Ben Curthoys

Comment Threads

• Moz commented on Go away, Muse, you're drunk (again)
  When is it justified to let violence continue? Dude, you're the one arguing that violence can never be justified, except maybe possibly sometimes you're sympathetic to it but you're not sure when. It's a fascinating ideal, but without an actual argument it's not a very interesting discussion. I've worked with people who are philosophically opposed to "all" violence (Quakers) but nonetheless will use or solicit violence in self-defence. Reading Quaker discussions of whether it's possible to be a Christian and a police officer are interesting, especially in colonies where the police were established specifically to eliminate first nations (or in...
• Martin Rodgers commented on Go away, Muse, you're drunk (again)
  Well, I've been struggling with this kind of question for most of my life. The root seems to be zero-sum thinking. I even find it in discussions like these. (This discussion isn't a zero-sum game either.) I may have mentioned this here before. I can't remember. So I keep coming back to the same point I reached over 4 decades ago, and the question: How can we resolve conflicts without the use of violence? While I may suggest non-zero-sum thinking, it's already too late by the time the violence begins. As a teenager, nobody advocating violence won my support. Nobody...
• Martin Rodgers commented on Go away, Muse, you're drunk (again)
  Dude, you're the one arguing that violence can never be justified, I said I can't support it. I also acknowledge that other people make strong arguments to for justifying some violence. I've even suggested how they make those arguments. However, I am not making those arguments. You may be reading a little too much into my comments here. Don't worry, I blame zero-sum thinking. I've seen that happen for decades. I've seen people lose all reason and descend into verbal abuse (the ad hominem fallacy). One of the many things I like about this blog is the zero-tolerance moderation for...
• PilotMoonDog commented on Go away, Muse, you're drunk (again)
  I think part of the problem is a lot of people advocating violent solutions have little experience of violence or the consequences of it. They see it as a way to win a contest with their political opponents and think no further. Especially when they are advocating for violence somewhere other than where they are....
• Robert Prior commented on Go away, Muse, you're drunk (again)
  I think part of the problem is a lot of people advocating violent solutions have little experience of violence or the consequences of it. Or possibly have experienced so much violence that they can't conceive of other ways to solve problems....