Just another Dallen topic that doesn't fit anywhere (unless it does)

[dallen68]

I notice a theme emerging.

Did ANY of the questions provide sufficient information to determine the actual answer?

Supposedly.

[MrBogosity]

I once had to take one of those quizzes for a job. One of the questions was, a bus goes under a bridge; does it get louder or softer? They failed to say where the listener was standing.

[dallen68]

I once had to take one of those quizzes for a job. One of the questions was, a bus goes under a bridge; does it get louder or softer? They failed to say where the listener was standing.

You're supposed to presume you're on the bus. (Don't ask me how you're supposed to pull that out of the ether.)

[dallen68]

Today, I came across an article which claimed that the U.S. government is the current oldest active government in the world. I would have thought the governments of the UK and the Netherlands were older.

[evensgrey]

Today, I came across an article which claimed that the U.S. government is the current oldest active government in the world. I would have thought the governments of the UK and the Netherlands were older.

I'm certain you're correct about the UK, it has continuity of government going back to before Georgian times, while the US starts near the end of the reign of George III.

The Netherlands is a more complicated one.  Certainly, the current government was not active in the Netherlands during the occupation of WWII (the head of state, for instance, lived in Canada during the war, and we still have an annual festival deriving from providing the Dutch royals safe haven during that period), but it is continuous in exile with the government before WWII.

[Ibrahim90]

I'm certain you're correct about the UK, it has continuity of government going back to before Georgian times, while the US starts near the end of the reign of George III.

The Netherlands is a more complicated one.  Certainly, the current government was not active in the Netherlands during the occupation of WWII (the head of state, for instance, lived in Canada during the war, and we still have an annual festival deriving from providing the Dutch royals safe haven during that period), but it is continuous in exile with the government before WWII.

Then there's San Marino, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (al saud ruled nejd since the 18th century), Etc.

[dallen68]

You know a lot of us criticize liberals for saying there has never been a communist country. And we point out all the fails.

I learned today it's a 3 step process:

1. The commoners take over the government

2. the government eliminates private property.

3. the government goes away.

Now, I know that a lot of you have a problem with 2, as do I. The point I'm making is 3 never happens.

[evensgrey]

You know a lot of us criticize liberals for saying there has never been a communist country. And we point out all the fails.

I learned today it's a 3 step process:

1. The commoners take over the government

2. the government eliminates private property.

3. the government goes away.

Now, I know that a lot of you have a problem with 2, as do I. The point I'm making is 3 never happens.

The critical point is that 3 will NEVER happen of the volition of those operating the government.  They get far to much personal benefit from operating the government to ever consider removing it.

[dallen68]

 (And for this, I'd like any responses to be as if you weren't forced to give the gifts) At some point earlier this week, John Stoessel, reporter extraodinaire donned a homeless costume, and then preceded to whine on national television that people might by beer. One of the problems I have with SNAP is that it tells people what they can and cannot buy. As far as I'm concerned, once the gift is given, it's yours to do with as you see fit. [If I was worried about it, I would have given you a salad] If you think beer, electricity, heating oil, and so forth is more important than salad; all the more power to you once I've given you the gift. [I'd prefer it was my choice to grant the gift, but...]

[dallen68]

a most wonderful thing just happened:

I was responding to a conversation between Hawkeye and Nilcroc, and suddenly the typeface expanded so I could see what was said.

[dallen68]

Yesterdays Psychology Today had an interesting article. Apparently, 50 years ago, or so somebody did some experiments that showed (supposedly) that ordinary people do evil things when under conditions that they can blame someone else for their actions (authority figure, "doing my duty") etc. So, this has been de riguer in psychology ever since.

So, any way - earlier this year, someone had the brilliant idea to ask "what kind of person volunteers for an experiment involving electrocuting people?" (and there was another one about being a prison guard they could choose as well) As it turns out, people that put themselves in situations (on purpose) where they have an opportunity to "do irreversible damage to others" are authoritarian, believe in hierarchies, are more aggressive, are narcissistic, and Machiavellian. In other words, according to the new study, evil people put themselves in situations to do evil things.

Resource:

Grant, A (2013) Do Good People Turn Evil We might have drawn the wrong conclusions from the Milgram and Zimbardo studies

[MrBogosity]

Yesterdays Psychology Today had an interesting article. Apparently, 50 years ago, or so somebody did some experiments that showed (supposedly) that ordinary people do evil things when under conditions that they can blame someone else for their actions (authority figure, "doing my duty") etc. So, this has been de riguer in psychology ever since.

I believe you're referring to Stanley Milgram's experiment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

So, any way - earlier this year, someone had the brilliant idea to ask "what kind of person volunteers for an experiment involving electrocuting people?"

They weren't told what it was when they applied for it.

(and there was another one about being a prison guard they could choose as well)

That would be the Stanford Prison Experiment: http://www.prisonexp.org/

In that case, they were only told they would be studying "the psychological aspects of prison life." They weren't told of the possibility they could become a guard until later.

[MrBogosity]

He also needs to account for the Robber's Cave Experiment: http://lesswrong.com/lw/lt/the_robbers_cave_experiment/

[dallen68]

For those of you that aren't students, and aren't in professional fields, I've discovered a new resource at www.jstor.org which lets you read academic papers for free. You can only check out 3 at a time, and you have to keep the paper for 15 days, but given the costs otherwise; I thought some of you might find it of use.

[Travis Retriever]

For those of you that aren't students, and aren't in professional fields, I've discovered a new resource at www.jstor.org which lets you read academic papers for free. You can only check out 3 at a time, and you have to keep the paper for 15 days, but given the costs otherwise; I thought some of you might find it of use.

Oh, yeah, I learned of that in this semester--I had to access a math article for a group project.