Grand Theft Auto IV

The Internets have been buzzing lately in anticipation for the release of the GTA:IV trailer, and today is the day! Enjoy the show:




Is it all that you thought it would be?

Primates and Morality

A recent article from the New York Times presents evidence that traits of moral behavior may be found in some primate species. This data could push ethics beyond the realm of philosophy and into biology if there is a link discovered between genetics and moral behavior. Applying this to the ideas of Kant or Hegel, it truly brings into question the role that reason and religion, two historic attributed origins of morality, play in defining moral behavior as a human-specific feature. However, the prominent view of biologists is that reason is not necessary for morality, but comes after a moral action.

Biologists like Dr. de Waal believe reason is generally brought to bear only after a moral decision has been reached. They argue that morality evolved at a time when people lived in small foraging societies and often had to make instant life-or-death decisions, with no time for conscious evaluation of moral choices. The reasoning came afterward as a post hoc justification. “Human behavior derives above all from fast, automated, emotional judgments, and only secondarily from slower conscious processes,” Dr. de Waal writes.

But ethics is the study of the difference between what a behavior is, and the
justification of why that behavior is considered good or bad. This is something that biology is unsuited to. However, if morality does have a biological link, the ideas that we have developed over the last two thousand years could have serious questions asked of them, which is never a bad thing.

Amazon and Milk

Milk is now available for purchase through Amazon. Read the reviews, they are hilarious. The "cream" of the crop:

O Milky Milk!
So mellifluously milky
so sweet and delicious
sublime and silky
white and creamy
lush and dreamy
Milk, O Milk
For you I pine
Milk, O Milk
When will you be mine?

Ann Coulter and gay bashing

Here's a video of right-wing pundit Ann Coulter speaking at a recent straw poll in one of the Carolina's. In this little bit, she is addressing John Edwards, who is a candidate for the Democratic nomination. She says, “I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I — so kind of an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards.” This is responded by cheers.



Coulter has a history of being quite brash, blunt, offensive, and down right bigoted in her writing and speech. This sort of behavior should not be tolerated by anyone, let alone endorsed by the public. This is character attack at it finest (worst?), where one attacks the person rather than the ideas. Coulter has made a living of doing this in her books. It first and foremost is a logical fallacy, a delay tactic used in arguments. However, in this case, it is quite simply bigotry, hatred, close mindedness. Sadly, this type of behavior seems to garner support and applause. It is because of things like this, that I fear for the future of this country.