It looks like Kyle is distracted...

It is said that there is no honor among thieves. The phrase, as it is used colloquially, refers to any group that engages in criminal behavior. It does not refer only to thieves. The idea is this: if you are a thief, then you never want to trust the word of another thief. You can always assume that the other thief will rat you out if it gives them any sort of advantage. You can find a clear example in the  prisoners' dilemma . Here's an illustration: suppose that there are two thieves, A and B. The police caught A and B red-handed taking property from a house. The police, therefore, has evidence that both A and B have committed theft (defined as the unlawful taking of another's property, without the use of violence).  At the same time, the police discovered the owner of the house beaten and bruised in an alley nearby. The police suspect that A and B ambushed the owner of the house, stole his house keys, and went on their way to steal from the house. If this were true, then ...

Yesterday, March 9 2022, Russia bombed a children's hospital in Mariupol City, Ukraine . The Red Cross has called conditions in the city apocalyptic. People have to go seek shelter underground because the bombardment has been unceasing. They have barely any access to essentials like food, water, or power. And it's winter time. This was despite Russia's agreement to a ceasefire so civilians could get out of the city.  If true, then this would be an egregious violation of international humanitarian law (IHL).  I understand that most people know of IHL and of war crimes, but not the specifics. For people who know even some IHL (like me, emphasis on the "some"), the violation there is really clear. For people who are unfamiliar with IHL, they would still know that bombing a hospital is generally fucked up. That being said, just because it's fucked up doesn't necessarily mean it's illegal. That's why people often ask me at times like these "is this...

I was reading a book about terrorism while eating sweet and spicy tamarind candy. The book is titled "What Terrorists Want." The author, Louise Richardson, attempts to demonstrate how, by empathizing with terrorists, we may understand how we may defeat them. The approach is novel and dangerous. It is a promising departure from the common notion that terrorists are either too irrational or too amoral to negotiate with. Richardson argues that terrorism is rational and that terrorists at least believe their acts to be morally justified. It is also dangerous because it can be construed as loving the terrorists. Ender Wiggin said “In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him... It’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves." Governments, including and especially the one currently in power in my country, tend t...