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So far we are ok.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Optimistic much?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Optimistic much?
My nihilism
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Sounds like you get a lot of comfort and value from your nihilism. Life is beautiful ain’t it?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Sounds like you get a lot of comfort and value from your nihilism. Life is beautiful ain’t it?
Why do religious ppl hate reality?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Not all religious people are like that.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Not all religious people are like that.
I have to admit that I get a little down when my NFL team loses.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I don’t follow professional football, but I will say this: I forgot to pray for my college team yesterday and the result was that LSU best Auburn by one point.
:-(
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I don’t follow professional football, but I will say this: I forgot to pray for my college team yesterday and the result was that LSU best Auburn by one point.
:-(
So...do doctors cure people or do prayers cure people...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Neither. Our bodies heal themselves. Doctors can sometimes assist in the process. A positive mental attitude is very helpful IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Neither. Our bodies heal themselves. Doctors can sometimes assist in the process. A positive mental attitude is very helpful IMO.
We finished the Natchez Trace this afternoon, a true American treasure.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I cycled part of the Natchez Trace Parkway, and I agree that it’s truly beautiful.
I’m in that same miserable hot and humid climate. Thankfully it’s about over for this summer. At least the nights are cool. We make up for lost time in the winter, fall, and spring.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I cycled part of the Natchez Trace Parkway, and I agree that it’s truly beautiful.
I’m in that same miserable hot and humid climate. Thankfully it’s about over for this summer. At least the nights are cool. We make up for lost time in the winter, fall, and spring.
“Either God wants to get rid of evil, but he can’t; or God can, but he doesn’t want to; or God...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Evil has nothing to do with God. Evil is just stuff we don’t like to see happen—a very human concept.
Things we don’t like might very well be good and necessary from a cosmic perspective.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Evil has nothing to do with God. Evil is just stuff we don’t like to see happen—a very human concept.
Things we don’t like might very well be good and necessary from a cosmic perspective.
What physics or physical law(s), principle(s) or relationship(s) determine the value of the physical...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
It is a mind-boggling question, along with several other questions with no scientific answers. Why does anything exist at all? What is conscious awareness and how does it arise. How did life begin? Why am I me? Explain how a system of cells can have free will.
I would appreciate a prompt answer. Thanks.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
It is a mind-boggling question, along with several other questions with no scientific answers. Why does anything exist at all? What is conscious awareness and how does it arise. How did life begin? Why am I me? Explain how a system of cells can have free will.
I would appreciate a prompt answer. Thanks.
I'm a total nut job! sometimes i see people that are not there.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Research. Find people that will help you in a basic way through empathy. Don’t allow yourself to be drugged into oblivion. You are on a journey. Don’t rush into just any treatment.
Read “Rethinking Madness”.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
Research. Find people that will help you in a basic way through empathy. Don’t allow yourself to be drugged into oblivion. You are on a journey. Don’t rush into just any treatment.
Read “Rethinking Madness”.
Would there be something called Religion after a 100 years hence
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I predict that some of the dogmatic and fundamentalist religious organizations will fade away. The human religious impulse will live forever.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I predict that some of the dogmatic and fundamentalist religious organizations will fade away. The human religious impulse will live forever.
What personality characteristics seem to go with certain christian denominations?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I am in fundamental disagreement with Christian Churches but when it comes to demonizing and making character judgements please leave me out.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I am in fundamental disagreement with Christian Churches but when it comes to demonizing and making character judgements please leave me out.
We know that the human mind did not evolve to know reality as such but only those aspects of reality...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I agree fully with this assessment. “Ultimate Reality” is not a thing to be believed or disbelieved. About all we can do with regards to Ultimate Reality is to stand in awe and appreciation.
Maybe the word “God” has been ruined through misuse, and should be abandoned.
Matias, I hope that you continue with your wonderful posts.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 16, 2018:
I agree fully with this assessment. “Ultimate Reality” is not a thing to be believed or disbelieved. About all we can do with regards to Ultimate Reality is to stand in awe and appreciation.
Maybe the word “God” has been ruined through misuse, and should be abandoned.
Matias, I hope that you continue with your wonderful posts.
I had an epiphany today to stop wearing jeans.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Be whatever you want to be, but IMO jeans are poor work pants. They tend to restrict motion, are open to wind and thorns, take forever to dry, and wear out quickly.
The best work pants ever made IMO were Roebucks by Sears, discontinued years ago. I’ve still got a few pairs over twenty years old. No wonder Sears is on the rocks—all they sell is frilly female fluff.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Be whatever you want to be, but IMO jeans are poor work pants. They tend to restrict motion, are open to wind and thorns, take forever to dry, and wear out quickly.
The best work pants ever made IMO were Roebucks by Sears, discontinued years ago. I’ve still got a few pairs over twenty years old. No wonder Sears is on the rocks—all they sell is frilly female fluff.
Do you celebrate Christmas?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Most of what we do at Christmas comes from old Germanic customs that predate Christianity. It was cause for celebration that the days were starting to get longer, so our ancestors put up a tree, had a feast, decorated their houses with greenery, lit candles, burned the Yule log, and gave gifts to each other. They probably drank a good bit of beer and wine.
Maybe we need to take back the holiday from the Church. I propose we call it “Yule”.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Most of what we do at Christmas comes from old Germanic customs that predate Christianity. It was cause for celebration that the days were starting to get longer, so our ancestors put up a tree, had a feast, decorated their houses with greenery, lit candles, burned the Yule log, and gave gifts to each other. They probably drank a good bit of beer and wine.
Maybe we need to take back the holiday from the Church. I propose we call it “Yule”.
Texas Education Board Includes Moses With Founding Fathers In Social Studies Curriculum | Michael ...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
The title is misleading. It’s bad enough without embellishment.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
The title is misleading. It’s bad enough without embellishment.
I'm having an interesting debate with someone on-line.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Someone existed who wrote those parables and the sermon on the mount etc. and it matters not in the least what word you use to name the person.
There’s no way to know with absolute certainty whether or not all those associated miracles actually took place, and the subject bores me. Someone arising from the dead would be an interesting anomaly of nature if it really happened, however, such a thing is insignificant when compared to every moment of conscious awareness that we experience every day.
At a family Easter dinner, we had wine, and I raised my glass, saying “Here’s to the resurrection if it really happened.” I was totally ignored.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Someone existed who wrote those parables and the sermon on the mount etc. and it matters not in the least what word you use to name the person.
There’s no way to know with absolute certainty whether or not all those associated miracles actually took place, and the subject bores me. Someone arising from the dead would be an interesting anomaly of nature if it really happened, however, such a thing is insignificant when compared to every moment of conscious awareness that we experience every day.
At a family Easter dinner, we had wine, and I raised my glass, saying “Here’s to the resurrection if it really happened.” I was totally ignored.
Southern Baptist Leader Told Student It Was ‘Good’ She Was Raped | Michael Stone
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
The pertinent information here is that the guy was fired.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
The pertinent information here is that the guy was fired.
Fellow agnostics, how do you feel about believers joining?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Is it absolutely necessary to divide up into groups based on who believes or disbelieves certain things? IMO it’s not about belief. Our opinions are near worthless because at heart no one knows what they are talking about and we are in abject ignorance about the ultimate nature of reality.
I agree with fending off the various silly dogmas set forth by some religious organizations, but that is a very easy task, and there’s nothing grand or glorious about such fending off. What is grand and glorious is to move toward deep awareness and gratitude for the staggering mystery of existence and consciousness.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Is it absolutely necessary to divide up into groups based on who believes or disbelieves certain things? IMO it’s not about belief. Our opinions are near worthless because at heart no one knows what they are talking about and we are in abject ignorance about the ultimate nature of reality.
I agree with fending off the various silly dogmas set forth by some religious organizations, but that is a very easy task, and there’s nothing grand or glorious about such fending off. What is grand and glorious is to move toward deep awareness and gratitude for the staggering mystery of existence and consciousness.
Any recovering Southern Baptists out there?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Maybe I’m already recovered. On a deep level I don’t think I ever bought into the hell thing, probably because my mama used to rail against the concept.
I’ve seen first hand though that early indoctrination about hell has been a severe burden for some. Whoever thought up the concept of hell ought to have been whipped. Makes no sense at all!
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Maybe I’m already recovered. On a deep level I don’t think I ever bought into the hell thing, probably because my mama used to rail against the concept.
I’ve seen first hand though that early indoctrination about hell has been a severe burden for some. Whoever thought up the concept of hell ought to have been whipped. Makes no sense at all!
What happens to your spirt / mind when you die?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
The sense of being an individual self is just an illusion. Time is an illusion. Our entire perspective of the physical world is nothing but a dream.
We are collectively a single entity, immortal by default because time doesn’t exist.
That’s my opinion anyway.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
The sense of being an individual self is just an illusion. Time is an illusion. Our entire perspective of the physical world is nothing but a dream.
We are collectively a single entity, immortal by default because time doesn’t exist.
That’s my opinion anyway.
Are you happy enough?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Yes, every second of conscious awareness is an overwhelming miracle.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 15, 2018:
Yes, every second of conscious awareness is an overwhelming miracle.
I am 48.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 14, 2018:
Falling in love is getting a whiff of the cheese in the mouse trap. That approach never turned out very well for me. As I got older I realized that too much heat and sparks are detrimental and that long-term trust is built through personal commitment along with continuous attention and communication.
I had to go through those earlier turbulent but reproductive years, and the outcome was very positive, but at this point I am spawned out.
Enjoy your youth!
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 14, 2018:
Falling in love is getting a whiff of the cheese in the mouse trap. That approach never turned out very well for me. As I got older I realized that too much heat and sparks are detrimental and that long-term trust is built through personal commitment along with continuous attention and communication.
I had to go through those earlier turbulent but reproductive years, and the outcome was very positive, but at this point I am spawned out.
Enjoy your youth!
Honest Liars: Dishonest Leaders May Be Perceived as Authentic - Scientific American
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 13, 2018:
DT is an old blustery loudmouth who doesn’t mince words and who lies with impunity. He also wears a baseball cap with his suit. Hillary is a more guarded liar, projecting herself as morally and intellectually superior.
I didn’t vote for Trump, but maybe we are better off having him. He seems a good match for Kim Jong-un anyway—two peas in a pod.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 13, 2018:
DT is an old blustery loudmouth who doesn’t mince words and who lies with impunity. He also wears a baseball cap with his suit. Hillary is a more guarded liar, projecting herself as morally and intellectually superior.
I didn’t vote for Trump, but maybe we are better off having him. He seems a good match for Kim Jong-un anyway—two peas in a pod.
The Real Problem
I Love this site and the clarity of thinking exhibited, even love chasing down the...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 13, 2018:
Obviously you can not change another person—only they can change themselves. What might not be obvious is that the other person’s opinions might just be superior to our own, and that perhaps it is we who need to learn and change.
IMO, more important than to express opinions is to respect each other.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 13, 2018:
Obviously you can not change another person—only they can change themselves. What might not be obvious is that the other person’s opinions might just be superior to our own, and that perhaps it is we who need to learn and change.
IMO, more important than to express opinions is to respect each other.
Are you still involved in highly religious settings despite no longer being a believer?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 13, 2018:
I think it is entirely possible and desirable to maintain connection with your culture through the church, although you do not believe everything the church teaches.
I recently attended a Greek Orthodox fund raiser and was delighted with the dancing and I greatly enjoyed the food and beer. Also I spoke with some of the members and I was favorably impressed.
I never go back to my Protestant Church, but that is different. I don’t need to because I am surrounded by my ethnic Cracker culture outside the church setting.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 13, 2018:
I think it is entirely possible and desirable to maintain connection with your culture through the church, although you do not believe everything the church teaches.
I recently attended a Greek Orthodox fund raiser and was delighted with the dancing and I greatly enjoyed the food and beer. Also I spoke with some of the members and I was favorably impressed.
I never go back to my Protestant Church, but that is different. I don’t need to because I am surrounded by my ethnic Cracker culture outside the church setting.
Albert Einstein believed in the pantheistic god of 17th century rationalist Baruch Spinoza.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 13, 2018:
For me the concept of God is a mental symbol, an icon that represents the great and mysterious reality beyond our sense world. God is not a thing—belief or disbelief in an icon is entirely inappropriate. The only thing appropriate in regards to an icon is awareness, appreciation, awe and gratitude for what the icon represents.
There is some indication that Einstein thought along those lines:
“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
In comparison with such sentiments, it seems very shallow and trite to go on as we do about what we believe or disbelieve. It ain’t about belief.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 13, 2018:
For me the concept of God is a mental symbol, an icon that represents the great and mysterious reality beyond our sense world. God is not a thing—belief or disbelief in an icon is entirely inappropriate. The only thing appropriate in regards to an icon is awareness, appreciation, awe and gratitude for what the icon represents.
There is some indication that Einstein thought along those lines:
“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
In comparison with such sentiments, it seems very shallow and trite to go on as we do about what we believe or disbelieve. It ain’t about belief.
The source attribution effect, or : Tribal thinking trumps reason
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 12, 2018:
This has got to be right—Matias makes great posts.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 12, 2018:
This has got to be right—Matias makes great posts.
Capitalism works on much the same principle as evolution.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 12, 2018:
If ALL Christians denied evolution and also worshipped capitalism it would be extremely odd indeed. However I know a lot of Christians who have no problem with evolution, and I know a lot of Christians who lean toward socialism.
For various reasons agricultural regions tend to be conservative in that they are slow to adopt new ideas. Perhaps the lack of cultural stimulation due to a sparser population is the reason, and also a indepent actions and thinking are needed in areas where there are fewer services. A manifestation of that conservatism is to vote for platforms that favor the free-market economy. Another manifestation is continued church membership. Often in rural areas churches serve as social hubs.
Correlation does not equal cause. I see no reason at all to link church membership with the “worship” of capitalism. You might as well ask why atheists worship communism. It’s nothing but hyperbole.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 12, 2018:
If ALL Christians denied evolution and also worshipped capitalism it would be extremely odd indeed. However I know a lot of Christians who have no problem with evolution, and I know a lot of Christians who lean toward socialism.
For various reasons agricultural regions tend to be conservative in that they are slow to adopt new ideas. Perhaps the lack of cultural stimulation due to a sparser population is the reason, and also a indepent actions and thinking are needed in areas where there are fewer services. A manifestation of that conservatism is to vote for platforms that favor the free-market economy. Another manifestation is continued church membership. Often in rural areas churches serve as social hubs.
Correlation does not equal cause. I see no reason at all to link church membership with the “worship” of capitalism. You might as well ask why atheists worship communism. It’s nothing but hyperbole.
Drug company CEO calls 400 percent price hike ‘moral requirement’
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 11, 2018:
A rational person would not normally pay such prices, but under our system, where insurance is involved, people often don’t even know what the price is. I’m afraid it’s a big free-for-all at the hog trough, and the result is a huge health insurance premium for all.
In a high percentage of cases those bladder and urinary tract cases clear up on their own. Also, Ibuprofen is reported by German doctors to be effective.
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/233101-treatment#d1
IMO the best solution for our bloated healthcare system is to let it collapse. People should refuse to buy insurance. In some cases travel to other countries for treatment is a viable option. If we simply can’t afford the product offered, some of us might die earlier, but so be it. Better to live in abundance for a moderate length of time than to give half your life savings to the greedy healthcare industry and maybe gain a few drugged-up years.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 11, 2018:
A rational person would not normally pay such prices, but under our system, where insurance is involved, people often don’t even know what the price is. I’m afraid it’s a big free-for-all at the hog trough, and the result is a huge health insurance premium for all.
In a high percentage of cases those bladder and urinary tract cases clear up on their own. Also, Ibuprofen is reported by German doctors to be effective.
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/233101-treatment#d1
IMO the best solution for our bloated healthcare system is to let it collapse. People should refuse to buy insurance. In some cases travel to other countries for treatment is a viable option. If we simply can’t afford the product offered, some of us might die earlier, but so be it. Better to live in abundance for a moderate length of time than to give half your life savings to the greedy healthcare industry and maybe gain a few drugged-up years.
Where were you on 9/11?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 11, 2018:
IMO entirely too much time and energy goes into hyping up the attack. Two buildings were knocked down, and a tiny fraction of a percent of our population was killed. We’ve got lots of other buildings and there’s plenty of us left—more of us now than there were then.
Compare that with the fire-bombing of Tokyo and Dresden, or even the London blitzes.
Time to move on IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 11, 2018:
IMO entirely too much time and energy goes into hyping up the attack. Two buildings were knocked down, and a tiny fraction of a percent of our population was killed. We’ve got lots of other buildings and there’s plenty of us left—more of us now than there were then.
Compare that with the fire-bombing of Tokyo and Dresden, or even the London blitzes.
Time to move on IMO.
Where were you on 9/11?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 11, 2018:
I was puzzled by the long line of vehicles waiting to get into a nearby military base, but I didn’t hear of the attack until that evening.
But as I was working that afternoon alongside a roadway with my daughters, a police car drove by slowly. I picked up a very strong feeling of love and protection—I could feel the emotion of the policeman. He was thinking that he was ready to give his life if necessary for the protection of such as us.
Call it woo all you want. That was my personal experience and I’ll never forget it.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 11, 2018:
I was puzzled by the long line of vehicles waiting to get into a nearby military base, but I didn’t hear of the attack until that evening.
But as I was working that afternoon alongside a roadway with my daughters, a police car drove by slowly. I picked up a very strong feeling of love and protection—I could feel the emotion of the policeman. He was thinking that he was ready to give his life if necessary for the protection of such as us.
Call it woo all you want. That was my personal experience and I’ll never forget it.
What happens after a human being dies?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 11, 2018:
I think the sense of self as a body is an illusion. When we die we lose nothing. You can’t lose what you never had. The entire physical realm of our perception is an illusion, but beneath the constantly changing material world there is a higher reality. In that reality time does not exist and there are no “things”.
In Homer Hickam’s true book, “The Rocket Boys”, he tells of asking his small town preacher what happens when we die. The answer amazed and delighted me. “Can you handle the truth? As long as anyone is alive we are all alive.”
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 11, 2018:
I think the sense of self as a body is an illusion. When we die we lose nothing. You can’t lose what you never had. The entire physical realm of our perception is an illusion, but beneath the constantly changing material world there is a higher reality. In that reality time does not exist and there are no “things”.
In Homer Hickam’s true book, “The Rocket Boys”, he tells of asking his small town preacher what happens when we die. The answer amazed and delighted me. “Can you handle the truth? As long as anyone is alive we are all alive.”
Someone on Facebook asked this question: is there one God, many gods, a higher power, or only ...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 10, 2018:
I have about decided that the god concept is nothing but a metaphorical symbol for the great mysterious reality beyond our everyday matter/space/time model. “God” is not something to be believed or disbelieved, rather, the concept should prompt deep awareness, extreme awe, appreciation and gratitude for the staggering implications of existence.
Science is in a totally separate category. It’s is our workhorse for learning about our world. We should respect and use its findings while recognizing its limitations.
This is only what I myself am currently thinking. I know that most Christian Churches want you to say that you believe. They think that by believing you will somehow worm your way into heaven. How ridiculous! The fact that some people are off in a supernatural la la land does not invalidate the god concept IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 10, 2018:
I have about decided that the god concept is nothing but a metaphorical symbol for the great mysterious reality beyond our everyday matter/space/time model. “God” is not something to be believed or disbelieved, rather, the concept should prompt deep awareness, extreme awe, appreciation and gratitude for the staggering implications of existence.
Science is in a totally separate category. It’s is our workhorse for learning about our world. We should respect and use its findings while recognizing its limitations.
This is only what I myself am currently thinking. I know that most Christian Churches want you to say that you believe. They think that by believing you will somehow worm your way into heaven. How ridiculous! The fact that some people are off in a supernatural la la land does not invalidate the god concept IMO.
Where do you find meaning?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 9, 2018:
Not knowing much or anything about God and not understanding who or what I am is baffling in the extreme. My only experience is through conscious awareness and I don’t understand that one bit. Hell, I don’t understand the concept of existence—according to modern physics theories there are no things, space comes in quanta, and time doesn’t exist.
After all is said and done, the implications of the mystery of existence are staggering in the extreme and valuable beyond value.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 9, 2018:
Not knowing much or anything about God and not understanding who or what I am is baffling in the extreme. My only experience is through conscious awareness and I don’t understand that one bit. Hell, I don’t understand the concept of existence—according to modern physics theories there are no things, space comes in quanta, and time doesn’t exist.
After all is said and done, the implications of the mystery of existence are staggering in the extreme and valuable beyond value.
Correlation between success of relationships/friendships and region you're from?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 8, 2018:
The South is a huge and diverse region of over 120 million people, more than the Northeast and Midwest combined. Every conceivable personality type, every political and religious opinion is present, along with every level of education and economic achievement.
You can find whatever you are looking for in the South.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 8, 2018:
The South is a huge and diverse region of over 120 million people, more than the Northeast and Midwest combined. Every conceivable personality type, every political and religious opinion is present, along with every level of education and economic achievement.
You can find whatever you are looking for in the South.
Can science and religion be reconciled?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 8, 2018:
There is nothing to reconcile. Science and religion are in different categories. It’s like asking if art can be reconciled with mathematics.
Science deals in objective reality. It makes observations of nature and discovers mathematical equations that model those observations. Science is good at describing what is, but does not deal in the WHY. It would be futile to ask a physicist why space is granular, why time does not exist, or why matter pops in and out of existence. It just does.
Religion, metaphysics and philosophy are free to deal in the subjective reality. Religion in no way presents a credible body of logical, testable assertions. That’s not what it’s about. Religion is about awe, enlightenment, self-realization, awareness, appreciation and gratitude. It is true that some religious organizations promote a God concept, but that concept merely represents a metaphorical symbol for the overwhelming reality beyond the space/time/matter model of our senses.
It does not surprise me at all that half of all US scientists today say they believe in God, and I am not surprised that nearly all the founders of modern physics expressed deep religious sentiments.
Here’s Niels Bohr:
* I feel very much like Dirac: the idea of a personal God is foreign to me. But we ought to remember that religion uses language in quite a different way from science. The language of religion is more closely related to the language of poetry than to the language of science. True, we are inclined to think that science deals with information about objective facts, and poetry with subjective feelings. Hence we conclude that if religion does indeed deal with objective truths, it ought to adopt the same criteria of truth as science. But I myself find the division of the world into an objective and a subjective side much too arbitrary. The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And splitting this reality into an objective and a subjective side won't get us very far.
Edwin Schrodinger:
Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 8, 2018:
There is nothing to reconcile. Science and religion are in different categories. It’s like asking if art can be reconciled with mathematics.
Science deals in objective reality. It makes observations of nature and discovers mathematical equations that model those observations. Science is good at describing what is, but does not deal in the WHY. It would be futile to ask a physicist why space is granular, why time does not exist, or why matter pops in and out of existence. It just does.
Religion, metaphysics and philosophy are free to deal in the subjective reality. Religion in no way presents a credible body of logical, testable assertions. That’s not what it’s about. Religion is about awe, enlightenment, self-realization, awareness, appreciation and gratitude. It is true that some religious organizations promote a God concept, but that concept merely represents a metaphorical symbol for the overwhelming reality beyond the space/time/matter model of our senses.
It does not surprise me at all that half of all US scientists today say they believe in God, and I am not surprised that nearly all the founders of modern physics expressed deep religious sentiments.
Here’s Niels Bohr:
* I feel very much like Dirac: the idea of a personal God is foreign to me. But we ought to remember that religion uses language in quite a different way from science. The language of religion is more closely related to the language of poetry than to the language of science. True, we are inclined to think that science deals with information about objective facts, and poetry with subjective feelings. Hence we conclude that if religion does indeed deal with objective truths, it ought to adopt the same criteria of truth as science. But I myself find the division of the world into an objective and a subjective side much too arbitrary. The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And splitting this reality into an objective and a subjective side won't get us very far.
Edwin Schrodinger:
Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else.
Altruism's Surprisingly Strong Health Impact - Scientific American Blog Network
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 8, 2018:
Very interesting. I would not have guessed that the effect would be so great. I wonder why it’s that way.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 8, 2018:
Very interesting. I would not have guessed that the effect would be so great. I wonder why it’s that way.
The rise of post-truth liberalism -
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 7, 2018:
Lots of people who claim to be liberals don’t have any liberal characteristics. They tend to be snarly, condescending, arrogant, judgmental and pessimistic to the point of seeing just about every societal condition as ugly, unjust, and in need of reformation to their proper standards.
There might be a few who aren’t that way. I like Obama and Bill Clinton for example. Jimmy Carter too. Some of our most popular conservatives have been the most liberal IMO, Colin Powell e.g. The two sides are not mutually exclusive.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 7, 2018:
Lots of people who claim to be liberals don’t have any liberal characteristics. They tend to be snarly, condescending, arrogant, judgmental and pessimistic to the point of seeing just about every societal condition as ugly, unjust, and in need of reformation to their proper standards.
There might be a few who aren’t that way. I like Obama and Bill Clinton for example. Jimmy Carter too. Some of our most popular conservatives have been the most liberal IMO, Colin Powell e.g. The two sides are not mutually exclusive.
I am into the Hippocrates` maxim : Make food your medicine, and make medicine your food.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 7, 2018:
There are negative side effects to medicines. I think there is a middle way: moderation. I am fortunate in not needing medicine at this time, but if I develop an illness that calls for medication, then I won’t hesitate to use it.
I do think there’s way too much medication being done in the US in lieu of healthy lifestyles. There’s also the indisputable fact that medicine won’t keep us alive forever. At some point the best course will be to get with the program and move on.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 7, 2018:
There are negative side effects to medicines. I think there is a middle way: moderation. I am fortunate in not needing medicine at this time, but if I develop an illness that calls for medication, then I won’t hesitate to use it.
I do think there’s way too much medication being done in the US in lieu of healthy lifestyles. There’s also the indisputable fact that medicine won’t keep us alive forever. At some point the best course will be to get with the program and move on.
How many of us here have tried to get with going to church with family and being apart of that ...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 7, 2018:
One person’s brainwashing is another’s reasonable teaching. Many things taught by churches do not resonate with me, but I no longer fear being engulfed and controlled by those teachings. I personally think that we have no choice in what we believe or disbelieve at any one time. We have to follow our inner voices.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 7, 2018:
One person’s brainwashing is another’s reasonable teaching. Many things taught by churches do not resonate with me, but I no longer fear being engulfed and controlled by those teachings. I personally think that we have no choice in what we believe or disbelieve at any one time. We have to follow our inner voices.
How can we find the truth about "God"?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 7, 2018:
My opinion is that there is no answer, and that the question itself is what matters. Your probing questions indicate that you are courageous and deeply aware.
The ultimate nature of reality is a deep and overwhelming mystery IMO. The question of God is bound up with other questions, such as the nature of conscious awareness, and the question of what we are ourselves. There is also a very basic question: What is existence? It’s something that we take for granted, but according to quantum gravity field theory there are no “things”—time does not exist, and space as we view it is illusion.
I like to keep an open mind to the idea of a higher intelligence—something like a universal consciousness in which we all share. The theory of conscious realism proposed by cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman might be of interest to you.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 7, 2018:
My opinion is that there is no answer, and that the question itself is what matters. Your probing questions indicate that you are courageous and deeply aware.
The ultimate nature of reality is a deep and overwhelming mystery IMO. The question of God is bound up with other questions, such as the nature of conscious awareness, and the question of what we are ourselves. There is also a very basic question: What is existence? It’s something that we take for granted, but according to quantum gravity field theory there are no “things”—time does not exist, and space as we view it is illusion.
I like to keep an open mind to the idea of a higher intelligence—something like a universal consciousness in which we all share. The theory of conscious realism proposed by cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman might be of interest to you.
When do you feel safe to talk about your beliefs/nonbeliefs?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 6, 2018:
I say whatever I want, however, very few people are interested. I’m not actually an atheist but I am down on Christianity in general. I’m afraid I might have offended an elderly cousin with my stance, and now I wish I’d been more tactful. Too late now.
IMO, the question of God is an open case and there is no final solution. It depends on what sort of God you are talking about. In the final analysis no one really knows.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 6, 2018:
I say whatever I want, however, very few people are interested. I’m not actually an atheist but I am down on Christianity in general. I’m afraid I might have offended an elderly cousin with my stance, and now I wish I’d been more tactful. Too late now.
IMO, the question of God is an open case and there is no final solution. It depends on what sort of God you are talking about. In the final analysis no one really knows.
Those of us who favor critical thinking and arguments based on scientific evidence should avoid ...
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 4, 2018:
I agree with all of this except that I’ve never heard anyone say that Hitler, Stalin, and Mao’s atrocities were motivated by religion. Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc. were atheists but I don’t think their main motivation was atheism. In general the atheist state concept has been an abysmal failure.
I would like to add one more myth: “There is ZERO evidence for religious belief”. Evidence is all around us: The fact that the universe exists, the presence of life, consciousness and self-awareness, free will. All that is evidence for those with open minds.
Many of the most brilliant and creative people throughput history have been deeply religious, and even today, approximately half of all scientists believe in God.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 4, 2018:
I agree with all of this except that I’ve never heard anyone say that Hitler, Stalin, and Mao’s atrocities were motivated by religion. Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc. were atheists but I don’t think their main motivation was atheism. In general the atheist state concept has been an abysmal failure.
I would like to add one more myth: “There is ZERO evidence for religious belief”. Evidence is all around us: The fact that the universe exists, the presence of life, consciousness and self-awareness, free will. All that is evidence for those with open minds.
Many of the most brilliant and creative people throughput history have been deeply religious, and even today, approximately half of all scientists believe in God.
Religions: More harm then good?
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 3, 2018:
The interchanging of the words “faith” and “religion” does not seem right to me because not all religious groups require faith or belief. Besides, there are large numbers of people who are not associated with any religious group but who practice their own private forms of religion. It is entirely possible to have deep religious sentiments without making unfounded claims.
So far as living in a fantasy world, anyone who believes in a materialist/reductionist model of reality and who thinks that science has answers to the profound enigmas of reality is living in a fantasy world IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 3, 2018:
The interchanging of the words “faith” and “religion” does not seem right to me because not all religious groups require faith or belief. Besides, there are large numbers of people who are not associated with any religious group but who practice their own private forms of religion. It is entirely possible to have deep religious sentiments without making unfounded claims.
So far as living in a fantasy world, anyone who believes in a materialist/reductionist model of reality and who thinks that science has answers to the profound enigmas of reality is living in a fantasy world IMO.
Religion in the south
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 1, 2018:
I’m not sure there’s all that much difference in the South and other regions. I’ve seen a Pew report that shows only a percent or so difference between the South and the Midwest in the area of religious behaviors, and the other regions are only incrementally less religious.
My personal experience does not bear out the “South as Bible Belt” narrative. Could be just me, or the area I live in. I’m sure there are many places where going to church is almost mandatory for social acceptance, but those places are not just in the South IMO. Maybe it has to do with cultural isolation rather than region.
In any event, it slightly bothers me to see the perpetuation of negative stereotypes.
WilliamFleming comments on Sep 1, 2018:
I’m not sure there’s all that much difference in the South and other regions. I’ve seen a Pew report that shows only a percent or so difference between the South and the Midwest in the area of religious behaviors, and the other regions are only incrementally less religious.
My personal experience does not bear out the “South as Bible Belt” narrative. Could be just me, or the area I live in. I’m sure there are many places where going to church is almost mandatory for social acceptance, but those places are not just in the South IMO. Maybe it has to do with cultural isolation rather than region.
In any event, it slightly bothers me to see the perpetuation of negative stereotypes.
Why Do People Believe in God? | Psychology Today
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
Maybe people in ancient times loved stories. Someone made up a good, entertaining story with supernatural gods and goddesses, and others continued the story over the years and added to it. Children hearing the stories would tend to take them as truth, so myths would be built up.
Even today some of the old stories make great entertainment, and we also have our modern stories with godlike characters, Superman for example.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
Maybe people in ancient times loved stories. Someone made up a good, entertaining story with supernatural gods and goddesses, and others continued the story over the years and added to it. Children hearing the stories would tend to take them as truth, so myths would be built up.
Even today some of the old stories make great entertainment, and we also have our modern stories with godlike characters, Superman for example.
What is it that makes religion so attractive to many people?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
There must be survival value to the religious impulse, and to organized religious groups also, otherwise they’d have died out long ago, or never started.
So far as the religious impulse, I think that awareness, appreciation, and reverence for the great miracle of existence lends the keenest of motivation to survive and live well.
Organized, tightly bound groups are more likely to survive in difficult times than isolated individuals. It probably doesn’t even matter what they claim to believe—it’s just the structure that gives security.
It all has purpose, or had purpose, and there’s nothing to be gained through harsh condemnation or a judgmental attitude toward human history.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
There must be survival value to the religious impulse, and to organized religious groups also, otherwise they’d have died out long ago, or never started.
So far as the religious impulse, I think that awareness, appreciation, and reverence for the great miracle of existence lends the keenest of motivation to survive and live well.
Organized, tightly bound groups are more likely to survive in difficult times than isolated individuals. It probably doesn’t even matter what they claim to believe—it’s just the structure that gives security.
It all has purpose, or had purpose, and there’s nothing to be gained through harsh condemnation or a judgmental attitude toward human history.
Lawsuit: Oregon construction worker fired for refusing to attend Bible study | OregonLive.com
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
I worked in a factory once where there were weekly religious services conducted by a variety of Protestant ministers. Most of us were very happy to be sitting down for a half hour while getting paid, but there was an exchange student from Iraq who was Muslim, and he didn’t want to attend. The company allowed him to do special work during those times, and he did that work proudly. To have fired the guy would have seemed very “unchristian”.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
I worked in a factory once where there were weekly religious services conducted by a variety of Protestant ministers. Most of us were very happy to be sitting down for a half hour while getting paid, but there was an exchange student from Iraq who was Muslim, and he didn’t want to attend. The company allowed him to do special work during those times, and he did that work proudly. To have fired the guy would have seemed very “unchristian”.
How did religion affect you personally?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
My childhood experience as a Baptist was by no means all bad. We had a variety of ministers, some of whom were very loving and inspirational. Even though I disagree with Christian doctrine, just to be exposed to the ideas on a regular basis aroused in me a sense of wonder and awe and stimulated rational analysis. Another good influence was instruction on how to behave, with love toward all being the main focus.
If I am going to wallow in something I prefer it to be the positive.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
My childhood experience as a Baptist was by no means all bad. We had a variety of ministers, some of whom were very loving and inspirational. Even though I disagree with Christian doctrine, just to be exposed to the ideas on a regular basis aroused in me a sense of wonder and awe and stimulated rational analysis. Another good influence was instruction on how to behave, with love toward all being the main focus.
If I am going to wallow in something I prefer it to be the positive.
I've seen the word "plausible" thrown around quite a bit here in regards to spiritual/religious ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
If something is plausible it SEEMS reasonable or likely. What seems likely to some people might not seem so to others. There is at least some evidence for nearly every idea, and it is perfectly legitimate to discuss those ideas whether or not they are accepted by the scientific establishment.
I don’t know why you link spirituality and the “supernatural”. To be spiritual is to be sensitive, aware, and appreciative of the grand mystery of existence. “Supernatural” is just a word used by some to label phenomena outside the realm of rational understanding. Nothing is supernatural, just not understood. Conversely you could say that everything is supernatural since nothing is truly understood on a deep basis.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 31, 2018:
If something is plausible it SEEMS reasonable or likely. What seems likely to some people might not seem so to others. There is at least some evidence for nearly every idea, and it is perfectly legitimate to discuss those ideas whether or not they are accepted by the scientific establishment.
I don’t know why you link spirituality and the “supernatural”. To be spiritual is to be sensitive, aware, and appreciative of the grand mystery of existence. “Supernatural” is just a word used by some to label phenomena outside the realm of rational understanding. Nothing is supernatural, just not understood. Conversely you could say that everything is supernatural since nothing is truly understood on a deep basis.
Your thoughts on pubic hair fashions?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Post us a picture.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Post us a picture.
Rebellion..
Share an instance in which you defied your parent(s) rule.
Was it worth it?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
My parents didn’t have formal rules. They assumed that we would behave in a reasonable, socially acceptable way, and we did.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
My parents didn’t have formal rules. They assumed that we would behave in a reasonable, socially acceptable way, and we did.
Robot Rights
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
I don’t think it’s possible for consciousness to be created. No one truly understands what consciousness is. How could you write a program and create something when you don’t know what it is you are to create?
There is a slightly plausible other way, which I present in my book, “The Staggering Implications of the Mystery of Existence”, available in the Kindle store, however the book contains woo and is unfit reading for proper atheists. :-(
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
I don’t think it’s possible for consciousness to be created. No one truly understands what consciousness is. How could you write a program and create something when you don’t know what it is you are to create?
There is a slightly plausible other way, which I present in my book, “The Staggering Implications of the Mystery of Existence”, available in the Kindle store, however the book contains woo and is unfit reading for proper atheists. :-(
For believers, fear of atheists is fueled by fear of death
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
This has nothing to do with the god question. Psychoanalyzing your opponent is not a valid way of debating.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
This has nothing to do with the god question. Psychoanalyzing your opponent is not a valid way of debating.
PragerFU: Do We Have Free Will? - misterdeity
[youtube.com]
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
I am put on alert when people assert that there is NO evidence for this or that idea. There is nearly always some evidence. That evidence might be slim and unconvincing, but it is evidence nevertheless. IMO it would be more accurate to say that the evidence is not conclusive.
I’ll readily admit that there is evidence for materialism—I myself went through a materialist phase as a teenager. But as an explanation for reality materialism is severely lacking. Read about modern physics and you’ll learn that reality consists of quantum fields and that the concept of particles of matter as “things” is nothing but illusion.
Finally, the speaker misses the point when he criticizes the idea of consciousness being outside the body. There are different levels of consciousness. If you are dead set on the idea that consciousness is a bodily trait, and that bodies are nothing but assemblages of matter, then the idea of universal consciousness makes no sense of course.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
I am put on alert when people assert that there is NO evidence for this or that idea. There is nearly always some evidence. That evidence might be slim and unconvincing, but it is evidence nevertheless. IMO it would be more accurate to say that the evidence is not conclusive.
I’ll readily admit that there is evidence for materialism—I myself went through a materialist phase as a teenager. But as an explanation for reality materialism is severely lacking. Read about modern physics and you’ll learn that reality consists of quantum fields and that the concept of particles of matter as “things” is nothing but illusion.
Finally, the speaker misses the point when he criticizes the idea of consciousness being outside the body. There are different levels of consciousness. If you are dead set on the idea that consciousness is a bodily trait, and that bodies are nothing but assemblages of matter, then the idea of universal consciousness makes no sense of course.
Spent part of my day visiting a Baha'i temple.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
I recently attended a Greek Orthodox fund raiser and I was favorably impressed with the people I met as well as with their cultural traditions as presented.
I think religious proselytizing is most prominent among Protestant groups. I used to be very defensive about being confronted, but now I think that was only because I was insecure in my path. People promote all sorts of political, social, and religious causes, and if we have an emotional reaction it is only because of our own untrue thoughts IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 30, 2018:
I recently attended a Greek Orthodox fund raiser and I was favorably impressed with the people I met as well as with their cultural traditions as presented.
I think religious proselytizing is most prominent among Protestant groups. I used to be very defensive about being confronted, but now I think that was only because I was insecure in my path. People promote all sorts of political, social, and religious causes, and if we have an emotional reaction it is only because of our own untrue thoughts IMO.
The introspection illusion.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
I sometimes wonder if our bodies are not vast, extensive hierarchical systems. For convenience we think of ourselves as units. We think of ourselves as single things, but perhaps we are not all that unified. If we really are a hierarchical system, then it makes sense that our introspections would be unreliable. If we don’t even know what our selves are, how can we be expected to know anything accurately.
The commander of an army unit has only general control. He does not know all the details of what is happening at lower levels. It is not a perfect analogy, but if we are the commanders of our bodies, and we self-identify as our bodies, all our pronouncements will be suspect. Ask Gen. Clark the opinion of the 25th Inf. Div. on some social issue, and he’ll be mystified. It’s not his job to think about such things. All he can do is order his aides to have a survey done. (Introspection). The survey result will be a jumble of uncertainty. Should the unit opinion be based on a simple majority or should higher ranking count for more? Gen. Clark might assign a staff member the job of interpreting the survey results, but it would probably be enlisted men doing the actual analysis. Finally, not caring much about the issue one way or the other, Gen. Clark might announce, “The opinion of the 25th is ...”
No analogy is perfect. I am responsible for this remark but my Staff Sergeant wrote it up. There’s a good chance we are wrong.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
I sometimes wonder if our bodies are not vast, extensive hierarchical systems. For convenience we think of ourselves as units. We think of ourselves as single things, but perhaps we are not all that unified. If we really are a hierarchical system, then it makes sense that our introspections would be unreliable. If we don’t even know what our selves are, how can we be expected to know anything accurately.
The commander of an army unit has only general control. He does not know all the details of what is happening at lower levels. It is not a perfect analogy, but if we are the commanders of our bodies, and we self-identify as our bodies, all our pronouncements will be suspect. Ask Gen. Clark the opinion of the 25th Inf. Div. on some social issue, and he’ll be mystified. It’s not his job to think about such things. All he can do is order his aides to have a survey done. (Introspection). The survey result will be a jumble of uncertainty. Should the unit opinion be based on a simple majority or should higher ranking count for more? Gen. Clark might assign a staff member the job of interpreting the survey results, but it would probably be enlisted men doing the actual analysis. Finally, not caring much about the issue one way or the other, Gen. Clark might announce, “The opinion of the 25th is ...”
No analogy is perfect. I am responsible for this remark but my Staff Sergeant wrote it up. There’s a good chance we are wrong.
I'm currently reading Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas, and a fascinating question pops up ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
It depends on what it is you want to change. Things that are outmoded and no longer work generally rot away on their own and can be easily cleared out with few objections.
Some people can see nothing but ugliness in the world and they are constantly calling for social changes. I think it is important not to become so focused on specific goals that you ignore the total picture. For example, some are calling for an end to “capitalism”. There are costs associated with every change, and unless those costs are fully understood it might be better to keep the status quo.
But if you have a brilliant new idea for something that will benefit humanity, then go for it—legally of course.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
It depends on what it is you want to change. Things that are outmoded and no longer work generally rot away on their own and can be easily cleared out with few objections.
Some people can see nothing but ugliness in the world and they are constantly calling for social changes. I think it is important not to become so focused on specific goals that you ignore the total picture. For example, some are calling for an end to “capitalism”. There are costs associated with every change, and unless those costs are fully understood it might be better to keep the status quo.
But if you have a brilliant new idea for something that will benefit humanity, then go for it—legally of course.
Which do you think is more important ?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
My parents have died and I am now left an orphan. I remember them with pleasure, and I value the sacrifices they made on my behalf. They were just people—I honor them as I honor everyone.
I’ll never fully understand them. I don’t even understand myself. I can see how their experiences might have caused their personal characteristics.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
My parents have died and I am now left an orphan. I remember them with pleasure, and I value the sacrifices they made on my behalf. They were just people—I honor them as I honor everyone.
I’ll never fully understand them. I don’t even understand myself. I can see how their experiences might have caused their personal characteristics.
If you know, How do you know god doesn’t exist ?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
It’s not a question of knowing. When it comes down to brass tacks no one knows anything except superficially. I dabble with the idea of universal consciousness, which could be given the god label I suppose, but I’d never claim that as sure knowledge. Reality is dazzling, overpowering, and staggeringly awesome. Arguing over semantics is trite, boring, and useless.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
It’s not a question of knowing. When it comes down to brass tacks no one knows anything except superficially. I dabble with the idea of universal consciousness, which could be given the god label I suppose, but I’d never claim that as sure knowledge. Reality is dazzling, overpowering, and staggeringly awesome. Arguing over semantics is trite, boring, and useless.
Troubles because of freethinking and views expression?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
I was at a lunch party, and I gave my views on religion. I am not actually an atheist, however, one person said I was a cultist and would go to hell. Others leapt to my defense. I think a few people are not as friendly as before, but that’s okay.
The friends I value most are ones who like me the way I am. Some of those BTW are avid church people.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
I was at a lunch party, and I gave my views on religion. I am not actually an atheist, however, one person said I was a cultist and would go to hell. Others leapt to my defense. I think a few people are not as friendly as before, but that’s okay.
The friends I value most are ones who like me the way I am. Some of those BTW are avid church people.
At the age of 33, I am trying to come to grips with the possibility that I may be alone for the rest...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
I understand shyness very well. My solution was to find a few structured social settings and attend regularly as a duty to myself. With a few good acquaintances or friends you’ll be more self-confident, and a rejection won’t hurt much.
I just quit trying to find a special relationship. When that was no longer my main goal in life I was more relaxed, and I began meeting some extremely fine female specimens who were fun in every way.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
I understand shyness very well. My solution was to find a few structured social settings and attend regularly as a duty to myself. With a few good acquaintances or friends you’ll be more self-confident, and a rejection won’t hurt much.
I just quit trying to find a special relationship. When that was no longer my main goal in life I was more relaxed, and I began meeting some extremely fine female specimens who were fun in every way.
How long should you go without sex before giving up?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
Go ahead and give up. Just say the hell with it. When women sense that you aren’t needy they’ll come running up in droves, wanting to drop their drawers. You’ll have an entirely different category of problem.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 29, 2018:
Go ahead and give up. Just say the hell with it. When women sense that you aren’t needy they’ll come running up in droves, wanting to drop their drawers. You’ll have an entirely different category of problem.
Once emotion is involved in cognition (and emotionless cognition is quite rare), our mental system ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 27, 2018:
Maybe we are that way for good reasons. The subconscious mind is a much better calculator than we often think.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 27, 2018:
Maybe we are that way for good reasons. The subconscious mind is a much better calculator than we often think.
If you want to save the world, veganism isn’t the answer | Isabella Tree | Opinion | The Guardian
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 27, 2018:
The article raises a good point. Most land is unsuitable for row-crops due to steepness, soil composition, poor drainage, or non-availability of water, but that land can be utilized for livestock.
The world has to eat—we need to keep our options open. A middle way would be to just eat LESS meat, or eat mostly grass fed beef. Nevertheless I plan to continue enjoying a juicy ribeye steak once or twice a year.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 27, 2018:
The article raises a good point. Most land is unsuitable for row-crops due to steepness, soil composition, poor drainage, or non-availability of water, but that land can be utilized for livestock.
The world has to eat—we need to keep our options open. A middle way would be to just eat LESS meat, or eat mostly grass fed beef. Nevertheless I plan to continue enjoying a juicy ribeye steak once or twice a year.
It is amazing how few people acknowledge the fact that religion has muzzled women all over the world...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 26, 2018:
I’m not sure it’s correct to blame the suppression of women on religion.There are some religions that do not muzzle women. For examples look to new thought churches.
Middle East society once consisted of warring desert tribes where men were dominant. Any religion springing from that region will naturally reflect its social mores, but religion did not cause those social mores.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 26, 2018:
I’m not sure it’s correct to blame the suppression of women on religion.There are some religions that do not muzzle women. For examples look to new thought churches.
Middle East society once consisted of warring desert tribes where men were dominant. Any religion springing from that region will naturally reflect its social mores, but religion did not cause those social mores.
Is there such a thing as "cultural identity"?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 24, 2018:
There’s an interesting Wikipedia article that ties in with this subject.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_people
What I get from all this is that yes, there is such a thing as cultural identity, but it is fluid, subjective, and exists only in a relative sense.
For example, The French speakers in Quebec consider themselves to be ethnic French, and many of them strive to maintain their separate identity. Yet it seems that most people in France consider France to be a nation, not an ethnicity. After all, there are various languages that are spoken in France. So you had people of various ethnicities coming to the New World, and they CREATED a new ethnicity—that of Frenchness.
IMO it is not rational to glorify ones ethnic identity because ethnicity is an artificial construct. Struggling to preserve the cultural traits of your ancestors is a losing battle. When people are seen as “others”, and are attacked and persecuted, they tend to circle the wagons, and out of necessity they forge a common identity. Left alone, we become just people.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 24, 2018:
There’s an interesting Wikipedia article that ties in with this subject.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_people
What I get from all this is that yes, there is such a thing as cultural identity, but it is fluid, subjective, and exists only in a relative sense.
For example, The French speakers in Quebec consider themselves to be ethnic French, and many of them strive to maintain their separate identity. Yet it seems that most people in France consider France to be a nation, not an ethnicity. After all, there are various languages that are spoken in France. So you had people of various ethnicities coming to the New World, and they CREATED a new ethnicity—that of Frenchness.
IMO it is not rational to glorify ones ethnic identity because ethnicity is an artificial construct. Struggling to preserve the cultural traits of your ancestors is a losing battle. When people are seen as “others”, and are attacked and persecuted, they tend to circle the wagons, and out of necessity they forge a common identity. Left alone, we become just people.
"It's not what I say, it's what the Bible says."
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 23, 2018:
The Bible is just a book, useful only for whatever meaning you can glean from it. I prefer the holy scriptures of India because, unlike the Bible, they actually address the deep questions of existence.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 23, 2018:
The Bible is just a book, useful only for whatever meaning you can glean from it. I prefer the holy scriptures of India because, unlike the Bible, they actually address the deep questions of existence.
Creationists and conspiracy theorists share the same cognitive error, study finds | MNN - Mother ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 23, 2018:
Noses were not created as a place to hang spectacles, but they do point downward to keep rain out. Things are as they are for reasons. Things do happen for reasons, probably not because of divine decree however.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 23, 2018:
Noses were not created as a place to hang spectacles, but they do point downward to keep rain out. Things are as they are for reasons. Things do happen for reasons, probably not because of divine decree however.
Is it healthy/better in a relationship to share our respective shadows and triggers from our past ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 23, 2018:
If it’s something that’s going to keep coming up you almost have reveal and discuss it. No way am i going to tell all the sordid details of when I was a horny little coward. That’s water under the bridge and it would serve no purpose to talk about it.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 23, 2018:
If it’s something that’s going to keep coming up you almost have reveal and discuss it. No way am i going to tell all the sordid details of when I was a horny little coward. That’s water under the bridge and it would serve no purpose to talk about it.
Humanism is about understanding the facts and reality of who we are and also exploring the wondrous ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 23, 2018:
As an avid primatist I deeply resent the human-supremacy implications of humanism.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 23, 2018:
As an avid primatist I deeply resent the human-supremacy implications of humanism.
Is there such a thing as "cultural theft"?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 22, 2018:
As an ethnic Cracker, I am outraged when I hear Northerners saying “y’all”. That’s our word.
Just kidding.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 22, 2018:
As an ethnic Cracker, I am outraged when I hear Northerners saying “y’all”. That’s our word.
Just kidding.
OK, you have lived your whole life as an atheist, and now, you are on your deathbed, moments away...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 21, 2018:
In the scheme of things it makes not one whit of difference whether a person says he’s an atheist or whether he says he “believes”. Neither person has the slightest idea of the nature of the proposed god. It’s nothing but a word. Both sides are in the exact same boat IMO.
Forgiveness happens when you realize that your earlier judgement of someone was mistaken. It is a lowly human concept. The proposed God would have no need for forgiveness. There is no such thing as a sin against God. The very idea is ridiculous.
Upon death I think that the self will go out like a light, never to be again. That self was just an illusion. Consciousness will continue—it has to, but it won’t be a private consciousness. Just my opinion.
So the answer is no.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 21, 2018:
In the scheme of things it makes not one whit of difference whether a person says he’s an atheist or whether he says he “believes”. Neither person has the slightest idea of the nature of the proposed god. It’s nothing but a word. Both sides are in the exact same boat IMO.
Forgiveness happens when you realize that your earlier judgement of someone was mistaken. It is a lowly human concept. The proposed God would have no need for forgiveness. There is no such thing as a sin against God. The very idea is ridiculous.
Upon death I think that the self will go out like a light, never to be again. That self was just an illusion. Consciousness will continue—it has to, but it won’t be a private consciousness. Just my opinion.
So the answer is no.
Personal stories harm caused by religion.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 21, 2018:
Better to dwell on the good things from the past. If any harm was caused, I was complicit, and I take responsibility. Either way, the past is gone—the present moment is beautiful and miraculous.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 21, 2018:
Better to dwell on the good things from the past. If any harm was caused, I was complicit, and I take responsibility. Either way, the past is gone—the present moment is beautiful and miraculous.
Have you ever thought yourself into a bad mood?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I try to be on the alert for such thoughts and immediately change course.
For example, instead of trying to think of ways that I was harmed by religion, I think of ways that I was helped by religion, or I think nothing at all.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 21, 2018:
I try to be on the alert for such thoughts and immediately change course.
For example, instead of trying to think of ways that I was harmed by religion, I think of ways that I was helped by religion, or I think nothing at all.
How do you address people that are acquaintances but you don't know their name?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 20, 2018:
Ma’am, Sir.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 20, 2018:
Ma’am, Sir.
Why do people believe in reincarnation?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 20, 2018:
Who cares about belief? Why does it matter? Couldn’t it be that some people have looked at the evidence and decided that there might be something to reincarnation? Carl Sagan apparently did.
Unless you are a psychiatrist it is better not to psychoanalyze people. If you want to argue against reincarnation present evidence.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 20, 2018:
Who cares about belief? Why does it matter? Couldn’t it be that some people have looked at the evidence and decided that there might be something to reincarnation? Carl Sagan apparently did.
Unless you are a psychiatrist it is better not to psychoanalyze people. If you want to argue against reincarnation present evidence.
I was talking to a man at work who had questions about my atheism.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 19, 2018:
Don’t stop with the one example. What about the holocaust? Remember the Indonesian tsunami, cancer, traffic deaths, etc., etc. etc. Things stuck together out of particles of matter are simply going to disintegrate. We are changing and disintegrating as we speak. Things are as they are, and they are that way for reasons.
The wish for a divine Father, one who holds things together and grants our wishes—that was a foolish idea from the get-go. An alternative is to look at the world in a non-judgemental way—see it as neither good nor bad.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 19, 2018:
Don’t stop with the one example. What about the holocaust? Remember the Indonesian tsunami, cancer, traffic deaths, etc., etc. etc. Things stuck together out of particles of matter are simply going to disintegrate. We are changing and disintegrating as we speak. Things are as they are, and they are that way for reasons.
The wish for a divine Father, one who holds things together and grants our wishes—that was a foolish idea from the get-go. An alternative is to look at the world in a non-judgemental way—see it as neither good nor bad.
The Enlightenment and the origins of racism
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 18, 2018:
It’s an interesting article but I don’t see how grappling with history is going to help us in the present.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 18, 2018:
It’s an interesting article but I don’t see how grappling with history is going to help us in the present.
How can I have free will, by todays deffinition, if my behavior is so predictable it is written in a...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 18, 2018:
We have to define what we mean by free will. A computer like Deep Blue has free will of sorts, or appears to anyway. Although it’s moves are determined by factors outside itself, there are so many possible chess moves that the moves can often not be predicted.
But I don’t think that’s what we mean by free will. A necessary component to free will IMO is conscious awareness. You have to know you exist and you have to deliberately coax your body into a particular action for it to be free will.
Our bodies are not monolithic units—they are hierarchical systems, robotic in nature. These systems are set up to operate and survive for a long time without conscious oversight. They run on instinct, learning, or often on random chance. We generally don’t even know what our bodies are going to do. Most of our functionality is on a subconscious level.
Suppose you want your body to do something—say raise its arm to demonstrate free will. Your higher self has to communicate its wish to the body, and from there the body takes over. If the body is well trained it will raise its arm, but you will have nothing to do with the details of that action and you won’t even know exactly when the arm-raising will take place.
So yes, “WE” have free will but our bodies do not.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 18, 2018:
We have to define what we mean by free will. A computer like Deep Blue has free will of sorts, or appears to anyway. Although it’s moves are determined by factors outside itself, there are so many possible chess moves that the moves can often not be predicted.
But I don’t think that’s what we mean by free will. A necessary component to free will IMO is conscious awareness. You have to know you exist and you have to deliberately coax your body into a particular action for it to be free will.
Our bodies are not monolithic units—they are hierarchical systems, robotic in nature. These systems are set up to operate and survive for a long time without conscious oversight. They run on instinct, learning, or often on random chance. We generally don’t even know what our bodies are going to do. Most of our functionality is on a subconscious level.
Suppose you want your body to do something—say raise its arm to demonstrate free will. Your higher self has to communicate its wish to the body, and from there the body takes over. If the body is well trained it will raise its arm, but you will have nothing to do with the details of that action and you won’t even know exactly when the arm-raising will take place.
So yes, “WE” have free will but our bodies do not.
If you could design a perfect world for everyone, would coping mechanisms be part of your design?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 17, 2018:
A perfect world has already been designed and the coping mechanism is in place already. That mechanism involves looking directly at reality and throwing away the blinders of untrue negative judgments.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 17, 2018:
A perfect world has already been designed and the coping mechanism is in place already. That mechanism involves looking directly at reality and throwing away the blinders of untrue negative judgments.
Jeff Sessions Argues That American Christians Are Facing Persecution - The Intellectualist
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 17, 2018:
I just watched the video. I didn’t hear Sessions say anything radical or out of line, and I didn’t hear him say that Christians are being persecuted. All he said was that religious people in general are having to weather secular influences in government and in society.
It is true.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 17, 2018:
I just watched the video. I didn’t hear Sessions say anything radical or out of line, and I didn’t hear him say that Christians are being persecuted. All he said was that religious people in general are having to weather secular influences in government and in society.
It is true.
Would the World Be Better Off Without Religion? A Skeptic’s Guide to the Debate - CSI
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 17, 2018:
The few criminals or trouble-makers that I know are not church people. I think that churches serve a definite purpose for the populace. Not everyone has it in them to break away from their childhood religious training. They are following the paths that work for them, and they are worthy of full respect IMO.
A blanket condemnation of all religion seems irrational to me. The fact that many churches present silly, false teachings does not invalidate the human religious impulse, nor do such teachings have any bearing on the deeper questions of reality, such as whether or not there is a higher intelligence.
Moving beyond church dogma should not be the end of religious sentiment—rather it can be the beginning of a joyous life of wonderment, of probing questions, of awareness, appreciation and gratitude.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 17, 2018:
The few criminals or trouble-makers that I know are not church people. I think that churches serve a definite purpose for the populace. Not everyone has it in them to break away from their childhood religious training. They are following the paths that work for them, and they are worthy of full respect IMO.
A blanket condemnation of all religion seems irrational to me. The fact that many churches present silly, false teachings does not invalidate the human religious impulse, nor do such teachings have any bearing on the deeper questions of reality, such as whether or not there is a higher intelligence.
Moving beyond church dogma should not be the end of religious sentiment—rather it can be the beginning of a joyous life of wonderment, of probing questions, of awareness, appreciation and gratitude.
Evolution timeframes get a rethink after scientists take a closer look at Earth's first animals
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 16, 2018:
Just as I’ve been saying all along. Ha ha. I get double points :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 16, 2018:
Just as I’ve been saying all along. Ha ha. I get double points :-)
18 Minutes That Explain The Problem WIth Religious Freedom
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 16, 2018:
He’s a smart and likable guy but off base in his thinking IMO. A human body is not worth much. We are not our bodies. Millions of new human bodies are manufactured every month—potentially there could be billions—way more than are needed or can be accommodated. The only thing of value is conscious awareness, which we share in common, and which is immortal by default IMO. Deeply religious people know that and do not cling to the corporeal. If he is so opposed to abortion he should not perform abortions, or participate in activities that might necessitate abortions. What others do is none of his business.
BTW, I only made it through about five minutes of the video. It’s boring.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 16, 2018:
He’s a smart and likable guy but off base in his thinking IMO. A human body is not worth much. We are not our bodies. Millions of new human bodies are manufactured every month—potentially there could be billions—way more than are needed or can be accommodated. The only thing of value is conscious awareness, which we share in common, and which is immortal by default IMO. Deeply religious people know that and do not cling to the corporeal. If he is so opposed to abortion he should not perform abortions, or participate in activities that might necessitate abortions. What others do is none of his business.
BTW, I only made it through about five minutes of the video. It’s boring.
Bill Gates Thinks A Coming Disease Could Kill 30 Million People Within 6 Months | IFLScience
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 16, 2018:
Invest in the funeral industry.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 16, 2018:
Invest in the funeral industry.
Csn we justify purchasing cheap SE Asisn goods and so re-enforce the sweat shop culture that was ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
Whenever there is trade, both parties benefit. China has a surplus of labor to offer the world and everyone benefits from that labor. If the workers in China become unhappy they’ll quit. Remember that their cost of living is based on their own local economy. What might seem like a pittance to us might work well for them.
Most of the goods I’ve seen from China are inexpensive by some standards but they are not cheaply made. Much of it is top quality.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
Whenever there is trade, both parties benefit. China has a surplus of labor to offer the world and everyone benefits from that labor. If the workers in China become unhappy they’ll quit. Remember that their cost of living is based on their own local economy. What might seem like a pittance to us might work well for them.
Most of the goods I’ve seen from China are inexpensive by some standards but they are not cheaply made. Much of it is top quality.
Another Sphinx!
Here's interesting [independent.co.uk]
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
Very interesting! Thanks for posting.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
Very interesting! Thanks for posting.
Is "loss aversion" a Fallacy ? - Scientific American
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
From the article:
“In sum, our critical review of loss aversion highlights that, even in contemporary times, wrong ideas can persist for a long time despite contrary evidence, and therefore, that there is a need to critically assess accepted beliefs and to be wary of institutional consensus in science and otherwise.”
Maybe we should doubt science in general, not just the social sciences. A lot of what is presented in the name of science is nothing but politics.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
From the article:
“In sum, our critical review of loss aversion highlights that, even in contemporary times, wrong ideas can persist for a long time despite contrary evidence, and therefore, that there is a need to critically assess accepted beliefs and to be wary of institutional consensus in science and otherwise.”
Maybe we should doubt science in general, not just the social sciences. A lot of what is presented in the name of science is nothing but politics.
Was Thomas Hobbes an Atheist?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
He didn’t want to be called an atheist, yet he believed that reality consists only of “matter in motion”. What that means IMO is that he believed in a God made of matter, and that heaven is a physical place.
It’s not a very astute philosophy IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
He didn’t want to be called an atheist, yet he believed that reality consists only of “matter in motion”. What that means IMO is that he believed in a God made of matter, and that heaven is a physical place.
It’s not a very astute philosophy IMO.
Have you lived enough of a life to write a book about?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
If I wrote about myself it’d be a humorous mishmash of impressions and memories, all out of order.
I doubt anyone would be interested in a complete factual autobiography.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
If I wrote about myself it’d be a humorous mishmash of impressions and memories, all out of order.
I doubt anyone would be interested in a complete factual autobiography.
Questions About the Nature of Belief | Memoirs of a Born-Again Atheist
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
I stopped reading—too much condescension—too many shallow, prying questions. Aside from the fact that the deep questions about reality can not be proven, belief is not an important concern anyway. No one knows the answers or even understands the questions.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
I stopped reading—too much condescension—too many shallow, prying questions. Aside from the fact that the deep questions about reality can not be proven, belief is not an important concern anyway. No one knows the answers or even understands the questions.
Atheist Business Owner in The Bible Belt
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
I am not thoroughly convinced that there’s such a thing as a Bible Belt.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
I am not thoroughly convinced that there’s such a thing as a Bible Belt.
Thoughts on why so many single men mention their porn habits on dating sites and/or this one?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
At least they are honest, open, and not ashamed of their sexuality. Ya could do worse.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
At least they are honest, open, and not ashamed of their sexuality. Ya could do worse.
What is your favorite breakfast cereal?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
Freshly ground feed wheat from the farmer’s cooperative. It’s very tasty and costs next to nothing.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
Freshly ground feed wheat from the farmer’s cooperative. It’s very tasty and costs next to nothing.
Is empathy the root of human morality ?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
The deeply felt morality that you speak of might have social value within a particular group, but in some circumstances that kind of morality might be a handicap. If there is war a person might have to put aside his moral sentiments. Maybe it’s a valuable thing to be able to see morality as purely subjective and relative rather than as ones sacred identity. The alternative might lead to insanity, or to defeat.
A soldier can still empathize with the enemy, but he needs the ability to perform his duty without emotional baggage.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 12, 2018:
The deeply felt morality that you speak of might have social value within a particular group, but in some circumstances that kind of morality might be a handicap. If there is war a person might have to put aside his moral sentiments. Maybe it’s a valuable thing to be able to see morality as purely subjective and relative rather than as ones sacred identity. The alternative might lead to insanity, or to defeat.
A soldier can still empathize with the enemy, but he needs the ability to perform his duty without emotional baggage.
How Women's ‘Health-Care Gaslighting’ Went Mainstream - The Atlantic
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 11, 2018:
As an alternative perspective there’s this:
https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/96jun/cancer/kadar.htm
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 11, 2018:
As an alternative perspective there’s this:
https://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/96jun/cancer/kadar.htm
What is something that is absolutely worth the money? (I say, TP, never buy the cheap stuff)
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 11, 2018:
Different people have different values I guess. Newspaper makes great TP if you crumple it thoroughly. Trouble is it’s not flushable but for an outhouse it is the Cadillac of TP, much superior to corn cobs.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 11, 2018:
Different people have different values I guess. Newspaper makes great TP if you crumple it thoroughly. Trouble is it’s not flushable but for an outhouse it is the Cadillac of TP, much superior to corn cobs.
Can you survive?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 11, 2018:
This discussion reminds me of two excellent books from long age: “Alas Babylon” and “Malevel”. For me it is an interesting psychological question as to why we like to speculate about such a thing, and why we enjoy reading apocalyptic novels. I even wrote an apocalyptic novel. It’s almost as though we WANT to see the end of civilization.
Of course in our minds, we are the ones who will survive and prove our strength and prowess. In an actual apocalypse we’d most likely die.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 11, 2018:
This discussion reminds me of two excellent books from long age: “Alas Babylon” and “Malevel”. For me it is an interesting psychological question as to why we like to speculate about such a thing, and why we enjoy reading apocalyptic novels. I even wrote an apocalyptic novel. It’s almost as though we WANT to see the end of civilization.
Of course in our minds, we are the ones who will survive and prove our strength and prowess. In an actual apocalypse we’d most likely die.
Can you survive?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 10, 2018:
I doubt I’d live very long, but some younger people would. The question is for how long, and if they could raise families.
I live on a small farm, but my gardening relies on fuel and machinery. Let’s hope nothing like that ever happens.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 10, 2018:
I doubt I’d live very long, but some younger people would. The question is for how long, and if they could raise families.
I live on a small farm, but my gardening relies on fuel and machinery. Let’s hope nothing like that ever happens.
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