Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

Dr. Haidt is a professor of ethics who studies morality from a social science perspective, and has divided our moral instincts into five "foundations." His work explains why liberals and conservatives come to different moral conclusions, but his studies also imply that liberals are morally underdeveloped. Before discussing Jonathan Haidt and his views on morality, Pigweed and Crowhill review Sweetwater's 420 Strain G13 IPA, a resiny, dank, hoppy beer that has a hemp aroma and flavor to it.

Is NXIVM trying to raise human awareness and foster an ethical humanitarian civilization, or is it an abusive mind-control, sex cult? What is a cult? The boys go through the characteristics and then discuss whether NXIVM qualifies. Did NXIVM control people, or brain washed them? Aren't people responsible for their own decisions? Pigweed and Crowhill see nothing but a bunch of adults making their own choices. Weird choices. Stupid choices. But still their own.

Is Marxism a good thing for the world? Before diving into the topic, the boys review a German Maibock from Hofbrau, and briefly discuss the style. Does Marx's critique of capitalism hold up over time? How about his prescription for a new economic model? Would Marx be embarrassed by his legacy? Is today's capitalism the same as the capitalism Marx attacked? And which economic system has done the most for humanity -- bringing the most out of poverty and increasing the standard of living?

Pigweed and Crowhill review the four possible views. The compassionate position. No abortion, no death penalty. All life is sacred. The pragmatic / populist position. Okay to abortion, and okay to the death penalty. We don't need unwanted children and we don't need unwanted criminals. The punitive position says yes, kill the guilty, but don't kill the innocent baby. The final position makes the least sense. The progressive position. Yes to abortion, and no to the death penalty.

February 5 topics in 5 minutes. ISIS brides - Traitorous women who want to come home. Birthright citizenship - Is someone born in the US a citizen? Fight clubs - In Germany, well-educated men joined underground sword-fighting fraternities. Awards shows - Hollywood celebrities get more attention and accolades than almost anyone in our society. Why? White privilege - Pigweed and Crowhill have achieved their elevated status in society entirely by virtue of the color of their skin.

How do you know that reality is "real" in the way you think it is? Is it possible that you're actually in a computer simulation? Some of the best minds of our time think we might be. Pigweed and Crowhill review a few of the arguments people make for reality being a simulation, starting with some of the spooky physics arguments. But then they move on to the crazy increase in computing power, and how good simulations already are, and how good they're going to be very soon.

Pigweed and Crowhill score the Democratic candidates using Pigweed's "Intersectionality Victimhood Scorecard." But first, the boys have to lubricate the brain matter with Brut IPA from Sierra Nevada. It's a new style of IPA that tries to be as light on the malt as possible. P&C take turns ranking four (or five) presidential candidates on the scorecard. Kamala Harris Cory Booker Elizabeth Warren And just for fun, Biden and Sanders

The boys review Delirium Tremens, a Belgian strong pale ale that clocks in at 8.5%. Then they review lots of common beliefs that aren't true, such as .... * Columbus discovered that the world was round. * Adam and Eve ate an apple. * We only use 10 percent of our brains. * If you win the lottery, you'll go broke in five years. * People use their right brain or their left brain. * Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

This is a rough cut of Pigweed and Crowhill reflecting on the Jussie Smollett case. What has gone wrong with our society that we fall for this kind of nonsense? What does the Smollett case say about journalism, and politics, and our need to beat ourselves up about imagined, pretend sins? 

There are a few irreducible principles of western civilization. The boys discuss these, but first they review Oscar Blues Guns and Rose, a rather strange beer with a flowery and slightly tart flavor. The three fundamental are ... * The rule of law. * Law is king. * Personal liberty. But there are several more, on which Pigweed and Crowhill elaborate.

Pigweed is skeptical about some things that "everybody knows" -- like the danger of second-hand smoke, the value of the food pyramid, and the head trauma - dementia link. He and Crowhill push back a little on all three. But before they dig into that, they wet the gray matter with Blizzard of Hops from Troegs. They call it a winter IPA. There's citrusy and piney hop flavors, with a bit of that resiny feel that the boys both like.

The boys tackle five topics in five minutes each. 1. Who's thinking long term in our culture these days? 2. "Do you really need $40 billion?" Should the government confiscate some of the wealth of the super-rich? 3. Testicles. If we're supposed to keep them out of harm's way, why are they out in the open. 4. Poop stinks. But animals don't seem to care about it. Why is that? 5. Shame shaming. Nowadays if you shame somebody, you're the bad guy.

The country recently suffered through the spectacle of the Kavanaugh / Ford embroglio, which made the boys reflect on memory, and whether it's reliable. When someone claims to remember something, how do we know if the memory is accurate? It's certainly possible for a person to sincerely and insistently relate a false memory. What about "repressed" and "recovered" memories? To lubricate their tongues for this particular topic, the boys drink and review a Harpoon / Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Porter.

Trump has been calling the press the enemy of the people. Pigweed and Crowhill have both been in publishing for most of their careers. Are they enemies of the people? "Enemy of the people" sounds a little Stalinesque -- anybody who disagrees with Dear Leader is an "enemy." It doesn't sound very American. A free press is necessary to keep government in check, and accountable. But what happens when the press is completely in the tank for one party, or one interest.

While drinking Chocolate Milk Stout from 4 Hands Brewing, the boys wonder if the experts are really all that expert. Should we defer to the elites? Americans have a historical and very healthy suspicion of aristocracy and elites. But is that a good thing? The good report is that they're talented, knowledgeable, know how to do things, etc., but the bad report is that they're arrogant, insular and out of touch.