Big Think

Phil Kneessi commented on Re: Why are you a vegan? on January 21, 2008, 4:29 PM

If I were to expect that the practice of veganism was the answer that would solve all the world's ills and right all the world's wrongs, I would be misinformed, I agree. And if large-scale war were to cause widespread deprivation, I would probably change my eating habits to use whatever was available.[Just a sidebar: In the event of another large-scale war, do you think enough infrastructure will survive to oversee distribution of ration cards?]But in a time of fairly dependable food supply, it is possible to be more than adequately nourished without animal products, and it requires fewer resources to produce plant-based food. That is just one of the choices I have made reduce my ecological footprint. As one person, I realize that my choice has negligible impact on systems, but I'm the only one I can decide for, so it's all the difference I can make. And I'll even cop to the vanity factor.I'll stick to my choice, as you will no doubt stick to yours. Be happy, be peaceful, be well.

Phil Kneessi commented on Special Comment for Keith Olbermann on January 20, 2008, 8:59 PM

I, too, was disappointed, but hardly surprised. This campaign started the day after the mid-term election was held, and I think the broadcast and cable news services are simply growing tired of trying (albeit never too hard for candidates they don't perceived as legitimate contenders) to provide coverage for such a large field. Mr Olbermann does get paychecks from MSNBC, so if they wanted to make rules to save themselves some money and hassle from covering minor candidates, I guess Keith decided he could go along. We all pick our battles. It's one I wish he'd fought, but so it goes.

Phil Kneessi commented on Do we have a moral obligation to lessen our impact on our environment? on January 20, 2008, 10:41 AM

I think the urge to combine the individual arguments into one overarching argument assumes that the combination will be stronger, more forceful than any single argument. Such an agglomeration of ideas is easier to shoot down, though, because one can say, "Well, I don't agree with that part of the argument, so I guess I don't agree with the whole argument, and I am under no further obligation."The Divine portion of a combined argument certainly won't convince nonbelievers, or those whose interpretations of religious texts don't understand God's intention in that way.The future generations component might invalidate the argument for those without offspring, and those who would counter that our technological fix just hasn't caught up with the problem yet.The self-interest proposition is negated by not-in-my-backyard thinking, and a significant proportion of the population that assumes it will have the mobility to remove themselves from the immediate danger if necessary.What matters most is the result. People unite in action for their own reasons, moral and otherwise, all the time. If it takes 1,000,000 different personal reasons to achieve the goal, then let's expend energy on developing and disseminating all those reasons.

Phil Kneessi commented on Big Think: Welcome to the conversation on January 19, 2008, 8:47 PM

Thanks for a terrific site. Although I'm not a regular viewer, I was lucky enough to see Peter's appearance on the Colbert Report, or I might not have found this site at all.Have you considered an appearance on the CBC program The Hour, to publicize the site? My perception is that the audience for that program would provide some enthusiastic participants for the discussions on BigThink.

Phil Kneessi commented on Big Think - A Statement of Disappointment on January 19, 2008, 8:32 PM

Since this an internet site with virtually uncontrolled access, I'm uncomfortable with putting my name out there in the first access layer. I'm not concerned about "the authorities", since I'm fairly certain that they can find out about me if they really want to, regardless of the public ID. I'm concerned about open access to any yahoo who might decide he disagrees with me violently. But I have included my name in my profile information.As for the avatar, it's my own creation, and I feel it's a realistic a representation of who I am as any photograph. If we must agree to disagree on this point, I can live with that.