Dennis Hackethal’s Blog

My blog about philosophy, coding, and anything else that interests me.

Tweets

An archive of my tweets and retweets through . They may be formatted slightly differently than on Twitter. API access has since gotten prohibitively expensive – I don't know whether or when I'll be able to update this archive.

But in case I will, you can subscribe via RSS – without a Twitter account. Rationale

@michaelerich5

Hübscher Laib Brot

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@ToKTeacher @bnielson01 @HeuristicAndy @DavidDeutschOxf @reasonisfun

"What could?" Neo-Darwinism could be falsified “if an organism was observed to undergo only (or mainly) favourable mutations” or “[i]f organisms were observed to be born with new, complex adaptations – for anything – of which there were no precursors in their parents” BoI ch. 4

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

Many successful people give to charities to "give back." But they never took anything in the first place!

People like Steve Jobs, through the production and marketing of computers, have done way more to lift people out of poverty than charities, without even trying to do that.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

Charity is overrated. It doesn't create anything new—it's just a transfer of existing wealth and is a zero-sum game. Trade, on the other hand, results in the creation of value for both parties.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

I suspect for other items, the factor is even starker. How much would someone have to pay you never to use clothes again? Or salt? Or cars?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

Let's say people spend an average of $10,000 on computers in a lifetime. Those $10,000 are effectively worth $10 million to them and computers outperform their cost 1000x.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

I had a sense that this would be the result, but it's still worth thinking about what it means. For one, it means that computers are extremely valuable. For two, it means that entrepreneurship is much more helpful to people than even extremely generous charity.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@KatyDerbyshire

“Sie sind beide in Brüssel untergetaucht und haben dort überlebt.” ??

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@WatchRatio

Looks like he’ll need to win all of Fla, Ga, Iowa, mich, nc, nev, Ohio, and Texas if Biden gets the remainder. Doable. But if he loses a single one of those, he loses overall.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@WatchRatio

Not according to politico.com/2020-election/… if Biden wins all remaining states.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

School kids in France stood for a minute of silence to acknowledge the beheading of Samuel Paty by an islamist terrorist.

"A minute of silence means nothing if it’s forced. If we’re serious about freedom, we need to stop forcing kids to go to school."

blog.dennishackethal.com/2020/11/04/for…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@Ayaan

Macron is doing the right thing standing up to islamists—unfortunately, it's ironic that children are learning about freedom in a classroom setting they are forced to attend.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

Would you accept $10 million on condition that you never use any computer ever again (including smart phones, tablets etc)?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@KevinKileyCA

What are the consequences for Newsom and the CA government as a whole? Do they at least have to pay damages?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

It’s a great day for California!! twitter.com/KevinKileyCA/s…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@MatjazLeonardis @DavidDeutschOxf

Then again, we’re not after justification, so maybe this isn’t such a big problem?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

RT @DavidDeutschOxf:
@richard_landes @SamHarrisOrg

Don't analyse it as a policy, where it is obviously nonsense. Analyse it as a general-pu…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DoqxaScott

"Black lives matter."

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

To be clear, I'm not looking to weigh pros against cons. I'm looking for a single con that would refute the entire thing.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

RT @MurraySuggests:
“Whenever someone starts talking about 'fair competition' or indeed, about 'fairness' in general, it is time to keep a…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@ThomasMetzinger

What if we’re not impressed by Thunberg?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@gleason_colum

“It’s about giving people the resources and the help they need...” doesn’t that sound lovely! If only she shed light on the theft and violence that are silently happening to “give people what they need.”

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@HermesofReason

The idea may not explicitly encode that feature, but it's part of its reach (albeit a bad kind of reach). And yes, I think that for some ideas, it's the associations that make it troublesome.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

This casts doubt on the possibility of persuading you with outcomes alone, as there may always be "other potential benefits" you can mention. It would be better to pinpoint and offer one specific criticism that would definitely change your mind.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@cziscience @ChanZuckerberg @WatchRatio

This whole account is a social-justice treasure chest.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

Whenever an idea seems so obviously true that you cannot imagine yourself possibly finding a flaw with it—when it makes you think that it must be true—that in itself is a flaw with the idea.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@tiffanyiwaddell @podia @WatchRatio

coach offering services to recruit and promote based on skin color

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

To illustrate this point, imagine you eat cake all day and never exercise. If somebody then forces you to eat healthier and exercise every day, you'll get in better shape (i.e. better outcome). But forcing you would still be wrong and the better outcome doesn't make up for that.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

Also, outcomes aren't everything. The methodology matters, too. For example, coercive methodologies should be avoided in favor of non-coercive methodologies.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

I think you're right about this.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

What about if someone convinces you that income inequality and consolidation of power aren't bad per se? Would change your mind about UBI, too?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

Affected by corporate wokeism? Here are some tips on how to counter it:

blog.dennishackethal.com/2020/11/01/wha…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

To be clear, if that's what you were referring to, the fact that UBI wouldn't alleviate poverty by printing money is true even if printing money is not coercive.

In any case, have you given any thought to how one could change your mind and get you to reject UBI?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

Ok but I don't think you've refuted the notion that printing money is theft. And if it's theft it's still coercion.

Assuming that printing money is not theft, printing money does not create wealth because the USD is not a consumer good, and so it won't help abolish poverty.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

All employment and company actions are already voluntary. No UBI needed for that.

You're confusing the necessity of work with coercion (a common mistake). Relieving the necessity of work does not impact the presence or absence of coercion.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

Given that this presents an inconsistency with my "world view," why does that lead to disagreement with my previous two tweets?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@vharrelle71 @TragerSteele @EthicalSkeptic

Once you read Popper, you will encounter good criticism of Wittgenstein, too.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

How UBI could possibly help avoid coercion at work I do not know, but it would also be a case of "coercion to fight coercion," since we have already discovered that UBI can only be brought about through coercion.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

I kindof like the concept of everything being voluntary, but I think it's important that employees are not coerced into doing anything that they don't want to do either.

The "but" doesn't work there, it's like saying "we need coercion to fight coercion."

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

All of that is non-coercive so it's fine and their prerogative.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

Ppl starting new companies

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

We can find voluntary measures to discourage bad actors. Trade associations, rules, competition, etc.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

“In theory we should have more of a say in how the govt functions and that would be our route to have a say in how private companies function” is code for coercing companies into doing things they do not want.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

Yeah it’s voluntary. Also hospital has a PR incentive not to do something like that or lose customers. And even if it didn’t, “sometimes bad things happen” and “bad actors exist” is no excuse for institutionalized theft.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

There's no reason to think a free society couldn't solve those problems. Also there’s currently little in place to prevent governments from exploiting people.

BTW voluntary trades cannot be exploitative, unless one of the parties commits fraud.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@_Islamicat

That's why he is loot mostly peacefully

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike

It would reduce its activities to essential services, slowly hand over more and more of that to private corporations, first through collaboration, then through handoffs, and steadily reduce taxes until they're 0 and the government has been fully replaced by voluntary alternatives

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

Again, poverty cannot be regulated away. I understand the urgency, and poverty sucks, but politics won't help. Let the free market continue to lift people out of poverty and in a few decades we may see the end of poverty. Keep interfering and that will only slow things down.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

Not really, no. Inflation artificially reduces the value of everyone's money. It's just a sneakier way to steal.

That's the problem: government has two primary ways of procuring money. Theft through taxation or theft through inflation by printing money.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@c_drosten

Na, wenn er so "bedeutend" ist, rechtfertigt das sicherlich den Entzug der Freiheit!

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

Made my day. I love changing people's minds. twitter.com/vharrelle71/st…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@vharrelle71

You're welcome. On the topic of science and evidence, this book's chapter 1 may interest you: amazon.com/Beginning-Infi…

And Karl Popper's books, particularly "Conjectures and Refutations" and "Objective Knowledge."

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

Yes, taxes, exactly. Meaning the "contribution" would not be voluntary. Meaning you would forcefully burden one part of the population to finance another. That's immoral.

As I said in another tweet, the end of poverty will come, if we don't ruin it through regulations.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@RichardDawkins

Is the attempt moral?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@WatchRatio

They support BLM though. :(

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DeliberateZero @IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang @ChipkinLogan

In time, poverty will be a thing of the past. But it takes time. One can't regulate poverty away in a snap.

Worst thing that can happen is for politicians to come in and mess it all up through regulation. Best thing that can happen is for politicians to just stay out of it.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DeliberateZero @IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang @ChipkinLogan

Also, to @IdkMike's point, all private citizens of the world are already working on abolishing poverty through trade. There have never been fewer poor people in the world than today, thanks to capitalism.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DeliberateZero @IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

Yeah, exactly. As @ChipkinLogan has said, why doesn't the government just declare "all problems are hereby solved"?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

Poverty is a soluble problem, yes. But it can't be regulated away.

The percentage from automation, how would that reach poor people? How would it be transferred from those owning the devices performing the automation, and who would be in charge of the transfer?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

And where would the government get that money from?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

Ok how does that information support your claim that we could abolish poverty?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

“When a theory has this property, it fails Popper’s test for being scientific, applying his criterion of demarcation. Isn’t that something that a magazine that calls itself scientific should take seriously?”

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

“Whatever happens, advocates can always rescue their theory in support of lockdowns, and nobody learns anything.”

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@IdkMike @ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

How is it defined by the government?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DavidDeutschOxf

Another issue (I think) is that empiricism kicks the can down the road. For, if knowledge can be derived from the senses, where did the knowledge in that alleged process of derivation come from?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@ValaAfshar @AndrewYang

Poverty is natural. Humanity was born into the utmost poverty of nature. It’s the default state of man. It isn’t something one can just abolish. One has to create wealth.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@krazyander

Rising cases don’t justify the castration of freedom. Instead, they should be used to persuade people to manage their health more wisely.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@MattStirner @Ace_Archist

Agreed, healthcare doesn’t strike me as a Randian governmental responsibility.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

“[...] visits to the homes of family and friends will no longer be allowed, and only one close contact will be allowed outside the household.”

Has there ever been this kind of tyranny in the free world? How long will it take for people to rise up against it? twitter.com/FridaGhitis/st…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@tomhyde_

Crushing it!

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@AndreaW09647358 @markusabsent @SwipeWright

I added a sun to it! https://t.co/3N6T9ECi3N

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@dvassallo

I agree that we shouldn't blindly ignore them though!

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@dvassallo

Not so—evo psych is largely false. Premonitions may well result from knowledge we develop ourselves during our lifetime.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

Potentially of interest to you, @mymind.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

New guest post by @ChipkinLogan about the three deepest theories of reality blog.dennishackethal.com/2020/10/27/thr…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@michaelerich5

Inwiefern das mit Ihrer zweiten Frage zusammenhängt, weiß ich nicht.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@michaelerich5

Kommt drauf an, was Sie mit „KI“ meinen. Wenn Sie eine vollwertige Simulation des menschlichen Verstands meinen, dann per definitionem „ja“, da dieser ja alles kann, was der Mensch auch kann.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@Jorgensen4POTUS

BLM is a Marxist organization. You’re not a libertarian.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

On the love triangle between open borders, social-justice warriors, and murderous Islamism. twitter.com/Ayaan/status/1…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@mansfield_pablo

Yeah. Note her lamenting when kids "get what they want." :(

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

New blog post. Also, this is the new home of my blog now.

blog.dennishackethal.com/2020/10/25/the…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

To those arguing in favor of lockdowns based on outcomes alone, will this change your mind?

tomwoods.com/death-by-lockd…

And if not, what will?

“When you ask them to stay home, in many cases you’re asking them to starve.”

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@BTPNorthWales

Translates to “those who seek freedom are selfish.” You’re making totalitarians proud.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@anniegowen @realDonaldTrump

No he didn't. He specified it's the air he considers filthy.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@SwipeWright

Evidence-based epistemology wouldn’t help with that (it’s false). Popperian epistemology would.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DrunkenMighty @DavidDeutschOxf

Depends on my mood. If I'm interested in the machinery and stored goods I might find the warehouse more interesting.

Plus, I think people can create much more enjoyable environments than forests (and enjoyable for much longer). Homes, for example.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DorfGinger @falibilista

There is also an underlying assumption that it's a politician's job to ensure the health of people, regulate (directly or indirectly) hospital usage, etc. (It isn't.)

In some countries, people are paying (through taxes) for the enforcement of their own house arrest. It's nuts.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DorfGinger @falibilista

I agree that solutions can lead to other, better problems, and then that's progress—the lockdown doesn't seem to fall into that category.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DorfGinger @falibilista

Yes, there's definitely that. And it's possible that I'm fudging "solution" and "common preference" as defined by the TCS glossary.

That said, a lockdown might solve a politician's problem but still ruin other people's lives. So, morally problematic.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DorfGinger @falibilista

Yes, you're right.

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

RT @ClimateWarrior7:
While Stalin went off the rails a bit, Lenin was actually responsible for no more than 3 million deaths at the most, a…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@richarddorset @DavidDeutschOxf

Why does it matter?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

@DrunkenMighty @DavidDeutschOxf

Why should complexity afford moral significance/protection?

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

RT @ClimateWarrior7:
I remember when human rights were about people not being tortured or arbitrarily detained.

Fortunately that's all bee…

@dchackethal · · Show · Open on Twitter

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