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But if we are working towards a certain set of 'ends' should efficiency be ranked number one? One what grounds? I should point out that a society could be very efficient at producing a product which is at once enjoyable, and hence subject to high demand, and harmful. A good example would be...

Yes. Of course, the answer is not as simple as that (it never is!). Nonetheless, a great deal has been written on how reciprocity/altruism, etc might develop as a result of natural selection and/or self-interest. I have attached a decent review article (below) on this topic if you are interested...

Your mention of investment into HIV/AIDS brings to mind another issue associated with charity. If private donations are to be seriously considered as a supplement/replacement for funds gained from public taxation then it is worth noting an issue which arises. People are generally moved to...

As above, yes, by 'chasing the money' they are barking up one of the right trees. However, other trees which fail to wave money around as their boughs sway in the wind get ignored. It's not a simple matter of a lack of R&D reflecting a lack of demand - it may merely reflect a lack of money in...

A semi-related rant on allowing drug companies more freedom: Allowing the market to drive drug development leads to a lot of problems. Certainly, R&D follows demand, but that demand isn't quantified in terms of 'heads' - individual voices and demands - so much as the dollars behind the...

Perhaps it comes in at a later point in my education but thus far I haven't encountered this.

Personally I think it is friendship and love rather than 'sex' per se which act as "building blacks of trust/faith" (though I will admit some neurobiological evidence in your favour --> the hormone oxytocin released during orgasm fosters trust). Many will disagree with me on this, but I feel...

It's hard to say what makes it good (compared to other unis) without having studied medicine at other universities. As far as I can tell (after a couple years of study) there isn't really any amazing stand out feature of the course which makes it intrinsically worthwhile. Basically, the course...

Just a couple corrections on the length of UNSW degrees: The normal degree: MBBS = 6 years It is generally stated that MBBS/BMedSci(hons) = 6.5 yrs, but if you arrange things right you can do it in 6 years (by taking a couple gen eds in the summer etc...) BA/MBBS = 7 years If you...

I can understand if you feel that the casual/hedonistic approach to sex debases its meaning for you but I'm not sure whether I see what is wrong with such behavior beyond offending individuals who share these traditional sexual values. If people want to be all Dionysian about sex then so be it!

Just for a little contrast to the above (they claim that I would be 'at home' in the communist forum?). Overall, the PoliticsForum quiz considers you a socially-orientated, materialist, protectionist, non-absolutist, controlled-market kind of person, who also seems quite Marxist.These...

Iron, I've actually had this 'ultimate problem of creation [/existence]' at the back of my mind lately. As someone who knows very little about theoretical physics (and the like) I can't comment much on what science can and can't offer us regarding such fundamental questions of existence. I...

I think that god is unnecessary when it comes to seeking ultimate reason/truth. As studymon points out above, the existence of god itself still requires explaining and leaves questions unanswered. As it stands, modern neo-darwinian evolutionary theory appears to have the tools needed to explain...

Aye, I plan to. I'll should be doing 3 days at hospital a week (or similar) next year which I quite look forward to. (I'll be rockin' the Toronto notes too - 2006 - thanks to the heads up from MSO). The best guide for UNSW is probably that UAI/UMAT table for interview offers...

I'm not sure if my experience is representative of the whole but I didn't find that much UAI/UMAT comparing went on. Occaisionally you find out 'so and so duxed ruse' or 'topped subject x' but I don't think it is particularly good form to go around asking people their entry marks. (in other...

Yeah, I definately think that there are certain forums/situations in which it is entirely innapropriate to say certain things. For example, imagine if the prime minister of Australia got up before a crowd and said "Muslim women are psycho hose beasts and, as such, we should not respect their...

Yeah, I think the idea there is to see how you deal with stress. They ask you a question which puts you on the spot and makes you deal with a diffictul/sensitive issue and they see whether you keep your cool and work with it, or stress out and have trouble generating a reasonable reply. I...

The vast majority of people in UNSW medicine do a straight medical degree - those like myself who do it combined with arts are something of an anomaly. I do a couple arts units this year, but I will do most of them in year 4 or 5. Most days of the week there will be a group of 1st/2nd years with...

Out of curiousity, again, if you don't mind my inquiring, what's the rush? (given that university life is pretty good as things go).

Hey guys, I have been reading a great book by Daniel Dennett called Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the meanings of life add I came came across a passage which I thought would add a little fuel to the fire of this debate. What follows is entirely from this book (penguin paperback...