Kyle Blanchette

Newest substack: fairtakes.substack.com/p/valuing-guns…

there’s nothing harder than trying to be thoroughly morally good.

@kvallier But, I would also say it’s possible for there to be an act of love for others that is a violation of the morally obligated love you ought to have for yourself. In other words, it’s possible to sacrifice too much. So, maybe the answer is yes.

@kvallier I think a loving act (sacrifice) can reduce your well-being in that moment, taken by itself. But I think it always contributes to your flourishing in the long run. If that’s what you mean by “overall flourishing,” I’d say no.

Have you ever been in a situation where you have to choose between a deeply loving act and your overall flourishing? Put another way, has a genuinely loving act ever made your life less worth living?

@NathanNobis @secularprolife But hey, you are just teaching ignorant people basic philosophy and everyone else is just dishonest or dumb

@NathanNobis @secularprolife And you know there are potentially morally relevant differences between a brain dead person and a brain-developing fetus. Listing known similarities doesn’t end the debate, as if this is just “philosophy 101.”

Unplugging a brain-dead patient isn't like aborting a brain-developing fetus. Brain death is defined by irreversibility: it's the *permanent* cessation of function. If we believe a coma patient were likely to awaken, we wouldn't unplug. Our future cognitive abilities matter.

@jhfenton @collblick best case is that he pivots if he gets elected. but he definitely has the trumpian populist virus. someone should develop an mRNA vax for it.

@collblick It’s appalling, but he probably figured that a nuanced take on vaccine recommendations for young men and kids wouldn’t go over well with the anti-vaxxers in the base. As it is, he’s going to drive away normies. I have no patience for this crap.

Sigh. Another pol who “leads” by pandering to the worst elements among his base.

@TheGrantHartley MOAR CONSERVATIVE the gospel = 21st century american conservatism

sometimes in conversation with more conservative folks who are upset by my “progressive” takes I just wanna say, “I believe all the creeds and that gay sex is bad, how much more conservative do you want me to be”

@SpeedWatkins (whether C is true depends on the priors of each hypothesis)

@SpeedWatkins C doesn’t follow (deductively or otherwise), if C is supposed to be a statement of the posterior probability of theism (let alone on all available evidence). You can say supervenience raises the prob of theism if true (though I doubt it).

(A) Theism implies that some minds only contingently supervene on something physical like a brain. (B) It is more probable than not that all minds necessarily supervene on something physical like a brain. Therefore, (C) It is more probable than not that theism is false.

@SpeedWatkins If (1) and (2) are interpreted narrowly so as to refer only to the mind-body problem, then even if they are plausible on those grounds (I dispute 2), they tell us nothing about the God debate. So, you have to pick: plausible and irrelevant, or controversial (at best) and relevant

@SpeedWatkins If Physicalism is interpreted broadly so as to refer not just to the human mind-body problem, but to include atheism, the plausibility of (1) and (2) depend on the entire theism debate. (1/2)

(A) Dualism is not intrinsically more probable than physicalism. (B) Physicalism has a higher posteriori probability than dualism. Therefore, (C) Physicalism is more probable than dualism. (D) Physicalism entails atheism. Therefore, (E) Atheism is more probable than theism.

@NGrossman81 2 is fraudulent

Libertarianism comes in two broad varieties: 1) People should be free to make choices about their own lives absent coercion. Live and let live. 2) I should be free to live however I like and free to stop others from living in ways I don't like. Unfortunately, group 2 is larger.

@snemes2 @ByzCat u a modalist?

@RAVerBruggen @bernybelvedere aw i love Myles. and Tremonti.

@bernybelvedere Myles Kennedy. Has ruined ~a decade's worth of output from my favorite guitarist.

Please refer to pro-choicers as "pro-choicers," and not "Democrats," "feminists," "leftists," etc. The terms aren't interchangeable, and we want all pro-life demographics to know they're part of the team.

@Personhoodlives I went to a movie by myself a couple of times this past year. It was pretty amazing lol

Gay celibacy often means struggling with singleness, but also with belonging (to others and to oneself). Today caring for myself looks like enjoying horchata y tacos al pastor after struggling through learning some Hebrew.

On the DeSantis discourse: 1. He's better than Trump, and thereby crosses the lowest hurdle in American political life. 2. A number of Republicans would be far, far better for the country and the GOP. 3. So hopping on the DeSantis train simply to block Trump is *way* premature

@freganmitts buckle up buckaroo. i remember being puked on in a plane seat and I was praying for death

Now accepting any tips for flying on a plane with a baby (who will be almost exactly 3 months old by then)!

With respect to Trump, the Republicans in Congress I respect least are those who privately despised the man while publicly championing him. Worse yet are those who waited until after he lost to denounce him, thinking (even if mistakenly) they could have their cake and eat it too.

There should be a very high bar for executing a search warrant on the residence of a former POTUS bc of appearance that it could be political. A former POTUS also isn’t immune from legit legal investigation/prosecution. No one can know if the bar was cleared without the facts.