Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

JeffMesser comments on May 4, 2020:

@fernapple as for your comment ... I understand your complaint about the static model being discussed/used. I likewise agree that trying to measure something that doesn't exist objectively in a static environment is pointless and a crappy means or standard for proving something. That's why I asked ...

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

@JeffMesser Fair enough.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

JeffMesser comments on May 4, 2020:

@fernapple as for your comment ... I understand your complaint about the static model being discussed/used. I likewise agree that trying to measure something that doesn't exist objectively in a static environment is pointless and a crappy means or standard for proving something. That's why I asked ...

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

Thank you that clarifies the situation, thanks, it is always fun on your posts. Though I think you are being a little hard on Anglophile, since I think that most of his motivation was in good humour and well intended, sometimes you get carried away in the excitment of debate.

Is the word 'assault rifle' a synonym for the term red nose.

Cyklone comments on May 4, 2020:

I'm not sure what you mean by red nose. Is that the same as redneck? There seems to be some affinity between those groups.

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

Thanks for the humour. No I meant, as in clown, maybe it does not translate across the Atlantic so well, perhaps you don't use Red Nose as yet another synonym for clown like we do in the UK.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

@JeffMesser OK that's fine. So if you won't answer my question fine. Can we at least recap, by saying that your original, point was that Schrodinger's cat thought experiment, and then the double slit experiment, provide evidence that there is a field of awareness ?

Hi ya all.

Fernapple comments on May 4, 2020:

It is Pulmonaria or Lung Wort, which means the same thing in English, also sometimes called soldiers and sailors, because the flowers come in both pink and blue, like the old English army and navy uniforms. Lung wort comes from the idea that the spots on the leaves were like diseased lungs.

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

@OwlInASack No, I am talking about the first photo, not the last.

Robbery with violence, sometimes life is just not fair. [youtube.com]

Mark013 comments on May 3, 2020:

Reminds me of in line at an all you can eat buffet.

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

Wonderful observation.

Taken May 3rd, 2020 at Norfolk Botanical Gardens

Fernapple comments on May 4, 2020:

You are a month ahead of us here, thank you a nice reminder of what is coming.

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

@HumanistJohn No that is very true.

Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It

Fernapple comments on May 1, 2020:

The religion ver. science, so called conflict, is a straw-man argument anyway. Religion is not directly anti-science, and many religions have meshed well with many parts of science. What religion is, for the greater part, is anti -education, not merely science, but history, philosophy, economics, ...

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay I learn for anyone I can, even science fiction authors, though if you think that Wells was only a science fiction author, then you are badly misinformed. Diversity of learning from many sources is generally better than living in an apologists echo chamber with as small group of revisionist historians pedaling a narrow predetermined agenda. Yes, you could argue that science was deeply entrenched in European university life, though I think that would be a subjective, but universities and the church were the only grounds available for intellectual life at the time, and that fact that Darwin and many scientists of the Newton, Darwin era were clergy, (Buckland, Maskelyne etc.) only justifies the point. Science was seen as a fringe activety. My point about anti-education is not merely that it disputes with genuine education, the overworked science/ religion debate, but that it works by bulk, filling up the space and time, wasting resources and creating an illusion of education where there is none. But it hardly matters just exactly what the ratio between science and religion was, because the point is that religion was dominant, and even more importantly that that dominance has declined. That is the trend, and my whole point was, that as religions dominance in the world of mainstream thought has declined so has its role as the champion of extremism and fascism grown. That is its direction and its destiny. Thank you for informing me that you are going to leave the conversation to me, but it was hardly needful, since it was expected. Having met you on this site on several times before, I am well familiar with your habit of running away. I therefore make these last two comments for the unlikely benefit of anyone else.

Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It

Fernapple comments on May 1, 2020:

The religion ver. science, so called conflict, is a straw-man argument anyway. Religion is not directly anti-science, and many religions have meshed well with many parts of science. What religion is, for the greater part, is anti -education, not merely science, but history, philosophy, economics, ...

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay Darwin did not have to take a class in religion, he had to study religion, total, because that was all that was on offer. Science was only a part time activety for an interested few. That is the whole point. With very few scientific seats, even by Darwins time let alone in Newtons day. Newton did not have any publishing woes, the whole technical story of the publication is irrelievant. The point is, that without Halley there would have most likely been no attempt to even publish, because in the intellectual culture of the time, generated by the universities, such things were not seen as valuable as possible publications even by Newton himself.

Is the word 'assault rifle' a synonym for the term red nose.

Metahuman comments on May 4, 2020:

That's two words...

Fernapple replies on May 4, 2020:

I love a pedant.

Do you feel you are a middle-income, middle-class person? That is unlikely. [ted.com]

Blackatheist1985 comments on May 3, 2020:

I'm more in the working class bracket

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@Allamanda Yep me too.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@anglophone, @JeffMesser I do not have my answer yet. So I am not ready to go on.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@anglophone Good night sleep well.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@anglophone Sorry yes that should have been universal awareness. I just want to get a yes or no answer out of jeffmesser which I know is a big ask. But you will see why in a min.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@JeffMesser I don't know, you have the list of your meters.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@JeffMesser So are you saying that physics does not have a meter to measure awareness?

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@JeffMesser So how do you measure awareness ?

What are the most effective ways adults are recruited to religion and how do we stop them?

Fernapple comments on May 3, 2020:

I do not think that they do recruit many.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@Allamanda Some people do have that nature. And it is sad, because it seems that they are in the same relation to the world of ideas, that some people are to, for example, the place where they live. Always moving house and /or buying a bigger better house, because they think that there is a magic location that will solve all their problems and make them happy. Of course it never does.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@JeffMesser If the, "entire universe is already contained within awareness" as you say. Then how would you know that the laws of physics apply at all to that which contains the universe, since the laws of physics only apply to the observable universe.

What are the most effective ways adults are recruited to religion and how do we stop them?

Fernapple comments on May 3, 2020:

I do not think that they do recruit many.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@Allamanda That is true yes, but I suspect that a lot of the people who fall in to New Age woo, come to it from theocratic religion. Especially they see some of what is wrong with that, but do not make the full leap to the rejection of belief.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@JeffMesser, @anglophone Sorry not with you this time, please enlarge.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@JeffMesser The limits of their application.

Revisiting a little theoretical physics: what does the double slit experiment tell us?

anglophone comments on May 3, 2020:

What the double-slit experiment and Schrödinger's cat tell me is that "intuitive" models of the natural world built around particles and waves are really *really* poor models, and we need better models.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@JeffMesser No what he is saying is that you have misunderstood the laws of physics.

Alice Walker

Pralina1 comments on May 3, 2020:

Nah . There are big bears in the woods .

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

Yes but the bear is only going to eat you, and will probably kill you quite quickly. It is not going to throw you into a pit of fire, where you will burn forever and ever. In fact, if the bear knew you personallly, it may even empathise with you and want to pull you out of the fire, bears can do empathy, unlike many in the churches.

Laura Ingram says masks are a liberal plot

bingst comments on May 3, 2020:

Laura Ingraham is a constant reminder that stupid ignorant people are a rampant plague on society. Rush Limbaugh as well.

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

Yep. Combine virus with stupid and you could have the perfect storm.

Laura Ingram says masks are a liberal plot

resserts comments on May 2, 2020:

Yes, it's a plot that the entire global medical community is in on. My dentist has been wearing a mask for many years to bring about this maniacal liberal agenda. 🙄

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

Jesus ! Your dentist sounds really frightening. LOL

Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It

Fernapple comments on May 1, 2020:

The religion ver. science, so called conflict, is a straw-man argument anyway. Religion is not directly anti-science, and many religions have meshed well with many parts of science. What religion is, for the greater part, is anti -education, not merely science, but history, philosophy, economics, ...

Fernapple replies on May 3, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay Maybe, to some degree all institutions are anti-education, and that is why I hated it. Certainly the main reason I did hate it was because, I felt that in a Church of England dominated, school, and being a child addicted to reading books, I did feel that I was being cheated. The high point of which was when I was told by a teacher, not to read the classical authors, since they had been completely supperceeded by modern and Christian thinking. He then made several remarks about the classics, from which it became obvious later that he had not read any of them himself and was only parroting what he had been taught to say by others. So naturally, being twelve years old, and being told not to do something, I went out and read Plato, Aristotle and some others, and found much in them that was good and useful, even if I agree with little of it now. I love this though. "Ummmm.... science was dominating in the university since the time of Newton. Maxwell, Joule, Celcius, and others were all members of religious universities (and religious men themselves) way before the 20th century" Can you not see that there is a complete contradiction in that, or like all apologists are you so lost in Cognitive dissonance that contradition has become meaningless. Science certainly did not come to dominate in the universities before at least the middle of the twentieth century, except perhaps in the minds of revisionist historians with hidden agendas. Here is a direct quote from a person, H.G. Wells, who was a science professor, at just such a university in the first half of the 20th century. "The early developement of British science went on , therefore, in spite of the formal educational organization, and in the teeth of of the bitter hosility of the teaching and clerical professions." "after the Refformation the English universities ceased to be organs of the general intellectual life, and shrank to be merely the educational preserves of the arisocracy and the church. Jews, Roman Catholics, Disenters, Sceptics, and all forms of interllectual activity were carefully barred out from those almost extinguished lamps of learning. Their mathmatical work was poor, a series of exercises in mere patience games and forulae-writing of lower mathematics; science they despised and excluded, " Even Darwin had to take a degree in theology, due to the simple fact that apart for medicine there was no science based course availlable to him. A prime example is one of the ones you quoted, Newton. Whose scientific work would never have been published and would have been completely lost, had not Halley and one or two others, and a dispute with Leibniz, rescued it and Newtons thinking, even to a degree Newton himself, from the strangle hold of Cambridge University. ...

Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It

Fernapple comments on May 1, 2020:

The religion ver. science, so called conflict, is a straw-man argument anyway. Religion is not directly anti-science, and many religions have meshed well with many parts of science. What religion is, for the greater part, is anti -education, not merely science, but history, philosophy, economics, ...

Fernapple replies on May 2, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay I am tempted to say that. Well of course they would say that, most of them have and do work in those universities, so if anyone had a vested interest in promoting that lie, they would. But that is a cheap shot even if true. But the more important point, which you seem to have overlooked, I hope not deliberately, is that I said "until the middle of the last century," by which time genuine academic study and even science was begining to dominate the universities indeed. Even though most of those you list still have subjects such as theology on the lists, and still to to this day promote anti-education to a degree, while there is no doubt that in their origins, there was little intention to do anything else. The only area available to religion now is the dark. Religion lives by providing an alternative to the mainstream secular education and thought. In the dark ages when mainstream culture meant, the culture of vicious warlords, no doubt the alternative did seem like a wonder of light and joy. But in the renaissance secular culture chose to follow the path of light and truth, and later of humanity and human rights. What does that leave to religion, and what is the alternative to truth, light and humanity ? As with a game of chess if one player takes the white, then the other can only take the black. Religion can now only turn into the dark, because that is the only territory available to an alternative now, apart from a few nebullus areas around issues of meaning etc. only of interest to the privileged few who often find what they need elsewhere anyway, without the costs of religion. And that is what we observe, the only growth area for religion, is on the dark far right. There is a lot of religious growth in some areas, such as islamic states and the evangelical Christianity of the west, but they are only on the far and inhuman fascist right, while moderate religion fades fast, because the fascist right is now the main alternative to mainstream culture, and therefore it is the only place that religion being an alternative can go. Like it or not the future of religion is to become increasingly the champion of evil, simple because the is no other place for it to go, and even the most superficial observer will see that happening.

Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It

Fernapple comments on May 1, 2020:

The religion ver. science, so called conflict, is a straw-man argument anyway. Religion is not directly anti-science, and many religions have meshed well with many parts of science. What religion is, for the greater part, is anti -education, not merely science, but history, philosophy, economics, ...

Fernapple replies on May 2, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay Now perhaps I would go back and drop the 'for the greater part' bit and say that religions is simply another word for anti-education. It is a little like the common saying about alternative medicine. "There is no alternative medicine, because if it works it is just called medicine." If it is education it is just called education, the fact that it is called something else, 'religion' simply means that it is not education but anti-education. Yes of course religions love to claim that they had a role in founding universities, but what better way is there to promote the cause of anti-education, than to fill the world with fake educational establishments pedaling anti-education as hard as they can, to suppress real learning, by squeezing it out with just the size and volume of their output. And certainly for a thousand years until at least the middle of the last century, and still to a degree today, few things have so successfully stood in the way of education than the clergy dominated universities.

Does anybody know the median fatality age for Covid-19?

Fernapple comments on Apr 30, 2020:

No, but it should not be hard to work out. Just take any of the commonly available samples of ages at death and average the result. Heres a link. Should not take more than five mins with a calculator. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/

Fernapple replies on Apr 30, 2020:

@barjoe You could take the middle of each age range. It will only give you a rough aprox. though.

“If God isn’t real, what's the point of living at all when one day you’re just going to ...

Fernapple comments on Apr 30, 2020:

Very good great overview. I would however say that the line. "Fear of the end was not eliminated, but it was alleviated to some extent." Is perhaps less than half the story. Since you could also add. "Fear of the end was also exacerbated to a large extent." Those who pretend to control the ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 30, 2020:

@evidentialist No don't be sorry, only happy to contribute a bit.

In the absence of theism what are the big questions in life you contemplate?

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

I wonder about many of the 'big' questions sometimes, but I think that the biggest thing that it is possible to do, is to learn to be comfortable with, I don't know, as an answer. And also to know the difference between knowing and speculating. Since speculation is a fine servant and entertainer, ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 30, 2020:

@prometheus Which of course it does by, making people think that they know everything.

What can we talk about aside from religion or Trump?

Omnedon comments on Apr 30, 2020:

Trump, the Pope and a horse walk into a bar...

Fernapple replies on Apr 30, 2020:

Three of them walk into a bar. That must be an old joke.

The following member has just joined g:1151.

Fernapple comments on Apr 22, 2020:

Members do come back after a year or more, and they sometimes become really active again, and they may have good reasons for being away, it would be hard for some who has spent months in hospital seriously ill to come back and find their account deleted. I am with you that keeping dead accounts is ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 30, 2020:

@Bierbasstard Yes that is a good idea, make the length of time an inactive account is kept live depend on the level reached. Makes sense, so it probably won't happen.

Nearby woodland

Lorajay comments on Apr 29, 2020:

Lovely,do you know the name of the blue flowers? Leaves look like spider wort but flowers don't unless they are a regional variety.

Fernapple replies on Apr 30, 2020:

Bluebells, Hyacinthus. There are many sorts and hybrids, but these look very like the true Bluebell, which you can tell by the hanging nodding head.

The garlic mustard is just coming into flower in the rough hedge bottom adjoining my neighbors ...

AnneWimsey comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Cooking tips please? Blanch & saute, or steam, or chop finely & use raw...? And put on or in what?

Fernapple replies on Apr 29, 2020:

Chopped fine in mixed salads, or added to soups and pies etc. as a green garlic flavour leaf.

Thought that this would go here as well as on the garden group.

Allamanda comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Is it peppery?

Fernapple replies on Apr 28, 2020:

@Allamanda No seasonal treat in temperate climes, and could be an ecological problem where introduced.

“Life is often not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand ...

Fernapple comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Or sometimes you start with a wonderful hand, and play it rubbish.

Fernapple replies on Apr 28, 2020:

@Marionville I was going to add coments about large orange persons for fun. But then I thought I would spare the US members that, they have enough on without English people being sarky.

Thought that this would go here as well as on the garden group.

Allamanda comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Is it peppery?

Fernapple replies on Apr 28, 2020:

A little, but mainly garlic, with a slight leaf/spinach flavour. Great for an onion/garlic tone in mixed salads etc.

apologize in advance if anyone posted this quote. But in light of disinfectant injections....

Marionville comments on Apr 28, 2020:

How on earth did such a dangerous imbecile ever become the President of the USA? I saw three of his supporters interviewed after his latest moronic utterances regarding disinfectant, and unbelievably 2 of the three (both women) still support him and say he was being misrepresented by the media in...

Fernapple replies on Apr 28, 2020:

It would mean, that they would have to force themselves to admit, that they had been stupid to ever believe in him in the first place. That would mean turning their whole world on its head, its a big ask, especially for people who may have never taken personal responsiblity for their own world view before. PS. Glad to hear you are recovering.

Something very far away but very strange. [youtube.com]

Robecology comments on Apr 27, 2020:

NBD...we have to stop even being concerned about these. The nearest star with planets is 4.5 light years away. If we could go one thousandth the speed of light...186,000 miles per hour - - that would be 3,100 miles per second.... we wouldn't reach the nearest star...for 4,500 years....

Fernapple replies on Apr 27, 2020:

Why do you have to go there, for it to be interesting. Lets face it we will be lucky if we ever get as far as the Kuiper Belt, but I am still interested in what is out there.

Always glad to not waste money.

Fernapple comments on Apr 26, 2020:

I filled mine in. 1st Stay home. 2nd Stay home. 3rd Stay home. 4th Stay home. 5th Stay home. Etc.

Fernapple replies on Apr 27, 2020:

@MissKathleen Not till the lock down is over.

Always glad to not waste money.

Fernapple comments on Apr 26, 2020:

I filled mine in. 1st Stay home. 2nd Stay home. 3rd Stay home. 4th Stay home. 5th Stay home. Etc.

Fernapple replies on Apr 26, 2020:

@MissKathleen I save those treats for special days, or when I need to cheer myself up. Besides I am not a planner. PS. Did laundry today, it being a Sunday, and I wanted to thumb my nose at superstition.

Would you like to understand reality?

Fernapple comments on Apr 26, 2020:

At a certain level of physics it is held, by many people very expert in atomic physics etc., that matter and information are the same thing, and that our perception of things effects their existence, yes. But that effects nothing in our lives or futures, since we, our lives and everything in the ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 26, 2020:

@JeffMesser No, that is, silly way to get to the obvious.

Gnostic Atheist, Agnostic Atheist, Agnostic Theist, or Gnostic Theist?

HerbertNewsam comments on Apr 25, 2020:

Labels labels labels, i am just an atheist. None of them can produce a god no matter what belief system. I consider atheism a non belief. Labels. Ugh, it is kinda like different groups that have a base of inequality because they think it is a better way to believe. A way to say believe what i am ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 25, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog Defined or not still worthless.

A sort of little photo essay, its the oil seed season and the patterns it makes in the country.

HumanistJohn comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Beautiful photos, beautiful framing. I suppose it's just a matter of personal taste, but I'd adjust the brightness/contrast some to make them even more beautiful.

Fernapple replies on Apr 25, 2020:

Yes should have done, I was a bit hasty.

A sort of little photo essay, its the oil seed season and the patterns it makes in the country.

Heidi68 comments on Apr 24, 2020:

We also have 'fields of yellow. Here are a couple of shots I took a couple of years ago. We just don't have a cute village, only woods in the background.

Fernapple replies on Apr 25, 2020:

Nothing wrong with woods, our nearest big woods are sadly about five miles away, so not good for an evening strole without getting the car out.

Manufacturers were quick in responding to Dr. Trump's suggestion for quick and safe cures.

Petter comments on Apr 24, 2020:

An excellent cure for stupidity, thus making the world safer.

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

If it kills you it cures everything.

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall Have you watched the ted talk yet ?

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall Possibly. Though I do think that the amount spent on nuclear weapons and deterent is certainly greater than that spent on bio-defence, so I don't think that he really has anything to answer.

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall I do not know, why we are not as capable as China. Except that China is a very authoritarian country, and its people very used to obeying, which in some things can be very good, in other things not. Most of the Asian countries that were very good a stopping the pandemic are very authoritarian, Like South Korea the one exception being Japan, and they are in a bad way just like the US and Europe. But it could be something else. It is also of course possible that the government of China, is just not telling the truth.

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall Yes it is true that it would seem to be very unwise to reopen schools too soon, but if no vacine is found, which is quite likely, then we could still have low level infections of the virus ten years from now. It would be very costly to have a whole generation with no formal education, probably even more costly in lives than a low level of infection, after some herd immunity is achieved.

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall I think that he is just using nuclear defence as an introduction, it has little to do with the main part of the Ted Talk. I think that it is just a hook to hang the main part on, which he probably did not give much thought to.

Apple blossom and Dandelion, no reason except that they are in season and I like them.

tinkercreek comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Wondrous little things, really!

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

Yes I think so too. The best joy is appreciating the ordinary isn't it.

A sort of little photo essay, its the oil seed season and the patterns it makes in the country.

dede18 comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Love your charming pics, and the village peeping out over the shoulder of the hill looks so enticing! When you say 'oil seed season' is that the modified rapeseed from which Canola oil is made?

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

Yes the rape seed, its a relative of cabbage, but grown for the seed. The smell is quite nice at a distance but slighly cabbage close up, the bees however love it, and in the UK it is one of our main honey sources.

A sort of little photo essay, its the oil seed season and the patterns it makes in the country.

Allamanda comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Rather spectacular, I just never liked that colour, or the monocropping... but your village is classic!

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

Yes that colour is a bit yuk, but fortunately it only lasts a few weeks. And there is not quite so much of it as my cropped photos may make it seem.

Read a comment that said being "atheist" was claiming there is no god.

Fernapple comments on Apr 24, 2020:

It is usual to split atheists into two groups, the so called soft atheists, who do not believe there is any reason to believe that god exists, and hard atheists who believe that there is certainly no god. The latter being a very rare minority, since it means that you must think that you can prove a...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@MarkWD I tend to go with the Dawkins type model, that gods are only cultural constructs, which like viruses have infected minds which evolved before human culture came along, and therefore have no defences agains cultures attemps to influence them.

What can one do with a person who is too ignorant even to realise that he is ignorant?

Fernapple comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I think we should hold a contest for people to try and find the most stupid Trumpism of all. I would not have believed this one if it was not the BBC reporting it.

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@RussRAB See my reply to Petter.

What can one do with a person who is too ignorant even to realise that he is ignorant?

Fernapple comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I think we should hold a contest for people to try and find the most stupid Trumpism of all. I would not have believed this one if it was not the BBC reporting it.

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Petter Perhaps to make it a bit more challenging, you have to write an essay saying why you think your choice is the most stupid. ( Und of curs d s/a wid the wurst spilling und grimarist layout wins. )

Tired of seeing Bill Gates demonized by unintelligent anti-vaxxers, Trumpites and xenophobes?

Flowerwall comments on Apr 24, 2020:

I don't know how much you know about Bill Gates, but I am one currently questioning. I created a post in another group and I will copy and paste it here with the hope that you can color in some details since you feel absolutely assured of his integrity. "Who is Bill Gates? I am looking to ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

You could start with this, made way back in 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Af6b_wyiwI

"FIGHTING TO LIVE" .

Robecology comments on Apr 23, 2020:

Love this; A lot of people say "save the earth"....but I found this charming meme which suggests that when we finally go extinct - the earth is much more likely to "be saved"....

Fernapple replies on Apr 24, 2020:

The power of a catastrophy likely to send us extinct, is unlikely to kill every single mammal and bird let alone insects like roaches. And how long would it take to regain a reasonable level of biodivercity, maybe five to ten million years. Not long really.

It seems its Earth Day, and we have to celebrate the things we do for nature.

WonderWartHog99 comments on Apr 23, 2020:

> , , , when I create a garden it usually turns out very untidy, which I am told is a really good thing. ## Who are those people and why can't I run them over with the weed eater? Weeds tend to choke out plants and if they're my plants, the weeds grow taller than my plants until my plants can't ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

@WonderWartHog99 Yes I do weed every day, its a passion with me, but regretably my working days for money are nearly over, and I am a heterosexual male sorry, so that wont work either.

It seems its Earth Day, and we have to celebrate the things we do for nature.

WonderWartHog99 comments on Apr 23, 2020:

> , , , when I create a garden it usually turns out very untidy, which I am told is a really good thing. ## Who are those people and why can't I run them over with the weed eater? Weeds tend to choke out plants and if they're my plants, the weeds grow taller than my plants until my plants can't ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

No it only looks untidy, I don't allow any weeds. I am a control freak when it comes to weeds.

Only 1 in 50 catholics can ace this religious test. Can you? [women.com]

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 23, 2020:

100%! "Way to go! This quiz was tricky, you've proven yourself to be a true Catholic scholar today! From Catholic terminology to Bible stories, you know it all! You probably went to a Catholic School growing up and will always carry those lessons with you. Great job!" Well, dang! I wasn't even...

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

@AmyTheBruce C of E is very like that, but perhaps in the oposite way, they sometimes talk about joining up again.

Only 1 in 50 catholics can ace this religious test. Can you? [women.com]

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 23, 2020:

100%! "Way to go! This quiz was tricky, you've proven yourself to be a true Catholic scholar today! From Catholic terminology to Bible stories, you know it all! You probably went to a Catholic School growing up and will always carry those lessons with you. Great job!" Well, dang! I wasn't even...

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

No not a catholic either, but most schools in the England are Church of England, and it was drummed into us.

“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than...

Theresa_N comments on Apr 23, 2020:

Sounds like to religion to me. Unlike some I dedicated myself to religion for many years. I came out of it an atheist so I was wiser but religion played no part in it.

Fernapple replies on Apr 23, 2020:

Yes pseudo-education, less than no education at all, because at least no education does not waste your time or give you the illusion that you have learned. Still a mystery to me how you can have doctorates etc. in things like theology.

Ok I've seen christianity described as a 'doomsday cult" and a "death cult", but can we describe it ...

DavidLaDeau comments on Apr 22, 2020:

Torture and sadism are secondary affects of death cults. Fear is the main factor. The fear of death is what is the driving force of these cults. Fear, torture, and the hope of not dying or experiencing pain if one chooses the "right" cult is simply the modavation.

Fernapple replies on Apr 22, 2020:

No I think that the main driving forces of these cults is greed. Greed for power and wealth especially, the fear of death, pain, disease, strangers (Those outside the cult.) and the unknown, are the tools used , and all of them, including death, are deliberately fed and exagerated way beyond their natural level to acheive that.

Just who is it again that creates wealth?

wordywalt comments on Apr 21, 2020:

As Nobel Prize Economist Paul Krugman says, "The job creators are a growing middle class with money to spend." As well, economists in the 1970s found that the increase in economic productivity found that up to 40 percent of the post WW II boom could not be accounted for by the usual economic ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 22, 2020:

Except you also need consumers, people with the means to buy products and the willingness to do so. And the best consumers tend to be those with middle incomes, the poor can not afford to buy and the rich tend to have all they want, so they just sit on their funds.

I read an encouraging quotation today: Hanlon’s Law: “Never attribute to malice that which can ...

hankster comments on Apr 21, 2020:

not sure stupidity ever explained anything adequately.

Fernapple replies on Apr 22, 2020:

Stupidity says it explained everything. Just smart people were not listening.

Why Bats Are One of Evolution’s Greatest Puzzles Paleontologists seek the ancestors that could ...

JimG comments on Apr 21, 2020:

Wow, and I was more curious about their ability to echolocate, but they aren't the only mammal that can do so.

Fernapple replies on Apr 22, 2020:

Except in water of course, where some whales can do it. Convergent evolution.

This is my opinion.

desertastronomer comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Aren't Agnostics just failed Atheists?

Fernapple replies on Apr 21, 2020:

@Omnedon Sometimes known as 'hard' and 'soft' atheists.

Moral Compass

Fernapple comments on Apr 20, 2020:

Several people have mentioned the golden rule, which is the best, and to that I would add if in doubt the universalisation principle. Which is the posh name for every grandmothers. "How would it be if everyone did that." And if still in doubt, then your feelings, which are just the inherent ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 21, 2020:

@JacobMeyers I think that, you could call that, the anti-hypothetical principle, used by grandchildren who don't understand metaphor, or the, stupid kid argument, for short. LOL

My neighbors barn My beautiful pony A little birdie who decided to make a nest in one of my bird ...

Robecology comments on Apr 20, 2020:

The bird has a lovely name, and song; the Black-capped Chickadee! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee

Fernapple replies on Apr 21, 2020:

@Heidi68 Yes it would be a good idea to move something near to shade it if you can. I had some small birds who made a nest one cold and cloudy spring in a metal pipe, then the weather turned hot and sunny and the chicks just got cooked.

My neighbors barn My beautiful pony A little birdie who decided to make a nest in one of my bird ...

Robecology comments on Apr 20, 2020:

The bird has a lovely name, and song; the Black-capped Chickadee! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Robecology Great Picture of the Crested Tit in scotland.

My neighbors barn My beautiful pony A little birdie who decided to make a nest in one of my bird ...

Robecology comments on Apr 20, 2020:

The bird has a lovely name, and song; the Black-capped Chickadee! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Robecology Yes I googled Chickadee, which is what I should have done in the first place, instead of bothering you. And this is what Wiki came up with. "The chickadees are a group of North American birds in the tit family included in the genus Poecile. Species found in North America are referred to as chickadees, while other species in the genus are called tits. They are small-sized birds overall, usually having the crown of the head and throat patch distinctly darker than the body. They are at least 6 to 14 centimeters (2.4 to 5.5 inches) in size. "

My neighbors barn My beautiful pony A little birdie who decided to make a nest in one of my bird ...

Robecology comments on Apr 20, 2020:

The bird has a lovely name, and song; the Black-capped Chickadee! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_chickadee

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

Am I right in thinking that what you call Chickadees in the US are the same family/genera we call Tits in the UK ?

What are we missing?

NoMagicCookie comments on Apr 19, 2020:

I long ago outgrew any desire (NEED? I don't think so!) for any ritual. Without any evidence to demonstrate the concept of transcendence is anything more then juvenile fairy tale, why would I waste my life distorting the beauty of reality with a desire for transcendence? If I am in the mood for...

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@NoMagicCookie Oh I would classify those as ritual.

This morning I went to Browse for the first time and clicked on Members.

Fernapple comments on Apr 20, 2020:

Never got round to reading members profiles, other than a quick look sometimes to see what part of the world they come from, since that may alter how I understand their posts and comments. ( Would you believe it, they acctually let people from Australia on the site!)Maybe I should, could be ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 I love that about Australians.

I noticed some time ago that even on this site, there were some deniers, about Covid 19 who were ...

Varn comments on Apr 20, 2020:

I’ve wondered, with regard to the proportion of flu deaths; considering the most vulnerable get vaccinated yearly against it, would that not bring it’s death number down tremendously? If we were to have let a seasonal flu run rampant through society, I wonder if it’s percentage of deaths ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

That is very true, but then we don't use lock down measures for seasonal flu, so what would Covid have done if we had not done that.

Scenes from the kitchen I thought I would share.

Fernapple comments on Apr 20, 2020:

Well observed. Is that the thirteen line squirrel in the first photo ? Those of us who have gardens are so lucky in these lock down days, I have the greatest sympathy for anyone restricted to a flat in the city.

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Mark013 I wondered if it was different from a chip monk.

What are we missing?

Fernapple comments on Apr 20, 2020:

I would agree that the churches have a big pull, in being able to provide a quiet sitting space and coffee shop on every high street.

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

@Surfpirate A lot of old churches in the UK are being sold off as the years go by. Some to convert into private homes, some as shops etc. but the church usually puts legal restrictions on them so that they can not be used as night clubs, betting shops and bars etc.. Which is odd, because the traditional centre of night life and the sex trade in the UK, was always Soho in London, and guess who owned the ground rents on Soho.

I noticed some time ago that even on this site, there were some deniers, about Covid 19 who were ...

Allamanda comments on Apr 20, 2020:

Unfortunately this is a society so innumerate (yes it's startling here, on a daily basis) that figures and statistics are used only for obstruction and apologetics. Then immediately forgotten. Scale and order of magnitude, let alone exponential scale, are entirely beyond the public grasp.

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

You can't use a long word like 'exponential' in public, I am sure it must be against some rule or other. Best refer to it in future by a code, like 'e' for example. And if you get that joke you are in a minority.

What are we missing?

NoMagicCookie comments on Apr 19, 2020:

I long ago outgrew any desire (NEED? I don't think so!) for any ritual. Without any evidence to demonstrate the concept of transcendence is anything more then juvenile fairy tale, why would I waste my life distorting the beauty of reality with a desire for transcendence? If I am in the mood for...

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

Yes but ritual does not have to mean transcendence. If for example, I bring some evergreens into the house to decorate it on the winter solstice, it does not connect to anything false, it just reminds me of the vitality of life surviving the winter until spring. Which is a completely real thing.

“Confidence is ignorance.

brentan comments on Apr 19, 2020:

I think it fits in with the Dunning-Kreuger theory, which I'm thinking is a general theory which would allow for exceptions. I don't know for sure.

Fernapple replies on Apr 20, 2020:

Sounds about right.

There was a time Pastafarianism was my chosen religion, well, that and Jediism, they just made way ...

Fernapple comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Hello and welcome, enjoy the site. And do check out the groups, i think that you will find things that a Pastafarian will enjoy.

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Dyslogix Well you have met 'Word' AKA 'Fred' who is certainly one of our more interesting personallities all right.

[msn.

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

The average teenage boy, given the chance, could and would, happily father about fourteen children a week. Fortunately most teenage and older females have the measure of them, but occasionally some get through the net. Sadly in Darwinian terms, being stupid enough not to understand how contraception...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Petter Of course there are many other possibles. One of which is that while the poor are left to degenerate, the rich will be able to afford genetic engineering and elective eugenics. Eventually becoming two sub-species.

Every day I find it bewildering how anyone could ever think that Donald Trump could ever be a good ...

lerlo comments on Apr 18, 2020:

All true. I'm looking for a word that defines someone we thought was intelligent that is a fervent follower...maybe "fake intelligence?"

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

How about 'Dunning Kruger poster boy '.

Does anyone have any luck or can share a method to grow onions and garlic?

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

The biggest common mistake a lot of people make, is to plant the sets too deep. They really want to be perched on the surface of the soil, push in just enough to keep them in place, no more. Free draining soil in good light and air.

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Allamanda I wopuld think that you could try, but if the onion is already rotting then I would not attempt it, even if it does live it could introduce fungal disease such as white rot into the garden.

[msn.

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

The average teenage boy, given the chance, could and would, happily father about fourteen children a week. Fortunately most teenage and older females have the measure of them, but occasionally some get through the net. Sadly in Darwinian terms, being stupid enough not to understand how contraception...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Petter Yes that would e a good thing perhapes. But my point is that exactly the opposite is going to happen.

Everybody wants to go to heaven. Nobody wants to die

Julie808 comments on Apr 19, 2020:

In the Gospel according to Thomas, that was discovered near the Dead Sea in1945, Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is spread upon the earth, but men do not see it. So, I think we can think of "heaven" as being the time spent enjoying what you love here on earth, whether alone or with others, ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Julie808 Not for everyone perhaps though.

[msn.

Fernapple comments on Apr 19, 2020:

The average teenage boy, given the chance, could and would, happily father about fourteen children a week. Fortunately most teenage and older females have the measure of them, but occasionally some get through the net. Sadly in Darwinian terms, being stupid enough not to understand how contraception...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@Petter Yes but there is no evidence that the complexity of connections is increasing as the size shrinks. And that would not change the main point, because the selective preasure would drive down the number of connections too.

Everybody wants to go to heaven. Nobody wants to die

Julie808 comments on Apr 19, 2020:

In the Gospel according to Thomas, that was discovered near the Dead Sea in1945, Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is spread upon the earth, but men do not see it. So, I think we can think of "heaven" as being the time spent enjoying what you love here on earth, whether alone or with others, ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 19, 2020:

Yes . Years ago I was deeply influenced by H.G. Wells, who held that the original teaching of Jesus was intended a an eathly political one, one of fairness and earthly justice for all, for which the 'Kiingdom of Heaven' was only a metaphore, couched in peudo-religious terms, because that was the only language an illiterate carpenter had, with which to talk about big ideas. It was only later that people, who Wells called, 'lesser but better educated men', started to take the heaven part literaly, in part because creating a heavenly kingdom, in the sky, was easier and cheaper for the rich and powerful than creating heaven on earth.

The Honesty is in flower in the garden now.

JackPedigo comments on Apr 18, 2020:

It sounds almost like an invasive. What is the Latin name. Perhaps we can grow it here.

Fernapple replies on Apr 18, 2020:

Lunaria annua.

Mentions?

Fernapple comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Hit the bell button at the top of the page, then 'view all' and go down the list.

Fernapple replies on Apr 18, 2020:

@Janus819 Why would you do that, if you don't use the email as a backup ?

You have to admire the majesty of animals and insects, trouble free, not constantly pining for ...

1of5 comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Not a worry in the world, except starvation or becoming something else's next meal. You do know the gruesome way most spiders eat, right?

Fernapple replies on Apr 18, 2020:

Often after sex. No wine, coffee or ciggs you see.

This pandemic set me pondering.

Fernapple comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Possible, but you have to remember that in those days when populations were very low and dispersed, disease was probably not so common or such a great driver of history as it became after the agricultural revolution. Also, that modern humans and Neanderthals lived side by side for quite a long time....

Fernapple replies on Apr 18, 2020:

@Petter No, women had a lot of choice, in small hunter gatherer groups especially, community power and matiachy are big things, the caveman doing his courting with a club image is a nineteenth century idea which was wrong in just about ever aspect. Non consentual sex is to a large degree a problem of civilization. And in any case I did say 'mainly ' , males do take play a role in sexual selection too, just not so strongly.

Why did 'god' create Atheists (or Agnostics, or Secular Humanists)

AnneWimsey comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Ohferpetessake.......UK friends, may I borrow the word "Bollocks"?! Thank you in advance!

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

You are more than welcome to borrow bollocks. You are also welcome to borrow 'trump', which in UK English is an euphanism for 'fart', or the expelling of annal gas. Though I see that quite a lot of you are already using it anyway. LOL

The by current modeling, the virus is going to kill across the world at least one in five thousand ...

Flowerwall comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Anyone know of anyone in their real life personal life who has passed away from it? Or knows someone who knows someone who has? What about number of people you know of in your real life who have contracted it? The original question you asked is something to wonder about, but I don't see why it ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@Flowerwall Yes I posted this quote on this group a few days ago. "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." Anatole France. It works even better for the lock down, which forbids both the rich and the poor alike from visiting Wall Mart more than once a week. Though the poor must keep to their apartments and trailers, while the rich can still fly between their estates in their helicopters. As for death I am not so sure. I have often thought that I would prefer to die alone and forgoten. In part because I have spent enough time by death beds, to know that dying is rarely easy, and that for me, knowing and seeing that my death would cause grief would just be an extra burden at a difficult time. So no, I would hope that, I had said goodbye to my last remaining friends before I got to my death bed, and/or to die alone in the forest and to have my body eaten by the wildlife, is the best option. Perhaps in an ideal world someone will find the bleached bones, so the the legal and legasy matters can be easily tidied up.

Well, I made someone’s naughty list today ! Look what showed up in the mail ! A CD!!!!! Mercy ! ...

AmyTheBruce comments on Apr 17, 2020:

Ugh. Can the CD be used for anything? Copied over, maybe? At least the pamphlet looks like it's recyclable.

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@AmyTheBruce And you can use the CD as a bird deterant in the garden.

This is my opinion.

Fernapple comments on Apr 17, 2020:

No Agnostics are not unsure, most agnostics are just sure that there is no value in belief or faith either way, that is all. And in any case, perhaps most people on this site, are happy to call themselves atheists, either instead of or as well as. But I would strongly recommend against starting ...

Fernapple replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@desertastronomer I have posted this before, but it may amuse if you did not see it the first time. ABOUT MUFFINS. I see that the issue of Atheist/Agnostic has been rearing its head again, as it does every few days, so since some people find this a bit tiresome, I thought that a post on muffins would be more interesting. Suppose for a minute, and for the sake of argument only, that there is a god, an afterlife, including a heaven and a hell; and that the god chooses whether people go to heaven, or if some go to hell, in fact the whole theist deal. Not only that, but the criterion on which the god makes the choice is based on the type of muffins they eat. ( Note: “eat” not prefer, this is not about free will or anything like that.) People who eat lemon muffins go to heaven and people who eat chocolate muffins go to hell, with limbo for those who don't eat muffins at all, of course. Would that make a difference to your life ? Would you give up your chocolate muffins for an eternity of joy, and all the lemon buns after death you could ever eat ? Perhaps you would. But there is one vital thing that I forgot to mention, which is that, this particular god, does not tell you about the muffins, or how they affect your afterlife, in fact it keeps the whole thing a big secret just to itself, so that you have no way of knowing which muffins to eat. Then in that case, of course, you could not make the appropriate changes to your life, or save your soul anyway. In fact muffins, gods preferences and even that god, would not impact on your life at all. The point is this. That a gods, souls, the afterlife etc. have no effect on anything, unless that god, or someone, tells you about it, and you therefore have some knowledge of god's cake prejudices. Making this the big difference between religion, which pretends to offer knowledge of god the afterlife etc., and none belief which does not. Which is why the difference between atheists, humanists, agnostics and even deists, is so small and unimportant by comparison, because none claim any knowledge of gods preferences, and it is the pretence of fake knowledge which makes all the big difference.