What did Trump do, if anything, to incite violence?

Fernapple comments on Jan 14, 2021:

As a follow on from my former comment, I do have to add. That in the past, he has often promoted a violent culture. For example in his famous "You can get away with anything, grab them by the pussy.", quote about women, and many other similar, which certainly show open approval of a violent culture,...

Fernapple replies on Jan 14, 2021:

@JeffMurray Yes I think you are quite right. The more I think about it the more I am sure he is guilty. The trouble of course is finding evidence to courtroom benefit of the doubt standard.

What did Trump do, if anything, to incite violence?

Fernapple comments on Jan 13, 2021:

He did not, as some people seem to think, directly promote violence as far as I have seen, but he did promote division which of course, you would have to be stupid to not realize leads to it. And even the none condemnation of violence can be a thing which makes you complicit in it, Re. Pontius ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 14, 2021:

@KKGator I just added this thought too. That in the past, he has often promoted a violent culture. For example in his famous "You can get away with anything, grab them by the pussy.", quote about women, and many other similar, which certainly show open approval of a violent culture, and therefore have to share in the blame if there is a rise in violence under his administration.

Watch: Donald Trump, son and team party moments before Capitol Hill riots [indiatoday.in]

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2021:

Since he does not actually seem to, work, at governing your country. What do people suppose he does all day and everyday.

Fernapple replies on Jan 14, 2021:

@Dyl1983 Something that gets in the way of social media time. Don't get involved in it, not a good idea.

2 gorillas at San Diego Zoo test positive for COVID-19

BitFlipper comments on Jan 12, 2021:

Very interesting. I wonder if it's exactly the same virus, or a variant on what we get.

Fernapple replies on Jan 13, 2021:

Would think that they caught it off humans. Doubt its the original strain, don't forget that humans caught it of bats in the first place, so the standard strain can do a wide range of species.

i didn't know i could do this. [agnostic.com]

Wisterious comments on Jan 13, 2021:

Didn't know you could do what, see yourself in the looking glass? Actually, I think it rolled out of my back yard.

Fernapple replies on Jan 13, 2021:

Of course he can't see himself in a looking glass. He is an Agnostic/Atheist, we can't see ourselves in looking glasses and we burn up instantly if we go out in daylight. Or so my Christian friends tell me.

Trump loves the poorly-educated.

CuddyCruiser comments on Jan 13, 2021:

This sums it up......

Fernapple replies on Jan 13, 2021:

I must be stupid too, because I can't even work out what that is intending to say.

Scientist and poet Miroslav Holub, wrote a wonderful poem called ’ The Test-tube ’, for when we ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 12, 2021:

No. Why should it ?

Fernapple replies on Jan 12, 2021:

@Mcflewster I would far rather be in a, ( very large ) test tube, where I can breath and see out, and climb out if I wish. Than be squashed flat between pages of a really heavy old book.

It passed 5 days ago, no one noticed & I've only just twigged.

Fernapple comments on Jan 12, 2021:

Well done. Stuck at it for three years, that makes you a senior here, and only just in your twenties.

Fernapple replies on Jan 12, 2021:

@FrayedBear Got it from my. 'Lying little creep will say anything to engineer a bit of fake flattery.' Program of course.

Watch: Donald Trump, son and team party moments before Capitol Hill riots [indiatoday.in]

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2021:

Since he does not actually seem to, work, at governing your country. What do people suppose he does all day and everyday.

Fernapple replies on Jan 12, 2021:

@Mooolah Thanks, where is that nausia button these days.

Watch: Donald Trump, son and team party moments before Capitol Hill riots [indiatoday.in]

Fernapple comments on Jan 11, 2021:

Since he does not actually seem to, work, at governing your country. What do people suppose he does all day and everyday.

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2021:

@AnneWimsey Well yes. But for some people that counts as party play.

MAGA is political speak for treason.

Fernapple comments on Jan 10, 2021:

From this side of the Atlantic I never understood the slogan. Are they claiming that America stopped being great, and if so when ? And how do Mexico/Canada feel about being told they are not great ?

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2021:

@t1nick Yep, my questions were retorical/ironic, but the fact that you took the trouble to answer, and did it very well is appreciated.

As an atheist, what would you wish to be done with your body after death?

Petter comments on Jan 8, 2021:

**The End of Sentience** The day I die, that’s it. I’m Dead. Remember whilst you’re sighing That the act of life, of birth and being, Includes the act of dying. No mausoleum, no funeral pyre, Just lay me in the earth. Let my body restore a part of what It has plundered since its...

Fernapple replies on Jan 11, 2021:

Good poem, like that one.

A lady serving at the supermarket has just told me that 1 in 50 in our area apparently have Covid ...

Krish55 comments on Jan 9, 2021:

I have been told many times that I look like a mutant…

Fernapple replies on Jan 10, 2021:

You will fit in well on this site then.

“When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read “all men are created equal, except negroes, ...

Word comments on Jan 9, 2021:

The ideal "all men are created equal " is erroneous. The commonality, that would only be rather equal, could be seen in that, we are all created by DNA. I can understand, it is a philosophy that would, let's say, level the playing field. But, in reality, some are taller than others, some ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 10, 2021:

Very true, in fact of course, if everyone was created equal, then we would not need laws, because everyone could equally defend their own corner. Civilization, the rule of law, government, manners, and morallity, all stem from the fact that people are different.

La Vie, c'est tout merde de cheval.

Fernapple comments on Jan 9, 2021:

Tomatoes !

Fernapple replies on Jan 9, 2021:

@Dyl1983 De l'arrière du cheval à mon assiette.

When I ask a religious friend about the factual accuracy behind the existence of God, they would be ...

Fernapple comments on Jan 8, 2021:

Hello and welcome. It is in fact true that god and religion are two quite different things. It is therefore possible, that there is a god but no true religion, because god does not choose to communicate, and it is also possible to have religion without there being a god, which is what most people ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 9, 2021:

@JeffMurray My thought exactly. The questioner may well be really interested in the subject, and therefore deserves a good reply if possible.

Why do religious people let god get away with being so horrible? : atheism

Fernapple comments on Jan 6, 2021:

Because god gives them what they want. A god is made by its worshipers not the other way round. And if you take someone who does not want to make the effort to be a good human being, and say to them. Join my club and that makes you superior to all the other humans, with bragging rights. Then they ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 8, 2021:

@bbyrd009 You are not alone.

Why do religious people let god get away with being so horrible? : atheism

Fernapple comments on Jan 6, 2021:

Because god gives them what they want. A god is made by its worshipers not the other way round. And if you take someone who does not want to make the effort to be a good human being, and say to them. Join my club and that makes you superior to all the other humans, with bragging rights. Then they ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 6, 2021:

@bbyrd009 It could be your speaking voice then. LOL

Some wood-turners like to do mushrooms, some do bowls, and some do both.

Wisterious comments on Jan 6, 2021:

Very cool, and beautiful. What woods were used?

Fernapple replies on Jan 6, 2021:

The large ones are birch and the small one maple.

Some wood-turners like to do mushrooms, some do bowls, and some do both.

FrayedBear comments on Jan 6, 2021:

As you say interesting black impregnation but what trees did they come from.?

Fernapple replies on Jan 6, 2021:

@FrayedBear That's wonderful. You should post that link for the whole group to see.

Some wood-turners like to do mushrooms, some do bowls, and some do both.

FrayedBear comments on Jan 6, 2021:

As you say interesting black impregnation but what trees did they come from.?

Fernapple replies on Jan 6, 2021:

Birch, trees for my own garden, cut and dried in my shed. A lot off the fun for me comes from finding my own 'hedgerow' timber. I rarely buy from the wood merchants.

Yeah take that Republicans

Fernapple comments on Jan 5, 2021:

You Americans amaze me. You never have to wait to vote in the UK, there is a polling station well maned in ever village and suburb. You just walk in, get your paper, vote and leave; we get the votes counted within twenty four hours, and the former Prime Minister gets booted out of number ten within ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 6, 2021:

@DangerDave That is kind of what I thought. I think that there is a problem with complacency, if you have the national myth that you lead the world in democracy, why try to improve things.

Has anyone else got this problem?

Fernapple comments on Jan 5, 2021:

Everybody knows you anyway.

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2021:

@FrayedBear Yes miscounted the noughts, only two point five prcent then. Obviously you are very uninteresting.

Henry David Thoreau on boredom.

Fernapple comments on Jan 5, 2021:

I am rarely bored when left to myself. But Henry lived alone in the woods, so people left him alone to get on with the things which interested him. The main time I get bored, is when people think I need amusement and that they can provide it. Maybe that's what he meant when he said, that, he would ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2021:

@LiterateHiker Yes I love "Walden" one of my favourite childhood books.

Anyone here in the NC Triangle area into hiking?

LiterateHiker comments on Jan 5, 2021:

Hiking in Cascade Mountains, WA, we **turned down** a woman who showed up barefoot. "You can't come with us because you need boots to protect your feet," we said. "The trail is rocky, steep and hazardous with sharp rocks and tripping roots. We don't want to carry you out."

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2021:

And you don't fancy men , with dog #### between their toes. LOL

Has anyone else got this problem?

Fernapple comments on Jan 5, 2021:

Everybody knows you anyway.

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2021:

@FrayedBear 25% that's quite high, since I usually suppose that in any group there are usually only about ten percent really active and interested members.

Can you recognize logic when you see it?

Fernapple comments on Jan 4, 2021:

OK. Here's a little puzzle. Are two peas in the same pod really identical, or can they be genetically different, can you work this out from first principles ?

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2021:

@Mcflewster That's it it is the same.

Can you recognize logic when you see it?

Fernapple comments on Jan 4, 2021:

OK. Here's a little puzzle. Are two peas in the same pod really identical, or can they be genetically different, can you work this out from first principles ?

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2021:

@GeorgeRocheleau Good, that is I think, the correct answer, well done. The point being that logic is not enough, some knowlege and /or experimental evidence is also required, not all things are workable from first principles alone. Most people I suspect are not that bad at logic crunshing on its own, but often try without the knowledge or the care and effort needed, which is why it is such a crime to live in cultures which degrade and despise education, learning and science.

How about a vote on these two pieces? Is this a Rorschach test?

Fernapple comments on Nov 17, 2020:

Number two I think. What is the band round the middle ?

Fernapple replies on Jan 5, 2021:

@PondartIncbendog Have tried it now. It goes by the same name in the UK, it is really good too for making dowles fit snug as well.

Can you be scientifically based and follow astrology?

PondartIncbendog comments on Jan 4, 2021:

Define "follow".

Fernapple replies on Jan 4, 2021:

Hello Pontartinvbendog, little while no see. You doing OK ?

I've never been one for labels.

Fernapple comments on Jan 2, 2021:

Always call myself a Broad Church Sceptic, pretty much the same as your non-believer I think. Because I am open to, and accepting of all positions, on the sceptic spectrum, from deist and pantheist to atheist. Since I do not see belief, or not, in a maybe non-existent, and certainly in those cases, ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 2, 2021:

@Canndue No it means that I think all churches are narrow, and I will never find a wide one. LOL

The problem with Libertarianism is a question of motivation and intent.

Fernapple comments on Dec 31, 2020:

Agree with all of that good post. But sadly the biology is a little off, the idea of species as an evolutionary unit demanding sacrifice from the individual, is long since discredited. Family or clan is the largest unit, and even that is biologically much weaker than the family.

Fernapple replies on Jan 2, 2021:

@t1nick Sorry. I have reread and rethought your post, and think that I may have misunderstood it. But I think that it would be better to use the words, species, sub-species, race, rather than the vague, group, and evolved, rather than benefit.

The problem with Libertarianism is a question of motivation and intent.

Fernapple comments on Dec 31, 2020:

Agree with all of that good post. But sadly the biology is a little off, the idea of species as an evolutionary unit demanding sacrifice from the individual, is long since discredited. Family or clan is the largest unit, and even that is biologically much weaker than the family.

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2021:

@t1nick Read Richard Dawkins on Gould, or Simon Conway Morris. Don't get me wrong I love reading Gould, he writes wonderfully well, researches deeply, and his essays are amazing. But It may be a trans-Atlantic thing, he is treated very critically and does not get the prophet like reverance this side of the pond, that he does in the US. And you can hardly regard any of his more widely published writings as textbook.

The problem with Libertarianism is a question of motivation and intent.

Fernapple comments on Dec 31, 2020:

Agree with all of that good post. But sadly the biology is a little off, the idea of species as an evolutionary unit demanding sacrifice from the individual, is long since discredited. Family or clan is the largest unit, and even that is biologically much weaker than the family.

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2021:

@t1nick Je. Where are you getting your information from, not an out of date populist like Gould. Do please buy a good up to date text book.

Atheists like Dawkins say most believers are atheistic about all gods but one, and he ( Dawkins ) is...

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2021:

@skado Thank you for your detailed reply it contained a lot which was of interest. I am especially pleased to find that we agree on the dubious role of agriculture in human history, it was not something that I mentioned, but it is certainly most important. I would however diverge from that, in that although agriculture is important, it is quite a late to develop technology, and not perhaps the one with the biggest on going effect. To my mind the most important, and in some ways dangerous technology of all is language, which came far earlier, and with it, its child culture. Which in the widest terms is certainly a technical development. Thus sadly, I would say, that the fall, from being a pure and happy animal, ( If those ever existed, which they probably don't, but let us go with the standard narrative. ) came much earlier and began when we first started to tell stories around the camp fire. Because, since language and culture are late technical developments following biological evolution, we can have had no pre-evolved, hard wired, biological mechanisms to deal with them. Thus the first real technology we gained, perhaps even before we learned to make fire, and cook. ( No, forget that "perhaps", because there are still people today, like the Andaman Islanders who do not have fire making, but undoubtedly have cultures.) Was the ability to alter the mental state of other people, 'brain washing' if you like. If that seems extreme, to use a phrase such as, 'brain washing' dating from the era of the Cold War, and then considered an advanced technology, when refering to early humans, then consider this. When stories were first told around the camp fire, the story tellers could, and did, inform the tribe about many things not directly observable, that's what a culture is basically. And no doubt they informed the younger members about other groups, say the people who lived over the mountain, and no doubt, they told tham how some were found in the past to be friendly and some hostile. Therefore when, perhaps on some hunting expedition, far from home, the younger members encountered strangers for the first time, they did not have to go through the normal rituals common to many animals, of finding out if they were friendly or not. Because they already knew. The story tellers had told them, that for example, the people who wear fox skins round their waist are friendly and you may trade with them. And they also knew, that the people who had the white painted faces were hostile, and therefore dangerous. So naturally they would probably strike first, pre-emptively. Possibly killing only because of their now unnaturally high fear, fed by the stories, of just one particular group of strangers, without ever taking the time to go though the normal greeting ...

I move that the name of this site be changed to "Atheist.

Fernapple comments on Dec 31, 2020:

The bullying of new members should never be acceptable, anywhere any time or for any reason. Though I would go the other way and call the site, Sceptics.com ( Skeptics.com ) to make it plain that it is a site for a board spectrum of none believers.

Fernapple replies on Jan 1, 2021:

@TheMiddleWay Yes,. Though Humanist is a little more obscure, has slightly more baggage than some names, and was a sister site to this one, as a go alone, it could perhaps have worked.

Lets have some fun in the last day of the year. Short clip from a UK quiz show. [youtube.com]

Pralina1 comments on Dec 31, 2020:

I did not even know that 😂😂and I grew up in Italy . I am dead inside .

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

No you are a very live person, these are very obscure facts.

This is a follow up to previous posts regarding the new site format.

Fernapple comments on Dec 31, 2020:

Yes, agree with that.

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

@Marionville Yep, I read Krish55 below and did the same.

Anyone else finding this 'new' Submit 'feature' that has just appeared a total SNAFU?

Triphid comments on Dec 30, 2020:

Hey Admin, here in Australia we have a saying, "IF it's working don't fix it, IF it's screwed up then either fix or chuck it." Things WERE working quite well, in case you were unaware, UNTIL someone decided to add this useless " Submit Answer/Comment" bit.

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

@LiterateHiker To work it with some browsers, you have to click in the text box, to insert your mouse cursor, then press enter, a new page opens where you can type, then you press the preview and submit buttons that appear on that page. Yes I know, you don't need to say it.

I move that the name of this site be changed to "Atheist.

Fernapple comments on Dec 31, 2020:

The bullying of new members should never be acceptable, anywhere any time or for any reason. Though I would go the other way and call the site, Sceptics.com ( Skeptics.com ) to make it plain that it is a site for a board spectrum of none believers.

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

@Wisterious Everything from none dogmatic spiritualty, deists, through soft agnostic, hard agnostic, soft atheist to hard atheist.

This is a follow up to previous posts regarding the new site format.

ZantiMisfit comments on Dec 31, 2020:

You have the option to go back to the older format. Go to your Settings, and click "Use Compact Mode."

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

Boy that is good. Thank you.

I cannot comment on posts. Obviously people some can. What is going on here?

barjoe comments on Dec 30, 2020:

Tap your cursor, hit go. You'll be taken to another box. Type your comment, hit "preview comment" It will take you to a third box, with a button "✓ Publish Comment ". Hit that and you'll post your comment. Admin knows about it, I'm sure it will get fixed

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

Yep that works, thanks, but what a clat.

The new comments button is not working for me, I click on it and nothing happens.

SpikeTalon comments on Dec 31, 2020:

Hhmm... been working fine for me all along.

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

It seems that if you use, Microsoft or Android it works, but it does not work withn other browsers much.

Atheists like Dawkins say most believers are atheistic about all gods but one, and he ( Dawkins ) is...

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

@skado Dear Skado, this is a bit long but please find time to read it if you can. There are and have been, many definitions of the term 'religion'. And there is no reason why the same person should not choose to use more than one of them, according to circumstance, as long as they are plain about their usage and why they do so. Some definitions are narrow, and will only admit theist religion as true religion, while others are wide ranging, going beyond even none theist superstition and philosophy, to include even, social clubs, political movements, and personality cults. With that in mind, I have asked myself. What would be perhaps the widest definition possible, encompassing the greatest range of usage ? I would say that, a good and useful wide definition would perhaps be. 'Religion is the awarding of authority to things, without requiring the use of reason or evidence to justify that award.' Whether those things be non existent sky fairies, spirits, myth, tradition, art, culture, political movements, old books, or cult leaders; the one thing that they all have in common. Is that they are considered to have authority, and be sources of truth, without attempting to expose themselves, to an unlimited degree, to questions of reason or evidence. Since this is perhaps the one thing that all the common usages of the term religion share, it is doubly useful as a definition. Since it makes plain the deep connection between the anti-social or criminal, and religion, from the playground bully and abusive spouse, to the political dictator. Since the things which every criminal wants more than anything else, are, of course, power and wealth, but especially power and wealth, which they do not have to expose to the trials of reason and evidence. Indeed the same definition could equally well serve as a definition of crime. I do not find culture to be 'nothing but contemptible', it is often beautiful and wonderful, and can be a very good way of expressing the truths found in human nature, philosophy and science. But the problem with culture is that it is a technical innovation, and that it therefore follows after our biological evolution. The real danger of it therefore is that we have no inborn, hard wired equipment with which to deal with the consequences. Around the common era year 2000, it began to be a fashionable worry for many people, that the new computer technology might prove to be dangerous to the human mind. Especially in danger were the minds of the young. Who it was thought, would be easily seduced into an alternate world, where they would loose all contact with what is called objective reality. Yet, the people who attached themselves to this new fashionable “worry” have missed something vital, and are perhaps at least ten thousand ...

The new comments button is not working for me, I click on it and nothing happens.

Redheadedgammy comments on Dec 30, 2020:

I’m not sure why this is happening to some people but not others. Hope it’s fixed soon so we don’t lose people who get frustrated with the site.

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

I think that it is the browser you are using, but it seems to be working now.

I don't normally post about issues here, I figure there is plenty of that on the main site.

Pralina1 comments on Dec 31, 2020:

So timing post for me ♥️🦇 I love bats . I sign most of my emails and texts at work w one of them , and my team knows what that means 😂. Most people associate bats w evil and darkness , and I think that’s stupid . Working nights thou and sleeping during the day , well , I feel like a bat...

Fernapple replies on Dec 31, 2020:

Well done. I wonder if you can adopt a bat in the UK.

16 hours and 33 minutes to go before 2020 finishes.

ZantiMisfit comments on Dec 30, 2020:

And to you too!

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@Triphid Twenty seven hours here I don't know if I will make it. ( Posted this comment here as the comments button still not working. )

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

FrayedBear comments on Dec 30, 2020:

@Admin I applaud the new form. It is clean, elegant and functional in the last few replies/ comment to other's replies that I have made.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@FrayedBear Yep. seems to work with Microsoft Edge. But I don't want to use a different browser for this site and everything else.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

FrayedBear comments on Dec 30, 2020:

@Admin I applaud the new form. It is clean, elegant and functional in the last few replies/ comment to other's replies that I have made.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@FrayedBear Windows 10. and Firefox.

The new comments button is not working for me, I click on it and nothing happens.

Fernapple comments on Dec 30, 2020:

People say that it is working now, here is a test comment. Yep, that seems ok, will make it a long one just to check. People say that it is working now, here is a test comment. Yep, that seems ok, will make it a long one just to check. People say that it is working now, here is a test comment....

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

Still not working on some posts.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

FrayedBear comments on Dec 30, 2020:

@Admin I applaud the new form. It is clean, elegant and functional in the last few replies/ comment to other's replies that I have made.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@FrayedBear Not seeing any of those options.

What did you learn in 2020?

Word comments on Dec 29, 2020:

As the days or years pass by as I am alive, I have come to the most optimistic view that I may not be dead yet but I am that much closer to that glorious day when I can finally be in non-existance with the non-existent flying spaghetti monster sky God and be gone from all this pathetic worldly crap ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@Krish55 Exactly, and death is our ultimate friend.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

Fernapple comments on Dec 30, 2020:

Still not working on some posts. Like this one. https://agnostic.com/discussion/564615/my-friends-that-know-me-consider-me-to-be-a-statistical-outlier-i-am-hopeful-that-i-won-t-be-so-f

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@FrayedBear Pushed the button fifty times, still did not work, and there is no spell-checker any longer.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

FrayedBear comments on Dec 30, 2020:

@Admin I applaud the new form. It is clean, elegant and functional in the last few replies/ comment to other's replies that I have made.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@girlwithsmiles No still can't comment, on this post now https://agnostic.com/post/564627/philosophy-post-optimistic-nihilism-i-don-t-normally-resonate-with-single-philosophies and the spell check does not work.

Good morning @Admin 🙂 I cannot comment on posts at the moment.

girlwithsmiles comments on Dec 30, 2020:

This one too: https://agnostic.com/discussion/564603/in-answer-to-dangerdaves-post-are-you-a-humanist-and-the-ten-commitments-altruism-i-wi

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

Yes I tried that one too. I think that it must be the earlier posts that came in overnight.

What did you learn in 2020?

Word comments on Dec 29, 2020:

As the days or years pass by as I am alive, I have come to the most optimistic view that I may not be dead yet but I am that much closer to that glorious day when I can finally be in non-existance with the non-existent flying spaghetti monster sky God and be gone from all this pathetic worldly crap ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

All things end, time is our friend.

The new comments button is not working for me, I click on it and nothing happens.

girlwithsmiles comments on Dec 30, 2020:

Oops just posted about the same thing. Plus now it seems to be working again! Lols.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

Thanks.

What say you?

Gohan comments on Dec 29, 2020:

If you insist. That's not a stick. It's a twig.

Fernapple replies on Dec 30, 2020:

@Sgt_Spanky It becomes a stick when it has been stuck in something. Until then it is a twig.

Reaching for connection but missing every time.

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

Never have anything to do with an Englishman they are very annoying.

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@oldFloyd Just about all of them of course. Mind you we do make a good cup of tea.

Atheists like Dawkins say most believers are atheistic about all gods but one, and he ( Dawkins ) is...

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@skado 1. If you do not throw out, reason and evidence, then you have a philosophy, not a religion. You may call it a religion, but that simply means that your usage of the word is not one used by anyone else. And if you really which to communicate with your fellow humans then that is not a good start. By definition a religion is a philosophy which does not require evidence or reason. 2. Artless universe and artless nature. Good 'art' at least in the sense of 'high' art is another religion in which it is a good idea not to believe. 3. Cultural heritage is the main source of corruption, and is synonymous with it. Cultural heritage is exactly the corruption which needs to be kept out. 4. Sorry if you can not understand Stalins meaning. What he meant is, that there is no difference between fake and real when you are dealing with things that are immaterial. Whatever you invent in the immaterial sphere is real in the immaterial sphere, be it a truth in the material world or not. 5. "One of the main sources of power sought by criminals is the ignorance of their victims, whether that ignorance be of religion or of science." Which is why religion is the business of promoting ignorance, by promoting cultural heritage as a source of truth. Which of course it is not, being just the name people give to the collection of old ideas, which they inherit, regardless of whether they contain truth or not. The appeal that religion often makes to the, pseudo - religion of heritage, is done exactly for the reason that it can be used as a cover of corruption. 6. "You can't make humanity uncorruptible by taking religion out of it. As long as there are humans without the checks of self-restraint, integrity, and compassion, corruption will find its way into whatever power structure exists." No, that is looking at it the wrong way round, you certainly, can't make humanity uncorruptable, or it would be very hard, practically imposssible, anyway. But if you did then religion would disappear along with all the other corruption, of which it is merely a sub-set. Religion is not a defence against corruption, because it is a part of it. It is the fact that religion is the appeal to authority without resort, to reason or evidence, which makes it a criminal activety, and beloved by the criminal, indeed religion is no more than the appeal to authority falacy writ large. Just as when the Mafia boss says. "Pay me, money and respect, because my friends have big guns." He is demanding authority without appeal to reason or evidence. So is he also claiming authority, without appealing to reason or evidence, when he says. "Pay me money and respect. Because we are Sicilian and it is our cultural heritage." In fact on the second occassion he is actively religious. That is why I will ...

Atheists like Dawkins say most believers are atheistic about all gods but one, and he ( Dawkins ) is...

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@skado No of course not. Both science and philosophy have been corrupted, that is why corruption is so dangerous and the appeal to evidence and reason, our only defences against it, are so important, and why religion, which starts by throwing those out, quite deliberately, is so dangerous. And why therefore, it is so important to guard respectable and appealing philosophies, such as pantheisim, especially in the form I would call, default pantheism, if you throw out god and the supernatural, then the universe and nature are what you have left in its place, ( Which I would say is the true meaning of Religious Naturalism.) against corruption. And why, it is best not to encourage corruption to enter, by giving it an open door and putting up signs for it. I have to think of Stalin, who, whatever his limitations, put his finger on the truth, when he allegedly said. " Power is the one aspect of the human condition you can not fake." Meaning that if you give anyone fake power, you give them the real thing, because if you create the illusion of power, then, people will still obey them, just as they do real thing. Put a fool in a generals uniform, and troops will still take his orders. One of the main sources of power, most sought by criminals of all types, is religious power, especially since that comes without the need for justification by evidence or reason, exactly what every criminal wants. You can not therefore sanitize religion just by taking the supernatural out of it. As long as it has authority without the checks of reason, evidence and democracy, with appeal to things like tradition, old books, prejudice, etc., it will be not corruptable, but the very wellspring of corruption.

Ridiculous tales 💭 Exodus 12:29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, ...

barjoe comments on Dec 29, 2020:

The angel of death cast a pox upon their house. That sounds like a benevolent deity? If God was so powerful, why couldn't he get inside Pharoah's head? How could 19th century Christians, if they believe the book of Exodus, justify owning slaves? Rhetorical questions.

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

Because, according to the account, god got inside Pharoah's head, and it was god who "hardened his heart".

Mormon church sued for alleged role in Boy Scouts sex abuse : atheism

xenoview comments on Dec 29, 2020:

It's not surprising that the morons abused little boys. I hope the law suit rips them a big hole leaking tons of cash.

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

Sadly they can afford tons of cash, the Moron, sorry my spelling again, Mormon Church is mega -rich.

Atheists like Dawkins say most believers are atheistic about all gods but one, and he ( Dawkins ) is...

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@skado Only pure reason, evidence and care, which are the ideals (perhaps never quite achieved) of science and philosophy, because if they are used for abuse, they cease to be, and so may then be questioned.

Question to atheists and agnostics: Are you sure no god exists that you believe in?

Fernapple comments on Dec 29, 2020:

There are very few, true, hard atheists about, an actual certainly held belief in there being no gods is rare, to the point of vanishing, so this is very much a straw-man argument. However, even as an agnostic, I do not think I would find this very convincing. Attempting to define god into ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 29, 2020:

@skado Did not say that the syphilitic taint was pantheist, I said that pure pantheism needed to avoid being infected, read it again.

Welsh Poppy, so beautiful

Fernapple comments on Dec 26, 2020:

Very pretty, but also an invasive little thug, which sows itself everywhere you don't want it, and is almost impossible to kill. I once knew a lady whose garden was almost swamped by it, and it was one of the reasons she sold the house.

Fernapple replies on Dec 27, 2020:

@Jolanta Try Iceland poppies instead, a lot safer.

“There is not enough love and goodness in the world to permit giving any of it away to imaginary ...

Fernapple comments on Dec 26, 2020:

Or the pockets of those who claim to represent them.

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2020:

@Freedompath I grew up in a largely secular family too, as many people in the UK do. Because therefore I never really encountered any religious people as a child, I grew up imagining that they must be really good people who lived up to their prophets values of virtue and charity, and looked forward to the days when I should meet some. One of the main reasons for being and active agnostic, rather than just a nominal default one, was because of the shock I experienced when I first met with religion in school, and higher education, and found that it was followed, not by selfless saints as I thought, but often by truly nasty people, who set low values of truth and behavior, which were far lower than those I had been raised to believe were the norm, in the secular world.

I know that some people think that Hyper-realism, is a bit old hat, but here is what has been done ...

Wisterious comments on Dec 26, 2020:

That's cool. Had never seen this. Thanks! I appreciate him doing away with a couple of the ladies' double chins 😂. What he does, he does masterfully, although I hope he moves on to painting original works vs recreations. Faces are 100% difficulty. Even garment/cloth, ...very difficult. I tried...

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2020:

I have seen him before, and he does do portraits as well in more or less the same style. Onne of the things I like, though perhaps he overdoes it a bit, is the way he adds acne spots and other blemishes. Perhaps he gets bored doing perfect skin.

Another population of blue whales found in Indian ocean: [science.slashdot.org]

Wisterious comments on Dec 26, 2020:

Yeah! but now that they've been found, are they safe? I hope so. 🤞

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2020:

Well lets hope that the Japanese 'scientific' whalers don't find them.

Clearing land to feed 2050’s human population threatens biodiversity | Science News

Triphid comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Farming efficiency CAN be achieved IF it is done correctly right from the start. First step, imo, GET RID of man-made Chemical based fertilizers, replace them with NATURAL fertilizers that WILL NOT pollute the lands and the water sources, etc. Do NOT grow crops in region/climates,etc, where they ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 26, 2020:

@Triphid It tells me that organic practices, well used, are a lot better for the environment and the cropped land than chemical farming. No argument with that. But the problem is in the phrase, 'well used'. My point is that badly used organic farming, can be just as harmful as chemical farming. For some twenty years in my youth, I helped my father run an organic fruit and veg smallholding, and was an enthusiastic member of the soil association. We did the very best we could to create a good environment, and produce good quality healthy products, without chemicals. But then I reached an age where I began to move and circulate with a wider range of, so called, organic farmers, I found that many of them had appalling practices, terrible animal welfare, were relabeling inorganic produce as organic, and that one of our wholesale merchants was putting our boxes, of quality organic produce, on the top of pallets containing very poor chemically fed produce and selling them as one. Many organic growers were no more interested in the environment than the conventional farmers over the fence, sometimes less so, were only interested in the higher ticket value of organic produce, and were sometimes using highly doubtful sources, chemical, industrial, intensive farms, for their 'organic' fertilizers.That the movement was handing out organic lables to just about anyone, regardless of the qualifications. And that the public buying the products with organic labels on them, who beleived they were getting environmentally responsible husbandry and high animal welfare, when they bought the label. Were actually often getting the very opposite, or at least things which were produced no differently from mainstream agriculture. And that the movement was often being used by extremists, to pedal political agendas. At that point I realized that I had been taken in by a religious cult, and that the innocent buyers of organic products were being taken in the same. I am still sure that their are many good organic growers out there, doing a good environmentally sound job, and good luck to them. I anm also stiioll sure that organic, is a better way to farm. But I am now convinced that the only way to improve the environmental impact of agriculture, if it can be done at all. Is by getting down to the hard nitty gritty, of enquiring into every single product, employing a lot more people, people being the one resource the the world has lots of, and making people aware that they have to enquire deeply into the source of their food and make a big effort. The cult of buying organic, is just that, a cult, and it is holding back real progress in addressing the business of making agriculture more environmentally sustainable, because it creates the false impression that it is a done deal.

In the bleak mid winter, only yesterday.

Wisterious comments on Dec 25, 2020:

Very nice! Does the UK designate 'Hardiness Zones' like the US? If so, am wondering yours. My area of Central FL is "9B."

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

@Wisterious They will not stand deep frost when it hits of course, and the Jasmine stand in front of a south facing wall. While the very hard winter of 2010 to 2011, which was about a one ten with us, cut the Mahonia to the ground and it is still not back to its former size.

In the bleak mid winter, when only the moss is green.

RoyMillar comments on Dec 25, 2020:

We are having a green Christmas so far in Eastern Ontario 2 hours west of me lots of snow,may get some latter today or tomorrow

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

We had a tiny little sprinkle last night, for the first time this winter.

In the bleak mid winter, only yesterday.

Wisterious comments on Dec 25, 2020:

Very nice! Does the UK designate 'Hardiness Zones' like the US? If so, am wondering yours. My area of Central FL is "9B."

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

In Europe we tend to use an adapted version of the North American zone system, and I am on the border of eight and nine.

In the bleak mid winter, only yesterday.

tinkercreek comments on Dec 25, 2020:

"Wonderful photos, thank you! I wonder if Mahonia is related to our "Bear's Breeches", acanthus mollis? Did a little research, and Mahonia augustopholie is our Oregon Grape, which grows in the wild as well as landscaping. Yours looks like the Mahonia fortunei, so nice and airy in the heavy winter ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

I think that it is a hybrid called M. X bealleia, or something like that.

In the bleak mid winter, when only the moss is green.

Theresa_N comments on Dec 25, 2020:

I like photographs like this, but the more texture the better so more real resolution the better too.

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

Here you go.

In the bleak mid winter, when only the moss is green.

Theresa_N comments on Dec 25, 2020:

I like photographs like this, but the more texture the better so more real resolution the better too.

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

Yes I am sorry, I downsize them to get a faster upload on this site, especially when doing several. But the site is getting better so maybe I should try the larger.

What have been some of the best ways you’ve put your newly found truth to productive use?

Fernapple comments on Dec 24, 2020:

I hope that I am productive, and I know that many of the members here certainly are. But why assume that anyone has to have a new found truth, my new truths are many, and most of the truths that are important in my life are old. Not every sceptic is a new born one, I was never really part of any ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

@Albronem I see. I am sorry but you did not make that plain. One small tip if I may. It is, I have found, on this site generally helpful to be very plain, or stupid people like me will misunderstand, you have to spell it out really carefully in detail. You will still be misunderstood quite often even then.

Clearing land to feed 2050’s human population threatens biodiversity | Science News

Triphid comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Farming efficiency CAN be achieved IF it is done correctly right from the start. First step, imo, GET RID of man-made Chemical based fertilizers, replace them with NATURAL fertilizers that WILL NOT pollute the lands and the water sources, etc. Do NOT grow crops in region/climates,etc, where they ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 25, 2020:

@Triphid That's what I said. It is not the use of organic or inorganic, though organic is better, that is important, but the use of tons and tons of it especially in concentrated form. Which is what can happen and does happen, on industrial farms where organics are overused in exactly the same way as chemicals.

My first poem, age 7. What was your first writing?

Fernapple comments on Dec 23, 2020:

I find it hard to believe that you kept it. Wow, how did it survive the teenage years ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@LiterateHiker Since it is one of the few things I have of my grandmother, it would have to be, perhaps, the last thing to go.

I dream of living in a post-religious society.

Fernapple comments on Dec 24, 2020:

Nothing that can't be replicated in other ways, no.

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@Canndue Then I would say, that the things which really matter, are the things which give community. Shared stories, shared rituals, and meeting places. And I have good hopes that two of those three will come, in time, to the secular world. Good stories because of multiculturalism, the common heritage of science and the collective need to respect the environment, all of which generate stories. Shared rituals for the same reasons. The hard one is the meeting places, because we are an increasingly a traveling society, and I can not see the secular world, creating enough agnostic coffee shops and atheist charity shops , on the street corners to ever replace the churches and their meeting halls, empty though those may be.

study-milky-way-may-be-full-of-dead-alien-civilizations

Fernapple comments on Dec 23, 2020:

Interesting article up to a point, but a bit short on detail.

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@Salo Thank you, will do.

My first poem, age 7. What was your first writing?

Fernapple comments on Dec 23, 2020:

I find it hard to believe that you kept it. Wow, how did it survive the teenage years ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@LiterateHiker My grandmother, made clothes for my Teddy Bear, to stop him, (only male in name, ) wearing out, and it was then kept as an example of her crafting. I then many years later found that I have, in a drawer bottom, a collectable vintage model, worth real money, and doubly so because the collectors like original hand crafted clothing. Maybe one rainy day if I am short of money.

Clearing land to feed 2050’s human population threatens biodiversity | Science News

Triphid comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Farming efficiency CAN be achieved IF it is done correctly right from the start. First step, imo, GET RID of man-made Chemical based fertilizers, replace them with NATURAL fertilizers that WILL NOT pollute the lands and the water sources, etc. Do NOT grow crops in region/climates,etc, where they ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@Triphid That is very good, and I am sure and your land sounds very well cared for, but that is in part the point, not every organic user is like you. The point is when triphid says, " massive amounts". There is no doubt that when used carefully and in small amounts, organic fertilizers do break down slowly, and cause much less harm than chemical fertilizers. As they did in pre-industria agriculture when only small amounts were obtainable, and they were applied carefully. But there have been some terrible records of ecological damage, cause by organic fertilizers, when they have been used in an industrial manner, especially on a large scale. They contain by the nature of fertilizers, exactly the same chemicals as artificial fertilizers. The only benefit to organics is that those chemicals are bound into organic matter and generally only leach out slowly, hopefully at the rate which the environment can cope with, and the plants use. Some organic fertilizers, such as slurry, sewage, and chicken waste especially, are just as strong and just as inclinded to leach through the soil, at a faster rate than the plants and natural environment can use them, causing exactly the same sort of damage, you see with artificial chemicals, to the soil wettland rivers and the seas etc. They can also contain traces of toxic chemicals, including those from animal disease control and cleaning products, which acumillate in the environment. Because of which, for example, some 'organic' farmland in New Zealand is now classified as toxic, and may not now be legally used. Organic is certainly good and can improve soil structure, but a lot of that benefit is lost on an industrial scale, where 'concentrated' organics are used, in part to save transport and application costs. The big problems for the environment are those of scale, cost cutting, over application, and uninteligent use, and they apply nearly as much to organic farming as to chemical farming. While organic fertilizers are a step in the right direction, and can help, they are not a magic bullet, and on their own will have little effect on the environmental damage caused by agriculture.

Getting my COVID vaccine today.

Fernapple comments on Dec 23, 2020:

Yes, I suspect it is just an example of sloppy lazy writing. What they mean when they say 'prevent' Covid-19 is. 'After a week or two, you are less likely to develop the full range of symptoms usually associated with Covid-19.' Using the diseases name as shorthand to stand for the range of ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 24, 2020:

@glennlab Yes, the same thing really. Often they use the 'lazy' shorthand, because they think that readers won't understand or bother with something accurate.

Got my vaccine today!!!!! Cannot describe the relief.

Emerald comments on Dec 23, 2020:

"Describe." Damn my texting skills.

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

I would describe them as quite good. Bit den I haf diphiculti spilling mi own name. LOL

Getting my COVID vaccine today.

ASTRALMAX comments on Dec 23, 2020:

The new variant of the coronavirus spreads more easily. This is what we have been told here in the UK. However, there is no explanation of how the new variant of the virus spreads more easily or how it has become 70% more transmissible. It is claimed that the new variant of Covid-19 is not any ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

I think that the reason they are not saying why the new variant spreads faster, is because no one knows yet. Certainly that was what was reported on the BBC last night. The reason why there are different flu jabs each winter, is not so much because the flu viruses mutate, though they do, as that there are some two hundred plus of them to begin with. The twenty or so types which are picked out to go into the vaccine each year, are basically a bet, based on what may have been found already in places like China, where a lot of them start, and what has not been arround for a bit, could be due a comeback. In other words informed guess work, which they do often get wrong as we know.

I’ve seen quite a few posts on here where something is deemed to be “unknowable”.

Fernapple comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Good point. If it is unknown, then you can not know it properties, including if it is unknowable. For if you know it is unknowable then you know something about it. Wonderfully silly.

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

@JeffMurray Yes I think that is right.

Are Religion and Philosophy Same?

SocialDarwin comments on Dec 23, 2020:

If you think you don’t, your lying. You follow a a calendar that’s biblical. You wear clothes when it’s a heat wave (which in pure non-biblical terms is insane). You take ONE SPOUSE when every natural cell in your body says you are not monogamous (especially males). Don’t lie. Be ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

The calendar is not biblical. In the west people use a variation on the Roman calendar, which was later refined by the Catholic Church, and more resently by science.

I’ve seen quite a few posts on here where something is deemed to be “unknowable”.

Fernapple comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Good point. If it is unknown, then you can not know it properties, including if it is unknowable. For if you know it is unknowable then you know something about it. Wonderfully silly.

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

@JeffMurray Good point. I love a good paradox. My point is. How can something be unknowable, because if you know it is unknowable, then you know something about it. And how can you say something is unknowable without, you know something about it. Another one I love is. I have a black box, you can not know without taking the lid of the locked box, what the contents are. But you can say a lot about the comntents of a black box, even without knowing what they are, because if the box measures a foot square and is three pounds, then you can say that the contents are less than a foot square, and less than three pounds. You can also say things like it does not make any sound. This can be a useful way of thinking about the god thingy when debating with theists, who say things like. "Prove god does not exist." I can not prove god does not exist, but I can prove your god does not exist, if it is not self consistent, for example.

Clearing land to feed 2050’s human population threatens biodiversity | Science News

Triphid comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Farming efficiency CAN be achieved IF it is done correctly right from the start. First step, imo, GET RID of man-made Chemical based fertilizers, replace them with NATURAL fertilizers that WILL NOT pollute the lands and the water sources, etc. Do NOT grow crops in region/climates,etc, where they ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

@Triphid Yes chemical fertilizers are a big problem. But it is also true that organic ones can be a problem too, the real cause of the problems are not the origin of the fertilizer, but how it is used. If fertilizer is aplied in large concentrations and in a highly soluble form , to land which is not buffered against run off by large areas of none cropping vegetation, water absorbent organic content in the soil, and the wind and rain shelter provided by mature standing crops. Then both will be a problem. And the underlying problem, (besides human population ) is that the application of fertilizer costs money and time, therefore, there is a big incentive to use limited numbers of large applications, with the smallest bulk, (bulk also slows leaching, especially with organic which takes time to break down). One of the obvious solutions to the problem, would be to get more of that excess human population back into agriculture, especially working manually, so that fertilizer and cropping can be done more slowly and intelligently. But guess what, that ain't going to happen, any time soon.

I’ve seen quite a few posts on here where something is deemed to be “unknowable”.

Fernapple comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Good point. If it is unknown, then you can not know it properties, including if it is unknowable. For if you know it is unknowable then you know something about it. Wonderfully silly.

Fernapple replies on Dec 23, 2020:

@JeffMurray Because knowning a thing and knowing everything about a thing are not the same. "I think therefore I am. " Means I know me, but I certainly do not know everthing about me.

I’ve seen quite a few posts on here where something is deemed to be “unknowable”.

Fernapple comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Good point. If it is unknown, then you can not know it properties, including if it is unknowable. For if you know it is unknowable then you know something about it. Wonderfully silly.

Fernapple replies on Dec 22, 2020:

@JeffMurray No but it does mean that it is not unknowable.

Just thought members may like see a few pictures of Australian fossil remains.

Fernapple comments on Dec 21, 2020:

Interesting. Do you know what number three is ?

Fernapple replies on Dec 22, 2020:

@Triphid Thank you.

To philosophize is to learn detachment: we are not born free; rather, we become that way, and it is ...

Mcflewster comments on Dec 20, 2020:

To philosophize is also to come away from direct action to establish an idea. This does not mean that I think philosophers are useless. I see them as writing unlimited and fantastic NUMBERS of words just so they can sell more books [I would buy a copy of yours BTW] . There is no "Crunch" point in ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 21, 2020:

@Mcflewster I generally find that the most useful of philosophy is the most basic, the old stuff. Such as the philosophy of science, the scientific method, the classical Stoics etc.

So much for moral absolutes.

BD66 comments on Dec 20, 2020:

Forgive me, I haven't been to church, so I'm a little rusty on my Jesus quotes. I don't believe Jesus ever recommended taking money away from some people at gunpoint (or under the risk of imprisonment), then giving it to other people in order to buy their votes. Jesus was more into giving ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

Actually, if I remember right, and the book reports things correctly, (big if). He did say. “Render unto Caesar what is due unto Caesar.” In other words. Pay your taxes. It was one of the least ambiguous statements. And that was the Roman Empire , which did not have a lot of democratic ceredibility to back its demands.

To philosophize is to learn detachment: we are not born free; rather, we become that way, and it is ...

Mcflewster comments on Dec 20, 2020:

To philosophize is also to come away from direct action to establish an idea. This does not mean that I think philosophers are useless. I see them as writing unlimited and fantastic NUMBERS of words just so they can sell more books [I would buy a copy of yours BTW] . There is no "Crunch" point in ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

Ps. I have started debating with Skado again. He asked me to stop, a bit since, but I can not just stand by, because of the priciple of, he who stands by is complicit. https://agnostic.com/group/ReligiousNaturalism/discussion/562114/ive-mentioned-that-im-not-prepared-to-discard-religion-simply-because-religious-fundamentalists

What Kinda Funeral Do Atheist Have?

Fernapple comments on Dec 20, 2020:

One of my friends had one a couple of weeks ago, pretty much like any other except no god mentioned. Some readings of poems and a short biography, and he picked a couple of fun songs. Personally I do not care what sort of service, if any, they give me. Though, if I had a choice, I would like to ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

@jlynn37 I just hope, that the magpies do not start to peck me, before I am properly dead.

To philosophize is to learn detachment: we are not born free; rather, we become that way, and it is ...

Mcflewster comments on Dec 20, 2020:

To philosophize is also to come away from direct action to establish an idea. This does not mean that I think philosophers are useless. I see them as writing unlimited and fantastic NUMBERS of words just so they can sell more books [I would buy a copy of yours BTW] . There is no "Crunch" point in ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

I have always thought that philosophy was useful, to address the questions, such as some moral questions, which science can not. Mainly because that excludes the need for religion. And that philosophy can be judged good if it complies with and defers to science first. And in practice I have found that if you take the information given by science, and then cherry pick the best and most basic of philosophy, there remain no worthwhile and answerable questions left, for any other system to complete.

So much for moral absolutes.

Fernapple comments on Dec 20, 2020:

I do not know your US politics well obviously. But I would not say Republican, more extreme. How about 'Fascist' . Look at it this way Fascism has got a bad name, and while a few really extreme Fascists may still accept the name, even they would admit that it is not going to help win them any ...

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

@Freespirit64 THank you.

Did i miss some rule disclosure where the use of the word fuck was prohibited?

Marionville comments on Dec 20, 2020:

Less fucking around with the written word and more actual fucking is what’s needed in 2021....my New Year wish to all!

Fernapple replies on Dec 20, 2020:

Able and willing.