Mama Lapalu machang.!!

  Dawn is near, But sleep is not... Room is silent, But neighbours are not! Sheets are warm, But the bed is not! The memories have stayed,

Effects of inequality is a central topic of the contemporary political debate, and have been, in the form of egalitarian thought, a recurrent theme throughout the human history. Unlike in the history, however, the discussions about prospects and drawbacks of egalitarianism have moved far beyond the biblical notion of ‘everyone is created equal’, and take a more utilitarian view. Trekking close to this utilitarian view, I will analyze if more egalitarian societies do better or worse. While there are many ways to see inequality, such as inequality of opportunity or equal rights, most of the current debates are based on economic inequality. In one side, these talks are based on the relation between income inequality and social factors like health, education level and crime level, and on the other it takes the form of economic prospects of income inequality driven competition. While conclusions from both these arguments are quite contentious, they compel us to look at what level of inequal...

This is a course paper I wrote for a class on Philosophy of Marx at University of Sussex summer school in 2012. Looking back now, this seem very basic, and could be more accurate in depicting some of the ideas from Marx, Gramsci etc... Oh well.. Marx’s political and economic theories have been a controversial topic since the early days. While most economists, and even sociologists might consider his theories out-dated, specially his prediction of a successful proletariat revolution, current socio-economic conditions has brought a new wave of enthusiasm in Marx’s works. Thus it is interesting to evaluate how his theories of capitalism and its demise stand today. One can possibly see parallels between what Marx identified as problems with capitalism and contemporary market crises that has penetrated deeply into the social sphere. However, the conditions capitalism created are only half of what is important today; the other half is how the society is reacting to these problems. Thus I w...

The blue moon, That silvery-milky light, Filled everything with its soothing love, Like the murmur of a silky touch, Said it's time... Time it moved on, Said it's tired... Tired that only eclipses, The world it loves, Has given back.

Phil 132, again, I guess trying to argue that Searle himself is wrong 😅.. (6/13/22) In his letter to Jaegwon Kim, Searle explains his position on mind body problem and try to explain why Kim’s argument against him is fallacious. The core of Kim’s charge that biological naturalism suffers from overdetermination comes from his misunderstanding of Searle’s use of word “cause”. While Searle’s explanation easily counters this fact, his answer itself rebounds with another challenge to him that is embedded in Kim’s remark which questions the idea of irreducible subjective ontology of the conscious states. Searle’s simplistic answer that calls to preserve subjectivity doesn’t seem to go far enough to properly counter such a charge. This mainly stems from the fact that such a claim needs a deeper analysis of subjective states. It might also have to engage in the formidable argument from Kim that conscious states are functionally reducible, and it is unclear why Searle’s letter does not clearly...

So, another term paper.. This was for the 'Philosophy of Mind' (PHIL 132) with Prof J. Searle. I Don't remember many details, but do remember arguing with him for over an hour against the requirement that I submit this paper to turnitin.com . He finally got tired and said to just email him the paper. Probably many things wrong, but this is part of me, I guess (6/13/22) Property Dualism is one of the most prominent theories on philosophy of mind, which tries to reconcile some of the problems that substance dualism faces without the reductionist approach materialists have taken. While it is successful in preserving qualia of the mind, it has come under strong criticism especially in terms of the problem of interaction. One answer for this dilemma is epiphenomenalism which denies any causal relation from mind to the physical world. Epiphenomenalism itself is seen troublesome as it is counterintuitive to say that one’s thoughts have no causal relation to what they do as a cons...

Drums are beating, Flags are waving... Tough talks from the capitol hill, And media starting their warning drill.. Beware... The gears of a giant machine Has already started moving...!

With the winter approaching, the momentum and the buzz about the occupy movement is dwindling and thus calls for an evaluation of it's goals tactics, and of course, success. The Neoliberal policies that have captured most of the world today have created a crisis of the middle class. The dwindling middle class has created social instability and with the occupy movement, the people's resurgence against these systematic problems has come into the spotlight all over the world. If one expects to change things for the better, a re-formulation of tactics is needed to benefit from the heightened momentum of the occupy movement, and it needs to be done fast. The expectation of most liberals seems to be that this momentum will bring the democratic party to the power with a progressive political base, and that would lead to better reforms. I agree with that 'expectation' and think that will be a win for the occupy moment and the people in general. However, is...

Our education system is based on the ideal that best and the brightest gets the best education and opportunities. This translates into the opposition for affirmative action, as racial prioritization in selection will deny some of the more 'qualified' students their chances of getting the best education they can. While most people agree that the American history plagued with racism has created unequal opportunities in the past, they argue that racism is mostly a thing of past. It's a common to hear people say, "I'm not a racist, nor are my parents, so why do I have to pay for a slavery that happened more than a century ago?". On the other hand, even some liberal minded people seem to think that the situation of minorities today is partly due to their own fault, "it's just that they are not trying hard enough". Hence the question is, almost 40 years after the civil rights movement (ok, 37 years), do we really need to talk about the historical fac...

I am sure you all have at least heard of Occupy Wall Street . When I first saw their announcement in August, it felt like a joke, and until Sep 17, most media outlets played it as a joke. When the momentum started gathering, it was called a get together of some lazy lunatics and got only abysmal coverage. However, today of course, it has become a centerpiece in the media, not in a positive way, but still, it has grown to a point that mainstream media cannot ignore. The main question most of us have is what is the purpose? If you listened to news, you probably know that the Occupy movement does not have one specific demand, and you cannot find one coherent voice within the movement as to what their demand is. But is it really needed? Are demands what determine a revolutionary movement? Is it having a solution? I think NO, it is the acknowledgement that we have a problem that is needed. And most importantly, it is the realization that us, t...

Yes, If you want the perfect justice system, you would look at the kind of justice and laws that comes forth from a society of equals. If you have no information about how you compare with others of the society, then inevitably you are forced to assume every one is equal. This would lead to a society where the justice is based on equality (which we are supposed to have today). Well, in my view, if I were in such a society, my main proposals for justice would be these.. well apart from the basic human rights, atleast, which I don't think I should repeat. A representative democracy (I dont see any other way around it) Right to free education, with no strings attached (untill you get out of high school, atleast work-study for university depending on the major) Right to free healthcare. No extensive medical support for non-vital medical needs, like life support (for aged if you are 95, just let it go), or plastic surgeries, and limited abortion (use contraceptives, for gods sake). It w...

School districts seem pretty intuitive, accepting only kids that live close to school. But is it really a fair approach? The schools in low income neighborhoods gets less and less resources (not particularly monetary resources, but personnel resources), and kids in those areas tend to mingle with more and more high risk kids which creates a downward spiral of negative youth development. On the contrary, if the schools would accept any kid, from, say the county, or the state, that would flatten out this problem. Yes, you wouldnt want your kid to be hanging out with those gangster kids... But the reality is, your child looks for peers who matches his and his parents views. Thus if you spend more time looking after him, you wouldnt have to worry as much about his or her peers.

Watching news from different media channels is usually pretty fun. You get to see how fair-and-balanced-ly the channels report the news. This is just one such instance I thought was funny. Glen Beck targeted Obama's tour in Europe to bring some humor to his show. While I'm not sure how good a comedian Beck is, Obama's visit did indeed have a couple of funny moments. Specially him toasting the Queen while the UK national anthem "was"(As fox reports,) playing. That was an embarrassing moment for the US president (The fact that he didn't know it was the national anthem) But the best part is how Beck reported it, compare the Beck's video with the Telegraph's one with a more complete footage. Watch after 3.15 mins The real footage (which doesnt seem to have been picked out of context)

Treading on the silk of a moonlit walk, would you ever want the moon rabbit missed? made of endless dark craters, the sign of imperfection yet brings life to the milky angel of night.

Wet clothes are heavy, they feel uncomfortable, and they don't protect me against the cold weather any more. I can shed the clothes, free myself from their weight and be naked against the cold world. I'm not worried about being in my skin, I know they would first laugh at my nudity, then scold, forgetting I'm just like them, unclothed, empty and l ifeless. What's holding me back is the fear, fear of yielding to that lifeless emptiness.   I remember the warmth of my clothes, mentioning h-bar alone would get me elated; I could get drunk spending hours thinking about a small question that popped up in some corner of my mind.   I remember the comfort of their softness, look of that shiny eyes, and the softness of that dark brown hair, which would talk to my heart silently.   I remember the joy of being dressed, the enthusiasm that drives me crazy sometimes. The club, forums, and day-to-day news which used to remind me that I'm human, c...

It is quite a heated debate that is revolving around the climate change and its effects. I was really ignorant on that 'debate' until i met a couple of science students who held a different view than that of mine. So, I was wondering what others think specially near the UN conference on Climate Change, and here's a poll. Just mark what you think, and fill out the form if you like. The real poll is on top of the page. The one on the bottom is to just see what different societies and age groups think of this issue. (Don't try to research before answering..!:D coz that'll foil the purpose..! ) thanx Loading...

No, I don't miss my friends, Who were always there for me In our simple world. So distant it seems now, Our laughters, our stories, and numerous debates. And even more so, The sweet smell of sweat after long days, And late night walks on deserted streets. No, it's not what I did that I want back, Skipping classes and lectures? Living in the WALA, GODA, BUS or APAYA, With bent necks and red eyes, A week before the finals? Nor is it all the posters we drew, All the lanterns we made, The meetings! Campaigns! Or any other events we did. I dont think it is, The tireless hearts or the feather-like soul we shared. Or my only dear possession, The Sony Ericsson, with its camera. Misty Ambewela, Dark green Sinharaja or, Windy Anuradhapura, There are plenty alike here, If compared in a geography book, it is. So no, I do not miss them either. Yes, I know what it is, That's sunk in my heart, Making it heavier everyday, It is just me I miss, who I used to be.

Lately, I was trying to remember some Russian novels that I have read, and realized that it is a really hard thing to do. So thought to have some kind of a record, and here we are. You are welcome to leave a comment on anything, or may be recommend a book. Mother - Maxim Gorky (Sinhala) (Yakada Pravahaya) - ( ---) (Sinhala) Three years - Anton Chekov (Sinhala) (Sara Bhoomi) - (---) (Sinhala) Dr. Zhivago - Boris Pasternak (English) And Quite Flows Don - Mikhail Solokhov (Sinhala) My Universities - Maxim Gorky (Sinhala) How The Steel Was Tampered - Nicolai Ostrovsky (Sinhala) A Story Of A Real Man - Boris Polevoi (Sinhala) The Iron Flood - Alexander Serafimovich Popov (Sinhala) Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain (Sinhala) Huck Finn - Mark Twain (Sinhala) David Copperfield (Sinhala) Lorna Doone (Sinhala) Heidy - Johanna Spyri (Sinhala) Animal Farm - George Orwell (Sinhala) '1984' - George Orwell (Sinhala) Space Odyssey 2001 - Arthur C Clark (Sinhala) 2010 - Arthur C Clark (Sinhala) 2064 - A...

How would you feel if you were a Christian and were banned from reading the Bible, or if you were a Muslim, and were banned from reading the Qu'ran? As ridiculous as it may sound, these books are prominent among the thousands of books that have faced censorship throughout the history. With the free media movement today, though, censoring has faced severe criticism from authors, journalists, artists and other progressive activists. This matter has stirred up a lot of debate in two fronts: first being banning books in a universal level and the second, seen with a more moderate eye, being restricting children from accessing certain books. At the latter part, schools, libraries and other places related to children have become the focal point of the argument. The question arises when determining which books should be banned and most importantly, by whom? Even though it is favored by the majority to let above-mentioned institutions ban controversial books, this must be done only by a sep...