R3qn65's recent activity
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Comment on Irish, Scottish and Welsh leaders meet to plan break-up of United Kingdom in ~society
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Comment on Deciding whether (or not) to have a child in ~life
R3qn65 Link ParentI stand corrected, but does that really change my core point? From the very section you quoted isI stand corrected, but does that really change my core point? From the very section you quoted is
... but now scientists say that even their best case scenario still shoots past that signature temperature mark. On the other end, those same new scenarios no longer include the coal-heavy future that would lead to 4.5 degrees Celsius (8.1 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming by 2100, a scary scenario that many scientific studies used in their future projections.
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Comment on Deciding whether (or not) to have a child in ~life
R3qn65 Link ParentAs someone with the ability to choose whether to have kids (e.g. with access to reliable birth control), you're already part of a global elite. At least half the planet lives in circumstances...Can someone be faced with circumstances worse than ours and still find their life worthwhile and fulfilling?
As someone with the ability to choose whether to have kids (e.g. with access to reliable birth control), you're already part of a global elite. At least half the planet lives in circumstances worse than yours. I'm sure you wouldn't argue that none of those people live fulfilling lives.
I think you have a bit of a perspective problem, honestly.
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Comment on Deciding whether (or not) to have a child in ~life
R3qn65 Link ParentWe've already missed the most catastrophic projections, though. We're on track for 2-2.2 degrees of warming instead of 4.5.We've already missed the most catastrophic projections, though. We're on track for 2-2.2 degrees of warming instead of 4.5.
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Comment on Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg put on 'leave of absence' in ~tech
R3qn65 Link ParentHonestly, that message is sufficient to show why someone would want him out. "Petulant child" is not a good look on a CEO.Honestly, that message is sufficient to show why someone would want him out. "Petulant child" is not a good look on a CEO.
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Comment on Farmers turn to perennial grains as one solution to extreme weather in ~enviro
R3qn65 Link ParentIs a lot of raw food imported across hemispheres? I'm not sure I've ever seen anything imported from another hemisphere other than specialty goods.Is a lot of raw food imported across hemispheres? I'm not sure I've ever seen anything imported from another hemisphere other than specialty goods.
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Comment on Farmers turn to perennial grains as one solution to extreme weather in ~enviro
R3qn65 Link ParentI mean you did say "no more bringing out of season foods in from abroad," which takes a lot of modern staple foods (e.g. bananas) completely off the table for basically everyone in Canada and the...though some people sure seem to have made the assumption that when I said “as much as possible” that I meant strictly eat from like I guess the same neighborhood or something?
I mean you did say "no more bringing out of season foods in from abroad," which takes a lot of modern staple foods (e.g. bananas) completely off the table for basically everyone in Canada and the US. :)
But in general, yes, I'm sympathetic to your aims.
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Comment on Farmers turn to perennial grains as one solution to extreme weather in ~enviro
R3qn65 Link ParentI'm all about this as long as it's more of a "eat more local foods" thing and not a "eat only local foods" thing. The latter sounds a lot better in theory than it ends up being in practice. Most...I'm all about this as long as it's more of a "eat more local foods" thing and not a "eat only local foods" thing. The latter sounds a lot better in theory than it ends up being in practice. Most of the global poor, for example, eat only local foods -- meaning the staple carbohydrate, maybe a few relishes, and not much else. And indeed that's how it's been for almost all humans since we first domesticated maize and wheat (or it domesticated us, depending on your point of view).
Even the more agricultural native American tribes on the eastern American seaboard, who were way ahead of most others with the trinity of beans/corn/squash thing, ended up eating pretty much just that, fish, and perhaps some foraged additions. It's just extremely difficult to grow a lot of different crops in the same place at scale. Like, what is Canada to do, you know? The growing season is maybe 6 months, and you're not growing citrus or rice.
You can fix some of that with refrigeration, canning, and just modern processing in general, but even so eating only local would be a massive downgrade in quality of life for almost all people.
I like lemons.
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Comment on South of Spain / Northern Africa travel recs in ~travel
R3qn65 Link ParentHaha, this is awesome, but a self described "complete travel noob" should under no circumstances go to Lebanon, Pakistan, or Syria. That's a completely unhinged recommendation ;)Haha, this is awesome, but a self described "complete travel noob" should under no circumstances go to Lebanon, Pakistan, or Syria. That's a completely unhinged recommendation ;)
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Comment on South of Spain / Northern Africa travel recs in ~travel
R3qn65 Link ParentCool. Morocco may not be for you guys then, actually. There are a couple of old Roman forts and one or two other similar things you could look at, but they're not in great condition and it's not...Cool. Morocco may not be for you guys then, actually. There are a couple of old Roman forts and one or two other similar things you could look at, but they're not in great condition and it's not like, say, Europe, where you can walk around inside ancient buildings in basically every major city. There's an incredible (non-ancient) mosque in Casablanca that allows non-Muslims to tour it, but I wouldn't go just for that.
Re: nature, Morocco has incredible landscapes, and that's a big part of the appeal, but not a lot of actual nature in terms of wildlife and little to no wilderness. Sort of depends on what you mean there. You could do some hiking in the Atlas mountains and/or do an overnight on the edges of the Sahara if that sounds appealing, but again both are more like seeing landscapes than seeing animals.
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Comment on South of Spain / Northern Africa travel recs in ~travel
R3qn65 LinkWhat kind of stuff do you guys like to do? Morocco is fantastic, and offers both high-end luxury (>$2000/night for a single room) and grittier hostel-style stuff (like...$20/night). There are also...What kind of stuff do you guys like to do? Morocco is fantastic, and offers both high-end luxury (>$2000/night for a single room) and grittier hostel-style stuff (like...$20/night). There are also cruises launching out of Casablanca, if you wanted to be on the water.
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Comment on We economists have done the maths: ‘growth’ is a doomed strategy – there is a better way in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentYeah, I think you're right. The problem isn't any specific ideology per se, it's researchers coming in with the goal to prove X instead of see whats's true about X, if that makes sense .Yeah, I think you're right. The problem isn't any specific ideology per se, it's researchers coming in with the goal to prove X instead of see whats's true about X, if that makes sense .
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Comment on We economists have done the maths: ‘growth’ is a doomed strategy – there is a better way in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentIt’s pretty case-dependent, I think. I also don’t want to claim that I’m familiar enough with the various distinctions to have a really coherent opinion on all of them.I don't want to derail this thread but how do you feel about other branches of anthropology? No need to answer if its basically indifference.
It’s pretty case-dependent, I think. I also don’t want to claim that I’m familiar enough with the various distinctions to have a really coherent opinion on all of them.
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Comment on We economists have done the maths: ‘growth’ is a doomed strategy – there is a better way in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentExcept, of course, for: — The USSR itself, from 1945 to about 1960 — China until about 2001 (when they joined the WTO) — India throughout the 90s — Venezuela until the 1980s — The gulf states...And since pretty much every economic success case since 1945 has been "Economy only boosts when trading with USA under favorable conditions"
Except, of course, for:
— The USSR itself, from 1945 to about 1960
— China until about 2001 (when they joined the WTO)
— India throughout the 90s
— Venezuela until the 1980s
— The gulf states (secured by the US, but primarily exporting elsewhere)
— Norway
— BotswanaAnd I’m sure there are more. The Asian Tigers, however, generally match your statement here.
And if we had our modern weather predicting power and agricultural science in 1915, odds are the USSR wouldn't have ever had that famine that kinda broke the horse's leg at the start of the race, if you will.
I 100% recognize that this was not your intention, but for your awareness a Ukrainian would probably consider this comment fairly offensive. Scholarly consensus is that the Holodomor was man-made due to short-sighted Soviet agricultural policy, though whether it was intentionally orchestrated to weaken the Ukrainians is still quite disputed (my money is on that it was not). Whether intentional or an accident of collectivization and dekulakization, what’s not under dispute is that it had nothing to do with weather prediction technology.
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Comment on We economists have done the maths: ‘growth’ is a doomed strategy – there is a better way in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentThere’s no doubt that those factors mattered - a lot, probably - but it’s important to point out that mainstream economists - even socialist economists, and even marxist economists in most cases -...There’s no doubt that those factors mattered - a lot, probably - but it’s important to point out that mainstream economists - even socialist economists, and even marxist economists in most cases - do not share the view that external factors were the primary cause of the USSR’s economic woes. The economic consensus (again, even among sympathetic economists) is that the planned economy failed due to internal factors.
The authors of Towards a New Socialism also primarily blame internal factors, not external factors. That’s why they wrote their whole book, after all.
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Comment on We economists have done the maths: ‘growth’ is a doomed strategy – there is a better way in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentInitial warning: This is a personal opinion, not a statement on how the world works. I’m happy to debate this opinion, but I’m not trying to conclusively, objectively prove that the field is...Initial warning: This is a personal opinion, not a statement on how the world works. I’m happy to debate this opinion, but I’m not trying to conclusively, objectively prove that the field is compromised or anything like that.
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Some cultural anthropology is okay. My primary issue is that in the beginning, anthropology (including cultural anthropology) was about trying to understand completely foreign systems. It’s impossible to do that completely objectively, of course; any human can’t help but view new things through the framing of information and beliefs we already have. But as the field matured, the more modern strands of cultural anthropology seem to be far more focused on explicitly applying pre-existing political lenses to whatever it is they’re studying. It’s not “I’m going to go see how it is,” anymore, so much as “I’m going to go see how [X] theory (typically something Marx-adjacent) explains how it is.”
The pre-existing bias became the feature, not something to try to control for.
Again, I’m not saying that the field should be shut down or is objectively bad or anything like that. Just saying that’s not how I think research should be done.
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Comment on We economists have done the maths: ‘growth’ is a doomed strategy – there is a better way in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentThanks for digging this up. They seem like fairly standard socialist/socialist-adjacent policies.Thanks for digging this up. They seem like fairly standard socialist/socialist-adjacent policies.
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Comment on We economists have done the maths: ‘growth’ is a doomed strategy – there is a better way in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentSort of minor, but he’s actually an economic anthropologist, not an economist. Economic anthropology, such as it is, is a more politically-flavored field that’s critical of mainstream economics....Hes an economist who is sort of an unofficial spokesperson for the Degrowth economic philosophy.
Sort of minor, but he’s actually an economic anthropologist, not an economist. Economic anthropology, such as it is, is a more politically-flavored field that’s critical of mainstream economics. Point being that Hickel’s degrees are in anthropology, not a quantitative or math-related field.
I really don’t like Hickel or cultural anthropology (though I’m trying to keep that bias out of this comment), but co-authors Stiglitz and Piketty are serious economists, so it’s not fair to throw the whole article out based just on that.
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Comment on We economists have done the maths: ‘growth’ is a doomed strategy – there is a better way in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentAs far as I know, the most canonical argument here is Towards a New Socialism, written in 1993 by a scottish computer scientist — that may even be what @vord had in mind. The basic thesis is...It seems to me that simply "powerful computers" isn't quite the magic sauce that would make those systems work. But I'm certainly intrigued of the possibility of a deeply planned economy working in the future with the help of LLMs and other new computing things.
As far as I know, the most canonical argument here is Towards a New Socialism, written in 1993 by a scottish computer scientist — that may even be what @vord had in mind. The basic thesis is exactly that: that computers will enable a planned economy where it was previously impossible.
Personally I think there are a huge number of issues that computers cannot solve, and I think planned economies are a mistake. The problem with the Soviet Union’s economy (which is the primary example Towards a New Socialism reacts to) wasn’t insufficient processing power. But if you’re interested in reading the opposing view, that’s a good place to start.
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Comment on Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO in ~news
R3qn65 Link ParentNo man. Go do politics, I think that's great. Just don't go murder.I don't think all rich people are bad. But they are powerful, the very rich tremendously so, and that power is unchecked. What do we do when they use that power for selfish but legal reasons to the severe detriment of most others? Must we accept that just because they would be found innocent in the court of law?
No man. Go do politics, I think that's great. Just don't go murder.
Does the IRA still exist as a paramilitary force?