Nerdly is, perhaps, the best con on earth. Especially for the money.

Nerdly is, perhaps, the best con on earth. Especially for the money.

Originally shared by Rachael Storey

Greetings everyone!

In case you hadn't heard, I'm your Chief Owlbear for Camp Nerdly 2015!  Exciting, right?  Right!

I'm still working on sorting out the website (we need a new solution for the group planning site since wikispaces has stopped offering free sites for groups that aren't educational, and I'm still investigating our options), but since people are apparently chomping at the bit for details already (which, admittedly, I probably would be too since I plan stuff months in advance), here's the Official Word.

We are confirmed for Camp 2 for the weekend of 5/15 - 5/17.  This is the same camp we had last year, so we'll have plenty of space for camping and gaming.

More information will be forthcoming soon!

I have moved to the city of Nephthys, and taken lodging in the worst room of a gracious inn, with proximity to a...

I have moved to the city of Nephthys, and taken lodging in the worst room of a gracious inn, with proximity to a benevolent diety's temple. I share my lodgings with an ascetic priest[ess], stern and silent.

tl;dr - ethical rules exist for reasons, and practicing ethical behavior lets us violate the rules and remain...

tl;dr - ethical rules exist for reasons, and practicing ethical behavior lets us violate the rules and remain ethical.

Generally speaking, there are three different and incommensurate views of ethics: deontology, virtue, and utilitarianism.

There's a lot of fights about these. I've been thinking about a unified ethical theory.

First, what do these words mean?
Deontology suggests a rule-following ethic. For example "Do not kill", "Do not lie", or even "Do unto others as they would be done unto". An action is moral if it follows the rules.

Virtue suggests a state of being -- being a good person. I've interpreted this as being the best you possible -- to seek self-actualization. An action  is moral if it is the action a good person would take.

Utilitarianism suggests concern for outcomes. That the best world is the one where the best good happens. An action is moral if it creates the most good.

Here's what I think:
-- We need rules for situations that we don't know well. Having these rules helps build moral intuition.
-- The moral intuition? That stuff? That is virtue ethics. 
-- If you act in the best accordance with what you believe to be right then, pretty often, that'll result in a lot of good being done.
-- Sometimes, and this is the tricky part, we find it moral to go against a well-honed moral intuition to maximize good.

This doesn't really get us out of trolly problems. That is, there remains incommensuability. What it does do is give us a relationship. We use rules to help build a moral intuition.  When we are in novel situations -- such as trolly problems -- it is generally a good idea to follow the rules we know are generally correct.

If we have thought about and -- and this is important -- acted in a way related to ethics, then we can sometimes break the rules.

If you've thought about ethics, then you may have some good intuition that is different from standard morality about what to do in a trolly problem situation. That is, acting in ethical ways might give insight when faced with harder problems.

Much as Shakespeare can break the rules of English grammar, so too can someone like Rawls, Locke, or even Ghandi violate standard ethical rules and guildelines.

But, generally speaking, if you violate said rules., you're just rationalizing self-interest.

i want this last year.

i want this last year.

Originally shared by Sage LaTorra
http://theoatmeal.com/blog/google_self_driving_car

best. thing. ever.

best. thing. ever.

Originally shared by Emily “Syreene” Vitori

Oh Gods this is going to be in my head all day, lol....

#williamshatner   #commonpeople   #startrek  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI3UfxyIdgs&feature=share

#3x3rpgs

#3x3rpgs

Most recently played: Love in the time of seith, Misericord(e), and probably Atomic Robo.

Most enjoyed: A long running superheroes game in a homebrew system, Tribunal, and Say A Little Prayer

Most want to play: When Alex Got Lost, Monster Hearts, and The Aftermath.