Ask the next person a Yes/No question

[Tartar]

What a shame, Cthulhu is such a nice little sea creature, waiting for the stars to align so that he can destroy our world

I presume you mean to redo a certain event? No, there are no events that have impacted my life in a major negative way that I would need to redo them. 

 

Do you find spending time on these forums to be a worthwhile endeavour?  (If so, why)

[Ironbound]

Not really, which is why I've been largely inactive on the forums for quite a while now, save the rare times (like now) when I don't have anything better to do and feel mildly curious about what goes on in the few parts of this place that I used to frequent.

 

Do you think state-funded elections are a good idea?

 

 

[Tartar]

27 minutes ago, Ironbound said:

Do you think state-funded elections are a good idea?

 

From what I've been able to gather, it's a system where the government directly funds political parties to campaign, while making it illegal to take anonymous donations in the vein of what's done in the US. 

 

Without knowing much about how this system is setup, or even which countries are running this policy, it sounds like a great idea. Political parties should be able to represent the will of the people, and not be influenced corporate entities indirectly bribing them. I can definitely see this as a viable option to reduce corruption in a democracy. Though while in theory this sounds like a good idea, I can see many things hampering the execution of such a system, and the many legal challenges that present themselves by introducing such a policy... So I guess my answer is maybe? 

 

 

Should politics be discussed on a Pokémon Forum?

Edited March 5, 2017 by Tartar

[Ironbound]

Wynaut

 

Should questions here only be about non-serious, potentially inane or banal things?

[Lugruf]

Welcone to the Onyx arcade Viri

 

Is Magneton better than Magnezone?

[Anti_Hero]

No?

Would you describe yourself as an interesting person?

[Dypatome]

Oh no, I'm quite dull.

 

Have you ever finished an anime with more than 50 episodes?

[Cool Girl]

I have. Naruto and Bleach

 

Do you sprite?

[Daniel Blackworth]

Kind of. I'm still learning though.

 

Do you spend a large amount of time chilling or relaxing?

[Ironbound]

No

 

Does this thread have to ask bland questions?

[Daniel Blackworth]

Not really. We can ask more serious questions actually.

 

Do you want to legalize death penalty?

[Ironbound]

I live in India, where capital punishment is not banned. However, it is reserved by the Supreme Court for the "rarest of rare cases", which are actually very rare (and very justly merited) so, from a practical standpoint, yes, I'd rather it remained a threat that existed to loom over the heads of potential criminals, if anything.

 

That said, while many who live deserve death, many who die deserved life. Can we give it to them? We mustn't be too hasty to deal out death as punishment, not just because of the moral dilemmas that ensue, but because, from a very pragmatic point of view in statecraft, excessive use of capital punishment erodes its gravitas, and also numbs the public awe and fear of the thing. It may even spark open revolt or rebellion from certain segments of society, and even if their protests are ill-informed and guided by that vague sentiment of public sentiment for 'human rights' (though it can be argued that people who deserve capital punishment usually commit crimes that destroy their humanity), no government should brook revolt or rebellion against its policies if it can help it.

 

TL;DR: yes, capital punishment, if it isn't already permitted, should be, but only in exceptional cases to remain an effective judgment and deterrent to crime. 

 

Should incarceration be the 'go-to' punishment dealt out for crimes?

[Daniel Blackworth]

Firstly, for all that you've said, I agree completely that death penalty should only be given to those who have done the greatest kinds of wrong to our society.

 

Now to answer your question, I do believe that imprisonment should be a punishment for crimes so that criminals may reflect from their actions and choose to pick the better choice in the future. I believe that criminals should also receive counseling so that they may learn why this is wrong and why they should not do it again and that they should be given tasks to do in prison so that they may learn to be productive and hardworking in life instead of doing crimes for their sake only. 

In short, it's a YES.

 

For my next question, do you believe that life has a greater meaning?

[Ironbound]

Your question is indistinct. Life's only meaning is also its greatest meaning, and the only one of its varied interpretations that isn't subjective to each individual organism: to live it and to be alive.

 

So yes.

 

Did you imply that human life is to have a purpose beyond subsistence and biological functions of survival and reproduction for the individual self? That man should have some altruistic motivation for life?

[Tartar]

Are you asking me to interpret Divergent's question?

If so, I think he was asking whether there is an objective underlying purpose to the existence of life, or more specifically whether humans exist for a specific purpose outside of perpetuating their existence. 

So yes, I think you understood the gist of his question. 

 

Does it bother you that man is merely an organised sack of muscle, bone, nerves and blood vessels?

Edited March 6, 2017 by Tartar

[Anti_Hero]

No. I think it is quite fascinating how a lump of meat functions (coming from someone who studies health)

 

Do you think you have free choice? (If you know the right term for it in English i would appreciate)

[Daniel Blackworth]

Yes. I have a choice to do something morally right and a choice to do something completely wrong. I do believe I can make my own choices; it's just that there are consequences for actions that violate the rules in our society.

 

Let's ask a simple question next.

 

Have you ever won the lottery?

[seki108]

No. I've never even entered.  I'm not desperate enough for such a fleeting chance.

 

Have you ever considered (or have you done) studying abroad?

[Daniel Blackworth]

Yes. I'm considering studying abroad to serve as a learning experience for me. I want to understand the cultures of other countries aside from mine.

 

Have you ever failed a subject?

[Ironbound]

Once, in elementary school, I failed a paper on general knowledge. My interests at the time were very narrow, limited mostly only to the natural world, and though my knowledge of such subjects was far deeper than could be expected for a kid (indeed, I knew more about animals and plants than many adults could be expected to know about); I was completely ignorant of almost everything else. I didn't even know the capital cities of the neighbouring states in my country or the names of the car models that I saw daily on the roads but never bothered to learn about.

 

Failing that general knowledge paper was the closest I ever came to failing a subject proper, but it certainly made me aware of how a narrow focus is inadequate. Since then, I've made a conscious effort to be interested in, and consequently gain at least a little knowledge about, everything and anything that presents itself to me. I think it was a very important milestone for the development of my state of mind and attitude towards life.

 

Have you had any such important failure, that contributed to a significant development in you?

[Daniel Blackworth]

 

Yes, I had one. 

 

When I was in sixth grade, it was a common trend to say 'you suck' to people who lost a game or when greeting someone. This was generally an insult that means 'you're a loser'. This was simply a habit that I and my friends followed, and this continued on for months until an incident happened two months before the school year ended. In computer class, we were making websites as a project and there was a part which served as a feedback page wherein you can virtually select any name you'd like in your message. I went to my classmate's feedback page and used the name 'Zeus' to say 'you suck'. Others also posted the same comment on the page. A schoolmate of ours discovered this and decided to report this incident to the principal. The principal then asked us who did this and I was forced to admit as one of the perpetrators. She told us to stop doing this because she interpreted it to have a sexual meaning. I was also told that as the Student Council President, I should be a role model for my fellow students not someone who promotes morally wrong doings.

 

From there, I realized that I should become more careful with what I say because others might not appreciate what you say. Since then, I've decided to speak only things that are regarded as good and avoid saying anything profane or sexual. It's better to be quiet rather than say a lot of words.

 

Was high school a major turning point for your school life?

Edited March 7, 2017 by Mr. Divergent

[Ironbound]

No. Schooling in general was plain sailing for me, academically as well as socially. I was consistently a brilliant student, and while I generally preferred a certain distance, I had (and still have) my circle of close friends, and more than the fair share of extracurricular activities and achievements. My character certainly evolved, and significantly at that, but at various stages throughout, attributable to various events within and outside school. There was nothing that I can recall that's especially significant about high school, for me to consider as being more major than any other motivator throughout schooling.

 

Do you believe that truth is more important than cooperation in a team effort?

[Daniel Blackworth]

I'm not quite sure what you mean but I'll try to interpret it.

 

No. I value cooperation more than truth not because I value cooperation all that much but because that way, conflicts are lessened as people simply accept and not question what is given. It's kind of annoying having to deal with pushy people and I'm normally the type who tries to accept suggestions and the like even if the ideas are not really quite good. That's why I'm not too keen on group projects because I'm usually appointed as leader probably due to my academic ability and I'm often stressed out after a group meeting.

 

Would you want to reach out to someone who doesn't accept ideas and advices easily?

[Ironbound]

That question is qualified, since the mere fact that the person in question is difficult to reach out to and unwilling to accept criticism is not a deciding factor to determine whether or not I make attempts to communicate with them; rather, other reasons, such as whether I care about that person, or about the project at hand that necessitates his cooperation, and the circumstances at hand, those are the stimuli that determine the nature, timing and extent of efforts I make to secure such person's appropriate action, or otherwise offer help, mentoring, etc etc, and, depending again on the level of concern I have for the situation, I am prepared to go the necessary distance and beyond. The difficulty of getting through to a person is no concern to me if it must be done or if I am reasonably assured that I can meaningfully obtain a positive result out of the endeavour. But I don't believe I can practically arrive at an answer to your question under an assumption of ceteris paribus.

 

However, assuming for the sake of this question that we are in a hypothetical situation, I would prefer to not waste effort upon a deliberately obstinate or irrational person, if there is no personal vested interest of mine in ensuring that he complies or obeys, or if no purpose is served out of the endeavour either to the benefit of someone or something I am interested in. I am not one to probe into the concerns of, or insert myself into, the issues of others, nor do I feel particularly compelled or moved to solve every problem or console every person I come across, even should they concern me, unless I believe the objective to be worthy of the effort in some reasonably certain manner as the case may be. I do value truth and objective clarity more than cooperation for the sake of cooperation; I'm not 'go with the flow' unless there's an excellent reason for doing so.

 

If, in a purely hypothetical scenario without any personal bias or interest of yours, you are presented with a situation that would manifest itself in an unfavourable result, but, with your intervention, could result in a less unfavourable (yet still negative) result, would you take the initiative to involve yourself and implement the change? 

[Daniel Blackworth]

Yes. I'd take the initiative to take the change. 

 

Although it would still end in an unfavorable result and I would potentially be blamed for it as I was the one who took the change, I'd still take it for the sake of lightening the result. I'm generally someone who wants to avoid conflict but for the sake of improving the results a little, I'd be willing to put myself in danger for it.

 

Would you sacrifice morality for the sake of obtaining a good result or outcome?