Author: Crowhill Report

I’m listening to the “Philosophize this” podcast about consciousness, and (doggone it!) there’s a section on whether free will is an illusion. The host mentioned the alleged connection between free will and moral agency. I.e., if we don’t have free will, we can’t be responsible for our actions.

What came to mind was a society (perhaps shortly in the future) in which we have humanoid robots.

I can easily imagine a scenario where (1) we do not believe the robots have free will, but (2) we still hold them accountable for their actions. E.g., we would dismantle bad robots, or limit their sphere of action or influence, even if they thought of that as a punishment.

IOW, it doesn’t seem obvious to me that a lack of free will therefore means that we are not responsible for our actions.

I hate to rely on something that comes from Don Jr., but facts are facts. The timing of Trump indictments is very interesting, as Megyn Kelly points out in this video.

If anyone remotely competent was VP, they’d have shuffled Biden off stage right and installed the replacement, who would have a far better chance of winning in the 2024 election.

Affirmative action has come back to bite the Democrats, and it’s very funny.

I haven’t seen the movie and don’t expect to, but this was interesting.

For the next couple weeks we’ll be assaulated with analysis of the Barbie movie. Is it too woke? Are the people who say it’s woke haters of one kind or another?

I expected it to be woke garbage, and I suspect that’s the reality. But I don’t particularly care — except for a slight concern than any socially significant media event might tend to push things in the wrong direction.

My overall reaction is that I’m tired of adults agonizing over children’s stories and toys. Stop trying to analyze Barbie. It’s just a toy for girls.

But as soon as I say that, I realize how wrong-headed that is. Children’s stories and toys are precisely where we fight for the next generation. Kids who grow up assuming that girls should be Barbie and boys should be G.I. Joe will make a very different society than kids who grow up believing girls and boys can just swap roles and clothes and private parts.

Prediction: there will be a new version of Mr. Potato Head where the kid can decide if it’s Mr. or Mrs. by swapping out some plastic parts.

As much as I hate the thought of it, yes, people probably should agonize over Barbie.