ellauri029.html on line 358: It is difficult to determine precisely when Kahneman's research began to focus on hedonics, although it likely stemmed from his work on the economic notion of utility.
ellauri048.html on line 1885: Cramer was recycling an oft-cited tale of Polish lancers who supposedly charged German tanks at the outset of World War II — making it the very epitome of blinkered futility.
ellauri089.html on line 605: § 95. But (c) most of the actions, most universally approved by Common Sense, may perhaps be shewn to be generally better as means than any probable alternative, on the following principles. (1) With regard to some rules it may be shewn that their general observation would be useful in any state of society, where the instincts to preserve and propagate life and to possess property were as strong as they seem always to be; and this utility may be shewn, independently of a right view as to what is good in itself, since the observance is a means to things which are a necessary condition for the attainment of any great goods in considerable quantities. …
ellauri089.html on line 611: § 98. In this way, then, it may be possible to prove the general utility, for the present, of those actions, which in our society are both generally recognized as duties and generally practised; but it seems very doubtful whether a conclusive case can be established for any proposed change in social custom, without an independent investigation of what things are good or bad in themselves. …
ellauri089.html on line 613: § 99. And (d) if we consider the distinct question of how a single individual should decide to act (α) in cases where the general utility of the action in question is certain, (β) in other cases: there seems reason for thinking that, with regard to (α), he should always conform to it; but these reasons are not conclusive, if either the general observance or the general utility is wanting; …
ellauri096.html on line 680: The authors stated that, since fluctuations in employment are central to the business cycle, the "stand-in consumer [of the model] values not only consumption but also leisure," meaning that unemployment movements essentially reflect the changes in the number of people who want to work. "Household-production theory," as well as "cross-sectional evidence" ostensibly support a "non-time-separable utility function that admits greater inter-temporal substitution of leisure, something which is needed," according to the authors, "to explain aggregate movements in employment in an equilibrium model." For the K&P model, monetary policy is irrelevant for economic fluctuations.
ellauri100.html on line 260: Escape from D.C.: The futility of analytical work (see “Beliefs,” below) led to the purchase of a small publishing company (weekly paper and free shopping guide) in western New York State. Worked like a dog for three years, and brought the habit back to the think-tank.
ellauri100.html on line 315: The urban riots that followed the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. opened my eyes to the futility of LBJ’s social tinkering. I saw at once that plowing vast sums into a “war” on black poverty would be rewarded with a lack of progress, sullen resentment, and generations of dependency on big brother in Washington. (Regarding the possibility that I am a racial bigot, see the note at the bottom of this page. If you don't care to read that far, yes, I am a racial bigot, and how.)
ellauri155.html on line 793: To put it simply: though being good doesn´t entitle you to heaven, being bad is a sure way to end in hell. By being good you can at least enter the lottery. It makes no difference game theoretically whether God arranged his lottery before or after the fact. The information sets are just the same. Game theoretically, being good continues to carry a slight positive utility toward the jackpot.
ellauri161.html on line 105: Monothelitism, or monotheletism (from Greek: μονοθελητισμός, romanized: monothelētismós, lit. 'doctrine of one will'), is a theological doctrine in Christianity, that holds Christ as having only one utility function. The doctrine is thus contrary to dyothelitism, a Christological doctrine that holds Christ as having two wills (divine and human). Historically, monothelitism was closely related to monoenergism, a theological doctrine that holds Jesus Christ as having only one strategy set. Both doctrines were at the center of Christological disputes during the 7th century.
ellauri161.html on line 772: Satire needs more than jokes to be funny, and everyone in this movie is equally stupid. A large cast of familiar faces floats through this painfully unfunny exercise in futility.
ellauri180.html on line 174: OBJECTIVES: Globally approximately 25% of men are circumcised for religious, cultural, medical, or parental choice reasons. However, controversy surrounds the procedure, and its benefits and risks to health. We review current knowledge of the health benefits and risks associated with male circumcision. METHODS: We have used, where available, previously conducted reviews of the relation between male circumcision and specific outcomes as "benchmarks", and updated them by searching the Medline database for more recent information. RESULTS: There is substantial evidence that circumcision protects males from HIV infection, penile carcinoma, urinary tract infections, and ulcerative sexually transmitted diseases. We could find little scientific evidence of adverse effects on sexual, psychological, or emotional health. Surgical risks associated with circumcision, particularly bleeding, penile injury, and local infection, as well as the consequences of the pain experienced with neonatal circumcision, are valid concerns that require appropriate responses. CONCLUSION: Further analyses of the utility and cost effectiveness of male circumcision as a preventive health measure should, in the light of this information, be research and policy priorities. A decision as to whether to recommend male circumcision in a given society should be based upon an assessment of the risk for and occurrence of the diseases which are associated with the presence of the foreskin, versus the risk of the complications of the procedure. In order for individuals and their families to make an informed decision, they should be provided with the best available evidence regarding the known benefits and risks. And they should also know what God thinks of it.
ellauri184.html on line 514: During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the primary justification for circumcision was to prevent masturbation (???) and intentionally reduce male sexual pleasure, which was believed to cause a wide range of medical problems. Modern proponents say that circumcision reduces the risks of a range of infections and diseases, and confers sexual benefits (???). By contrast, some opponents, particularly of routine neonatal circumcision, question its utility and effectiveness in preventing such diseases, and object to subjecting newborn males, without their consent, to a procedure they consider to have dubious and nonessential benefits, significant risks, and a potentially negative impact on general health and later sexual enjoyment, as well as violating their human rights.
ellauri198.html on line 346: William Lyon Phelps (n.h.) proposes three different interpretations of the poem: In the first two, the Tower is a symbol of a knightly dick. Success only comes through failure or the end is the realization of futility. In his third interpretation, the Tower is simply a damn big tunnel.
ellauri207.html on line 413: TERMatkakulutilitystäsi
ellauri245.html on line 267: Leopold´s Apple is actually a brand of whiskey. But The pear of anguish, also known as choke pear or mouth pear, is a torture device based on mechanisms of unknown use from the early modern period. The mechanism consists of a pear-shaped metal body divided into spoon-like segments that can be spread apart with a spring or by turning a key. Its proposed functionality as a torture device is to be variously inserted into the mouth, rectum, or vagina, and then expanded to gag or mutilate the victim. There is no contemporary evidence of such a torture device existing in the medieval era, and ultimately the utility of genuine apples and pears stuck in any hole at all remains unknown. Except that an apple forced in his mouth as a kid by his chum Anders B. got Jo Nesbø going as a pulp writer. Iron Maiden was a vagina dentata style box with nails inside.
ellauri270.html on line 403: By having children (even Tessie’s own son) involved in stoning Tessie, Jackson aims to show that cruelty and violence are primitive and inherent aspects of human nature—not something taught by society. Tessie’s attempts to protest until the end show the futility of a single voice standing up against the power of tradition and a majority afraid of nonconformists. Jackson ends her story with the revelation of what actually happens as a result of the lottery, and so closes on a note of both surprise and horror. The seemingly innocuous, ordinary villagers suddenly turn violent and bestial, forming a mob that kills one of their own with the most primitive weapons possible—and then happily going home to supper.
ellauri278.html on line 229: On 30 September, Czechoslovakia yielded to the combination of military pressure by Germany, Poland, and Hungary, and diplomatic pressure by the United Kingdom and France, and agreed to give up territory to Germany on Munich terms. Then, on 1 October, Czechoslovakia also accepted Polish territorial demands. Much of Europe celebrated the Munich Agreement, as they considered it a way to prevent a major war on the continent. Adolf Hitler announced that it was his last territorial claim in Northern Europe. Today, the Munich Agreement is widely regarded as a failed act of appeasement, and the term has become a byword for the futility of appeasing expansionist totalitarian states.
ellauri281.html on line 228: On 30 September, Czechoslovakia yielded to the combination of military pressure by Germany, Poland, and Hungary, and diplomatic pressure by the United Kingdom and France, and agreed to give up territory to Germany on Munich terms. Then, on 1 October, Czechoslovakia also accepted Polish territorial demands. Much of Europe celebrated the Munich Agreement, as they considered it a way to prevent a major war on the continent. Adolf Hitler announced that it was his last territorial claim in Northern Europe. Today, the Munich Agreement is widely regarded as a failed act of appeasement, and the term has become a byword for the futility of appeasing expansionist totalitarian states.
ellauri284.html on line 649: One state official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing his employment, recalled the heady days of growth when developers routinely showed up at the home of a former chief minister in sport-utility vehicles laden with suitcases full of cash.
ellauri285.html on line 219: For instance, according to Jackson’s (1991) consequentialism, one ought to maximize expected moral utility.
ellauri300.html on line 649: The futility of heresy (Titus 1:10-16, 3:9-11). Foolish people at the Cretan church fool others with “useless talk” about circumcision.
xxx/ellauri229.html on line 546: At the height of the baroque, sex went out of style; only two small parties kept it going-the integrationalists and the separatists. The separatists, averse to all debauchery, felt that it was improper to eat sauerkraut with the same mouth one used to kiss one´s sweetheart. For this a separate, "platonic" mouth was needed, and better yet, a complete set of them, variously designated (for relatives, for friends, and for that special person). The valuing utility above all else, worked in reverse, combining whatever was combinable to simplify the organism and life. The decline of the baroque, typically tending to the extravagant and the grotesque, produced such curious forms as the stoolmaid and the hexus, which resembled a centaur, except that instead of hoofs it had four bare feet with the toes all facing one another: they also called it a syncopant, after a dance in which energetic stamping was the basic step. But the market now was glutted, exhausted. It was hard to come up with a startling new body; people used their natural horns for ear flaps; flap ears-diaphanous and with stigmatic scenes-fanned with their pale pinkness the cheeks of ladies of distinction; there were attempts to walk on supple pseudopodia; meanwhile SOPSYPLABD out of sheer inertia made more and more designs available, though everyone felt that all of this was drawing to a close.
xxx/ellauri250.html on line 676: H.L.A Hart's review of the third edition in The New York Review of Books was mixed. While writing that "The utility of selling this utilitarian's book to students of its subject can hardly be exaggerated", Hart also criticized Practical Ethics for philosophical inconsistency in its chapter on abortion. He argues that Singer insufficiently explains how self interest and classical utilitarianism each view abortion, and does not bring out their differences. Self interest of males is strongly against abortion. Besides, carrots are fit food for bunnies only.
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