Recent content by Vulcan

There is much wisdom here.

I am but a humble wordsmith, as my name may imply. Thanks for complementing my language skills by using a linguistic device; it makes it doubly enjoyable! :hail:

Words have both denotative and connotative definitions. The dictionary tells us the formal, codified way that a word has been used in the past. The connotative meaning of words is constantly changing. If a connotative meaning of a word is used frequently enough and for a long enough time, then...

It's funny you mention Mr. Aquinas, because it was just him that I had in mind when mentioning the mixing of logic and faith. I haven't read Aquinas, but most Christian theological thought uses logic to support its metaphysical claims. My ultimate point is that using rigorous logic to try to...

I'm not sure about Ni, but my Ne allows me to see connections and relations between all sorts of novel things. The connections I make often form a central part of my humor, which only other iNtuitives understand on regular basis. My intuition helps me see the whole and how everything is related...

This brings up the question: How does the criminal come into being? Is it his own decision (free will), or is he a pawn pushed into such a role by society/prevailing culture (determinism). If we accept that criminals' thoughts and actions are at least in part the result of society's influence...

It's tempting, right? I usually end up playing devil's advocate. I like all points of view to be adequately represented. I'd be a public defense attorney if the pay was better.

I'll throw in a bit of Ti. All religions make metaphysical claims. Since there is no way for us to verify any sort of metaphysical claim, it is, as others have said, neither provable or falsifiable. All claims to a universal "truth" can't be substantiated. I have no problem with most religious...

This is good stuff. In my experience, you can carry understanding too far. If you empathize with another so much so that you see things from only their own perspective, then you will be apt to feel their actions, whether good or bad, are justified. This leads the empathizer letting people get...

Note, this comes from an anarchist: I think we need to distinguish between two types of competition: friendly and hostile. Friendly competition is the desirable sort and can occur in the broader context of cooperation. It's goal is working toward a better tomorrow for all of humanity, while...

Stuff like that irks me too, yet wisdom can be found even in the most naive comments. When you exhibit facial expressions for a long enough period, they can positively or negatively affect your state of mind by releasing certain brain chemicals. So, when you smile for long enough, you can't help...

You've posed a great question, and one I've asked myself before. Both solitude and loneliness can be both outwardly thought of as not being in the presence of other people. For me, what makes the difference between loneliness and solitude is harmony. By harmony, I mean that I sense of positive...

I would say getting lost in thought or daydreaming is a very iNtuition thing to do. I do those sort of things quite often and get jolted back into reality by some sort of gross external stimuli, such as sumone mentioned. Probably the best resolution to such a problem would be to develop the Se...

It seems that all matter, down to the smallest observable level, is made up of smaller parts, which themselves are made up of even smaller parts. From such a perspective, it's easy to see all of existence as one giant interconnected system, because it's hard to establish hard and fast criteria...