pharmacykeys

*** Mod's note: Merged with an earlier thread. sN ** Given the advent of new scientific evidence promulgating the ill effects of alcohol on human physiology and mind, I find myself being repulsed more and more by the concept of alcohol consumption. As far as I can tell, its primary use is that of evasion and synthetic enjoyment. I can't even see it being used positively in moderation as a relaxant. How could I possibly relax consuming a substance which stifles my cognitive faculty, not just in the short run, but in the long run as well. It seems to be some sort of myopic hedonism. As a young city dweller, I'm surrounded by this constantly. This vice seems to be lauded; people seem to take solace in their decay. Do you consume alcohol? If so, with what reason? If you don't, how do you feel about others doing so? Do you have any close contacts who do consume alcohol regularly?

Yes. In the past I've been overly belligerent with intellectual opponents, however this has waned with age. I'm near certain she has a more "casual" understanding of altruism, as you mentioned one that's in stride with helping others that she loves, etc. This is of course a selfish action given the fact that she is deriving pleasure from it. I'm building up my ammunition. The first line of the wikipedia page for Altruism (Ethics) is very solid.

I've been going out with a very smart, though naive girl for the past little while. I'm easing her into the objectivism, but I sometimes have trouble delivering cogent arguments as its advocate (though I'm working on this*.) On our last outing, she stated that she believes strongly in the concept of altruism. The situation did not permit me to rebut, but I would like to spark a discussion the next time we are out. This girl is in university for art and design, and as such is philosophically inexperienced, though she is very logical and receptive to congruency. I need some help building an argument against altruism. Analogies and real world references would be more successful than abstract philosophy. Can someone give me a hand? * However this does seem to contradict one of my favourite A.S. quotes:

Your work is breathtaking. I'm a naturally inquisitive person, and on my spare time I like to challenge myself with new tasks. I would love to give some modeling a try, as later in life I do plan to give architecture a try (in what capacity, I'm not yet sure.) What advice would you give to a newbie, who would like take on this type of rendering as a hobby? What skills should I build? What reading should I do? How should I look at the world differently? What are some easy projects to get my feet wet? I'm a web designer by trade, as such I'm quite computer and design savvy, so I think I can leverage a lot of my existing skills. Thanks