Music. Film. Philosophy. Politics. Comedy. Absurdism. Surrealism. Political philosophy. Anarcho-syndicalism. Libertarian-socialism. Pyotr Kropotkin. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. Mikhail Bakunin. Rudolf Rocker. Noam Chomsky. Secularism. Humanism. Balance. Equilibrium. Playing the drums. Pirates. Ninjas. Robots. Zombies. Horn-rimmed glasses. Ironic mustaches. Chinese Converse sneakers. Hipster clichés. Open-mindedness. Down-to-Earthedness. Old school videogames. New school videogames. Videogames in general. NPR. Love. History. Science. Epistemology. Metaphysics. Aesthetics. Contextualism. Critical theory. Urban planning and design theories (specifically Jane Jacobs). Urban density and diversity. Socially-conscious people. Cartoons. Singing. Using the term "postmodern" as a noun, adjective and verb. Music and film snobbery tempered with a sense of irony, sarcasm and self-deprecation. Geeky things. Busting moves on the dance floor. Comic books. Comic book movies (the ones that don't suck). Travel. Being "fricky-fricky-fressshhhh". Drinking games. Dirty language. Creative usage of dirty language. Super Smash Brothers. Exploration. Relaxation. Spooning. Things with both visceral and intellectual appeal. Wikipedia. AllMusic. YouTube. Metacritic. Gmail. Grey areas. Dichotomies. True community. Personal connection. Beauty. Ingrid Bergman. Audrey Hepburn. My idealized notion of life in Austin, TX. Dogs. Cats. Puppies. Kittens. Marmosets. Animals. People who love animals. Other people who are having trouble getting through their "quarter-life crises". Balance in all aspects of life. Holden Caulfield. "Cities that are organic, messy, spontaneous and serendipitous; that thrive on economic, architectural and human diversity, on dense populations and mixed land uses". European cities. Sketch comedy. People who think taboo topics are the ones most worth discussing. Divebars. Jukeboxes. Super Mario Kart. Epicuriousness. Tasty food. Sushi. NetFlix. iTunes. The Nintendo DS.
Humanistic morality is a code of ethics based on the value and quality of human life. It is not derived from absolute engravings on a cosmic stone tablet. Morality is relative to human things like happiness, health, peace, beauty, love, joy, and justice. It is the preferring of those actions and ideas which enhance the human condition over those which threaten it. The Nazis, who were mostly Catholics and Lutherans, were wrong not because they broke an absolute law, but because they desecrated human life. Even though humanistic morality does assert some rights and wrongs relative to the human condition, it is flexible and free to improve. For example, on the one hand it is inconceivable that something like genocide would ever be considered moral, and on the other hand that something like genuine politeness could be considered immoral; but there will always be a middle ground between those extremes for things like birth control, divorce, diet, self defense, or patriotism, which will depend on the situation.
Any morality which is based on an unyielding structure above and beyond humanity is dangerous to human beings. History is filled with examples of what religious "morality" has done to worsen our lot. Whole cities can be gleefully exterminated in God's name. Society's "witches" can be eliminated. Free thought can be suppressed, squelching any hope for progress. (Why else were the Christian-dominated centuries called the "Dark" Ages?) Under Christian morality, anything goes if it furthers God's plan. In place of Lewis's Law of Morality, more enlightened people would champion reason and kindness: principles that are pliable and human, not rigid and cold.
I'd like for my fist to meet your face.
Currently in Heavy Rotation:
Select Favorites: The Beach Boys , The Beatles , Radiohead , Daft Punk , Pixies , Elvis Costello , Modest Mouse , Talking Heads , David Bowie , The Arcade Fire , Clap Your Hands Say Yeah , The Beastie Boys , Beck , Neko Case, The Flaming Lips , The Avalanches , OutKast , Nirvana , Mr. Bungle , Interpol
Air, Amon Tobin, The Amps, Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, The Animals, Annie, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Antony & the Johnsons, The Apex Theory, The Arcade Fire, Art Brut, Asobi Seksu, The Avalanches, Bad Religion, Band of Horses, Barbara Morgenstern, Basement Jaxx, Battles, Be Your Own Pet, The Beach Boys, The Beastie Boys, The Beatles, Beck, Belle and Sebastian, The Beta Band, Beyonce, Beirut, Bloc Party, Blur, Boards of Canada, Bob Dylan, The Books, Boris, The Bouncign Souls, The Breeders, Brian Eno, Broken Social Scene, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Brian Wilson, Bright Eyes, Califone, Cake, Camera Obscura, Cam'Ron, Can, Cansei De Ser Sexy, Cat Power, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Clash, Clipse, Common, Danielson, D'Angelo, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Dave Brubeck, The Dead Boys, Death From Above 1979, The Decemberists, Deerhoof, Deltron 3030, Destroyer, Devo, Devotchka, Do Make Say Think, The Drifters, Dntel, Dr. Dre, Dungen, Edan, El Perro Del Mar, Elastica, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Eminem, The Fiery Furnaces, Fiona Apple, The Flaming Lips, Frank Black, Frou Frou, Fugazi, Fujiyah and Miyagi, Ghostface Killah, Girl Talk, Gnarls Barkley, The Go! Team, Gorillaz, Grandaddy, Grizzly Bear, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Herbert, The Hold Steady, The Horrors, Hot Chip, Iggy and the Stooges, Interpol, Isis, J Dilla, Jagga Jazzist, The Jam, Jay-Z, Jeff Buckley, Jens Lekman, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Joanna Newsom, Johnny Cash, Joy Division, Junior Boys, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, The Knife, Kraftwerk, Kool Keith, LCD Soundsystem, Led Zeppelin, Lemon Jelly, Liars, Lightning Bolt, Lily Allen, Louis Armstrong, Los Lobos, Lupe Fiasco, M. Ward, M.I.A., M83, Madvillain, The Mars Volta, Mastodon, Matmos, MC5, Menomena, Mew, Modest Mouse, Mott The Hoople, Mr. Bungle, Muse, My Bloody Valentine, My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, The New Pornographers, Neutral Milk Hotel, Nirvana, NOFX, Of Montreal, OutKast, Panda Bear, Pavement, Pearl Jam, Peeping Tom, Peter Bjorn and John, Phoenix, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, The Pipettes, Pixies, The Police, Public Enemy, The Postal Service, Prefuse 73, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, Rage Against The Machine The Ramones, Ratatat, Ray Charles, Rick James, RJD2, Rufus Wainright, Scott Walker, The Sex Pistols, The Shangri-Las, The Shins, Sigur Rós, Sleater-Kinney, Sly & The Family Stone, The Smiths, Sonic Youth, Spank Rock, Spoon, The Streets, The Strokes, Sufjan Stevens, Super Furry Animals, System of a Down, Talk Talk, Talking Heads, Tapes n' Tapes, Tenacious D, Thom Yorke, Timbaland, Tortoise, TV On The Radio, U2, The Vaselines, Vitalic, Weezer, Wilco, Wire, Wolf Parade, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yo La Tengo, etc...
TV is pure radioactive evil pumped straight into your cerebral cortex. I've disconnected the cable from the TV in my room (I still use it for videogames, I'm a child of the 80's). That said... its evil still calls to me on occasion and I am often pulled in by its seduction. Primarily for stuff like most of the shows on Adult Swim, especially:
Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law
Sealab 2021
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
The Venture Bros.
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast
Robot Chicken
Home Movies
Cowboy Bebop
Futurama
Family Guy
I love South Park
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show
Late Night with Conan O' Brien
Monty Python's Flying Circus
The Office
Wonder Showzen
Da Ali G Show
Kids in the Hall
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Extras
Arrested Development
The Wire
The Sopranos
Battlestar Galactica
The Animaniacs
IFC, Turner Classic Movies, The Hitler Channel, History International, BBC America, PBS, The Documentary Channel, Biography. Oh and FOX News... HAHAHAHA!!!
Wow, I watch a lot of fucking TV for someone who thinks it is pure evil. (Hypocrite)
Just Finished: Ernest Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast"Now Reading: Søren Kierkegaard's "Diary of a Seducer"