Quote from: VisionStorm;1132737"Being" doesn't really work as a label for that space in your character sheet where you write what your character is the way that "Race:__________",  "Species:__________" or  "Class:__________" do.



It depends on the sense you're using for the definition of the word "person", which has multiple meanings. In philosophy, a "person" is a self-conscious rational being, which could hypothetically include self-aware non-humans capable of some degree of rational thought. An elf or a true AI is technically a "person". Therefore they are people. Which makes me wonder if "race" could accurately apply to stuff like vampires or robots, since one meaning of the word race includes "any group, class or kind, especially of persons". At least according to Dictionary.com.

Which is why philosophy is shit. You can justify anything.

Quote from: Opaopajr;1132735Not gonna lie, chaotic ticklish sounds like an awesome alignment to explore. :cool:

That reminds me I actually saw some Tumblrite on Twitter once post some cutesy alternatives to alignment and I could've sworn "chaotic ticklish" was an option. I'm almost certain the word "ticklish" was there.

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1132738Which is why philosophy is shit. You can justify anything.

So if an alien species or dimensional being from another world capable of self-awareness and rational thought arrived and made contact with us they wouldn't be people cuz of they don't fit some arbitrary definition of a word we made up all for our lonesome?

Also, philosophy is the root of science and ethnics, which is the root of law. Philosophy is the root of civilization.

Quote from: VisionStorm;1132741So if an alien species or dimensional being from another world capable of self-awareness and rational thought arrived and made contact with us they wouldn't be people cuz of they don't fit some arbitrary definition of a word we made up all for our lonesome?

Also, philosophy is the root of science and ethnics, which is the root of law. Philosophy is the root of civilization.

Yep, invent a new word or change the definition.

Philosophy WAS the root of all human knowledge, that stooped being true when the postmodernists and ludites took over the field, now it's the root of all evil.

Talking about a 'race of robots' is fine by me, and would be my preference for a sci-fantasy or planetary romance type settings.
Talking about a 'species of robot' sounds more pseudo-scientific and would fit most space opera settings.
Making up a new word would just be annoying.

Quote from: VisionStorm;1132737Which makes me wonder if "race" could accurately apply to stuff like vampires or robots, since one meaning of the word race includes "any group, class or kind, especially of persons". At least according to Dictionary.com.

This (group or class of persons) is an older use of race; up until the 19th century it was the most common use, though it normally included an implication of common descent - the Scots race, the English race, the German race, the Arab race, the Chinese race.  It covers nationality and ethnicity. More common in Europe than in the USA I'd say, especially once Proposition Nation/Melting Pot ideology got going. It wouldn't be used to cover a group like vampires infected by a disease - no one said "the leper race" - or with a common ideology, no "the Christian race". But vampires do trace a sort of lineage/descent of infection in some settings like WoD so I can see it being expanded to cover them. Or robots with a common origin of manufacture.

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1132742Yep, invent a new word or change the definition.

There's already a word for humans, it's called humans. The only reason words like "person" and "people", and the notion of "personhood" exist as separate terms is to describe the abstract philosophical idea of a rational being capable of self-awareness. And the only reason why "person/people" are synonimous with "humans" is because our species is the only species in the planet advanced enough for those terms to arguably apply to, since most other animals lack the level of self-awareness and rationality necessary to qualify for the terms. If other intelligence species capable of creating technology existed in this planet "person" would have applied to them too.

There have even been debates about extending "personhood" to apply to animals like dolphins and whales (which have officially being recognized as persons in India) cuz those animals are intelligent enough to possess self-awareness and display a degree of rationality. They just lack the opposable thumbs to be able to do anything useful with that intelligence.

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1132742Philosophy WAS the root of all human knowledge, that stooped being true when the postmodernists and ludites took over the field, now it's the root of all evil.

Yeah, and science can be used to level an entire city and turn it into a radioactive wasteland, or to bio-engineer a virus, let it loose in China and start a pandemic. But that doesn't make science responsible for the moronic shit that people do with it. Besides, postmodernists took over the social sciences, not philosophy. So if anything, by your logic it's the social sciences that have to go (...and nothing of value would be lost).

IMO, most of the major problems in this world can be traced to the lack of philosophy as a course in school, particularly in the US, where "SJW" ideology originated from. Since we now have an entire population of idiots with no concept of logic, WTF fallacies are, or the ability to engage in proper argumentation. They just feel entitled with their uninformed "opinion", and if their opinions don't match reality, then its reality that has to change rather than their out of touch opinions. Which IMO, is by design, cuz the people in power want an easily controlled population, and rational people that can see through their BS don't make good subjects.

Quote from: S'mon;1132748Talking about a 'race of robots' is fine by me, and would be my preference for a sci-fantasy or planetary romance type settings.
Talking about a 'species of robot' sounds more pseudo-scientific and would fit most space opera settings.
Making up a new word would just be annoying.

Quote from: S'mon;1132749This (group or class of persons) is an older use of race; up until the 19th century it was the most common use, though it normally included an implication of common descent - the Scots race, the English race, the German race, the Arab race, the Chinese race.  It covers nationality and ethnicity. More common in Europe than in the USA I'd say, especially once Proposition Nation/Melting Pot ideology got going. It wouldn't be used to cover a group like vampires infected by a disease - no one said "the leper race" - or with a common ideology, no "the Christian race". But vampires do trace a sort of lineage/descent of infection in some settings like WoD so I can see it being expanded to cover them. Or robots with a common origin of manufacture.

I'm still thinking it over, but I might reconsider my use of "class" to refer to what type of being a character is in my system and use "race" instead. Since "class" has become too associated with "profession" in RPGs, and "race" has developed widespread use to mean "class of beings" thanks to D&D.

Quote from: GeekyBugle;1132738Which is why philosophy is shit. You can justify anything.

"Philosophy is shit, and science rulez" is a philosophy. And an anti-scientific one. You can't be unphilosophical without truly being a borderline braindead ultra consumer.

Quote from: VisionStorm;1132800IMO, most of the major problems in this world can be traced to the lack of philosophy as a course in school, particularly in the US, where "SJW" ideology originated from.

It's not that philosophy isn't taught in school. They just say it isn't. You can be taught about logical fallacies and whatever else and just never apply them to yourselves or just reject them.
When I was in high school I laughed at the slippery slope stuff conservatives where saying. I ain't laughing now, and having studied history: I don't think I should have ever been laughing.

My view of the global crisis is that WWI and WWII fucked up the general go-to strategy of Civilizations (Conquer, Expand, implode, repeat), and so with nothing left to do we are all in a panic that social justice promises the solution too.

QuoteI'm still thinking it over, but I might reconsider my use of "class" to refer to what type of being a character is in my system and use "race" instead.

Words adapt over time. Geek means something else than in 1930. It shouldn't be an issue except to pissbabies that we use race to refer to other creature type things.