#Hugh McLachlan

[amatorfilozofus]

Why ‘there’s no such thing as society’ is regarded with moral revulsion

I was searching the internet for Margaret Thatcher’s famous (or should I say infamous) quote that ‘there’s no such thing as society’ to find out what exactly did she say. During my search I have found an article by professor Hugh McLachlan entitled ‘Why ‘there’s no such thing as society’ should not be regarded with moral revulsion’. So this post is reply to that article.

The central point of the discussion is a quote from Margaret Thatcher:

“There is no such thing as society. There is a living tapestry of men and women and people and the beauty of that tapestry and the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate.”

Boris Johnson alluded to this quote when he said that the coronavirus crisis had proved there really was such a thing as society. Professor McLachlan claims “There is no apparent rational basis to his assertion.” which Johnson makes. And regarding the Thatcher quote he says we shouldn’t regard it “with moral revulsion, as some sort of expression or defence of individualistic selfishness”.

Firstly I think professor McLachlan misses the whole point of Johnson’s statement. Saying that the coronavirus crisis had proved there really is a society simply means that we are dependent on each other and must work together. It is not a metaphysical claim about there being such an object as ‘society’.

With regards to the Thatcher quote I don’t think people regard it with moral revulsion because she is making some kind of unacceptable metaphysical statement. The problem usually that people have with this quote is that it assumes that individual responsibility is everything. We are responsible for ourselves and we are responsible for our neighbours, but this is quite unfair since not everyone starts from the same place. Some are more fortunate, have wealthier parents, attend better schools and some have poorer parents and attend worse schools, and all Thatcher has to say about this is: “well you have to take responsibility for yourself”. People, who regard this quote with moral revulsion believe that this situation is not acceptable, and we must do something to level the playing field by introducing welfare measures to help those in need. This is just what Thatcher didn’t want to do. She cut welfare spending and weakened labour unions. Unemployment was high during her years in office, and inequality increased. But according to her philosophy this is not a problem since everyone is responsible for him or herself so if they are unemployed it’s their fault and not her policies’ fault which she is implementing since “there is no society”.

Professor McLachlan says at almost the end of the article: “There is no obvious logical connection between the opinion that society does not exist and any particular political or moral stances. In particular, there is no intrinsic association with it and selfishness or with any opposition to altruism, social solidarity and cooperation.” He might be right about this but this is not really the point, we don’t treat Thatcher’s quote in a vacuum; we associate it with her politics, so when someone is against this quote he or she is against a particular neoliberal political stance. “There is no society” doesn’t just mean that society does not exist; it means to many people “you are on your own”.

I think I could even stop here, since it seems to me the quotes are not about the metaphysical question of the existence of society, but I would like to continue because as I see Professor McLachlan has two arguments against the existence of society.

For the first one he start with discussing Emil Durkheim’s views: “He (Durkheim) argued that the objects of study in sociology are ways of acting, thinking and feeling, which he called “social facts”. He argued that because they can have a causal effect upon individuals, social facts are just as real and just as objective as natural physical objects and forces. We can be affected by, say, public opinion or inflation as well as by something like gravity. For Durkheim, society is the ultimate “social fact”.” Then he says: “Many sociologists would say that, on the contrary, what appears to each and all of us as “social reality” is, to a greater or lesser extent, subjective. It is a product of our own social interactions and the meanings we attach to them. On this account, societies are like the sorts of “imagined communities” that nations are sometimes said to be.” I agree that there might be a subjective element to how people see these “social facts” in their life but this doesn’t make them unreal. Durkheim’s examples are public opinion and inflation, but we can go on with the examples: high unemployment rate, high inequality, low social mobility etc. These things do have effects on the lives of individuals and it does not make them merely subjective that individual people have different personal experiences of them.

The other argument is borrowed from Karl Popper: “The celebrated philosopher of science Karl Popper argued that societies do not exist. According to him, such collective terms refer to concepts, to theoretical entities that we construct to try to explain what actually exists and occurs rather than to existing things themselves.” I don’t think we can make a clear demarcation where we have merely theoretical entities and where do we have something “real”. Are numbers real or only theoretical entities? Molecules used to be considered “just” theoretical entities, before with the advance of science they are detectable. But if someone doesn’t like these examples then what about the wave function in quantum mechanics? Is that merely a theoretical entity or is it real? If we have a good explanatory theory which uses the concept of “society” then we should use it, and it makes no sense to claim it’s not really real. This is like having a problem in physics which we can solve by calculation but then taking it all back because numbers are not real.

In summary I don’t want to argue for or against the metaphysical existence of society. I think it is useful to discuss things like inflation, unemployment, social mobility, and when we discuss such things we usually use the word “society”. For me the usefulness of the word is enough to legitimate its use, and I think it is not fruitful to go metaphysical and ask “but does it really exist?”

[thisisyourdriverspeaking]

Missing motorsport right now so here is Formula E racing tunes to help with the lack of racing (the song is the position of their racing numbers in the charts). Enjoy 😊😊

Lucas Di Grassi (11th August 1984) - Phil Fearon & Galaxy - Everybody's Laughing

Sam Bird (9th January 1987) - Oran 'Juice' Jones - The Rain

Edoardo Mortara (12th January 1987) - Cameo - Candy

Sebastien Buemi (31st October 1988) - The Beatmasters With PP Arnold - Burn It Up

Jean-Eric Vergne (25th April 1990) - Erasure - Blue Savannah

Robin Frijns (7th August 1991) - The Shamen - Move Any Mountain

Antonio Felix Da Costa (31st August 1991) - Simple Minds - Stand By Love

Nico Muller (25th February 1992) - The Cult - Heart Of Soul

Stoffel Vandoorne (26th March 1992) - CeCe Peniston - Finally

Norman Nato (8th July 1992) - Sophie B Hawkins - Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover

Oliver Rowland (10th August 1992) - 2 Unlimited - Magic Friend

Jordan King (26th February 1994) - Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain

Jake Hughes (30th May 1994) - The Prodigy - No Good (Start The Dance)

Mitch Evans (24th June 1994) - Maxx - Get-A-Way

Nick Cassidy (19th August 1994) - DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince - Summertime

Pascal Wehrlein (18th October 1994) - Coolio - I Remember

Nyck De Vries (6th February 1995) - Suede - New Generation

Jake Dennis (16th June 1995) - Robson & Jerome - Unchained Melody

Kelvin Van Der Linde (20th June 1996) - Gloria Estefan - Reach

Max Gunther (2nd July 1997) - Eternal ft Bebe Winans - I Wanna Be The Only One

Sergio Sette Camara (23rd May 1998) - Wyclef Jean - Gone Till November

Joel Eriksson (28th June 1998) - B*Witched - C'est La Vie

Jehan Daruvala (1st October 1998) - Sarah McLachlan - Adia

Dan Ticktum (8th June 1999) - Basement Jaxx - Red Alert

Sacha Fenestraz (28th July 1999) - Maw PTS India - To Be In Love

Paul Aron (4th February 2004) - Maroon 5 - Harder To Breathe

Taylor Barnard (1st June 2004) - Anastacia - Left Outside Alone

Added to this playlist 😊😊

[dear-indies]

updates on fc masterlists:

fat/plus size:

Adrian Martinez (1972) Mexican - actor and comedian. 

Rose Flanagan (?) - actress.

Steph Tisdell (?) Ydinji - comedian and actress.

Stevey Hunter (?) - non-binary (they/them) - actor.

nonb:

Jo Vannicola (1968) - they/ze - actor.

Anton/ia Campbell-Hughes (1982) - they/she - actor and writer.

Cortni Vaughn Joyner (1985) African-American - actor.

Kliey Sparks (1987) - they/them - actor, writer, singer and producer.

Melanie Hinkle (1992) - non-binary butch - him/she/them - actor.

Aubrey Peeples (1993) - she/they - actor.

Justin Cabanting (1994) Filipino and Samoan - he/they, is bisexual - actor.

Sophia Forrest (1994) - she/they, and is queer - actor.

Terry Hu (1995) Chinese or Taiwanese - they/them - actor.

 Jacki Gunn (1996) - actor and comedian. 

George Todd McLachlan (1997) - he/she/they - actor.

Anairis Quinones (1997) Afro Puerto Rican - voice actor.

Seth C. Marks (1998) Unspecified - he/she/they - actor. 

Keara Graves (1999) - genderfluid and non-binary - they/she - actor.

Damian Joseph Quinn (?) - he/she/they - actor.

Ari Notartomaso (?) - they/he - actor.

Mara Junot (?) African-American - they/she - actor.

Ally Kloster (?) - they/she - actor.

Chris Renfro (?) Chinese and Filipino  - they/them - actor.

Z Infante (?) Unspecified - they/them - actor.

Luis Chávez (?)  Mexican, Unspecified Indigenous - they/them - actor.

Nicole Orabona (?) Puerto Rican - they/she - actor.

Thomas Ochoa (?) Unspecified Latine - he/they - actor.

Morgan Berry (?) - voice actor and singer.

Ashton Swinford (?) - she/they - actor.

Onix Serrano (?) Puerto Rican - they/them - actor.

Brian Knoebel (?) - they/them - actor.

Rhemy Ashton (?) Filipinx - they/them - actor.

Catherine Adell (?) - they/she - actor.

Yuming Hey (?) Unspecified Asian - actor.

Lola Kelly (?) - they/them - actor.

Rami Margron (?) Unspecified - they/them - actor.

Spencer Madison (?) Mexican and Zuni Pueblo - actor.

Thea Touchton (?) Colombian, French, Polish - non-binary and pansexual - actor.

Kamaria Williams (?) African-American - they/them, bisexual and pansexual - actor.

Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (?) Black British - they/them - actor.

added that Olive Gray and Dua Saleh has resources!

updated Dua Saleh, Jesse Leigh, Kai Wes, Jemma Mae's, Amir Levi's pronouns!

added Amrou Al-Kadhi's age!

[phoenixrising0308]

Our Life Together: Not over you

Books: The Royal Romance - Royal Heir

Rating: M (Mature content and implied sexual activities)

Pairing: Liam & Jessica Garcia (MC)

Triggers: 🍋

Disclaimer

Our Life together timeline: This is still within Agent Phoenix A/U and its stories about Jessica & Liam’s relationship as live-in partners and married life. Character traits don’t always remain the same. Stories using this timeline are meant for challenges or requests. catch up here

Chapter Summary: Liam tries to mend his relationship with Jessica. *She with held some information from him and he kind of deported her.

Chapter Song inspiration: Not over you - Gavin Degraw

Word Count: 2,000*As always, forgive my typos and grammatical errors.*

Average reading time: 8 minutes

Hugh Cary Tunnel - Stuck in midtown traffic

“What the fuck is this! Why is there so much fucken traffic!” Jessica spat in frustration.

Jessica cranked up the volume to 1010 wins “Traffic jams continue as an unexpected foreign dignitary is in  to-”

“Fuck you 1010 wins always stating the fucken obvious. What asshole is here that’s ruining my night? I pre-ordered pizza with tons of greasy shit so I can have a mini heart attack. I also have a pint of ice cream with my name on it and the 2nd season of friends to watch it’s Friday and I don’t care about anyone. Let me be miserable and cry in my house alone! Will Ross and Rachel ever make it? No, because love is bullshit.”

Jessica looked at herself in the mirror and said, “I look like shit. I have raccoon eyes because I keep rubbing my fucken eyes. Because I’m crying all the fucken crying.  My lipstick is all over my face because I keep biting my lip. When was the last time I combed my hair? It looks like a bird’s nest.”

Jessica grabbed her cherry coke and took a sip but the lid was loose and it spilled all over herself  “Fuck whatever you know what I have tinned windows" Jessica pulled her shirt that was tucked into her skirt out and unclasped her bra “Let’s let the girls breath” Jessica kicked off her shoes and lifted her skirt and removed her pantyhose and said, “Yes, I’m a complete trainwreck! Who loves ya baby? No one! Shit, I got to shave my legs. And God knows, I look like a fucken yeti down there. I ain’t got no one to impress.”

90 mins later…

Jessica’s house

Jessica parked her car and hit a trash can “Fuck! I’m a horrible driver.” she picked up the trash can and fell on a pile of garbage “God, why do you hate me so much? I’m a good person! Okay, I promise to go to church you know what let’s start off by not saying Goddammit.” She grabbed her purse and began to walk a few feet barefoot to her house when she noticed her porch light on. “Goddammit, who’s selling shit now because I don’t want it. I’m not donating to charity fuck that. Last night Sarah Mclachlan got me for $200.00 bucks with that dog commercial.”

“Jess?“ Liam said softly

Jessica took her shoes and aimed at Liam. “Fuck you, Liam! I hate you.”

He ducked missing the shoes just in time.

“Hate is a strong word.”

“Don’t tell me how I feel! You’re the reason I was stuck in traffic. You're the reason I’m a heartbroken fucken up mess that cant function! No instead of making a sexy as come back to show you what you're messing I look like a fucken mess. So thank you for ruining my comeback! Jessica began waving her hands in the air as she continued her rant “But this is me I’m not your little cover girl anymore. Guess that shit happens when you work for 18 hours and your ass is sitting sweating balls in traffic sticky because the asshole at McDonald’s cant close a fucken cap on a soft drink. And someone you love takes your heart and stomps on it.”

“Can we talk?”

“Say what you got to and then get the fuck off my lawn. Too bad I’m not fucken royalty so I have someone to fucken escort you when you’re done. You could have done it yourself you fucker but you hid behind Mara! You treated me like I meant nothing to you. Guess what I stole your stupid sweater in case you’re looking for it call Interpol.”

Liam smiled “You have my sweater?”

“Yea so. It smelled like you and I’m not over you. In fact, I miss you. But your hands seem broken and you don’t know how to return calls or emails.”

“No, I hug your pillow. I miss you. And Jessica, you still look beautiful. I’ve been waiting for hours on your doorstep. Thinking of what to say regretting that night like crazy.” Liam walked over holding a massive bouquet of flowers and said, “These are for you.”

Jessica said, “Thank you. You can get your perfectly sculpted ass off my lawn and on a plane. Hope you have snacks asshole.”

Liam said, “I deserve that. But I came here because I needed to see you. I needed to tell you I’m so sorry, that I’m not over you and I could never be over you because I love you and I didn’t know what to say. I fucked up. Jess, I’m the worse let me make it up to you.”

“Liam, our fights get so ugly. I hate fighting with you but you fucken like broke up with me, fired me, and deported me in one fight. You totally hit below the belt. I still cry about what you said to me. God, that fucken hurt.”

“I know Love-”

“Don’t call me love and turn me into a pile of mush. With your I’m so sexy act…well not so much an act but you hurt me so fucken much.”

Liam got on his knees and held her by the waist and a man walking his dog stopped to watch.

“I’m sorry I talked to you that way. I’m sorry I made you cry. I’m sorry I’m an asshole. I’m just fucken sorry let me make it up to you.”

Jessica yelled out at the nosy neighbor “Can I fucken help you? We are having a private moment here! And you’re too close to my fucken lawn. Keep it moving.” The man walked away.

“Can I take you out? Please let me take you out. Let just be together and talk.” Liam pleaded.

“Like on a date.”

“Yes, lo-” Liam cleared his throat and said, “Yes, Jess on a date. A real one. I found a place nearby that overlooks the beach and I hear it’s lovely.”

“I don’t even have anything to wear. So is it a yoga pant place?”

Liam handed her a Bergdorf Goodman bag. “The salesgirl helped me. Got you something for tonight’s shoes and matching purse. But if you want to wear yoga pants go ahead.”

Jessica grabbed the bag smirked and said “ You are pulling out all the stops here.” Jessica smirked

“Is it working?”

“Maybe.”

Liam handed Jessica and another bag La Perla luxury lingerie Jessica took the bag “You aren’t seeing me naked. ” ‘God, I’m such a liar. Fight his magic dick…resist temptation. Wear grandma panties.’

“I will imagine you in it”

“Well, I had plans. I don’t know if I want to cancel them.” ‘Bullshit but he doesn't have to know’

“Please, cancel them. I’d love it if you spend the evening with me.”

“Fine let me see if they are willing to reschedule. It might be difficult.”

Jessica stepped away and picked up her cellphone and dialed

“Hello, this is Dominos.”

“Im sorry I’m canceling”

“Can I have your name”

“Well shit, you don’t have to get so upset.”

“Ms. I need you to name to cancel your order.”

“Since when does Jessica Garcia give explanations?”

“Okay we can cancel but you won’t get a refund.”

“Give me the credit. I let you know goddamit.”

“Yes, we will.”

“Thank you we will speak soon. Maybe next Friday for my usual.”

Jessica turned to Liam and said, “I have an opening in my schedule. Would you like to come inside?”

Liam walked in carrying a garment bag of his own and said, “Do you mind if I change.”

“Go ahead you know where the second bathroom is. Right? It’s down the hall.”

Guest bathroom

Liam drew himself a bath and laid out the toiletries he wanted to win Jessica back or at least get sparks flying. Their last fight was brutal and he hated himself for it. He hurt her and wanted to make it up to her. After talking to Drake he understood her position. A pep talk with Leo resulted in the following directive ’ Take a multivitamin have a green smoothie and be a man…fuck her stupid it works'

He hung his suit up and began to take a shower. Once he was done he quickly shaved and put on his suit leaving his tie around his collar knowing Jessica couldn’t resist fixing it.

In the bedroom

Jessica pulled out a navy and white knee-length dress body con dress “Wow.” she laid in the bed she looked at the strappy open-toe heels with matching purse and said, “Damn Liam you sure know how to pick an outfit.”

Jessica ran herself a bath and grabbed her Venus razor but she knew the job required more. She looked under the sink cabinet and grabbed her Brazilian waxing kit “Well. Here goes nothing.”

She walked out of the bathroom feeling like a brand new person, not a single stubble and as smooth as a can be when she opened up the lingerie bag she saw see-through panties with crystals all over as a design. “Nope. I will be strong! I will forget you have a magic dick and not sleep with you. But I’m wearing these. They feel so fucken soft. And they sparkle. Fucken Liam! You know I like shiny things.”

Jessica put on the magical underwear “Shit. They look good. Fine keep them on. Fight his kryptonite dick.”

Living room

Liam was pacing in the living room and when he saw her walk towards him ‘God, can we cancel. I spend the whole night with you in bed.’

Jessica said, “Liam, your tie.”

“Jess, could you please do it for me? I’ve missed it so much.”

“Let me think about it.” Jessica stared at his piercing blue eyes and was already melting into mush. ‘Don’t fuck him pendeja (stupid).’ “Come over.” she tiptoed and began to adjust his tie into an Eldredge knot her favorite tie knot and said, “Absolutely perfect.”

Liam looked at her and stepped in while holding her wrist he said, “The only thing I see here that’s absolutely perfect is you. You are the most beautiful woman in the world and I will always think that way until the end of time.”

’Be strong! He is trying to get into your panties and you can not be weak..but he has a magic dick…nope you are mad grrrr be mad’. “Thank you. I’m where are we going?”

“The place is called above the rooftop.”

“Oh, it gets really busy on Friday’s everyone wants a view on the New York skyline.”

“I wouldn't worry. I shut the restaurant down. It’s just us tonight. I even have a DJ so we can listen to music and dance if you want.”

Above the roof

The restaurant was empty except for the wait staff. They were led to a table on the roof overlooking the city. Liam spared no expense in making the night memorable. On their personalized menu for dinner along with endless bottles of Merlot was a pear and goat cheese salad, Beef Bourguignon in a red wine reduction paired with tender root vegetables.

After they finished dinner Liam invited Jessica for a dance and she took his hand and they danced under the stary night. He pressed her close to his body. There was no anger or hurt between the pair. They forgot the events that occurred several weeks before. It was Jessica and Liam at their core it was love adoration, passion, and when he kissed her slowly and gently they both remembered the second they fell in love and how much they complete each other.

“Mr. Rys you dessert is ready.” their waiter called out.

Liam pulled away from the kiss and whispered “Jess, did you save room for dessert?”

“Always. But that means the night is over I guess.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“I suppose I will let you take me home.”

“I will take whatever I can get.”

Jessica and Liam sat at the table feeding each other A Berry Mont Blanc cremé tart.

She moaned in delight at the soft velvety dessert and  said: “This is delicious Liam.”

“You have cremé on your lip,” Liam informed her. Jessica took a napkin to wipe her lip. Liam held her wrist and kissed the bottom of her lip kissing the cremé off. “Jess, when you wear that lipstick I just want to kiss it off those luscious lips. I just can't stop myself.”

“Liam, where are you staying tonight?”

“After I drop you home I’m heading for the four seasons… you can join me if you like?”

‘Fuck the magic dick won. Guess I won’t wake the neighborhood with my moaning.’ Jessica yelled “Check! Check NOW!”

Four Seasons Penthouse

Liam kissed Jessica as his hands went to the small of her back and he began to work the zipper to her dress, pulling it all the way down, and as much as he hated taking a step back from her he did so he could help get the dress off of her body. It revealed a nude bra and panty set that seemed to sparkle in the candlelight “God, you are gorgeous. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met,” he said.

She felt as his hands trailed along her bare skin, leaving little goosebumps in their wake. He smiled at her body’s reaction to him but didn’t do much past that. He slowly untied his tie, letting it drop to the floor with her dress, and then his jacket came off before he slowly unworked the buttons of his shirt, her eyes followed his fingers as they revealed the skin of his chest.

Soon enough his shirt was off, and she stepped forward to run her fingers along his chest. He chuckled as he worked his belt off and then his pants, leaving them both in their underwear. He pulled her body close to his own again and led them in another dance and this time she could feel the hardness of his cock pressed against her stomach. She knew how much he wanted her, he had been so eager to get her in his bed.

He led her over to the bed and had her lay down, she blushed to know that was going to happen soon, knowing just how well he was going to fill her up. He unhooked her bra and slipped it over her shoulders before sending it to the rest of the clothes and then slid her panties off. He couldn’t help but take the chance to look at her body.

He touched her folds and was not surprised to find that she was already dripping wet for him, she was almost always ready for him and he smirked as he pulled his own underwear off. “Are you ready for me? Tell me how much you want me, Jessica.”

She blushed as she stared at his hard cock, and she swore she got even wetter at the sight even though she was sure that was not possible given how turned on she already was. “I want you, Liam, please I’ve wanted you all night, I tried to fight it.” Her words spurred him into action, and he took hold of his cock to help line it up at her entrance.

“I could never deny you anything,” he said as his cock slipped inside of her and filled her up. He leaned over her and pressed his lips to her own, breathing heavily as he enjoyed the sensation of being deep within her, he rocked his hips but didn’t pull out of her just yet, wanted her to get used to the feeling of this and wanted her to miss this when he pulled out. A hand trailed up her body and up to her breast and he began to play with it, he teased her nipple, making it hard, making her want more and he continued to do so, knowing exactly what it would do to her body, could feel what it was doing to her and he smirked at just how responsive her body was to him.

“That’s right Jessica,” he moaned against her lips as he began to move his hips, he pulled out of her so just the tip was inside of her before plunging back in. The movement caused her to groan in pleasure, her fingers dug into his back at the sensation of being quickly filled. He repeated the motion, the thrusts slow as he began to work her up. Soon her breathing was heavy, and she groaned with every thrust.

“Jessica? Tell me what you need.” He said kissing down her jaw and up her neck to her ear, she could hear him breathe heavily into it and it just made her want him more. “Come for me my love, come around me.” looking forward to the feeling of her finishing around his cock, but he had no plans to be done with her just yet. He wanted to give her as much pleasure as she could possibly take.

She rocked her hip in response to his words and soon enough she was coming on his cock, he rode her through her orgasm, making sure to prolong it for her, and she could feel her juices coming out around his cock. “Fuck, you feel so good”.

He let her body relax for a few moments before he began to thrust again, it was obvious that she hadn’t expected that as her fingers dug into his shoulders and he smiled down at her. “I think that I can get you to come again for me, don’t you? Don’t you want to come again for me?” His question made her blush and all she could do was nod in response, she wanted to come again, she wanted to continue to have him filling her up and that seemed to be exactly what he wanted as well. “Fuck, Jess I love your pussy. I love making love to you,” he said pressing his lips to hers again to let her know how much he loved her. His fingers moved from working at her breast and down her stomach to between her thighs, the hard-little bundle of nerves was not ready to be touched and she squirmed as he pressed his thumb to it.

“Mmmm Liam. I love making love to you.” Jessica moaned as he did everything that she liked to her, she was reminded just how well he knew her and how his body knew exactly how to please her. He worked her over as his cock thrust inside of her and she decided to help him along too, her cunt squeezed tightly around his cock which caused him to thrust his hips faster along with a groan leaving his lips. It was obvious that she knew exactly what turned him on as well. “I love you, Jessica.” Liam panted as he continued. Jessica cupped his face “I love you too. Baby I love you so much.” as she moaned with each thrust.

The way he was moved inside of her now was relentless, he quickly was able to angle his hips to hit her g-spot which caused her to let out a soft scream, and he smirked in response. Every few thrusts he would hit it, making sure it would be a surprise for her, making sure that she wasn’t expecting it. “Tell me you love me.” “Love you L-Liam.” She breathed out. “Tell me you are all mine.” “I- I- I’m yours, Liam.”

She was whimpering and holding on tight to him, obviously trying to hold herself together as he finally began to approach his own orgasm. “Come with me, come on my cock, love, let me know how good this feels for you,” he nipped her bottom lip as his thumb worked her clit over and she allowed herself to lose herself to the pleasure of what he was doing. She came ferociously, a loud scream leaving her lips, not worried at all that other people might be able to hear her and wonder what was happening behind the closed doors of their room.

She could feel his cock twitch as he came inside of her, filling her up deep inside. Her body relaxed then, her limbs unwrapping from his body and settling back onto the bed. He smiled at her before giving her a small kiss and pulling out of her.

The night had been exhausting and when she yawned, he let out a small chuckle and gathered her in his arms. “That was not a part of my plan. You turn me into mush each time.” Jessica said as she buried herself into his chest. Liam gave a sigh “OK. I get it I’m such a fucken asshole and I deserve every bit of that temper of yours but thank you for putting it aside and having this moment with me. I totally don’t deserve it. BUT it was absolutely amazing. I love you Jess remember that always. So be mad at me in the morning…fucken be furious with me. Punch me if it helps but tonight Jessica just be all mine. Jessica, only you know the man that I am beyond the surface. Jess, you see me for who. I can be myself when I’m with you. You are my air without you I just can’t breathe. You make me feel whole. I can’t sum up just how much you mean to me. I will never ever stop telling you that I belong to you.”

[samplingsofsam]

NIKE - AWAKEN YOUR MADNESS from Sam Pilling on Vimeo.

STARRING: ERLING HAALAND VINI Jr. KYLIAN MBAPPE and RONALDINHO

with: Mousa Mballo as YOUNG VINI Algirdas Varzgalys as YOUNG HAALAND Ichie Reich Reid as YOUNG MBAPPE

Kweku Katabra-Ansah - VINI’s DOUBLE Ben Fitchett - HAALAND’s DOUBLE Henry Ikeije - MBAPPE’s DOUBLE Miqueias Souza - RONALDINHO’s DOUBLE

CREW: Client: Nike Football | Agency: W+K | CDs: Becca Pottinger & Albert Pukies | Creatives: Adam Crockett, Will Wells & Sammy Watts Stanfield | Agency Producer: Chloe Bradley | Agency Production Assistant: Lea Georgiev | Director: Sam Pilling | Director’s Assistant: Maxi McLachlan | Production: Magna Studios | EPs: James Sorton & Davud Karbassioun | Producer: Neil Andrews | DoP: Norm Li | 1st AD: Julian Richards | Production Designer: Marco Puig at LUX | Sports Choreography: Bohdan Pylypchuk, Zak Ansah & Andy Ansah at Sports on Screen | PM: Ben Burdock | Production Coordinator: Michelle Cheung | Service Company - Madrid & Paris: 24/7 | 24/7 MD: Ivo | 24/7 EP: Lole | 24/7 Ambassador: Jordi Molla Castillo | 24/7 Producer: Nayla Soffita | Paris Producer: Benjamin Zorilla | Service Company - Manchester: LS Productions | EP: Sarah Drummond | Producer: Emma Hughes | Art Director: Sami Khan | Casting: Kharmel Cochrane | Wardrobe: BRATSK | Playback: Celitoncia | 2nd Ad: Catalina Parra | 2D VFX: Miguel Wratten | 3D VFX: Sam Osborne | Lighting: Mad crew | Camera: EPC cameras | Gaffers: Alex Garlhop & Sergio Fuidia | Key Grips: Alfonso Lujan & Leandro Iruzan | 1st AC: Felipe Larrondo | 2nd AC: Joel Jpg | Loader: Vivian Yann | Location Manager: Miguel Pareja | SFX: Cesar Alcaide and Pau Costa | Special Props UK: Machine Shop | Rain SFX: Richard Van Den Bergh at Evolution SFX | Stunt Coordinator: Cuco Usin | Chaperone: Nuri Di Moles | Edit: Fouad Gaber at TRIM | Colour: Simone Grattarola | VFX: Time Based Arts | Film Analogue Effects: Peter Hagge at Film House Canada | Film: Kodak | Film Lab: Cinelab London | Sound: Sam Ashwell at 750mph | Music Supervision: Sunny at Curation | Additional Music: Mr Pape and London Contemporary Voices Choir Music track: Screaming Jay Hawkins “There’s Something Wrong With You” licensed by Sony Music

[movienized-com]

Love Is in the Air

Love Is in the Air (2023) #AdrianPowers #DeltaGoodrem #JoshuaSasse #RoyBilling #StephTisdell #SimonBrookMcLachlan Mehr auf:

Jahr: 2023 (September) Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romantik Regie: Adrian Powers Hauptrollen: Delta Goodrem, Joshua Sasse, Roy Billing, Steph Tisdell, Simon Brook McLachlan, Daniela Pizzirani, Mia Grunwald, Craig Walker, Hugh Parker, Dante Surace, Richard Wheeler … Filmbeschreibung: Dana (Delta Goodrem) ist mit Leib und Seele Pilotin und betreibt eine Firma, die Flüge vor der Küste des…

[karenmillernet]

The Author

Lord, do you really want to know?

Oh, all right.

I was born in Vancouver, Canada, and came to Australia with my parents when I was 2. I think. Dad’s an Aussie, Mum’s English, go figure. Talk about Fate and Destiny. But three passports come in handy.

I’ve always lived in Sydney, except when I didn’t. After graduating with a BA Communications from the then Institute of Technology (now University) a few years ahead of Hugh Jackman, dammit, talk about rotten timing, I headed off to England and lived there for 3 years. It was interesting. I worked for a bunch of nutters in a community health centre and got the sack because I refused to go do EST with them (you stand in the middle of a circle and thank people for hurling verbal abuse at you for your own good, they said, and then were surprised when I said no), was a customer services officer for DHL London (would you believe at one time I knew every single airport code for every single airport in the world, off by heart?!?), got roped into an extremely dubious life insurance selling scheme (I was young and broke, need I say more?) and ended up realizing a life-long dream of working professionally with horses. After 18 grueling months I woke up, and came home.

Since then I’ve done customer service in the insurance and telecommunications industries, been a training officer, PR Officer in local government, production assistant in educational publishing, taught English and Business Communication at TAFE, been a supervisor and run my own sf/fantasy/mystery bookshop. Money for jam, there! I also managed to squeeze in a Master’s Degree in Children’s Literature from Macquarie University.

I used to have horses of my own, and spent lots of time and money showing, breeding, training and judging, but then I came off one time too many and so a large part of my life ended.

When I’m not writing I’m heavily involved in the Castle Hill Players, my local community theatre group, as an actor, director, prompt, stage manager (but not all at once!) and publicity officer.

I’m a story junkie. Books, film, tv ... you name it. Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica (the new series), Stargate, Firefly, X-Men, Buffy, Angel, Supernatural, The Professionals, Forever Knight, Due South, The West Wing, The Shield, Sandbaggers, Homicide, Wiseguy, The Shield, The Closer ... and the list goes on. And that’s just the media stuff!

I love music. While writing I listen primarily to film soundtracks, because they’ve been written primarily to evoke emotional responses in the listener. This helps access emotion during tough scenes. Plus, the music is pretty. At least the stuff I listen to is. Favourite film composers include Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, James Horner and John Williams. Vocalists I enjoy are Josh Groban, Russell Watson, Sarah McLachlan, Simon and Garfunkel , Queen, The Moody Blues, Steeleye Span, Meatloaf, Mike Oldfield ... anyone who can carry a tune, basically.

In short, I’m an only child with an overactive imagination, 3 dogs, 2 cats and not enough hours in the day. I don’t drink, smoke, or do enough exercise. I make periodic stabs at eating properly. Chocolate is my besetting downfall.

So that’s me. You can wake up now ...

Article Source: https://www.karenmiller.net/the-author

[ortut]

Hugh McLachlan - Wall Puddles (Polished marine grade stainless steel)

[sheltiechicago]

Cube Melt, Australia, 2015

Artist: Hugh McLachlan

Photo by Gary Norris

[bettyfrancis]

WILL GRAHAM & DALE COOPER

"Can I borrow your imagination?"

Hannibal 1x01, 1x10 / Twin Peaks 1x02, 1x03

[amneris-hermione-violet]

Another Song for Logan/Rogue

“Full of Grace” by Sarah McLachlan. Lyrics after the cut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w26YH0uCj64

Logan/Rogue playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vuRp96cdtvLpVLn2qEpGv

x

Winter here is cold and bitter It's chilled us to the bone We haven't seen the sun for weeks Too long too far from home I feel just like I'm sinking And I claw for solid ground I'm pulled down by the undertow I never thought I could feel so low Oh, darkness, I feel like letting go

If all of the strength and all of the courage Come and lift me from this place I know I could love you much better than this Full of grace Full of grace My love

It's better this way, I said Having seen this place before Where everything we say and do Hurts us all the more It’s just that we stayed too long In the same old sickly skin I'm pulled down by the undertow I never thought I could feel so low Oh, darkness, I feel like letting go

If all of the strength and all of the courage Come and lift me from this place I know I could love you much better than this Full of grace

I know I could love you much better than this But it's better this way

[krabbysims]

[heartodaygrowntomorrow]

1,166.) Tues Feb. 11, 2020

‪#RIPJosephShabalala (1941-2020)‬ ‪The Song of the Day is: Ladysmith Black Mambazo - “Homeless”(1992) #SongoftheDay #musicblog #parenting #folk #LadysmithBlackMambazo #paulsimon #worldmusic @therealmambazo #HearTodayGrownTomorrow Support the Blog - Click Below‬

RIP Joseph Shabalala (1941-2020)

The Song of the Day is

Ladysmith Black Mambazo – “Homeless” From the album Zibuyinhlazane (1992)

Strong wind, strong wind  Many dead, tonight it could be you 

And we are homeless, homeless  Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake 

Joseph Shabalala – Paul Simon

The world lost a voice today. An inspiring, magical voice. A voice that assembled other voices to…

[alipeeps]

New tag game: Post pictures of your first ever (fictional/celeb) crush to the latest one and tag five others to continue the game

Thanks to @minmoyu for tagging me and ooof, are you sure you’re ready for this?!! :D I have been around/in fandom for a loooooong time and at first I thought, okay, no way I can list all my crushes, there have been SO many and we’ll be here all day but then as I started compiling a list I found I was having fun reminiscing and decided, what the heck, yeah, let’s do em all... or at least all I can remember! :D

There have absolutely for sure been other more minor crushes and passing fancies along the way, but these are the big ones that I remember (and that, in more recent years, I can track by going through my posted fanfics on AO3 and even *shudder* FFNET and seeing which shows I was into enough to want to write fic about the characters).

[Quick note: with rare exceptions, for actors I am listing them by the character they played rather than just the actor. Whilst there are actors that I like in multiple roles (and conversely, characters who on paper I would normally be into but are played by actors who do nothing for me, and hence the character generally does nothing for me either), for the most part it is the character I really have the crush on.]

I’m going to put this under a readmore cos it has gotten ridiculously long:

So... without further ado:

1. MORTEN HARKET from a-ha - OKay so, dating myself badly here but... I had the *biggest* crush on Morten Harket when I was a teenager. Pretty much the entirety of my side of the bedroom I shared with my sister was covered in posters of a-ha, and Morten in particular. I even had a heart-shaped Morten Harket pillow! :D I loved a-ha’s music (still do!) and I wanted to go see them in concert when I was 14 but my parents wouldn’t let me (*sob*). I did finally get to see them in concert in the early 2000s and they were BRILLIANT live (and Morten was still very very pretty)! 

2. RICHARD DEAN ANDERSON as MACGYVER - MacGyver is the first tv character I remember being really into and having a crush on, to the extent that I would record episodes of the show off the tv (onto VHS tape - yes, I am *that* old!) so that I could rewatch them (especially the ones where he got hurt - yeah, I was a whumper even then! :D)

3. KEIFER SUTHERLAND - One of my rare exceptions. I think I first saw him in Lost Boys (and loved him in that film) but it was his role as Doc Scurlock in Young Guns that really made me fall for both the character and him. I definitely remember seeking out any and all films he was in and buying any magazine he was interviewed in (and knowing far more facts about him than was probably healthy! :D) and even drawing a fanart portrait of him. :)

4. KYLE MACLACHLAN as SPECIAL AGENT DALE COOPER - I remember hearing about Twin Peaks before it started airing in the UK and it sounded so different and interesting... I watched it from the very first episode and very quickly developed a crush on Coop.  

5. BRENT SPINER as DATA - I think ST: TNG had been airing for a while before I stumbled across it but I quickly became hooked and Data was my favourite character right from the start. I definitely remember at one point buying an (unofficial) episode guide book so that I could look up which episodes were good Data-focused ones (especially ones where he got hurt! :D) so I could go out and buy the videos that had those episodes on (at the time the show was available to buy on VHS-tape with 2 episodes on each tape).

6. DAVID DUCHOVNY as FOX MULDER - Another show that I heard the buzz about and started watching right from the start and, like so many others, I immediately developed a crush on the snarky, enigmatic, troubled FBI agent with the weird name. The X-Files was the first show I ever tried writing (one, never-finished) fanfic for.

7. PAUL GROSS as BENTON FRASER - Man, Due South was such a good show! It was so quirky and clever and funny and Benton Fraser, with his huge heart and his serious demeanour and his gorgeous blue eyes, was just so darn attractive! He also got whumped a fair bit too! :D Due South was also the show that introduced me to the music of Sarah McLachlan (I was enough of a fan that I bought the show soundtrack on CD).

8. HUGH LAURIE as DR GREGORY HOUSE - This was a bit of an odd one for me because I had grown up knowing Hugh Laurie solely as a comedian/comic actor, known mostly for playing buffoons and genial idiots. And suddenly here he was with stubble, an American accent, and a limp, and he was hawt AF! :D It caused quite the feedback loop in my brain for a while which pretty much went “Wow, House is hot.... but it’s Hugh Laurie... but he’s hot... but it’s HUGH LAURIE!!1!”

I *loved* House (the first few seasons, at least) and oof a character with persistent pain (and a self-destructive streak a mile wide!) was a whumper’s dream. House was the first show for which I wrote - and published online - completed fanfics.

8. JOE FLANIGAN as JOHN SHEPPARD - Stargate Atlantis was my first proper online fandom, the first show I prolifically and repeatedly wrote fanfic for, and the first time I ever met in person an actor I was a big fan of (and while the show was still airing, to boot!). It was also my first introduction to the online community of whumpers! A bunch of us from the Shep Whump thread on Gateworld heard that Joe was going to be at a convention in London and we decided to book hotel rooms and meet up and go to the convention together and it was AWESOME! I can still remember seeing Joe *in person* for the first time and just,,,, struggling to believe he was actually here, in person, in front of me! He was super super lovely and humble too and took time to chat to everyone at the signing table and I clearly remember my brain just pretty much fritzing out during the photo session and being intensely aware of the sensation of Joe’s hand on my shoulder....

It was also super lovely to meet fellow fans, and online friends, in person for the first time and we had so much fun, and it kickstarted me going to lots of other conventions, including specific Stargate/SGA ones where I got to know lots of other lovely fans and online friends. I’ve met Joe about 4 or 5 times in total now and he’s been lovely every time.

9. PAUL BLACKTHORNE as HARRY DRESDEN - Gosh I loved the shortlived tv adaptation of The Dresden Files. I loved the fantasy aspect, the stories, the humour, and I especially loved Harry Dresden and how often he got whumped! :D 

10. DAVID TENNANT as THE 10TH DOCTOR - I had watched the Christopher Ecclestone revival of Doctor Who and enjoyed it well enough but I can clearly remember watching David Tennant’s first episode as The Doctor - on Christmas Day, at my brother-in-law’s house - and being aware, as I watched it that... ooookay, yes, I’m in trouble here... I like him... I like him a lot... :D I mean, I’m sure the fact that he got whumped so thoroughly in his very first episode had nothing to do with how quickly I fell for him... right? :)

11. ALEX O’LAUGHLIN as MICK ST JOHN - Another show that ended far too soon and just as it was getting *seriously* good. But also a prime example of my point about having a crush on the character not the actor. I looooooved Alex as Mick St John... and yet in Hawaii 5.0 he pretty much does nothing for me (the character is too stoic and the whump often too unrealistically glossed over). Anyway, in Moonlight he was my favourite kind of character - angsty, brooding, dangerous AF when he needed to be... and essentially immortal so you could whump the heck out of him and he’d recover so you could whump him again! :D

12. SIMON BAKER as PATRICK JANE - There is so much to love about Patrick Jane... his smarts, his sass, his angst... and Simon is a rare “against type” blonde crush for me (you may have noticed by now that most of my crushes follow a similar physical aesthetic - tall, slim/wiry, and dark-haired) and again here I think my crush is almost all to do with the character rather than the actor.

12. BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH as SHERLOCK HOLMES - I’m almost ashamed to admit it, given the clusterfuck that both the show and its fandom became, but in the earlier seasons I had quite the crush on Benedict’s Sherlock (and okay, a little bit on Benedict himself - I did definitely enjoy some of his other roles too). It helps that I was already a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes character (I’ve read all the stories and novels multiple times and was a big fan of the Granada adaptation starring Jeremy Brett - whose Holmes would definitely count as one of my more minor/passing crushes) already. Benedict is another crush that I have met in person, at a (actually, the first!) Sherlock convention and he was lovely in person - very genuine, very articulate and thoughtful.

13. TOM MISON as ICHABOD CRANE - I was excited for Sleepy Hollow as soon as I heard about it and I was SUCH a fan for the first couple of seasons (before TPTB completely destroyed it and it inevitably got cancelled (I didn’t even watch the last season and a half)) and Tom’s Ichabod (and his amazing chemistry with Nicole’s Abbie) was a large part of why. I also quickly became a big fan of Tom himself as he came across as so witty and self-deprecating and *fun* in all the behind the scenes/convention clips etc. I was lucky enough to also meet Tom at a convention and he genuinely is that witty and charming and lovely.

14. TOM WISDOM as ARCHANGEL MICHAEL - I think Dominion was possibly the first show that I got sucked into by seeing whumpy gifsets on tumblr! :D It was such a great show and also to date the most immersive, welcoming, cast-and-crew-interactive fandom I have ever been in. The cast and crew regularly live-tweeted the episodes, and interacted with fans on Twitter, and it was SO much fun. And Tom’s Michael was my favourite character right from the start - seemingly aloof but so much going on under the surface... and some really nice whump, especially in season 2! I was heartbroken when it was cancelled after only 2 seasons (and just as the plot was getting *really* interesting).

15. OLIVER JACKSON-COHEN as LUCAS - I was hooked on Emerald City right from the first episode. It was visually stunning, so atmospheric, and really intruiging. I love love loved Adria Arjona’s Dorothy (ngl, I had a bit of a crush on her too) and she and Lucas together were just... *chef’s kiss*. I mean... what an introduction to a character... she finds him crucified, bleeding, his wrists tied with barbed wire, and amnesiac.... and the whump only gets better and better from there on in! Like the entire first two episodes are just... Lucas whump! :D And his devotion to her... Emerald City was honestly the first show where I really got into a ship. I was *invested* in Dorcas, dammit! Aaaand sadly another excellent show that never made it past its first season.

16. JASON RALPH as QUENTIN COLDWATER - Another show that I watched right from the start, was heavily invested in.... and that the writers absolutely tanked and destroyed in later seasons. *cries* Quentin was such a brilliant viewpoint character for the show and I loved his awkwardness, and his angst, and his enthusiasm, and his adorable floppy hair... and how often he got whumped! 

17. COLIN MORGAN - I fell for Colin in Merlin (which I stumbled upon late, long after it had finished airing, and hence was able to binge-watch the entire 5 seasons!) and liked him enough to seek out his other works, such as The Fall, and Humans, and The Living and the Dead, and he was brilliant (and very pretty) in all of them... and his characters also seem to get whumped quite a lot! :D 

18. MATT LANTER as WYATT LOGAN - Wyatt was another of my favourite archetypes... absolutely badass and competent... but also tortured and angsty and capable of intense devotion. Another show that I watched because of whumpy gifs on tumblr and the second ever show where I actually got invested in a ship - Lyatt all the way, baby!! :D - aaaaaand yet another show cancelled before its time.

19. NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM from FINAL FANTASY XV - my very first video game crush! I was recommended to play FFXV by fellow whumpers on the whumpshire discord because it was whumpy... and they were not wrong and I loved the game and I absolutely adored Noctis. FFXV is one of very very VERY few video games that I have actually played right through to the end. And possibly the only video game that has ever affected me to such an extent... I became so invested in the characters and their world and I actually found the last couple of chapters really hard to play because it was actually upsetting me emotionally. I had to take a break for a couple of weeks before I could go back and finish it!

20. CONNOR from DETROIT BECOME HUMAN - and from there I jumped straight into another video game crush! DBH was another game recommended to me for its whump potential and I, and many others, immediately fell in love with the quirky, sassy, self-sacrificing (if you play the game right!) “android sent by Cyberlife”. The game itself is really good too... although, I have tried to play through all the different endings to the story but have never yet managed to make myself play the machine Connor storyline.... I want to complete all the story branches... but I also just want Hank and Connor to be friends and to be happy! :D

21. ZHU YILONG - Ahhh... the beginning of the asian drama arc of my fandom life! I first came across Zhu Yilong after getting sucked into watching Guardian because of pretty (and whumpy) gifs on tumblr... and I’ve never looked back. He is one of the rare entries where I am pretty much guaranteed to like him in pretty much anything he does and my crush extends beyond Shen Wei, or his other characters, and into reblogging his fashion shoot photos, and keeping up with news of his work in general. He’s just... so darn pretty! And also so... blur! :D And the behind the scenes stuff and interviews of him with Bai Yu, during the Guardian era, just made me fall for him all the more. He’s also ridiculously talented - not only a fantastic actor, but a really good singer (I love his singing voice), he plays guitar and piano, and he can paint too!!

He’s also pretty much what made me start learning Chinese... because after Guardian I went seeking his other dramas to watch... only to find that many of them are only partially, or not at all, subbed. So I thought... why not try learning Chinese and then I’ll be able to watch his other shows? :D

21. JI CHANG WOOK - My first kdrama crush, and what a good one to start with! Healer was the first drama I ever watched and can you blame me for falling for JCW... especially when I followed up Healer with The K2?! I’ve liked him in pretty much everything I’ve watched him in. Although I do wish he would go back to doing more action-based shows as he is sooo good at them... but he seems to prefer the romcom genre these days, which is something I am nottt always a fan of tbh.

22. JAKE HSU as MENG SHAO FEI - Yet another show that I got sucked into by tumblr - and also one with a great, fun fandom through which I met lots of lovely people who I still follow/am mutuals with to this day. I just *adored* Jake’s character in History and I also loved the ship - Tang Fan and Meng Shaofei were awesome and adorable together and I was totally invested in both the ship and the gangster/cop/what happened years ago story happening alongside the ship. And Jake is just all kinds of cute.

23. XIAO ZHAN - Aaaand we are pretty much up to current day now... where The Untamed took over my life in the summer of 2019 and has yet to let me go. Xiao Zhan is another disgustingly talented human being - a fantastic singer and a really good actor, and also an artist - and he also just comes across as a genuinely sweet and charming person, and a very thoughful and earnest one too. And lbr he is ridiculously pretty, and his smile is just pure sunshine. 

24. LEE DONG WOOK as LEE YEON - The most recent entry to the charts.... a Korean actor I was aware of but whose work I hadn’t watched and whose looks didn’t particularly seem to grab me... until I watched Tale of the Nine Tailed and fell head over heels for Lee Yeon (and daaayum does red hair suit LDW!!) and very quickly began to find LDW’s looks very appealing (and oh my, does Lee Yeon whump well!!). And yes, I have now started watching Goblin. :D

Phew! Aaaand we are done! I’ll admit, I did think of a few more as I was compiling this list but I decided to categorise them as more “minor” crushes and not include them... otherwise we really could be here all day!!

I’m going to tag: @sarah-yyy​, @arlothia​, @howdydowdy​, @thepromiseweheldforlife​ and @the-wandering-whumper​!

[saecookie]

Celebrity crush tag game!

I was tagged by the lovely @par-merlin! Hope you had a nice day dear!

Rules : name 5 celebrity crushes from 5 different movies /band/series and tag 10 people!

1. Billie Piper, love of my life (& Christopher Eccleston but I HAD TO CHOSE.)

2. Ewan McGregor

3. Shoma Uno (also consider Weapo & Lambiel)

4. Sherylin Fenn (AND Madchen Amick AND Kyle McLachlan)

5. Hugh Jackman. (I really have a thing about him since forever, I don't know.)

Honorable mentions to Meryl Streep, Gillian Anderson and Thomas Jolly because WHY FIVE.

And I tag if they want to @smolshoma1 @sparklingwaterbabie @maddieyanchan @gay-impressionist @elialys @megabadbunny @harimaron @indestructiblesandwiches @isdoingmybestenough @demoiselledefortune @goneadrift!

[scifigeneration]

Ethics of AI: how should we treat rational, sentient robots – if they existed?

by Hugh McLachlan

A scene from Ex Machina, where a man becomes close to a robot who displays emotion. Universal Pictures

Imagine a world where humans co-existed with beings who, like us, had minds, thoughts, feelings, self-conscious awareness and the capacity to perform purposeful actions – but, unlike us, these beings had artificial mechanical bodies that could be switched on and off.

That brave new world would throw up many issues as we came to terms with our robot counterparts as part and parcel of everyday life. How should we behave towards them? What moral duties would we have? What moral rights would such non-human persons have? Would it be morally permissible to try to thwart their emergence? Or would we have a duty to promote and foster their existence?

Intriguing ethical questions such as these are raised in Ian McEwan’s recent novel, Machines Like Me, in which Alan Turing lives a long successful life and explosively propels the development of artificial intelligence (AI) that leads to the creation of “a manufactured human with plausible intelligence and looks, believable motion and shifts of expression”.

As intellectual speculation, to consider the ethics of the treatment of rational, sentient machines is interesting. But two common arguments might suggest that the matter has no practical relevance and any ethical questions need not be taken seriously.

The first is that such artificial people could not possibly exist. The second, often raised in the abortion debate, is that only persons who have living and independently viable human bodies are due moral respect and are worthy of moral consideration. As we shall see, these arguments are debatable.

Mind, matter and emergent properties

We might suppose that mental phenomena – consciousness, thoughts, feelings and so on, are somehow different from the stuff that constitutes computers and other machines manufactured by humans. And we might suppose that material brains and material machines are fundamentally different from conscious minds. But whether or not such suppositions are true – and I think that they are – it does not follow that sentient, consciously aware, artificially produced people are not possible.

The French sociologist Emile Durkheim has argued very convincingly that we should beware of simplistic arguments in social science. Social phenomena, such as language, could not exist without the interaction of individual human beings with their particular psychological and biological features. But it does not follow that the resultant social phenomena – or “emergent properties” – can be completely and correctly explained solely in terms of these features.

The same point about the possibility of emergent properties applies to all sciences. There could not be, for instance, computers of the sort I am now working at without the pieces of plastic, wires, silicon chips and so forth that make up the machine. Still, the operations of a computer cannot be explained solely in terms of the features of these individual components. Once these components are combined and interact in particular ways with electricity, a phenomenon of a new sort emerges: a computer. Similarly, once computers are combined and interact in particular ways, the internet is created. But clearly, the internet is a different sort of phenomenon from a tangible, physical computer.

In 1950, WWII codebreaker Alan Turing created a test to see if a computer could fool a human into thinking it too was human. Wiipedia

In a similar way, we need not suppose that minds are reducible to brains, molecules, atoms or any other physical elements that are required for them to function. They might be entities of a different sort that emerge from particular interactions and combinations of them.

There’s no obvious logical reason why conscious awareness of the sort that human beings possess – the capacity to think and make decisions – could not appear in a human machine some day. Whether it is physically possible and, therefore likely to actually happen, is open to debate.

Do machines deserve our consideration?

It doesn’t seem controversial to say that we shouldn’t slander dead people or wantonly destroy the planet so that future generations of unborn people are unable to enjoy it as we have. Both groups are due moral respect and consideration. They should be regarded as potential objects of our moral duties and potential recipients of our benevolence.

But the dead and the yet to be born do not have viable bodies of any sort – whether natural or artificial. To deny conscious persons moral respect and consideration on the grounds that they had artificial rather than natural bodies would seem to be arbitrary and whimsical. It would require a justification, and it is not obvious what that might be.

One day, maybe sooner than we think, a consideration of the ethics of the treatment of rational, sentient machines might turn out to be more than an abstract academic exercise.

About The Author:

Hugh McLachlan is a Professor Emeritus of Applied Philosophy at Glasgow Caledonian University

This article is republished from our content partners over at The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.