Live data from Hacker News

Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

nobelprize.org

261–270 of 389 posts

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#261
post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the Russian narrative? How to give consideration for something that is not even meant to be sensical?

Ah... NATO expansion? Alleged discrimination against the Russian majority in Eastern Ukraine? Alleged foreign interference in the Maidan revolution? Not that I'm trying to start a discussion here, but dismissing the other side's arguments as "not even meant to be sensical" is exactly what I was arguing against.

Being non-sensical is the point of that school of rhetoric.

Briefly summarized: Power is being able to say something false, that the audience knows is false, that the speaker knows the audience knows is false, and that the audience knows that the speaker knows the audience knows is false -- but the audience can't/wont speak up.

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not at all. A fanatic wouldn't feign it, they'd do it. Self destruction be damned.

So why mention Castro?

Because the person I responded to said that if everyone has nukes we are safer because of MAD but if Castro had nukes he would have used them!

Fanatical leaders don't give a damn about MAD

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#263
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> I think it's one of the reasons we have to be self sustaining on other heavenly bodies. This is not a joke. But every time anybody brings it up a mob shows up saying that we must make it work here on Earth, and we should all go to hell if we can't. But we only need a few madmen in power for the rest of us to not matter.

I imagine that if you can colonize other planets you can also target them with nuclear weapons. It is like saying that the solution to all problems is colonizing Antarctica.

It's much easier to intercept said nuclear weapon because instead of minutes you would have months to do it. And attacking Mars outside the few months every two years that have the most favorable transfer windows would also be much more difficult. It's a non-trivial advantage.

Of course, if you have nuclear weapons already on Mars that can be remotely triggered from Earth this doesn't apply, but hopefully we can avoid that...

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#264
post #255
post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's easier to ignore 100 papercuts than it is to ignore missing a hand.

Your analogy makes no sense whatsoever. More mundane causes of death aren’t paper cuts, and nuclear war isn’t losing a hand.

It makes sense to me. You understand it's not meant to be taken literally, right?

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is a very naive take. We could live on Mars. Just a matter of time. Let engineers iterate. We would obviously bring species here at home with us to Mars. And then new species would flourish too.

I don't think people understand just how un-feasible life on Mars would be. It's got 1% of the atmospheric pressure as Earth. It's -65 degrees Celsius. It'd be more feasible to try colonizing the Moon or Antarctica.

We have permanent presence in Antarctica. Depends on your exact definition of "colony", but a narrow definition of it is barred by international treaty, I think.

Moon is definitely a great first step. I originally said "other heavenly bodies".

You sound like someone in 1900 saying "We can't fly, we're too heavy" or "We can't be in space it's got 0% atmospheric pressure".

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On an individual level, we all have a variety of hammers over our heads. Cancer has killed far more people prematurely than nuclear weapons. Something like 500,000 people a year are murdered. Traffic/bicycle/pedestrian accidents also kill more than nuclear weapons. Even compared to a once-in-a-century nuclear war that perhaps kills a billion people, cancer will kill roughly a billion in the next century anyway. So, f…

I think for a lot of people, myself included, you try not to worry about things you can't control. "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. Write that down." - Van Wilder

Most people also don't worry about whether what they think they have no control over is actually true.

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#267
post #215
post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that the current state of physics says that we just can't possibly reach another galaxy. Period.

> Except that the current state of physics says that we just can't possibly reach another galaxy. Period. Yes, that's exactly why my comment limited itself to discussion of population of /this/ galaxy.

The next star is already way too far for our theory. You may as well study telekinesis.

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think for a lot of people, myself included, you try not to worry about things you can't control. "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. Write that down." - Van Wilder

While this apathy is an important coping mechanism to some degree, it's important not to become complacent. It's precisely this apathy and hopelessness that authoritarian regimes cultivate to prevent action.

This makes it sound like regimes like ours necessarily do not also engage in it, which seems "a bit off" to me.

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is a very naive take. We could live on Mars. Just a matter of time. Let engineers iterate. We would obviously bring species here at home with us to Mars. And then new species would flourish too.

I don't think people understand just how un-feasible life on Mars would be. It's got 1% of the atmospheric pressure as Earth. It's -65 degrees Celsius. It'd be more feasible to try colonizing the Moon or Antarctica.

> It'd be more feasible to try colonizing the Moon

And just as useless.

Re: Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 awarded to Nihon Hidankyo

#270
post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But every time anybody brings it up a mob shows up saying that we must make it work here on Earth Yeah, we must. As in: it's not rational to even consider that becoming self-sustaining on other heavenly bodies is an alternative. It's fun, it's interesting, it's many things. But it's not an alternative.

Of course it’s an alternative. A self sustaining colony could be the only thing that survives a massive pandemic.

Well if it was possible, it would be an alternative. But it's not, period. Counting on it happening in your life time is simply preposterous. But you know what might collapse during your lifetime? Our civilization. Pretty likely.
Post reply on HN