Fernapple's Profile

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Fernapple comments on Mar 3, 2023:

Rationality and reason in individuals is not the point, the point is, whether the belief system itself is rational and reasonable. Good people may believe some bad things for the wrong reasons, and bad people some good things for the right reasons. Life is complex, and we all get some things ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 3, 2023:

By human wellbeing, and the personal learning curve. I did say in the other line that although I am a nihilist to large meaning, and purpose, that only opens the door to smaller personal objectives. There are few absolutes. And relativism ( at least as I would frame it ) is concerned with knowledge rather than meaning, there are few absolutes, and therefore we can never have final truth, but that you can never perfectly reach a goal, does not mean that you can not get nearer to it. I pragmatically accept, that to ever believe that you have final perfect truth, is arrogant and dangerous and that wisdom comes, as with the scientific method, in always being able to change a belief, when presented with better evidence. But at the same time to believe that there is no truth and all ideas are equally valid, leaves you dead in the water. Indeed if you were a true relativist, then you could not be a nihilist, since all beliefs are equally good, and therefore even the rejection of belief is just a belief like any other.

Yeah yeah.

Fernapple comments on Mar 3, 2023:

You live in a very weird country.

Fernapple replies on Mar 3, 2023:

@barjoe The feeling is mutual.

Does anyone still have access to a copy of that nasty article Admin wrote about the liberals on this...

Fernapple comments on Mar 3, 2023:

No, I don't even remember that sorry. But would like to see it, if you find it, please send me a link.

Fernapple replies on Mar 3, 2023:

@LovinLarge Thank you.

Who of you would self-identify as nihilist?

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Mar 2, 2023:

I am a happy nihilist. While I understand that everything is ultimately meaningless and we actually have no purpose, I live in this body and this body likes comfort. My mind likes to be entertained. I love people even though we will ultimately be dead and forgotten. Someday, the sun will become...

Fernapple replies on Mar 3, 2023:

Exactly.

India's Croney Capitalism : Modi Government Gave Adani Special Privileges to Boost Coal Business: ...

barjoe comments on Mar 3, 2023:

Narendra Modi is a real fascist. If GOP takes over America the whole world will be run but right wing despots. World's largest democracy is doomed as is the oldest continuing democracy. We think of USA as a young country, but no existing democracy has remained this long. Very sad.

Fernapple replies on Mar 3, 2023:

Switzerland, Iceland.

Priest Says Hell Is Fake And Religion Is About Control! - YouTube

skado comments on Mar 2, 2023:

Well a priest said it, so it ***must*** be true! 🤣

Fernapple replies on Mar 2, 2023:

Don't worry its metaphorical.

Priest Says Hell Is Fake And Religion Is About Control! - YouTube

Fernapple comments on Mar 2, 2023:

He's almost, almost here with us. But then so are a lot of priests, who are known to have a low level of belief compared to the people sat in the pews, but who mainly chose to be dishonest.

Fernapple replies on Mar 2, 2023:

@jlynn37 The difference between them, is that a politician sells lies that he will attempt to defend, and that he expects to be questioned. The priest has given up on the task of validation, and only want the lazy lies, that he can claim it is mistaken to question. A priest is as dishonest as a politician, but a coward as well.

Religion has never won an argument with Atheism and science. [tiktok.com]

TXLerins comments on Mar 2, 2023:

I agree. But this guy should take a chill pill and relax a bit. People are lied to from an early age. Damaged people act in different ways. An atheist bashing a theist yields the same results as a theist bashing an atheist. Education along with understanding and compassion could go a long ...

Fernapple replies on Mar 2, 2023:

I agree with your first two but no, sorry I disagree, with the last. Philosophy is the ancestor of science, and philosophy was created to address the failing of what can be called, received folly, A.K.A. religion, when it was obvious that it no longer did its job. Had religion not failed, then the ancients would never have created philosophy, because there would have been no need, and then natural philosophy, (the old name for science) would not have been born either.

Priest Says Hell Is Fake And Religion Is About Control! - YouTube

Fernapple comments on Mar 2, 2023:

He's almost, almost here with us. But then so are a lot of priests, who are known to have a low level of belief compared to the people sat in the pews, but who mainly chose to be dishonest.

Fernapple replies on Mar 2, 2023:

@jlynn37 Digging ditches is making a living. Selling lies for money, is stealing other peoples livings.

First traces of Homo sapiens DNA in a Neanderthal | Earth Archives

BDair comments on Mar 2, 2023:

Neanderthals had larger brains than modern humans, and likely had increased cognitive abilities. They had more developed memory and logic centers.

Fernapple replies on Mar 2, 2023:

Not really like MTG at all then.

What do y'all think about the strange things going on in the world like the wealther, time speeding ...

Fernapple comments on Feb 28, 2023:

Time can and does speed up, and slow down, all over the place all of the time, that is just called "normal". While in another sense, our local time, is just a function of how we measure it, so that if its speed changed, so would the speed of our clocks, and therefore we would not be aware of it....

Fernapple replies on Mar 1, 2023:

@anglophone I don't think that taylortee knows.

(Zelensky Says Ukraine Is Preparing to Attack Crimea) He has to be talking through his hat.

Fernapple comments on Feb 28, 2023:

Do you really think that Zelensky would tell everyone his plans in advance. He may not be the best commander in history, but even he would not be that stupid. Deliberate disinformation.

Fernapple replies on Mar 1, 2023:

@ASTRALMAX Tried again.

(Zelensky Says Ukraine Is Preparing to Attack Crimea) He has to be talking through his hat.

Fernapple comments on Feb 28, 2023:

Do you really think that Zelensky would tell everyone his plans in advance. He may not be the best commander in history, but even he would not be that stupid. Deliberate disinformation.

Fernapple replies on Mar 1, 2023:

@Druvius He is doing it because he know that it is what Putin expects him to do, in the way of disinformation. Then when that is out of the way he can put the disinformation that Putin does not expect, along with any real information he can not conceal, then Putin has to start guessing.

I don't want to burden you with yet more problems, but this one should not be forgotten.

Ryo1 comments on Feb 26, 2023:

As far as Britain is concerned, here is another, somehow less pessimistic, perspective by Jeff Ollerton, an ecological scientist. :) Have honey bees declined in Britain? Ollerton says the answer is a resounding NO! He says if you want to 'save the bees', or otherwise support pollinators, focus ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 26, 2023:

Yes that is what is in the video too.

Hate-preacher: Gays should be executed with stones "melted down into a bullet"

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 25, 2023:

The preacher doth protest too much! (Is he projecting his self-hate over his own latent homosexual fantasies?)

Fernapple replies on Feb 26, 2023:

quite possibly.

If the story was real, why can't true "christians" see it this way?

anglophone comments on Feb 26, 2023:

Christians, along with Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Pastafarians, have by definition abandoned all reason.

Fernapple replies on Feb 26, 2023:

@anglophone Quite. I love reason, but I am amazed by the number of people who run away waving their hands in the air, at the mere mention of it.

If the story was real, why can't true "christians" see it this way?

anglophone comments on Feb 26, 2023:

Christians, along with Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Pastafarians, have by definition abandoned all reason.

Fernapple replies on Feb 26, 2023:

Reason is difficult, reason takes work, and reason sometimes tells you things you don't like.

Wow.

Word comments on Feb 25, 2023:

You are not completely "deconverted" if you call yourself agnostic or atheist. You have just swung to the other side of the god delusion. The philosophical spaghetti monster sky God construct causes the God delusion and there is both the Christian side and the illogical atheist side to the ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 26, 2023:

@Omnedon Yes some people call it strong atheism vers. soft atheism. Word though likes to taunt atheists all as though they were strong atheists. For your position, (and mine) I believe the correct technical term is "agnostic atheist", though I am not much into labels either.

Wow.

Word comments on Feb 25, 2023:

You are not completely "deconverted" if you call yourself agnostic or atheist. You have just swung to the other side of the god delusion. The philosophical spaghetti monster sky God construct causes the God delusion and there is both the Christian side and the illogical atheist side to the ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 26, 2023:

@Omnedon Word believes that agnostic is the only logical conclution. Since both belief in god, and non belief in god are beliefs. The agnostic "I dont know." being the only true non belief.

“No one is born with greed, prejudice, bigotry, patriotism and hatred; these are all learned ...

Fernapple comments on Feb 25, 2023:

I will go with that, except perhaps greed.

Fernapple replies on Feb 25, 2023:

@Marionville No I think moderation is learned behavior, the baby wants everything it can get, it would hardly survive if it did not. I am not so sure about hate either, I know a mother of twins, who fought viciously all their life, and she swears that she could feel them fighting even in the womb.

It's obvious many Russians want to get out of Russia and some of them have the resources to get all ...

Petter comments on Feb 24, 2023:

Needs a subscription.

Fernapple replies on Feb 25, 2023:

@Druvius The Russian government "says" he is very popular, and that is only among those who chose to stay. When the war started it is certainly true, that the border posts with Finland and the other baltic states were almost swamped.

remember that the things you take for granted, you do, because they were meant to be.

Fernapple comments on Feb 23, 2023:

Fortunately, I do not take much for granted. Not even life. So I can fairly well claim to be free of meaning as well.

Fernapple replies on Feb 24, 2023:

@hankster Not at all, I found your post and comments most interesting. But now I will stick my neck out and risk your ire, by saying that I think there may well be a cultural difference. In that on the American side of the Atlantic, it seems to me, there exists an attitude of believing that, what we have, is what we have earned and deserve. While in Europe it is much more likely that you will encounter people, who are ready to admit that they have far more than they have earned or deserve, in terms of wealth, health and happiness etc. and who would happily admit that happiness is not a state that you deserve as a natural right, but is merely a fortunate fluck for the fortunate few.

A really thoughtful video, about some very interesting creatures, I did not for example know that ...

Buttercup comments on Feb 23, 2023:

Crazy, look how little space is left for the mother's heart and lungs

Fernapple replies on Feb 24, 2023:

@Garban Indeed. I was making the point that, if the male does some of the work then she can invest more. All animals will naturally tend to invest the maximum amount possible in reproduction. And where the males do the sitting, then of coures the females are in competion for that service, so there must be occassions when males are not monagomous, and only one of the two or more hens gets the service. So since it is possible that the largest egg is more desirable to the male, there is an evolutionary pressure to lay the biggest egg, even beyond that of providing the greatest food for the chick.

remember that the things you take for granted, you do, because they were meant to be.

Fernapple comments on Feb 23, 2023:

Fortunately, I do not take much for granted. Not even life. So I can fairly well claim to be free of meaning as well.

Fernapple replies on Feb 24, 2023:

@hankster In the small sense yes, I may overlook the odd peice of good fortune that comes my way. But in the big picture, though I have many failings, I do not think that I am one of those people who mistakes good fortune for something that I have earned or am owed. Indeed I am quite convinced that life has given me far more than I deserve or could even reasonably want.

A really thoughtful video, about some very interesting creatures, I did not for example know that ...

richiegtt comments on Feb 23, 2023:

Amazing how the large egg sac does not require the mother to feed the hatchlings .The New Zealand Kakapo the worlds largest non flying parrot is another bird I find quite interesting.

Fernapple replies on Feb 24, 2023:

Coming soon.

A really thoughtful video, about some very interesting creatures, I did not for example know that ...

Buttercup comments on Feb 23, 2023:

Crazy, look how little space is left for the mother's heart and lungs

Fernapple replies on Feb 23, 2023:

It is also probably why the male hatches the eggs, when the female has put so much investment into them. And also giving the male a large egg with a lot invested in it already, is a good incentive to keep him working.

Creepy as Fuck!

Tejas comments on Feb 21, 2023:

And Madonna dates men 30 years younger than her

Fernapple replies on Feb 21, 2023:

@Tejas That's getting towards creepy yes.

Creepy as Fuck!

BDair comments on Feb 21, 2023:

What exactly is creepy about this? 14 year old girls can have boyfriends. While I don't personally believe anyone should get married at 18, there is nothing wrong with two people that love each other doing so.

Fernapple replies on Feb 21, 2023:

It may well be that they have a perfectly good relationship, but it could also be a case of an innocent being manipulated in ways she is still too young to understand. I agree with you that people on social media should not, and can not, judge effectively, but they are free to speculate and bet on the likely readings. This is not a court of law, and nobody is on trial.

Creepy as Fuck!

Tejas comments on Feb 21, 2023:

And Madonna dates men 30 years younger than her

Fernapple replies on Feb 21, 2023:

Yes, but thirty years younger than Madonna is still quite old.

Creepy as Fuck!

Pralina1 comments on Feb 21, 2023:

He looks like early 30s. Yikes 🤢. And where is her stupid mother 🙄🙁

Fernapple replies on Feb 21, 2023:

Sadly, her stupid mother is probably in his church, thanking god that her daughter is with a godly man.

41/2 yrs later , here we are , snail made it to level 9.

Fernapple comments on Feb 20, 2023:

Laughed at your jokes, smiled at your joys, felt your pains, absorbed your wisdom, and still want more. A life shared is a life lived more than once.

Fernapple replies on Feb 20, 2023:

@Pralina1 You think too much of me, but thank you. Though I can be mean and selfish, just like most people.

We all came from Africa. [m.facebook.com]

Pralina1 comments on Feb 20, 2023:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRnJJASq/ 100%

Fernapple replies on Feb 20, 2023:

Great little talk by R. D. he does explain things well.

"I want to see that your breasts aren't hanging in your pockets," he said.

Fernapple comments on Feb 18, 2023:

The bottom line on, on-line dating, is that, men are easy. Most men are so highly motivated to mate, and relate to women, that they will readily roll over and play dead, and turn any trick for any woman who asks. While women network well, so that information and introductions to any good available ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 19, 2023:

@AlbertSchepis I am sure Literates stats are quite correct. But in fact they are strong evidence, could not be stronger, that my main point is correct. Men are highly motivated to seek relationships with women, and that does probably mean that it is easy for women to pick out the really good ones quickly, so that only the rejects get as far as dating. And that if a woman therefore wants a high value man, she would be much better to network among other females, than to go online dating.

Is There a Global Resurgence of Religion?

Fernapple comments on Feb 18, 2023:

So it is nice to know that R. Inglehart favours the things which drive high birth rates, and religion, like poverty, low womens rights and poor education, and that he thinks overpopulation is a benefit. Me thinks, that his misogyny and racism are showing a bit.

Fernapple replies on Feb 19, 2023:

@skado Perhaps who knows. We are all infected with cultural racism to some degree. Here is a short summing of the World Values Survey findings, are not concerned with those issues at all. It is perhaps not wise to cherry pick statements by individuals out of context. "Much of the variation in human values between societies boils down to two broad dimensions: a first dimension of “traditional vs. secular-rational values” and a second dimension of “survival vs. self-expression values.”[9] On the first dimension, traditional values emphasize religiosity, national pride, respect for authority, obedience and marriage. Secular-rational values emphasize the opposite on each of these accounts.[9] On the second dimension, survival values involve a priority of security over liberty, non-acceptance of homosexuality, abstinence from political action, distrust in outsiders and a weak sense of happiness. Self-expression values imply the opposite on all these accounts.[9] Following the 'revised theory of modernization,' values change in predictable ways with certain aspects of modernity. People's priorities shift from traditional to secular-rational values as their sense of existential security increases (or backwards from secular-rational values to traditional values as their sense of existential security decreases).[9] The largest increase in existential security occurs with the transition from agrarian to industrial societies. Consequently, the largest shift from traditional towards secular-rational values happens in this phase.[9] People's priorities shift from survival to self-expression values as their sense of individual agency increases (or backwards from self-expression values to survival as the sense of individual agency decreases).[9] The largest increase in individual agency occurs with the transition from industrial to knowledge societies. Consequently, the largest shift from survival to self-expression values happens in this phase.[9] The value differences between societies around the world show a pronounced culture zone pattern. The strongest emphasis on traditional values and survival values is found in the Islamic societies of the Middle East. By contrast, the strongest emphasis on secular-rational values and self-expression values is found in the Protestant societies of Northern Europe.[10] These culture zone differences reflect different historical pathways of how entire groups of societies entered modernity. These pathways account for people's different senses of existential security and individual agency, which in turn account for their different emphases on secular-rational values and self-expression values.[10] Values also differ within societies along such cleavage lines as gender, generation, ethnicity, religious denomination, ...

"Experience is the main reason we are here, I think, in the world - to gain experience.

KateOahu comments on Feb 16, 2023:

I do not think we are here for any reason other than that evolution put us here. What we need to understand is that we are part of the whole and need to start being responsible to and for the whole. As the supposedly most highly evolved entity on the planet, we should realize our responsibility ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 19, 2023:

@MsKathleen No evolution is not that fast even among bees. But it has been observed on a human life time scale among some creatures. The moths for example who developed a dark coloured form to cope with soot, in the industrial North of England, which stanined the tree trunks on which they hid black. Who are now reverting to their original grey colour now that anti-polution measures are place. Evolved twice in just a couple of centuries. While fish are now known, to be evolving to be smaller in size and the breed at a younger age, because that helps them to slip though the standard sized holes in fishing nets. While evolution in bacteria , which often have life cycles measured only in minutes, have been observed evolving in test tubes, in a mater of only days. Ten or twenty generations seems to be about right for minimum changes that are testable if not, easily observed, and if the selective pressures are high. Such as fish nets which kill more than half the fish. While major changes will take perhaps a thousand generations or more, at least, especially if the pressures are low, such as things which kill only one percent or less.

"Experience is the main reason we are here, I think, in the world - to gain experience.

KateOahu comments on Feb 16, 2023:

I do not think we are here for any reason other than that evolution put us here. What we need to understand is that we are part of the whole and need to start being responsible to and for the whole. As the supposedly most highly evolved entity on the planet, we should realize our responsibility ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 18, 2023:

@MsKathleen Exactly. So because they are short lived, they are subject to more selective events than larger creatures. You can only die or fail to breed during your life, once. You only get one life. So because bees fit many more lives into the years than we do, evolution by natural sellection can do more work over that time.

Is There a Global Resurgence of Religion?

Fernapple comments on Feb 18, 2023:

So it is nice to know that R. Inglehart favours the things which drive high birth rates, and religion, like poverty, low womens rights and poor education, and that he thinks overpopulation is a benefit. Me thinks, that his misogyny and racism are showing a bit.

Fernapple replies on Feb 18, 2023:

@skado See ASTRALMAX's link above. It is far more complex than that, correlation does not equate to causation. Poverty and/or lack of wealth and education, are more likely to drive both high religiosity and high birth rates as the main factors. Though it is not even that simple, because religion may also cause poverty and resistance to education, while poor women's rights are also known to cause poverty, so that there is probably a whole complex of feed back loops. As to why I think that R. I. may be motivated by closet misogyny and racism, that is just a guess, which could be wrong, but when you encounter gross oversimplification it is a reasonable assumption that you are also encountering hidden bias. While usually, only closet racists tend to care about, the future genetic makeup of the human species as it will be long after they are dead. Most people just say. "So what. It may be a moral duty to hand on the best world we can to the future, but who they are, and what they do, is not our concern. "

"I want to see that your breasts aren't hanging in your pockets," he said.

Fernapple comments on Feb 18, 2023:

The bottom line on, on-line dating, is that, men are easy. Most men are so highly motivated to mate, and relate to women, that they will readily roll over and play dead, and turn any trick for any woman who asks. While women network well, so that information and introductions to any good available ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 18, 2023:

@LiterateHiker My stats may be wrong sorry, or perhaps it is different this side of the pond, but the basics are still true.

"Experience is the main reason we are here, I think, in the world - to gain experience.

KateOahu comments on Feb 16, 2023:

I do not think we are here for any reason other than that evolution put us here. What we need to understand is that we are part of the whole and need to start being responsible to and for the whole. As the supposedly most highly evolved entity on the planet, we should realize our responsibility ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 18, 2023:

@MsKathleen No you have misunderstood, reproduction is not evidence of higher placement, it is simply that shorter life spans, make for more rapid evolution.

“faith allows an evasion of those difficulties which the atheist confronts honestly the believer ...

ASTRALMAX comments on Feb 17, 2023:

If Olga Jacoby meant by difficulties simply not knowing something and suspending judgement in the absence of knowledge, I’ll go along with that way of thinking. As for the faithful feeling superior in some imagined way, some may do, however, I doubt that all feel that way.

Fernapple replies on Feb 17, 2023:

@ASTRALMAX Great article.

“faith allows an evasion of those difficulties which the atheist confronts honestly the believer ...

Diogenes comments on Feb 17, 2023:

When a person has enough time to confront the infantile nonsense of religion, is there still enough time left over for something serious?

Fernapple replies on Feb 17, 2023:

Fortunately I got it over with early, so I have had good time.

“faith allows an evasion of those difficulties which the atheist confronts honestly the believer ...

ASTRALMAX comments on Feb 17, 2023:

If Olga Jacoby meant by difficulties simply not knowing something and suspending judgement in the absence of knowledge, I’ll go along with that way of thinking. As for the faithful feeling superior in some imagined way, some may do, however, I doubt that all feel that way.

Fernapple replies on Feb 17, 2023:

I think that she was mainly refering to moral difficulties, and the problems of living happily.

"Experience is the main reason we are here, I think, in the world - to gain experience.

KateOahu comments on Feb 16, 2023:

I do not think we are here for any reason other than that evolution put us here. What we need to understand is that we are part of the whole and need to start being responsible to and for the whole. As the supposedly most highly evolved entity on the planet, we should realize our responsibility ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 17, 2023:

The "supposedly" is the important one in the phrase. The Idea that humans are highly evolved is a religious one, the "ladder of creation" which infected some pseudo-science. It has no basis in true evolutionary theory, in fact quite the reverse, since humans only reproduce every twenty years or so, we are only subject to one round of sellection every two decades. Where insects for example, which may have two or three generations per year, or more, are subject to evolution at sixty times that pace, making them far more evolved. Though not really highly, since highly is not a word which should be applied to evolution anyway.

How much proof do you need? [youtu.be]

Fernapple comments on Feb 14, 2023:

Perhaps very true, but you should not have disparaged Yorkshire dialect so easily as you did in the last post on this subject. Many regard the Yorkshire dialect as the purest form of English and the closest to primordial English as spoken by G. Chaucer for example. Immediately after the first inputs...

Fernapple replies on Feb 14, 2023:

@fishline79 I don't think he meant you, as a dangerous evironment.

How much proof do you need? [youtu.be]

Fernapple comments on Feb 14, 2023:

Perhaps very true, but you should not have disparaged Yorkshire dialect so easily as you did in the last post on this subject. Many regard the Yorkshire dialect as the purest form of English and the closest to primordial English as spoken by G. Chaucer for example. Immediately after the first inputs...

Fernapple replies on Feb 14, 2023:

@ASTRALMAX Obviously they have decided that the US is getting too dangerous, and they don't want their children going near it, or even have a reason to do so.

Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil.” (Thomas Mann)

Fernapple comments on Feb 14, 2023:

Yes but who decides what is evil and what is good ?

Fernapple replies on Feb 14, 2023:

@Diogenes Exactly.

And this one. [youtu.be]

LovinLarge comments on Feb 13, 2023:

You are a fraud. That is only one of the accepted pronunciations, and not the one in general use. In 60 years I have never heard anyone pronounce a long i in long-lived. People would laugh at you for saying it that way, just like I am now, you poseur. ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 14, 2023:

The voice sounds like that of a robot, probably just poor programming, I have noticed a lot of that in automated messages this last year or two.

The greatest non-swearing British insults: 1.

SpikeTalon comments on Feb 7, 2023:

I'm fond of the terms rotter and wanker, the latter of which I believe is considered to be quite vulgar, lol.

Fernapple replies on Feb 13, 2023:

@SpikeTalon No I think it has the same meaning here, it is just that that is held to be the origin of it.

The greatest non-swearing British insults: 1.

SpikeTalon comments on Feb 7, 2023:

I'm fond of the terms rotter and wanker, the latter of which I believe is considered to be quite vulgar, lol.

Fernapple replies on Feb 13, 2023:

The first I have heard, refers to someone in the advanced stages of syphilis, when the body beings to decay. So it is quite rude, though I do not know how true the story is.

This bares repeating as often as it can be heard.

Pralina1 comments on Feb 12, 2023:

We r a joke 🙄

Fernapple replies on Feb 13, 2023:

@TheoryNumber3 That was of course the beginning of the cold war, when atheisim was seen as an assocciate of communism.

Is atheism unnatural?

skado comments on Feb 10, 2023:

The author seems to be suggesting that nothing other than socialization perpetuates theistic belief, and if we just stop doing that, theism will evaporate on its own... and that this is now happening globally at an increasing rate. This does not comport with the known relevant science or Pew's own...

Fernapple replies on Feb 13, 2023:

@skado I am not atempting to present the case that global wellbeing is declining, nor have I atempted to supply any evidence for anything else yet. Where do you get this all from ? Are you not able to read ?

Is atheism unnatural?

skado comments on Feb 10, 2023:

The author seems to be suggesting that nothing other than socialization perpetuates theistic belief, and if we just stop doing that, theism will evaporate on its own... and that this is now happening globally at an increasing rate. This does not comport with the known relevant science or Pew's own...

Fernapple replies on Feb 12, 2023:

@skado Did you not read my comment above, I said quite plainly. "I did not make any claim that religion is in decline globally." Nor was I even interested if it was. My only point which should have been self evident from the stats I posted, was that welbeing is clearly seen to increase where religion does decline.

A man without god is a man...

skado comments on Feb 11, 2023:

Depends on how one envisions God. For the pantheist, a man without God is a non-existent man, but God existed before humans evolved and will continue to exist after humans have gone extinct.

Fernapple replies on Feb 12, 2023:

@AnneWimsey If god is a synonym for everything, then god is a meaningless word. The great tautology. But some people don't care as long as they get to use the god word, because if you use a different word to everyone else, then that makes you different, which is very good for the fragile egos of narcissists.

Trudeau: US fighter shot down object over northern Canada

AnneWimsey comments on Feb 11, 2023:

Because the Chinese have no satellites that can count your nose hairs....we don't either.......hysterical BS on a par with people with cell phones being worried about 'being tracked', duuuuuhhhhhhh.

Fernapple replies on Feb 12, 2023:

@theMoriarty I think that Anne is being ironic.

Sheriffs who see themselves as ultimate defenders of the Constitution are especially worried about ...

barjoe comments on Feb 11, 2023:

Deputy Sheriff's are targets for illegal gun violence. Why would they be against waiting periods and registration which are valuable tools for law enforcement? Because they are all right wing frauds who tow the Republican party line.

Fernapple replies on Feb 12, 2023:

And they think that voters interested in gun laws are Republican ?

Is atheism unnatural?

skado comments on Feb 10, 2023:

The author seems to be suggesting that nothing other than socialization perpetuates theistic belief, and if we just stop doing that, theism will evaporate on its own... and that this is now happening globally at an increasing rate. This does not comport with the known relevant science or Pew's own...

Fernapple replies on Feb 12, 2023:

@skado The Pew research centre is not even by its own statements a scientific institution, it self defines as a. "public oppinion polling" organization, I quote its own statement directly. I did not make any claim that religion is in decline globally. Only that where religion declines, then social welbeing increases. If you want accurate stats on religion globally, then a few seconds search turned these up, it was not hard. The second does indeed come from PEW, which I think should amuse you. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1350917/world-religions-adherents-2010-2050/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/

Is atheism unnatural?

skado comments on Feb 10, 2023:

The author seems to be suggesting that nothing other than socialization perpetuates theistic belief, and if we just stop doing that, theism will evaporate on its own... and that this is now happening globally at an increasing rate. This does not comport with the known relevant science or Pew's own...

Fernapple replies on Feb 12, 2023:

@skado No. Quite the contrary, I was well prepared to back up my claims with evidence, and posted this as a starting point. A starting point which was in many ways open to critical debate, and I myself could, and still can, see many weaknesses in the line I was planning to take, and was therefore planing to address several critical lines you could engage in. But instead of a genuine counter argument all I got was a shallow version of the argument from ignorance fallacy, which is just plain frustrating. If however you do not want to do the evidence from demographics, perhaps you would prefer to do genetic determinism ? I take it that you believe in genetic determinism, since you believe that a preference for religion is an evolved trait ?

Is atheism unnatural?

skado comments on Feb 10, 2023:

The author seems to be suggesting that nothing other than socialization perpetuates theistic belief, and if we just stop doing that, theism will evaporate on its own... and that this is now happening globally at an increasing rate. This does not comport with the known relevant science or Pew's own...

Fernapple replies on Feb 11, 2023:

@skado Well sorry it is not my job to fix stupid. I am not even sure that is possible.

Philosophy is a field of science that investigates reality and human existence, as in I am currently...

Fernapple comments on Feb 10, 2023:

Philosophy is not a science, rather science is a philosophy. A sub set of natural philosophy, which probably occupies most of the ground attributed meaningfully to natural philosophy. But which is distinct from general philosophy, because it tries to use better rules and practices, which are ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 11, 2023:

@Bullgator Nice quote. But why would you need more generations to make a genealogy analogy, there are no generations between parent and child. Indeed my analogy if anything fails for exactly the oposite reason, that there is in fact overlap, and many scientists have been both.

Is atheism unnatural?

skado comments on Feb 10, 2023:

The author seems to be suggesting that nothing other than socialization perpetuates theistic belief, and if we just stop doing that, theism will evaporate on its own... and that this is now happening globally at an increasing rate. This does not comport with the known relevant science or Pew's own...

Fernapple replies on Feb 11, 2023:

@skado Here you go, you only have to compare the lists for yourself. https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Progress_Index Hold on to your hat, if I have time there will be a lot more to come on all the other issues over the next few weeks.

"For those that have eaten of the tree of knowledge, paradise is lost.' karl Popper

Fernapple comments on Feb 11, 2023:

No quite the contrary I think. It is more a case of A. Pope's "drink deep", a little disturbs but a good deep drink, brings clarity and wisdom, which is a deeper form of paradise. AS with everything else it is the effort you put in that brings rewards.

Fernapple replies on Feb 11, 2023:

@Mcfluwster Don't be sorry, I like the quote and quite see that it can be interpreted in different ways according to context. Just me trying to take it in a new direction.

Philosophy is a field of science that investigates reality and human existence, as in I am currently...

Fernapple comments on Feb 10, 2023:

Philosophy is not a science, rather science is a philosophy. A sub set of natural philosophy, which probably occupies most of the ground attributed meaningfully to natural philosophy. But which is distinct from general philosophy, because it tries to use better rules and practices, which are ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 11, 2023:

@Bullgator Yes I agree with you that philosophy is often in conflict with science. As often are parent and child, and I am no great lover of philosophy. But, if it is in conflict with science, then it is bad failed philosophy, because any good philosophy will recognize the primacy of science and its methods, if it does not, then you know that it is not good philosophy, and there is certainly a lot of bad out there. In part because, there will always be people, narcissists especially, who reject science and even mainstream thinking generally. Because if you accept those, then there is no scope for you to pose as owning something special, which of course is what the narcissist most wants. So the vain egos have to turn away from mainstream knowledge, and create the pretence that they can find arcane wisdom, in things like bad philosophy, religious apologetics and meaningless terms like spirituality, in order to gain the power to pose as gurus and prophets and other vanity projects. But philosophy was still the parent of science, Newton for example, called himself a philosopher, since the word science hardly existed then. And there are some subjects which simply can not be addressed by science alone, for which you need to reason and attempt to use logical thought, building hopefully on the science, but unsupported by direct experimental evidence. Then whether you like it or not, you are doing philosophy. Sadly yes, modern philosophy is often of little real value, and is full of wild pretensions, but that is because in many ways, philosophy is a done subject. With most of the important and useful core work, including a lot of early science, and epistemology, being done early on. But there is still a small and real need for that early work, especially in subjects like ethics, and epistemology, and still a need to keep the subject alive in reserve.

What Comforts You as an Atheist While Enduring Suffering

ASTRALMAX comments on Feb 10, 2023:

It seems to me that excluding a situation where there is physical pain such as an accident or an illness all other forms of suffering are a product of the human imagination. We suffer our two greatest faculties of mind, a vivid memory and a fantastic imagination. People suffer an event that happened...

Fernapple replies on Feb 11, 2023:

@ASTRALMAX The past is our learning experience, our history. And. "Those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat its mistakes. " Aplies as much to the person as to the nation state.

Is atheism unnatural?

skado comments on Feb 10, 2023:

The author seems to be suggesting that nothing other than socialization perpetuates theistic belief, and if we just stop doing that, theism will evaporate on its own... and that this is now happening globally at an increasing rate. This does not comport with the known relevant science or Pew's own...

Fernapple replies on Feb 11, 2023:

@skado https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/least-religious-countries-in-the-world.html

Is atheism unnatural?

skado comments on Feb 10, 2023:

The author seems to be suggesting that nothing other than socialization perpetuates theistic belief, and if we just stop doing that, theism will evaporate on its own... and that this is now happening globally at an increasing rate. This does not comport with the known relevant science or Pew's own...

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

Pew is not a scientific group. We cling to science when it is true, when it is pseudo-science we understand that that is the worst form of anti education, and anti intelectualism there is, exactly because it is trying to wear sciences clothing. And yes since science takes a long form, so why are you still pedaling things which have long been discredited even as bad pseudo-science.

Is atheism unnatural?

David1955 comments on Feb 10, 2023:

I've said before, will say again, that I think some people are born more wired towards religious belief, while other wired not to believe, and a lot of people are kind of neutral and sort of go along with it through socialisation and Pascal's Wagering fear. However, fundamentally religion is a ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

@NostraDumbass No need I saw that too.

Philosophy is a field of science that investigates reality and human existence, as in I am currently...

skeptic70 comments on Feb 9, 2023:

Are you studying philosophy? Why did you place this information here?

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

@skeptic70 Certainly. But Others may be interested.

Philosophy is a field of science that investigates reality and human existence, as in I am currently...

Willow_Wisp comments on Feb 9, 2023:

The problem with philosophy is that opinions vary and if you trigger the wrong person they may punch you in the philosophagus. If you must know I'm into Absurdism. It's when we get past the depression of nihilism accepting that life has no intrinsic meaning and live happy lives making fun of the ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

Science is also a philosophy, but a philosophy raised to a higher level, with better rules and practices. Unfortunately the best rules and practices can not be used for all aplications, which still leaves some ground for traditional philosophy.

Philosophy is a field of science that investigates reality and human existence, as in I am currently...

BDair comments on Feb 9, 2023:

I don't consider philosophy to be a science.

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

No but science is a philosophy.

Philosophy is a field of science that investigates reality and human existence, as in I am currently...

skeptic70 comments on Feb 9, 2023:

Are you studying philosophy? Why did you place this information here?

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

Perhaps she just wants us to get to know her.

I respect religious people who believe in a God that grants free will.

Omnedon comments on Feb 9, 2023:

Couple of questions... What is a "fractal of god", and how can atheists "force the rest of us to live" in any particular way? "Sates their paranoia"?!? As far as I know, we do have free will. If we don't, and we only have the illusion of free will, well, I guess it doesn't really make much ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

I see that you have already reached the conclusion I refered to above.

I respect religious people who believe in a God that grants free will.

Willow_Wisp comments on Feb 9, 2023:

Prove free will. You have limited choices with specific needs. Free will is a lame excuse to blame the impoverished for their circumstances since if they made better choices they would do better. Not everyone has the skill to write a novel while homeless and become rich and famous. Such things ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

@Omnedon The future could well be predetermined, if we only have an illusion of free will, and what we think of as our free choices are also predetermined. And since we have no way to tell the illlusion from a reality, the whole question of free will or not, is a non-starter and pointless.

WHAT WILL YOU SAY TO GOD ON JUDGEMENT DAY? Great questions for "God". [tiktok.com]

racocn8 comments on Feb 10, 2023:

I did not trade my integrity for lazy thinking and willful stupidity.

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

It is highly likely that it will respect that.

Is atheism unnatural?

David1955 comments on Feb 10, 2023:

I've said before, will say again, that I think some people are born more wired towards religious belief, while other wired not to believe, and a lot of people are kind of neutral and sort of go along with it through socialisation and Pascal's Wagering fear. However, fundamentally religion is a ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 10, 2023:

@NostraDumbass Also as the article says. "we have an innate, natural propensity to believe what our parents teach us."

So who is this @Princeesteresa and why is she filling this site with quotes/excerpts with no ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 9, 2023:

1. Desperate for attention Or 2. Trying to butter us up to start evangelizing or selling something. I blocked her. My patience is thin.

Fernapple replies on Feb 9, 2023:

Two good guesses there.

“Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than ...

Fernapple comments on Feb 7, 2023:

She is not perfect, but evolution is certainly the most ruthless of economists, who tolerates nothing wasteful.

Fernapple replies on Feb 9, 2023:

@Mcfluwster And sadly I thought the world could have moved on.

A story of something very old, and how it was found by someone very young.

Julie808 comments on Feb 9, 2023:

Too bad the credit for the discovery went to the boy, instead of the girl. Seems to me that Tina should have gotten her name on the Charnia. I'm guessing this Tina and Roger didn't have the same teacher. Interesting nonetheless that we can see imprints of life on earth from so long ago that we ...

Fernapple replies on Feb 9, 2023:

Yes it is probably more about the teacher, than anything else. But I bet he knows better now.

What is philosophy?

Fernapple comments on Feb 9, 2023:

Are you a bot ?

Fernapple replies on Feb 9, 2023:

@ASTRALMAX Wow ! See what you mean, and some of those words have more than two syllables.

What is philosophy?

Fernapple comments on Feb 9, 2023:

Are you a bot ?

Fernapple replies on Feb 9, 2023:

@ASTRALMAX Yes thank you, but I was being, just a little tiny bit, ironic.

“Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than ...

Fernapple comments on Feb 7, 2023:

She is not perfect, but evolution is certainly the most ruthless of economists, who tolerates nothing wasteful.