Controversial ideas
Oz
Sam Harris is an atheist philosopher, neuroscientist and author. Harris's argument on free will is that it does not exist, and is in fact just an illusion. He explains that he believes understanding this is just as important as understanding evolution.
Harris says he thinks if humans understood the fact that they had no control over their decisions, our lives would be better, and it would be easier to forgive those who wronged us.
He explains that many people believe if you want to do something, you do it, thus free will exists, but Harris would you have no power over wanting to do that thing.
Another example Harris gives is he will ask someone to pick a city, and when they do he'll explain why this seems to be as free a choice as possible but what about the cities you didn't think about? is it possible someone else with your exact genes and life experiences would pick the same exact city
Harris says this way of thinking can improve your way of life exponentially, let's say there is someone who betrays you Harris says, you should not hate them because they did not actually have a choice, and what they did to you was a cause of all else that has happened in their life prior.
Hew thinks this has exponential effects on criminal justice, as the Supreme Court has said that the American justice system works because of the existence of free will, so if there is no free will, the system makes no sense
What Harris believes in instead of free will, is called determinism, known as "the philosophical proposition that every event including human cognition, and behavior, decision and action is casually determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences "
Events precede conscious decisions
Although Harris has gotten blowback for his journals, it appears the people are using more emotional debate than Harris, who sticks just to science.
This is another critique of his book on free will, by Daniel Dennett who is one of the most respected philosophers in compatibilism, a belief that determinism and free will are not mutually exclusive. Harris says he has tried multiple times to debate Dennett in person on this, and he refuses.
More controversial Ideas
Animal Rights: Argument that it is morally acceptable to be violent against humans to protect animals against cruelty
Possible changes to punishment: I don't think I agree with any of this but think it's interesting. Explores alternate punishment to jail for people such as forced coma
Defending the indefensible : Why free speech must be protected
https://journalofcontroversialideas.org
why we need to defend free Speech.
Say High Point invited Alex Jones to campus. If you don't know who he is, he's famous for saying the Newtown shootings were a false flag operation by the USA government. I hate Alex Jones, as he is the most despicable kind of person, however I would fully support him coming to campus. I have heard college aged students who believe his nonsense, and the only way to disprove him is to confront him head on. However many people of my generation would prefer to censor him, thus causing people to give him MORE attention and admiration, NOT less
Banning Menthol Cigarettes
“With these actions, the FDA will help significantly reduce youth initiation, increase the chances of smoking cessation among current smokers, and address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low-income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals, all of whom are far more likely to use these tobacco products,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, in a press release."
The fact that the federal government believes members of the LGBTQ+ community, low-income populations and communities of color cannot make their own decisions shows you what they think
This act of nanny-state thinking is the exact reason we have the war on drugs which has hurt these communities more than anything.
Eric Gardner, who's brutal police killing became a national headline,
To think people will not find ways to find and sell now unregulated cigarettes is the worst kind of stupidity.
The drug war has proven that enforcement of prohibition is almost always racist (Black people and white people smoke weed the same amount, and yet Black people go to jail nearly 6 more times a rate)
To think this won't happen with cigarettes is unreal. If the FDA succeeds, they be will creating criminals, disproportionally from marginalized communities. While they say they would go after those who manufacture and sell the cigarettes, forcing police to enforce such stupid laws will undoubtedly put them in more negative interactions with their communities, which I thought we decided was a bad idea over the summer.
This inconstancy from the left is embarrassing, as if they really wanted to help marginalized communities Joe Biden would pardon every non violent offender currently serving time in prisons, where the virus is running rampant
ACLU voice of reason (American Civil Liberties union)
At this pivotal moment, as the public demands an end to police violence erupting from minor offenses, we call on the Biden administration to rethink its approach and employ harm reduction strategies over a ban that will lead to criminalization. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd — only a few years removed from the killing of Eric Garner, a Black man killed by NYPD for selling loose, untaxed cigarettes — the racially disparate impact of the criminal legal system has captured the nation’s attention. It is now clear that policies that amount to prohibition have serious racial justice implications.
This ACLU response is perfect to such an attack on Civil liberties, pleading with the government to educate people not to smoke ALL cigarettes because they are bad for your health, not because it will make you a criminal.
you have to be kidding me Washington Post !!!!!!!!
Joe Biden Caused mass incarceration
The woke saying this is a good law, is extremely, extremely dangerous, regressive policy.
Supreme Court Case
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-cheerleader-first-amendment/2021/04/25/9d2ac1e2-9eb7-11eb-b7a8-014b14aeb9e4_story.html
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