[Victus]

Irreligious wrote

Wrong.

Your contemptible analogy would make sense if voting, unlike dancing for rain, was entirely unconnected to the outcome of an election. But a tally of actual votes cast is the only way to determine the outcome of an election. So, your analogy fails.

Whether or not you as an individual engage in a rain dance doesn't make it rain. Similarly, whether or not you as an individual vote does not influence the outcome of the election. In both cases, the outcome would be the same if you just stayed in bed.

Irr wrote

Clearly, you are not saying what I'm saying. You think an election is supposed to be about you getting what you want, regardless of the fact that there are other voters participating in an election who may not want what you want.

Why shouldn't I prefer a system that satisfies individual preferences relative to one that doesn't?

Irr wrote

More bad analogies from Vic. You used math to show that a single vote is 'statistically" insignificant in determining the outcome of an election and that makes you the equivalent of a doctor handing some patient a negative prognosis?

You don't get how analogies work, do you?

Irr wrote

As individual human beings, each of us is statistcally irrelevant to the overall survival of the human species. Should we all just kill ourselves right now because you can do the math that would give us the negative prognosis regarding our own individual worth, Dr. Spock?

The overall human species isn't a goal requiring an action, like voting to affect the outcome of an election is.

Irr wrote

And dude, this is about your values. You value getting what you want over participating in a collective process, and it's consistent with almost everything you've posted on this forum.

Sure, and what kind of person doesn't want to get what they want?

Irr wrote

Why would I even entertain this half-baked analogy of yours? It's just another failure. As far as I know, my vote is not incinerated, but counted along with the millions of others cast.

If it were incinerated, would you even notice?

Irr wrote

But you haven't demonstrated at all that I am dancing for rain when I vote.

That's just basic statistics. In an election of any size, with even a slight skew in the polls, the odds of having the deciding vote are typically lower than the odds of winning the lottery.

Again, if you vote and only your vote was incinerated, would you even notice when the results were read?

Irr wrote

I told you already in my last posting, Victus. You don't value having a say amongst the many others in the collective; you're a party of one and you want to control the whole enchilada, so it doesn't make sense to you.

There is no collective.

Irr wrote

There are losers in the free market. The winners count on it.

Who are the losers?

Irr wrote

If I cast a vote, I have a say.

You have the appearance of a say, but not a say. Suppose you voted to declare war on China and send a man to the dark side of the sun, because, dammit, that's what you want the government to do. What are the odds the government is going to do those things? How much did your voting increase those odds by?

Yeah, zero.

Irr wrote

That's your feeling.

Did you want to argue that a system where the majority controls the actions of the individual will better preserve individual liberty than a system where individuals control their own actions?

Irr wrote

Of course you do, but that does not change the facts.

What facts?

Irr wrote

You mean, as opposed to some arrogant jackel who sincerely believes nothing has value unless he can have his way and when he wants it?

So you're going to side with the theists on the position of 'my beliefs are based on how they make me feel, rather than what I can prove or argue'? Interesting.

Irr wrote

You know, you have not swayed many minds here since you started openly preaching your religion. So why do it, if it's not resulting in a satisfactory outcome for you?

As I've repeatedly said, I find your irrationality amusing. I don't care whether I change your beliefs.

Irr wrote

All you seem to be getting from the exercise is something that, apparently, feels good to you, which is strange, since you're, otherwise, so down on the "feelies."

Where have I been down on doing things that entertain you? All throughout, I've merely been using that as an alternate description as to why people vote, since its obviously unrelated to a desire to influence the outcome of an election.