How Valuable is Life?

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
241

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
I did wonderful in math all through school (duh) up until Calc. I just couldn’t wrap my feeble mind around it.

Algebra I can still do, but have lost a lot of the skill set beyond that, except for some of the finance equations. [/quote]

It’s funny, calc was the first math class that I did well in. It felt more like logic or even philosophy than math.

I literally to this day cannot do basic addition above the number ten unless certain “easy” numbers are involved. Even under ten, I have some trouble. What’s 7 plus 8? When I think about it, I know that 8 plus 8 is 16, and this is one less, so this is 15. But when I first see the numbers, I just freeze. Nothing happens in my mind. As if I’m meditating.

242

[quote]smh_23 wrote:

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
I did wonderful in math all through school (duh) up until Calc. I just couldn’t wrap my feeble mind around it.

Algebra I can still do, but have lost a lot of the skill set beyond that, except for some of the finance equations. [/quote]

It’s funny, calc was the first math class that I did well in. It felt more like logic or even philosophy than math.

I literally to this day cannot do basic addition above the number ten unless certain “easy” numbers are involved. Even under ten, I have some trouble. What’s 7 plus 8? When I think about it, I know that 8 plus 8 is 16, and this is one less, so this is 15. But when I first see the numbers, I just freeze. Nothing happens in my mind. As if I’m meditating.
[/quote]

I struggled with algebra and trigonometry until my freshman year of college, until I realized that they were languages, with their own vocabulary, syntax and grammar. Languages had always come naturally to me, so as soon as I made this quantum leap in understanding, it all made sense to me. I tested out of freshman-level maths, and by my junior year I was tutoring other students in physics. Perception is reality.

243

[quote]smh_23 wrote:

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
I did wonderful in math all through school (duh) up until Calc. I just couldn’t wrap my feeble mind around it.

Algebra I can still do, but have lost a lot of the skill set beyond that, except for some of the finance equations. [/quote]

It’s funny, calc was the first math class that I did well in. It felt more like logic or even philosophy than math.

I literally to this day cannot do basic addition above the number ten unless certain “easy” numbers are involved. Even under ten, I have some trouble. What’s 7 plus 8? When I think about it, I know that 8 plus 8 is 16, and this is one less, so this is 15. But when I first see the numbers, I just freeze. Nothing happens in my mind. As if I’m meditating.
[/quote]

I can ball park interest rates on loans just looking at payment amounts, and ball park what a payment will be by looking at the terms in paragraph form. I can ball park what you will owe in tax over 3 layers of ownership in about 2 mins. Effective tax rates layered? No problem. Calc is like trying to learn every dialect of Chinese in two days to me. (I’m not good at languages either, so given V’s post this makes more sense.)

Maybe I’m too analytical for philosophy? lol

244

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
I tested out of freshman-level maths[/quote]
Get that damn “s” off of the end of that word you limey bastard.

245

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
I tested out of freshman-level maths[/quote]
Get that damn “s” off of the end of that word you limey bastard.[/quote]

Maths is short for “mathematics”, just as “pecs” and “lats” are short for “pectoralis majoris” and “latissimus dorsi”. Plural words. You don’t work “pec” and “lat”, and you don’t study “math”.

You Yank bastard. :wink:

246

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]smh_23 wrote:

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
I did wonderful in math all through school (duh) up until Calc. I just couldn’t wrap my feeble mind around it.

Algebra I can still do, but have lost a lot of the skill set beyond that, except for some of the finance equations. [/quote]

It’s funny, calc was the first math class that I did well in. It felt more like logic or even philosophy than math.

I literally to this day cannot do basic addition above the number ten unless certain “easy” numbers are involved. Even under ten, I have some trouble. What’s 7 plus 8? When I think about it, I know that 8 plus 8 is 16, and this is one less, so this is 15. But when I first see the numbers, I just freeze. Nothing happens in my mind. As if I’m meditating.
[/quote]

I struggled with algebra and trigonometry until my freshman year of college, until I realized that they were languages, with their own vocabulary, syntax and grammar. Languages had always come naturally to me, so as soon as I made this quantum leap in understanding, it all made sense to me. I tested out of freshman-level maths, and by my junior year I was tutoring other students in physics. Perception is reality. [/quote]

Exactly. To me, calculus is more like literature than arithmetic.

Not that I’m great at calculus, because I haven’t even looked at a function in like seven years.

247

[quote]magick wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:
Read the science and fuck the talking points. Talk is cheap.[/quote]

Still missing the point-

Here’s a hint- The point isn’t about whether a zygote is a human or not, but rather the possible ramifications of creating a single concrete definition of what a human is.[/quote]

There already is one, that’s the point. No need to reinvent the wheel here.

248

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
I tested out of freshman-level maths[/quote]
Get that damn “s” off of the end of that word you limey bastard.[/quote]

Maths is short for “mathematics”, just as “pecs” and “lats” are short for “pectoralis majoris” and “latissimus dorsi”. Plural words. You don’t work “pec” and “lat”, and you don’t study “math”.

You Yank bastard. ;)[/quote]

But it’s NOT plural :stuck_out_tongue:

249

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
I tested out of freshman-level maths[/quote]
Get that damn “s” off of the end of that word you limey bastard.[/quote]

Maths is short for “mathematics”, just as “pecs” and “lats” are short for “pectoralis majoris” and “latissimus dorsi”. Plural words. You don’t work “pec” and “lat”, and you don’t study “math”.

You Yank bastard. ;)[/quote]

But it’s NOT plural :P[/quote]

“Mathematics” is a plural word, encompassing a plurality of disciplines. Arithmetic, geometry, algebra, trigonometry, calculus: all of these comprise mathematics. Just as the study of the physical properties of matter and energy is referred to not as “physic” but “physics”.

Yes, in American usage plural nouns often take singular nouns, as in “Biotest is a leading supplement manufacturer” whereas in British usage it would be “Biotest are a leading supplement manufacturer”, because Biotest is a company compose of a plural number of people.

You’re used to hearing it a certain way, so you can’t imagine an alternative, but I assure you, your way sounds just as silly to a speaker of British English as theirs does to you. Whereas an American would say “Americans know more about sports than they do about math”, a Brit would say “Americans know more about sport than they do about maths”. And both would be correct.

250

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]csulli wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
I tested out of freshman-level maths[/quote]
Get that damn “s” off of the end of that word you limey bastard.[/quote]

Maths is short for “mathematics”, just as “pecs” and “lats” are short for “pectoralis majoris” and “latissimus dorsi”. Plural words. You don’t work “pec” and “lat”, and you don’t study “math”.

You Yank bastard. ;)[/quote]

But it’s NOT plural :P[/quote]

“Mathematics” is a plural word, encompassing a plurality of disciplines. Arithmetic, geometry, algebra, trigonometry, calculus: all of these comprise mathematics. Just as the study of the physical properties of matter and energy is referred to not as “physic” but “physics”.

Yes, in American usage plural nouns often take singular nouns, as in “Biotest is a leading supplement manufacturer” whereas in British usage it would be “Biotest are a leading supplement manufacturer”, because Biotest is a company compose of a plural number of people.

You’re used to hearing it a certain way, so you can’t imagine an alternative, but I assure you, your way sounds just as silly to a speaker of British English as theirs does to you. Whereas an American would say “Americans know more about sports than they do about math”, a Brit would say “Americans know more about sport than they do about maths”. And both would be correct.
[/quote]

Indeed.

“I’m good at mathematics” is shortened to “I’m good at maths” in exactly the same way as “I own five limousines” is shortened to “I own five limos.”

“I’m good at math” is like saying “I own five limo.”

I actually think the Brits have us on this one. Still, having grown up mostly around American English speakers, maths does sound weird to me.

251

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
Yes, in American usage plural nouns often take singular nouns, as in “Biotest is a leading supplement manufacturer” whereas in British usage it would be “Biotest are a leading supplement manufacturer”, because Biotest is a company compose of a plural number of people.
[/quote]

So Biotest is not a unique, individual company that is greater than the sum of its parts with its own intrinsic value and individual identity? I suppose there might be good reasons to treat it as a unique entity for some purposes and not for others, depending on the policy goals relevant to the specific question.

252

Ha, these same kinds of differences are talked about in some haughty Latin circles
regarding Spanish… For example some Mexicans think Puerto Ricans/Cubans speak funny sounding Spanish
because they don’t pronounce the “S” much… Phonetically “Como Estas” vs. “Como eTA”.

But that Mexican argument stems from ignorance because the ‘‘s’’ is silent in certain AFRICAN
dialect of Spanish via a complex hybridization of the languages in the Caribbean.
complex shit with both English Spanish, and ALL languages for that matter.
A German girl I worked with said in Switzerland the German they speak sounds terrible…Again, complex shit
and I’m sure there are reasons behind that.

Here in this Hemisphere we’ve butchered both the King’s English and Spanish Crown’s
Spanish all the way around, and if ‘‘Maths’’ sounds strange to someone, it only
sounds strange because you didn’t grow up HEARING it… at least you GET that.
I’m sure ‘‘Mathematics’’ sounds just as strange to those who grew up hearing ‘‘Maths’’…deal with it.

253

[quote]Karado wrote:

because they don’t pronounce the “S” much… Phonetically “Como Estas” vs. “Como eTA”.

[/quote]

I grew up, in part, in Spain and speak Spanish fluently, and I can’t understand half of what Puerto Ricans/Cubans say because of the s-drop. Puerto Ricans also tend to pronounce R like an L. Weird.

Then again, I lived in Castilla y leon, so I pronounce gracias as grathias and civilizacion as thivilithathion.

254

LOL true that…Back to how ‘‘valuable’’ life is?

It’s worth at least as much as how much money you are willing to receive to remove your penis
and never experience sexual pleasure again…Would you have your Penis Removed
for say,10 Million Dollars?

If not, your ‘‘life’’ is worth at least that much…What’s your dollar amount on that one people?
How much is your Penis worth? How much money would you take so you sacrifice becoming a eunuch,
and a rich eunuch at that?

256

Leave it to Colonel Mustard to bring this conversation back to its originally philosophic direction.

257

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Varq, you live on the North American continent. Here in the land of the free and home of the brave, and the Canucks, we don’t say, “maths.” We simply don’t say it. It doesn’t matter about that other tripe you proffered. We don’t say it. Get that?

;-)[/quote]

Well, here in my particular section of the North American continent, we also pronounce “creek” so that it rhymes with “shriek” and “coyote” so that it rhymes with “peyote”.

So there.

:stuck_out_tongue:

259

AWW come on Varq, 10 million bucks Man…The Man with the big assed check is fanning at his groin area right now with it while winking at you excessively as if he’s having seizure…tempting you.

Would you take it and become a eunuch?

I’ll answer, Personally I wouldn’t do it…would you?

260

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
I did wonderful in math all through school (duh) up until Calc. I just couldn’t wrap my feeble mind around it.

Algebra I can still do, but have lost a lot of the skill set beyond that, except for some of the finance equations. [/quote]

It was anti-derivatives that did me in. But if I had the work ethic and study skills then that I have now I’m sure I could muddle through it with a B at least. Shoulda, coulda, woulda… no going back at this point…

Where’d you hit a roadblock?