Well, if the market so undervalues that stuff, the logical step would be to go buy other people’s beanie babies for cheap, before people realize how much they are actually worth. And then sell heaps of them for profit, once people come to their senses.

That’s obviously a very stupid idea, that you could pose to her, and let her argue why she doesn’t do that. Maybe it triggers a realization about how value is constructed.
But maybe it’s not worth the risk of her taking up on this very stupid idea.

There doesn’t need to be any knowledge involved. It happens, because it works. Neither the beetle nor evolution itself “know” anything about quantum physics. The beetle is just a beetle and evolution is not even an entity that has any agency, it’s just a process that’s happening and that leads to remarkable results over time.

This is just one more example for the old discussion how complexity can develop through evolution. The classic example is the eye of vertebrates. Read up on that, if you’re interested in that discussion.

Well put. My answer would have just been, that it’s possible, but that it can be very, very expensive.

Don’t worry. Asbestos cement is not really dangerous, as long as the concrete is intact and you don’t touch it, there’s nothing to be afraid of.

It’s when it crumbles or you work on it, that you have to take care. The problem is Asbestos dust entering your lungs, where it’s very carcinogenic.

But intact walls and roof are okay.

I used to like a bit of philosophizing, but then I had a philosophy professor who ruined all the fun. What a Kant.

I once accidentaly shorted the connector cables of a battery pack with 4 AA batteries. It very quickly generated enough heat to set the insulation of the cable on fire.

Don’t underestimate short circuits!