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Semantics. Since an ethics system is a set of random concepts invented by somebody, it does not hold any relation to the real world. It's just the imaginary framework needed for an organized society to exist. There can be absolute truths in ethics systems, as polarization is a fundamental element. There can't be universal truths contained within or derived from them, however, because ethics are, much like logic, a human construct. The quest for a truly universal truth is the quest for perfection. An ethic that applies to all people can easily be fabricated. An ethic that everyone will happily accept and agree upon is, I think, a Utopia.

Therefore, intelligence is not only not irrelevant, but seemingly critical for the electoral process if an adequate political elite is to be had. What constitutes "adequate" in this case, is not relevant to the thread. I'm not sure, but it seems to me that you made a statement and then offered what you think is proof of the exact opposite...

There has to be a #1 in everything, I guess. "Democracy" is overrated anyway.

Once I came to the oh so painful realization that posting in the OE boards doesn't really qualify as an "occupation", I had to choose between giving uni another shot, or join the military. And after having found out that I don't really like studying (took me two years at uni to find out), I took the latter option, since I'd always quite liked the armed forces. So, I guess I could have found something else to do, but I probably wouldn't like it as much, and chances are I'd end up failing at it due to lacking motivation.

Well... in some cases that's true. But there are also people who intend to make career in the military, and then there are those who just like to "shoot things"... The reason why one joins the military is irrelevant, though. As Machiavelli put it, "Nature creates few men brave, industry and training makes many". I'm finding it an interesting experience to meet, live and work with people from so many different places and with such a variety of backgrounds. You don't get that anywhere else. Funny you would say that, as I'm going to be posted in a sapper unit, and they are the ones who deal with demolitions...

Hey, thanks all. Hilde, I'm not really sure about the weight. 40 kg perhaps? It probably depends on the weight of the combat pack. All I know is it's more cumbersome than heavy... Chances are our concepts of what is "best" are quite different. It's probably not the most comfortable job ever but it has its good things. And someone has to do it anyway.

Yeah, I bet y'all think all I ever do is troll, but a few months ago I went and enlisted myself in the airborne brigade. And now, after much restroom cleaning, completing the parachute instruction and the pledge of allegiance ceremony this weekend, I'm (almost) officially a paratrooper. I wish I had some pics to share with you folks but we aren't allowed to use cell phones during jumps (infractions are severely punished with extra restroom cleaning duty). Now all I have to do is put some time aside and get me that NWN2 thingy everyone seems to be talking about...

Lol. Even I couldn't have done a better satyre of your typical rabid eco-ignorant nutjob. Because that's what you were doing... right? Keep it up dude.

Interesting. Only, how can the sun revert global warming when such a thing may not even be real?

False bliss? How come? Happiness is just a neurochemical state. What does it matter how that state is reached?

You beat me to it. That's a fallacious argument, I'm afraid. Think before posting next time, please.

OMG N0Z! So, let me get this straight. We aren't able to predict weather (even locally) a month in advance with a reasonable accuracy index, and this guy is proposing a theory about what will happen to mankind in 100k years? And it gets hosted by the BBC? Lol. That could make for a fairly interesting sci-fi plot, but otherwise, it's 100% random crap. The man is just exploiting his (rather irrelevant considering the field he's commenting on) credentials to make his predictions appear sound. This as almost as unscientific as a seer peering into his crystal ball. It is just sad that people can be led to believe, or even seriously consider, pseudo scientific rubbish such as this. There are so many factors in play that I would probably have more chances of predicting what side a flipped coin will fall on than this guy being accurate about the fate of humankind. We are a rather insignificant* and quite fragile part of this pinch of cosmic dust we like to call Earth. It is difficult and unpleasant to envision how inconsequential we are in a cosmic scale, so we cling to some perceived notion of mastery we hold over reality (not to mention all the religious cosmogonies of which mankind is a central element). This is a gross misconception, that sooner or later will crumble under the true weight of human irrelevance. But dammit, it feels so good when you fancy yourself a god. Well, yes. I'll admit that that last paragraph was my very own personal view, and I have no scientific evidence to present as proof of that (predictions can't be proven by definition, but who cares anyway). I do not think I'm a doctor by some famous university either, but can I have it hosted on some BBC page all the same? Pretty please? *Yeah, mankind weighs way less than say, ants, for instance. BTW, I'm drunk. So, doubt arises; is this post a good example of alcohol-induced mental diarrhea or undeniable proof of the awareness-increasing effects of booze? I don't know, and I don't care... =)

Funny how everything is a "crisis" or a "catastrophe" these days...

The thing is, this isn't about "beliefs". It's about hard, provable facts. If you aren't willing to accept that your views might be flawed or incomplete, there is no point in your posting anything here. We can do without your enlightening and unquestionable dogmas, thank you very much. Wow, it must be great to possess such a degree of certainty on issues that most experts, analysts, and assorted brainiacs can't seem to agree on. Or maybe it's just not as simple as 2+2. Oh? You think here we argue out of our asses or what? Please, step down from your high horse and post your "long list". And even when you do, keep in mind that for every article and book published, chances are you can find a hundred others that claim the opposite. How come? You have probably "heard it all too many times before". This last comment shows how open-minded and well-thought your opinions are. I'm not American. We don't even have Fox News here. But yeah, I must be your typical right-wing, Fox News-worshipping nutjob, just because it's so much easier to picture the world in black and white.

What the hell. People can freely post nonsense but when I call them on it I get censored? How about you prune that as well? Get real. Okay, let's try again. Lol. I think your attitude and style of discussion might be better suited for religious threads. There, you can just spout off some random doctrine that doesn't need to be proven or demonstrated whatsoever, and then you can stick your fingers in your ears and go "lalala I'm not listening" when you get a reply you don't agree with. Good stuff. There. Is that better?

Lol. Anyone stupid enough to fall for that deserves whatever it's coming to them. The fact that he's the most prolific author of craptastic movies of late is completely irrelevant.

Eh... okay. I'm fairly sure that after this brief yet intense homoerotic interlude it's a good time to rerail the thread. It is random because I might be put to death without actually being guilty. It doesn't matter if the chaces are one in ten or one in a hundred million. The feeling people get from that is that the system can't be trusted, and that not getting caught at all is much better than being cleared of any alleged offenses. I can tell you I'd be quite pissed if someone close to me was executed "by accident". Quite pissed, as in willing to become militant. You can't have a system that won't make mistakes, and it's pretty dumb to design a system that *will* make mistakes that *can't* be rectified. I have been deeply impressed by your mastery of the obvious, let me tell you; death penalty will certainly not instantly cause mass rioting. Death penalty is, however, pointless and counterproductive from every perspective. True. That's probably the biggest problem with forced labour, and it's a point often brought up. That, however, is already happening with the prices of labor in Eastern Europe and Asia. So I'd rather have local inmates do those jobs and save the state some money that can be used to improve social services and public infrastructures, than allow truly free competition and lose to foreign slave labour.

Lol justice Lol good and evil Death penalty is stupidly flawed as a concept, and is, in fact, an incentive for people not to obey the law. I mean, if there's a (remote) chance that I might be randomly killed by the state, what's the point in being a rightful, law-abiding citizen? After all, there's no guarantee I'm not going to be punished as if I had broken the law, in a very drastic and quite permanent way. Also, death penalty is a waste of valuable resources. Why kill criminals when you can have them build the Four Gorges Dam? Sadly, forced labor is terribly underrated. A human being is only human as far as he is able (and most importantly, willing) to act as such (the problem here lies in defining "human" from a moral standpoint, but that's a different issue). Otherwise, he's no human being, but simply a base animal. Human rights don't generally apply to animals, save in extreme examples of legislative idiocy. The idea that just because one is born a Homo sapiens sapiens one has a number of rights that can't be revoked under any circumstances is almost as ludicrous as it is random. Oh, hey Hades, just give it up man. It was somewhat funny for the first seven thousand posts or so, but not anymore, really. Go Judge Volo! GO!

1. 22. Or was it 23? Can't quite remember... 2. Depends. I don't have a favorite color. 3. Fulfilling my physiological needs. Yeah, you know you want to fulfill your physiological needs with me, baby. 4. I'll listen to anything but hip-hop. 5. Anything not overly pretentious or any of that pseudo-intellectual crap that seems to be so trendy these days. 6. Video what? 7. Personal magnetism. 8. Lack of willpower. 9. "An optimist is a misinformed pessimist." That being said, I'm probably just histrionically cynical.

Not cringe-worthy, but merely unremarkable. Bland, boring. Not even the "b00bies" make up for it. I'm sure you can find better uses for your money. And FOT was infinitely better.

Any character which you can raise her Interrupt skill high enough will pretty much own the game. That skill is so imbalanced it's ridiculous. I used to train Interrupt by sneaking up on an enemy that was around a corner, and getting back around the corner before they could react, without actually killing them. I used this method in Hammer and Sickle though, so I can't assure it would work in S^2/3. It should, since the engine and mechanics are the same. Since Interrupt controls not only your ability to interrupt the enemy but also your chances of not being interrupted, it's pretty much the best ability in the game and can make any character a killing machine. I made a ninja type that specialised in stealth, throwing and melee, and with his maxed out interrupt, I could solo most missions...

Aw, crap. I guess China won't be going to war with the US over the last oil deposits then.

Yep. It's anticlimactic, at least if you want to think that the PC is the center of the plot, but this is debatable. And no, it's not cliched. There's a difference between that story not being the first to ever end like that, and it being a cliche.

That's the cabbie. He is supposed to be Caine himself. White Wolf later retconned the whole thing in some novel, explaining he's actually some antediluvian posing as Caine or something equally lame.

LOL, forgot about that!