@SuebeeTexan Yes, I know I had trouble sometimes as the youngest in my class. Holding back a child might be the best move sometimes, but I think it should depend on the child, not on trying to hack the system
"Redshirting" kindergartners means purposely waiting an extra year to enroll them, so they have developmental advantages over classmates. Does this prioritize peer competition over individual growth?
#redshirt#redshirting#kindergarten#mind#body#children
I generally value non-human animals more if I empathize with them. Intelligence is one of the qualities that triggers that empathy, though not the only one (and certainly not an indication of my own intelligence ๐)
#philosophy#psychology#intelligence#animals
@CankayKoryak Interesting to think of plants cultivating the human nurturing impulse. I wonder if (how) the human desire to grow gardens is connected to parental emotions
@NiccoloTribolo Yes, both the left and right have had terribly destructive cults of personality. I find both sides worrisome, but the right wing in the U.S. seems more problematic at the moment. That could easily change, though!
People on the political left often seem okay calling themselves "left-wing", but I don't hear people on the right using "right-wing" much. Does it sound too dark for them? They seem to prefer softer words like "conservative" or "patriot"
#psychology
@iambryaen Thanks! There seem to be many beneficial bacteria and other microorganisms that are part of our bodies. Should we think of these differently from the cells of our organs?
@arntzgray1@PeterIsztin At least to some degree, does having a society with more productive people also mean reducing debt burdens if they rise past a particular point? You make good points about the negatives of loan cancellation, but maybe a compromise is possible if the impact on society is very high
Our immune systems attack cancer cells with almost identical DNA to our other eukaryotic cells, but not free-floating mitochondria or many benevolent gut bacteria, despite their different DNA. This seems to say something about the "self" but I'm still not sure what
#cancer #philosophy #self #immune #biology #bacteria #mitochondria
@CankayKoryak@maggie_by There are some scientists who consider ant colonies (and maybe also slime molds) to be like "liquid brains":
https://t.co/gKhK0QwHsc
@CankayKoryak Well, now that you mention it, I think it says something about consciousness too ๐. The immune system as a whole seems able to recognize self & friends vs rebels & enemies. Or are those "friends" like benevolent bacteria really "self" somehow?