks to us all.
Making this change is definitely possible, but unfortunately far too many fail at making it.
NotThat3 2 years ago
(6) People talk a lot lately about 2012 as the year of the apocalypse of sorts (that's the end of Mayan calendar or whatever). Although I don't believe that nonsense, I like to think that if anything does happen, then it will be a clash of science and reason on one side, and all sorts of mysticism on the other - and that mysticism will fail miserably.
ReasonSharp 2 years ago
(5) Finally, there is yet hope for science and reason. For all his rationalism, I think Richard Dawkins is actually doing a good job for both. In fact, he's already figured out that bad ideas have bad consequences and vice versa. He's also figured out two of three axioms of Objectivist metaphysics. Moreover, Ayn Rand's books are selling at an increased rate every year.
ReasonSharp 2 years ago
(4) When it comes to Harry Potter, we are in disagreement. Sure, it would have been creepy if EVERYONE was reading it, which they weren't, but I found the books have a good philosophy behind them. There's an article by Dianne Durante at the ARI web site entitled "Thank you, Harry Potter!" which explains this better than I can here.
ReasonSharp 2 years ago
(3) In Croatia we also have a TV show that's supposed to promote popular science. Mystics and conspiracy theorists are frequent guests, scientists not so much. In fact, I've been reading reviews of it and people are actually complaining when actual scientists come on, claiming that the material presented was poorly prepared.
ReasonSharp 2 years ago
(2) Have you heard about shamanism? Well, that too is becoming popular. In fact, for my birthday I got a pentagram and an invitation to a lecture about shamanism. The only reason I haven't thrown the thing in the face of the person who bought it was because they had no idea what it is, only that it looks nice as a decoration.
ReasonSharp 2 years ago
(1) Oh, dear. I'm afraid you don't know the half of it. Have you heard of wicca? Well, look it up. It's a religion that's becoming increasingly popular in the world. People are going nuts about buying little packets all ready with items and instructions on casting spells. I know, because I was asked by one of my former friends to help her start up a web site to sell these things. Moreover, she's been invited to multiple Croatia's TV shows as a guest.
ReasonSharp 2 years ago
more cell phones in use and the tadpole population is decreasing!
angeliaparish 2 years ago
I don't believe that there's a corralelation between fantasy literature and other mediums, and what people genuinly believe. Not to the people who are relevant to society anyway. And isn't Harry Potter ultimately about how backwards and primitive the magical society is because of a lack of technological advancement?
SuperWillHatch 2 years ago
There are many oils that are good for you. In fact you need some intake of lipids to create cell membranes.
There is a lot of scientific evidence that fish oil increases HDL -- HDL is undeniably "good" for you.
I agree with what you're saying. But you should choose an example other than fish-oil if you make this argument again.
Chondroitin is a good one. It supposedly increases joint cartilage. In reality, it gets broken down by stomach acid.
BigPurple121 2 years ago
Well that why we have James Randi my good fellow.
notfitforsociety 2 years ago
I have been worried about the proliferation of ghost hunting shows and other nonsense as well, but I don't see a problem with Harry Potter and other fantasy stories. They are not presented as true and people don't become believers in magic by reading them. At least Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have clear plots and real heroes. Not like a lot of the garbage out there today.
raidon129 2 years ago
I don't think using a nine-year-old girl as an example of superstitious belief is very convincing. She probably believes in santa clause and the tooth fairy as well. I'm pretty confident that most people who enjoy such movies, books and TV shows simply enjoy escapism, not mysticism and witchery. Don't worry too much about this one Cropper.
CatalogOfExperience 2 years ago
I know a 60 year old woman who believes in ghosts, and I mean really believes. I know a 35 year old business person who believes in karma and I know a 45 year old man who commented on the Body works exhibit that if god wanted us to know what our insides looked like he would have made our skin transparent, Cognitive Dissonance is an amazing concept it affects all ages.
plemke1 2 years ago
Very good point. People are losing touch with science and reason. It is scary when people have no clue of how their cell phone works and believe that scientific theories are beyond their grasp. So ignorance is just at the door.
We've never had a true grip on civilization, I think if we don't get it now, we'll fall back into another dark age.
SuperFinGuy 2 years ago
One day i decided to build a spider web out of string in my room. there was no real purpose behind it. While I was building it I started laughing uncontrollably. I made an X and a + tied to the ceiling and wove a spiral to the center. When I was done I smelled real bad, the smell was hard to describe, sorta like burnt vomit, it lasted bout 3 months. And I heard clicking in the wall like an enormous insect.
More recently I saw a green pillar of light in my room.
shadowmancer1234 2 years ago
I recently told my brother that I found the proliferation of the ghost hunting shows and paranormal horror movies to be a disturbing sign of our culture. It'd be better if we had a strong cultural counterpoint, but we don't.
incrediblemulk42 2 years ago
Maybe we do have a cultural counterpoint...
SuperFinGuy 2 years ago
Mr. Cropper do they really BELIEVE it, or they just like to make pretend? For what I see, westerners have a lot of free time wasted in TV, internet and these stuff... isn´t that the cause of this superstition momentum? People are using these myths to escape from reallity? I sincerely do not believe people actually DO believe vampires, witchcraft, or jedi, or energy balancers. Maybe they want something satisfatory to believe in.
alonelychild 2 years ago
Great video. I didn't really think about Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings when they were coming out, but bells went off when this new vampire fad appeared. It's a pretty bad sign about the culture when they worship a blood-sucker.
Eta49 2 years ago
The obsession with crystals and magnetism are surely nonsense; however, fish-oils and certain other supplements (as a former fitness enthusiast, I can say that most are rubbish) are actually beneficial to one's health.
Great video, though. I've noticed the same trend. The other day, while at the philosophy section of my local Barns' and Nobles', I noticed heavy traffic in the New Age section. In fact, I recall one young lady having to buy a book on Nostradamus for a school report!
XxxNuMbxxX0301 2 years ago
Even worse are the traitors like Dr. Peter Breggin. He means well, but his latest book is trash, Wow, I'm an American! His primary principles are good, but he rests on a bed of sand that is religion. The videos of him on black hate you-tube channels make me wonder is an idiot or worse.
Signofthedollar 2 years ago
Don't you have faith in the power of LHC to finish the unified nonsense? It will prove that matter comes from nothing and verify our lord and savior the great dark matter. LOL JK :)
You must have knowledge in the idea that even if the world is collapsing, your own mind is not and your own mind will not, you can go and "stand on an empty stretch of soil in a wilderness unexplored by men" and bring forth something new, right?
plemke1 2 years ago
5:07 "People believe in [...] ginkgo biloba"
2574 PubMed hits.
ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed?term=ginkgo+or+gingko
Are you sure that belief in the efficacy of a chemical family as well studied as ginkgo is on par with belief in vampires?
hitssquad 2 years ago