GeekSpeak: Logs of Discussions

Discussion Logs

This page has links to logs of prior channel discussions. Please note that these discussion logs are copyrighted by the channel owners: Pankaj Saxena and Tom Wright. These logs may not be copied or redistributed in any form without the prior written permission of the channel owners.

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Logic: October 20, 1995. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena.: Law of Identity, Deduction and Induction. Certainty, and the relationship between induction and integration. Spiral theory of knowledge. Flaws in modern logic.
Libertarianism: The Perversion of Liberty: October 27, 1995. Moderated by Tom Wright.: What is Libertarianism. What, if any, is its philosophical basis. Can politics without philosophy succeed in making changes for the better. What considerations should one have in supporting or opposing a Libertarian candidate in an election.
Essentials of Concept Formation: November 3, 1995. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena.: Levels of Consciousness. What is a concept, and what does it subsume? Process of concept formation. Concepts of consciousness. Axiomatic concepts.
Militias: January 19, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright.: What are militias? Do people have a right to form militias? What should the government do about them? Historical antecedents for militias. Goals and purposes of modern militias.
Objective Law: January 26, 1996. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena.: What's a law? What's the purpose of laws? What is an objective law? What does the concept "justice" mean? How is justice served by the police and courts? What are the results of non-objective laws?
The Ethics of Whistleblowing: February 2, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright.: When is it proper to report a crime to the authorities? What kind of crime may be reported? What things should one consider in making the decision whether or not to report the crime. What are the legal and moral issues involved?
How Force Paralyzes Thought: February 9, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons.: Based on Gary Hull's article in The Intellectual Activist. The difference between significant and low-level thought. Why force inhibits significant thought.
Egalitarianism: February 16, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons.: What is egalitarianism? What stolen concept is it based on? The nature of Justice. Discussion of Rawls' "A Theory of Justice".
GOP Candidates for Nomination: February 23, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright.: Discussion on GOP nominees for the 1996 Presidential Election. Focussed on Steve Forbes, Lamar Alexander, Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan. Merits and demerits of invidual candidates, their stand on various issues, etc.
How Force Paralyzes Thought - Part II: March 1, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons.: Based on Gary Hull's article in The Intellectual Activist. The difference between significant and low-level thought. Why force inhibits significant thought.
How Force Paralyzes Thought - Part III: March 15, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons.: Part III of the above discussion
Bogus Freedom: March 22, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons.: Compares the Marxist/Liberal definition of freedom to the true meaning of the word. Discusses examples and ways to counter the false versions of "freedom".
What Makes Good Objectivist Material: March 29, 1996. Moderated by Betsy Speicher.: How to identify people who'd be open to Objectivism. How to get to their core premises.
On Keeping an Open Mind: April 12, 1996. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena.: What's meant by "keeping an open mind"? Is there a proper meaning to this phrase? Psychoepistemology of uncertainty.
US Foreign Policy and the Taiwanese Crisis: April 19, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright.: Discussion of US foreign policy with respect to communist countries like China, Cuba and North Korea, in view of China's threats against Taiwan. Does the US have a foreign policy? What is it? What's the proper response to countries such as China.
The Gold Standard: April 26, 1996. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena.: Discussion on the Gold Standard. What it is, when was it implemented, its advantages. Comparison with other monetary systems.
Is Evaluation a Species of Cognition?: May 3, 1996. Moderated by Tom Miovas.: Transcript removed at the request of the moderator.
How to Pick Your Fights: Gauging Honesty in Intellectual Discussions: May 10, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons.: How can you tell if someone is being honest in a discussion. Difference between ignorance and evasion. What to do about it on IRC, and in Real Life.
Perception: May 24, 1996. Moderated by Clay Hellman.: Nature of perception. Is it fallible or infallible? Perception as the basis of knowledge. Theories of perception.
Identification & Evaluation - measuring the is and the ought: May 31, 1996. Moderated by Tom Miovas.: Nature of Identification and Evaluation. Characterstics of teleological measurement. What's the unit of teleological measurement, if any.
The Role of Personal Values in Achieving Happiness: June 7, 1996. Moderated by Andrew Schwartz.: What are personal values, versus philosophical values? The role of motivation. How to identify personal values. More.
Fundamentals of Esthetics: June 14, 1996. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena.: What is art? What are metaphysical value judgements and sense of life? What is the purpose of art? More.
Dole vs Clinton: Which is the lesser of two evils: June 28, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright.: Comparing Bob Dole and Bill Clinton as candidates for the next presidential elections.
Introduction to Esthetics: Part II: July 12, 1996. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena: Romanticism and Naturalism. Premises behind each. How can you evaluate someone by knowing his taste in Art
What is a Living Entity?: July 19, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons: Definition of "life". What's "self-sustaining", "self-generated" action? What are values?
What does Science Studies offer Science?: July 26, 1996. Moderated by Bill Capehart: Discussion on Alan Sokal's paper in "Social Text". What is Science Studies? Is it a valid field of study? What is postmoderism?
Subpoena Power Under Objective Law: August 2, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright: What is subpoena power? What is its purpose? Is that purpose valid? When can/should it be invoked?
Honesty, Rationality and Certainty: August 9, 1996. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena: What is the basis for cartainty? Can someone who is consistently honest and rational make mistakes? Is "tolerance" a virtue?
Honesty in Relationships: August 16, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons: What should one tell/not tell a romantic partner. Why? What actions compromise one's honesty, in regards to a relationship. More.
The GOP Convention: Progress, or More of the Same? August 23, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright: Excerpts from speeches made at the convention, with commentary and discussion on the underlying philosophy behind the statements.
The Washington Post Article on Ayn Rand: August 30, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons: A discussion on the Washington Post article on Ayn Rand from August 25, 1996, by William Powers, page F01. Article was entitled Ayn Rand was Wrong.
The Analytic-Synthetic Dichotomy: September 6, 1996. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena: Discussion of Leonard Peikoff's article in ITOE. What is the metaphysical and epistemological basis for this dichotomy? What forms does it take? What's wrong with it?
How to Organize your Life: September 13, 1996. Moderated by Betsy Speicher: How to organize yourself in terms of places and things. How to organize your desk, your house, your workplace. What's the purpose of being organized? Can one be over-organized?
Objectivist "Utopianism": September 20, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons: What would a world that was predominantly rational be like to live in?
The Politics of Class Envy: October 4, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright: What is Class Envy. Tracing European roots; Marxism. Philosophical commentary. Republicans and Democrats.
Abstraction from Abstractions: October 18, 1996. Moderated by Glenn Martin: Discussion of the chapter Abstraction from Abstractions from Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology.
Applying Objectivist Principles to Drama: October 25, 1996. Moderated by Brad Aisa: Discussion on a screenplay by Brad Aisa, for Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Concepts out of a Hat: November 1, 1996. Moderated by Tym Parsons: A game where the referee tosses out two seemingly unrelated words or phrases, and the participants try to find some common basis to relate them.
Conflicts of Interest: November 22, 1996. Moderated by Pankaj Saxena: What does interests mean? What things do you need to consider in order to determine if an interest is valid or not? Why can there be no conflicts of interest among rational men?
One Sentencing: December 6, 1996. Moderated by Betsy Speicher: Learning to put the essential characterstics of an idea into one sentence.
Year in Review - 1996: December 27, 1996. Moderated by Tom Wright: Year in Review: what were the good and the bad things that happened in 1996. Covered the 1996 elections, proposition 209 in California, etc.
Means vs. Ends and the Initiation of Force: January 3, 1997. Moderated by Tym Parsons: Tracing the roots of the means versus ends dichotomy in philosophical thought. Role of causality.
Racism and Multiculturalism: January 24, 1997. Moderated by John McVey: Basis of racism and multiculturalism. How multiculturalism is a form of racism. What to say to people who promote multiculturalism.
Concepts of Consciousness: January 31, 1997. Moderated by Glenn Martin: Transcripts unavailable at this time.
Why Success in Life Requires Unbreached Adherence to Principles: February 7, 1997. Moderated by Andrew Schwartz: What are principles? What is their purpose? What are the consequences of not adhering to principles? Are principles contextual?
The Proper Way to Finance Government: February 14, 1997. Moderated by Eric Taneda: Eric presents his theory of how government could be financed in a rational society without taxation.
The Public Goods Problem and Free Market Solutions: February 21, 1997. Moderated by Tom Wright: Roads, transportation, communications, etc. How such things might work in a free economy.
Objective Environmentalism: February 28, 1997. Moderated by Tym Parsons: What kind of "environmental" concerns do rational people have? What's their scope? How are they addressed? More.
More Concepts out of a Hat: March 14, 1997. Moderated by Tym Parsons: More of the game where the moderator supplies a pair of concepts and the participants try to find the most fundamental link between the two.
Is/Ought and Volition: April 4, 1997. Moderated by Tym Parsons: Since ethics is contingent on the fact that one chooses to live, is ethics based on a subjective decision?
One Sentencing: April 11, 1997. Moderated by Brad Wilson: A game where you condense an idea and present it in one sentence, retaining only the essentials.
Chewing Property Rights: April 18, 1997. Moderated by Tym Parsons: Examining the concept of property rights. What specifically do you have the right to do on your own property? What can't you do, and why.
The Servitude Summit: April 25, 1997. Moderated by Tom Wright: Discussion on the upcoming Servitude Summit in Philadelphia and ARI's response to it.
Healthy Living and Objectivism: May 9, 1997. Moderated by Jay Allen: Does healthy living (low fat diet, not smoking, etc.) decrease the "quality of life"? Can a rational man make trade-offs between "pleasurable activities" like eating burgers, etc., and healthy living?
Pro-Capitalism Business Practices: May 16, 1997. Moderated by R. Eriks Goodwin: What can one do to promote capitalism in his business practices. Is it immoral to deal with people/countries that deny individual rights to some defined degree? More.
The Servitude Summit: May 23, 1997. Moderated by Tom Miovas: More on the Servitude Summit and the ARI sponsored protest against it. Coverage of the protest in the media.
Force vs Violence: Offence, Defence and Double Standards: May 30, 1997. Moderated by William Capehart: How people make allowances for some kinds of force (such as student protests) but blame others (such as force used in defending your property). Current events.
More Concepts out of a Fez: June 6, 1997. Moderated by Tym Parsons: Connecting two seemingly random concepts together. Discussion continued into the nature of consciousness, specially animal consciousness.
Why Have Kids: June 13, 1997. Moderated by Betsy Speicher: What are some selfish reasons to have kids. What are some common reasons for havings kids? When do you know you're prepared to have kids.
Commodity Currencies: When, Whether and How: June 27, 1997. Moderated by Brad Aisa: What in reality leads to the concept of money? Why are commodities picked as the first medium of exchange? What makes metals particularly suitable for use as a currency? What's the role of the government in all this, and what does that do to the economy. More.
How to tell Evasion from Honest Mistakes: July 25, 1997. Moderated by Tym Parsons: Errors in logic, poor epistemology, evasion. Differences between them. Examples.
Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts: Part I: January 16, 1998. Moderated by Clay Hellman: Discussion of the first chapter of Dr. Binswanger's book by the same name. Some parts of chapter 2 also covered.
Privacy: Theory and Practice: January 22, 1999. Moderated by Brad Aisa: Is Privacy a right? Legal issues about privacy. Philosophical discussion regarding privacy issues followed by a technical discussion on encryption methods, including PGP.