[Emitt Evan Baker]

Hey Mark.
Yeah, my tone was over the top in places. I do try to watch that. I don't always remember. I see Harris as a symbol of the large package of so-called information on Islam in this country. Maybe that wasn't fair. Or maybe when you step into that arena, where life and death are being played out in the rubble of other people's homes, you better get it right. Honest either/or there. I know I might be wrong and will keep thinking about it and watching for positive Harrisisms out of the corner of my eyes. I suspect I am terribly biased against him. I can live with that. I know he can. Thanks for putting up with the meandering mess of my posts.

Mr. Harris, you can go now. The desk will validate your parking ticket.

[Mark McDonnell]

Emitt,

Thanks for putting up with me, also. I began to bore even myself by the end. I think we're both on the same page, really. You're a good guy and your personal experience in Iraq which you've alluded to obviously gives you the kind of insight that my armchair pontificating can't match. I fully accept that. Max and Brian: apologies if I sounded rude.

As I said in the last post, I'm gonna stick with poetry from now on.

Cheers

[Quincy Lehr]

Quoth William:

There ARE NO classes of people. Each and every human being ever born is an individual. Individuals are judged by other individuals. There are no classes of people. Those categories and classes result from a L O N G time of various individuals talking about other individuals. These classes and categories of individuals DO NOT EXIST. They are not living entities, and have absolutely NO real existence apart from being convenient points of reference for individuals who were talking and writing about individuals and their behavior.

Margaret Thatcher punched a hippie in Hell when she read this. For funsies. Seriously, despite some stiff competition, this may well be the silliest thing ever posted on the Sphere.

[John Riley]

Good one, Quincy. Hell is having to read Atlas Shrugged over and over. I hope Maggie didn't lose her place.

[William A. Baurle]

Originally Posted by Quincy Lehr

Quoth William:



Margaret Thatcher punched a hippie in Hell when she read this. For funsies. Seriously, despite some stiff competition, this may well be the silliest thing ever posted on the Sphere.

Well, except for what you just typed.

Hey Quince, I'm good friends with a prominent Spherian who told me via email to essentially ignore your posts. He or she has some remarkably insulting things to say about you. PM me if you would like to know who I'm referring to (if you have the guts, which I doubt) or to have a discussion about philosophy, which I'm pretty convinced (at this point) you know precious little about.

Have a nice day!

[William A. Baurle]

Originally Posted by John Riley

Good one, Quincy. Hell is having to read Atlas Shrugged over and over. I hope Maggie didn't lose her place.

How many times have you read it, John?

You guys are making this discussion easier and easier, for which I thank you. I mean, I like a challenge, but I can always go to Talk Freethought for that.

Thanks for the break.

[William A. Baurle]

Originally Posted by Emitt Evan Baker

Hey Mark.
Yeah, my tone was over the top in places. I do try to watch that. I don't always remember. I see Harris as a symbol of the large package of so-called information on Islam in this country. Maybe that wasn't fair. Or maybe when you step into that arena, where life and death are being played out in the rubble of other people's homes, you better get it right. Honest either/or there. I know I might be wrong and will keep thinking about it and watching for positive Harrisisms out of the corner of my eyes. I suspect I am terribly biased against him. I can live with that. I know he can. Thanks for putting up with the meandering mess of my posts.

Mr. Harris, you can go now. The desk will validate your parking ticket.

Sam Harris, a neuroscientist, most definitely has no concerns about your opinions of his work.

I'm enjoying this thread, where someone wanted to discuss the American Conservative, and it wound up being yet another useless waste of bandwidth, featuring a slew of intellectual wannabes pitching poo like chimps. Myself included.

At least I know my place in the grand scheme of things, thanks to Spinoza, and Christ. It's nice to be on the dead bottom, in an upsidedown world. I highly recommend it.

Peace and God's love to all.

[William A. Baurle]

Originally Posted by Brian Allgar

That may be true, William, but it would be more believable if you didn't keep telling us, and if your replies to anyone who disagrees with you were less contemptuous.

I missed this.

An exhaustive look at my posting record since 2001 will bear me out, and show me to be far kinder and more considerate than most on the Sphere. Hell, take a look at Cantor, who has shot his mouth off ten times more than I have, and has been far more "contemptuous" in his hit-and-run abuse than I.

But of course, Cantor is a liberal, and so he gets a pass on all of his abrasive abuse of fellow Spherians throughout the years.

And the funny thing about Cantor is, he WANTS to be a moderator, and struts around like the cock of the walk, moderating here and moderating there, without the authority to do so, but lacks the initiative or the courage to actually take up the job.

He just wants to poke his nose here and there, take pot-shots, and have his ass kissed for it.

BOOOOOO!

You don't like my behavior, Brian, take it up with Alex or a moderator.

Put up or shut up.

[Emitt Evan Baker]

Hey Willie.
My work is in the area of the neolithic mind, the roots of language, and story. My bit about Harris in the last post was just joking around but in some ways the reductionist slope of neuroscience as well as their hierarchy of minds is the antithesis to pretty much everything I am on about. The back and forth between Mark and I was (I think on both our parts) off the cuff and extremely loose. I write those posts in a few brief moments between the chaos here and more rigorous papers for school. I look at forums a bit more like a pub. A place to just throw stuff out there. I am unconvinced that it is your place on the politcal spectrum that puts people off to your thought process and your posts. Glad all this is able to give you the assurance you need. Good luck with that stuff.

[Max Goodman]

Originally Posted by William A. Baurle

(if you have the guts, which I doubt)

This is worth memorializing even without the followup two hours later.

Originally Posted by William A. Baurle

An exhaustive look at my posting record since 2001 will bear me out, and show me to be far kinder and more considerate than most on the Sphere..