Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Passed Away

[Wes]

They have con


They have informal access to power, but are required to be pretty parsimonious in how they use it. Prince Charles attracted criticism for being too demanding of government a few years back. The most consequential bit is the royal prerogative exercised. This is exercised over a range of policy but on Government advice. In other words the prime minister or a Secretary of State recommend that it is exercised. It’s usually just a technical device but in theory it is problematic. Cabinet ministers don’t have to be elected MPs, so it is quite possible to have both an unelected head of state and a unelected prime minister or Secretaries of State. I’ve never known it happen but if you look at the areas of policy that are executed by royal prerogative it could in theory get very problematic democratically speaking,

This tells me nothing about what privilege they have. If one of them exercises a royal prerogative, what does it do?

 

[Longshan]

Well, we are the product of our thoughts so the best way to avoid becoming a moral monster is to care about others, perfect or not. I wish you well, seriously.

I don't accept idealism, so no, I don't think that we are products of our thought. And it's a non sequitur to assume that someone doesn't care about people on the basis of them being glad someone is dead. My grandparents rejoiced when Hitler killed himself precisely because they cared about people, for example.

 

[Phorize]

This tells me nothing about what privilege they have. If one of them exercises a royal prerogative, what does it do?

The queen can tell the prime minister to recognise a country, or declare war on it. There’s a wide range of powers-the sorts that any state exercises.

 

[Phorize]

I don't accept idealism, so no, I don't think that we are products of our thought. And it's a non sequitur to assume that someone doesn't care about people on the basis of them being glad someone is dead. My grandparents rejoiced when Hitler killed himself precisely because they cared about people, for example.

You don’t believe that your thoughts are the basis of your actions and moral orientation? What do you propose are?

 

[BinkieHuckerback]

 

[Longshan]

Whenever I hear a rapper has died I ask did he get shot or ODed? I don't think it's even appropriate to mention or compare the royal prince death to that lowlife. I it had nothing to do with his skin color. Most gifted blues, jazz and soul musicians are respectful blacks that don't do drugs or work as part time gangsters. Rap and hop is not music!

That's pretty ignorant.

 

[Longshan]

You don’t believe that your thoughts are the basis of your actions and moral orientation? What do you propose are?

I think my thoughts precede some of my actions (most of your actions has nothing to do with thought), but I don't think they determine them. I think my actions and my thoughts are determined by everything that has preceded them.

 

[Phorize]

Well this thread has certainly

I think my thoughts precede some of my actions (most of your actions has nothing to do with thought), but I don't think they determine them. I think my actions and my thoughts are determined by everything that has preceded them.

We may be talking at cross purposes on the issue of thought. I take it that you agree that your brain controls your body, and that you have both conscious thought and unconscious thought, and that any action you take is caused by conscious and unconscious brain activity?

 

[welsh]

What? nobody bothered to write down the Constitution??

Nobody bothered. But at least it means that we in Britain are not tied for EVER to principles which are no longer useful but actively dangerous, like the American Second Amendment. There’s plenty wrong with the UK, but I’ve never worried about some survivalist nutter or pissed-off teenager going on a shooting spree.

 

[Longshan]

Well this thread has certainly


We may be talking at cross purposes on the issue of thought. I take it that you agree that your brain controls your body, and that you have both conscious thought and unconscious thought, and that any action you take is caused by conscious and unconscious brain activity?

Your brain and CNS control your body (your brain isn't involved in some aspects of your behaviour, like certain reflexes, the fact that heart tissue beats, etc). You think thoughts control our brain; even if you deny that, it's an inescapable conclusion, which leads to the magic of dualism. I reject the concept of pure thought, so it must have a material basis, and the material basis for thought is the brain. So ideas are the product of the brain. Since my brain controls me and creates thoughts, it would be incorrect to say that ideas or thought form the basis of my actions. Ideas and thoughts tell the story of what I do, they don't determine what I do.

 

[Taddpole]

That's pretty ignorant.

Think I've seen people banned for less

 

[Longshan]

Think I've seen people banned for less

Someone saying rap and hiphop aren't music is pretty ignorant.

 

[Taddpole]

Someone saying rap and hiphop aren't music is pretty ignorant.

Their comment, not yours.

 

[Longshan]

Whenever I hear a rapper has died I ask did he get shot or ODed? I don't think it's even appropriate to mention or compare the royal prince death to that lowlife. I it had nothing to do with his skin color. Most gifted blues, jazz and soul musicians are respectful blacks that don't do drugs or work as part time gangsters. Rap and hop is not music!

Someone wrote a whole paper about jazz artists abusing drugs, so let's just say there's no reality to this ridiculous post at all.

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1054&context=musicology_student

 

[Longshan]

Their comment, not yours.

Yeah, I mean to me the post comes off as not only ignorant, but racist and classist.