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Friday Five February 21
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? 1.? Is race a real or constructed concept?
2.? If race is real, what race should people of mixed ancestry be classied as? 3? Should Forest Management be returned to the seasonal burning done by the Native Americans before white colonization? 4.? Should litigation to limit forest management be outlawed or severely limited in scope and time? 5.? Musk has suggested that part of the savings from DOGE should be rebated to taxpayers - is this a good idea? ? |
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1.? Is race a real or constructed concept? Constructed, like every other concept. We use these concepts as symboldsfor what we each perceive?to be reality so that we can think about them. This is a natural consequence of having a human mind, which is useful for predicting and thus attempting to avoid threats to the organisms survival. We have just cleverly expanded that basic functionality to model reality mentally for use in various pursuits not directly related to threat mitigation. None of these symbols are "real" and their accuracy in reflecting observations is debatable and often is debated energetically!
Since I am dodging the question the way I believe it was meant to be perceived, I add that any given "race" may be a usefully accurate symbol in the moment it is used, but since?physical?traits will vary and mix down the generational path, it is only a temporarily useful depiction. I suppose we are a race of humans, although many of the other mammals I know also have noses...as do a few reptiles...and insects...in fact, I share traits like mass with rocks, so I suppose I could be categorized as belonging to a race of matter. Except...well, nevermind. "Race" is a conditionally useful constructed concept. 2.? If race is real, what race should people of mixed ancestry be classified as? The Mixed Ancestry Race (MAR.) Make up any symbol you want. Each thing?we observe is composed of an infinite?variety of contributing things?and so the symbol of it that is used for thinking can vary just as infinitely. If MAR is a useful concept, then go for it! Those you use the term in communication with mush share your concept closely enough for the discussion, but how often do we exactly share any of the concepts (or words) that we use with each other? Easy peasy. I have grandchildren who have mixed ancestry?from the commonly shared concept--I believe they are categorized as "mulatto" for this type of communication because we simply must?have a symbol! I rarely even think about them in such a context because they are too complex and?amorphous to be contained in?a symbol. It is worth mentioning that I have seen the concept used constructively for limited purposes in medical practice, but its main purpose seems to be of a more decisive?social flavor. I say we just do away with all category symbols except as needed by science. 3? Should Forest Management be returned to the seasonal burning done by the Native Americans before white colonization? I had to look that one up. Interesting that it was practiced by such numerically low and low-tech populations. Without a lot of qualifications to support my opinion, I think that would be oversimplification?under modern conditions. I have noticed some extremes of weather and related phenomena lately... 4.? Should litigation to limit forest management be outlawed or severely limited in scope and time? Given current environmental trends, I suspect litigation of any type will soon become severely limited. Outlawing litigation, however, would simply encourage alternative challenges.
5.? Musk has suggested that part of the savings from DOGE should be rebated to taxpayers - is this a good idea? I hear 20% in payouts to citizens, 20% into the federal budget to pay down debt. I am assuming the remaining 60% would be invested?in the budget to avoid new debt, but I suppose based on history that some will go to the ruling elite. I am fine with payouts, yes, as I have been paying in for decades! I imagine this would be a bone to the mob to maintain its support and if the amounts are significant enough, it might be an effective bone for at least a short period. I wonder how this would differ from a public dole? The limited duration? |
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Excellent answers ? 1.? Is race a real or constructed concept?
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Constructed, like every other concept. We use these concepts as symboldsfor what we each perceive?to be reality so that we can think about them. This is a natural consequence of having a human mind, which is useful for predicting and thus attempting to avoid threats to the organisms survival. We have just cleverly expanded that basic functionality to model reality mentally for use in various pursuits not directly related to threat mitigation. None of these symbols are "real" and their accuracy in reflecting observations is debatable and often is debated energetically!
?
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Since I am dodging the question the way I believe it was meant to be perceived, I add that any given "race" may be a usefully accurate symbol in the moment it is used, but since?physical?traits will vary and mix down the generational path, it is only a temporarily useful depiction. I suppose we are a race of humans, although many of the other mammals I know also have noses...as do a few reptiles...and insects...in fact, I share traits like mass with rocks, so I suppose I could be categorized as belonging to a race of matter. Except...well, nevermind. "Race" is a conditionally useful constructed concept. ?
2.? If race is real, what race should people of mixed ancestry be classified as?
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The Mixed Ancestry Race (MAR.)
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Make up any symbol you want. Each thing?we observe is composed of an infinite?variety of contributing things?and so the symbol of it that is used for thinking can vary just as infinitely. If MAR is a useful concept, then go for it! Those you use the term in communication with mush share your concept closely enough for the discussion, but how often do we exactly share any of the concepts (or words) that we use with each other? Easy peasy. I have grandchildren who have mixed ancestry?from the commonly shared concept--I believe they are categorized as "mulatto" for this type of communication because we simply must?have a symbol! I rarely even think about them in such a context because they are too complex and?amorphous to be contained in?a symbol.
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It is worth mentioning that I have seen the concept used constructively for limited purposes in medical practice, but its main purpose seems to be of a more decisive?social flavor. I say we just do away with all category symbols except as needed by science.
3? Should Forest Management be returned to the seasonal burning done by the Native Americans before white colonization? ?
I had to look that one up. Interesting that it was practiced by such numerically low and low-tech populations. Without a lot of qualifications to support my opinion, I think that would be oversimplification?under modern conditions. I have noticed some extremes of weather and related phenomena lately...
4.? Should litigation to limit forest management be outlawed or severely limited in scope and time? ?
Given current environmental trends, I suspect litigation of any type will soon become severely limited. Outlawing litigation, however, would simply encourage alternative challenges.
? 5.? Musk has suggested that part of the savings from DOGE should be rebated to taxpayers - is this a good idea?
?
I hear 20% in payouts to citizens, 20% into the federal budget to pay down debt. I am assuming the remaining 60% would be invested?in the budget to avoid new debt, but I suppose based on history that some will go to the ruling elite. I am fine with payouts, yes, as I have been paying in for decades! I imagine this would be a bone to the mob to maintain its support and if the amounts are significant enough, it might be an effective bone for at least a short period.
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I wonder how this would differ from a public dole? The limited duration?
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? 1.? Is race a real or constructed concept?
Definitely constructed - and only useful for acting like chiefs instead of the indians we all are. Race is simply a different way of looking at cultures. 2.? If race is real, what race should people of mixed ancestry be classied as? People.? We are all mixtures.?? 3? Should Forest Management be returned to the seasonal burning done by the Native Americans before white colonization? Very definitely - right now California forests are overstocked - by stem count by about a factor of six. 4.? Should litigation to limit forest management be outlawed or severely limited in scope and time? Ys -? at the moment it takes the US Forest Service about five years to get permission to do a controlled burn or mechanical thinning.? At this rate the forests will be brought back to a sensible condition somewhere around the the year 3000. 5.? Musk has suggested that part of the savings from DOGE should be rebated to taxpayers - is this a good idea? Bettre than the alternative which is that congress just figures out more stupid ways to spend it. ? |
开云体育It's fully a constructed concept. There are no sub-species of homo sapiens. Of course, there are differences in appearance between our various ethnic groups. Skin color is one of those appearance factors, but it's not a racial thing. Human race Something like that would be a good idea. Too vague a question... define forest management. DOGE should be eliminated, it's changes should be reversed, and Musk should return the payments he has received. Aloha, Celeste Rogers |
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