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Was becoming atheist difficult?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Breaking away from childhood religious training is a very admirable thing, requiring intelligence, awareness, and courage.
The fact that many Christian Churches set forth a set of ridiculous and unbelievable lies and invoke fear and guilt to make you believe those lies—that in no way is proof one way or the other of the God question. There are some very deep and overwhelming mysteries concerning existence and the nature of reality.
In the face of these staggering mysteries, my response is total bewilderment. I do not presume to label myself.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 10, 2018:
Breaking away from childhood religious training is a very admirable thing, requiring intelligence, awareness, and courage.
The fact that many Christian Churches set forth a set of ridiculous and unbelievable lies and invoke fear and guilt to make you believe those lies—that in no way is proof one way or the other of the God question. There are some very deep and overwhelming mysteries concerning existence and the nature of reality.
In the face of these staggering mysteries, my response is total bewilderment. I do not presume to label myself.
Are you Opimistic about the future of the Human Race?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 10, 2018:
IMO, The continuation of a particular genetic group is not possible or desirable. There will be constant churning of characteristics, and whatever life-forms persist will be those best suited to a changing environment.
The entire chain of organisms can be thought of as a single entity—after all, time is just an illusion. It is not reasonable to be stressed out or worried about the future of humans. At some point the entire earth will disappear,
What I think is that the only thing worthy of survival is conscious awareness itself, and consciousness IMO exists independently and above our world of robotic bodies. Reality is not what it seems.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 10, 2018:
IMO, The continuation of a particular genetic group is not possible or desirable. There will be constant churning of characteristics, and whatever life-forms persist will be those best suited to a changing environment.
The entire chain of organisms can be thought of as a single entity—after all, time is just an illusion. It is not reasonable to be stressed out or worried about the future of humans. At some point the entire earth will disappear,
What I think is that the only thing worthy of survival is conscious awareness itself, and consciousness IMO exists independently and above our world of robotic bodies. Reality is not what it seems.
Got my divorce papers today.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 10, 2018:
You know it’s not true—that’s all that matters. I’d say good riddance and move on.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 10, 2018:
You know it’s not true—that’s all that matters. I’d say good riddance and move on.
Does anyone recycle?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
I recycle paper by burning it. I recycle organics by composting.
I cycle.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
I recycle paper by burning it. I recycle organics by composting.
I cycle.
Behemoth, bully, thief: how the English language is taking over the planet | News | The Guardian
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
I wonder why English speakers were able to spread themselves over such a large portion of the globe, and why were they able to thrive and succeed so well. Was it sheer luck or was there some sort of inherent strength lacking in others.
Was it divine providence? Oh shoot! I didn’t mean to say that here. I take it back.
I am no longer able to edit my comments. Are others having that problem also?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
I wonder why English speakers were able to spread themselves over such a large portion of the globe, and why were they able to thrive and succeed so well. Was it sheer luck or was there some sort of inherent strength lacking in others.
Was it divine providence? Oh shoot! I didn’t mean to say that here. I take it back.
I am no longer able to edit my comments. Are others having that problem also?
Humanists, both religious and atheist, talk about the ‘dignity’ or ‘value’ or ‘worth’ or...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
Thomas Jefferson wrote into the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.
Maybe the “faith” quoted in the Universal Declaration is just rhetorical. Maybe what was meant was that there is overwhelming agreement. It would be possible to concoct some sort of persuasive argument but that would take s lot of words and would probably spur objections and divisiveness.
In my opinion the Declaration of Independence is a highly trumped up, flowery document that was unnecessary. I’d have written it as follows: “Your Highness, we, the official representatives of the American colonies have determined that our best interests are in separation from Great Britain. We therefore hereby declare ourselves to be free and independent States. We wish to leave your realm peacefully but we are prepared to defend our sovereignty if necessary. We wish you well.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
Thomas Jefferson wrote into the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.
Maybe the “faith” quoted in the Universal Declaration is just rhetorical. Maybe what was meant was that there is overwhelming agreement. It would be possible to concoct some sort of persuasive argument but that would take s lot of words and would probably spur objections and divisiveness.
In my opinion the Declaration of Independence is a highly trumped up, flowery document that was unnecessary. I’d have written it as follows: “Your Highness, we, the official representatives of the American colonies have determined that our best interests are in separation from Great Britain. We therefore hereby declare ourselves to be free and independent States. We wish to leave your realm peacefully but we are prepared to defend our sovereignty if necessary. We wish you well.
Did you know that Charles Darwin, I think it is at the end of 'Origin', mentions the Creator in the ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
I didn’t know that. I read somewhere that, when asked if there was a God, Darwin replied that he didn’t know and that he did not feel qualified to give an opinion.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
I didn’t know that. I read somewhere that, when asked if there was a God, Darwin replied that he didn’t know and that he did not feel qualified to give an opinion.
The Story of Life - How Life Came From Non-Life
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
So life is nothing but chemistry. But what is chemistry? We don’t know what sub-atomic particles are for example. We don’t know what space and time are, except maybe just illusions. Our one link with reality is the experience of conscious awareness, and the nature of that is a total mystery. Hell, we don’t even know what we ourselves are.
We should not sit so smugly on the golden throne of scientific knowledge when at heart we are almost totally ignorant.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
So life is nothing but chemistry. But what is chemistry? We don’t know what sub-atomic particles are for example. We don’t know what space and time are, except maybe just illusions. Our one link with reality is the experience of conscious awareness, and the nature of that is a total mystery. Hell, we don’t even know what we ourselves are.
We should not sit so smugly on the golden throne of scientific knowledge when at heart we are almost totally ignorant.
Has anything ever happened in a restaurant that made you walk out?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
This week I was in a restaurant with friends. I finished my meal and was tired of sitting. That caused me to pay my bill and walk out.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
This week I was in a restaurant with friends. I finished my meal and was tired of sitting. That caused me to pay my bill and walk out.
A woman changing her surname 2 her husband's after marriage; is it constitutional, religious, ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
Traditional. In some cultures it’s the female line that carries the family name. Of course that’s a different issue. Should the children be given their father’s last name or their mother’s? Or maybe neither, or some combination of both? Girls could have the maternal name and boys the paternal. Offhand I like that idea, which just popped into my head.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
Traditional. In some cultures it’s the female line that carries the family name. Of course that’s a different issue. Should the children be given their father’s last name or their mother’s? Or maybe neither, or some combination of both? Girls could have the maternal name and boys the paternal. Offhand I like that idea, which just popped into my head.
EPA proposal to limit science studies draws opposition
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
“if underlying research data is not made public because of patient privacy concerns or other issues.”
Are there any scientific studies that cite actual individuals by name? Not many I’ll bet, and those names could easily be blotted out for a public version.
The issue is whether a government agency should be given carte blanche power to impose their edicts based on clandestine studies. Some of those studies could be deeply biased by political or social opinions. The place for the creation of laws is in the legislature.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
“if underlying research data is not made public because of patient privacy concerns or other issues.”
Are there any scientific studies that cite actual individuals by name? Not many I’ll bet, and those names could easily be blotted out for a public version.
The issue is whether a government agency should be given carte blanche power to impose their edicts based on clandestine studies. Some of those studies could be deeply biased by political or social opinions. The place for the creation of laws is in the legislature.
Anyone into podcasts?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
An excellent podcast is “S-Town”. It’s not just about religion but.....you’ll see.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
An excellent podcast is “S-Town”. It’s not just about religion but.....you’ll see.
Why sexual desire is objectifying – and hence morally wrong | Aeon Ideas
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
It seems to me that prostitution is nothing but objectification. The prostitute sees the john as nothing but a source of money, and the john sees the prostitute as nothing but a source of gratification, to be bought.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:
It seems to me that prostitution is nothing but objectification. The prostitute sees the john as nothing but a source of money, and the john sees the prostitute as nothing but a source of gratification, to be bought.
Does the bible unwittingly promote Atheism?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
People are saying such things. I think that reading the Bible critically might relieve you of your childhood indoctrination, and if you had had a childish concept of God you might start saying that you were an atheist.
However, reality is one huge mysterious enigma. As for me, my relationship to that enigma is total bewilderment. Arguing over whether something out there in that dense fog should be labeled “God” seems inappropriate and shallow to me. Call it what you want, but there really is a great unknown.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
People are saying such things. I think that reading the Bible critically might relieve you of your childhood indoctrination, and if you had had a childish concept of God you might start saying that you were an atheist.
However, reality is one huge mysterious enigma. As for me, my relationship to that enigma is total bewilderment. Arguing over whether something out there in that dense fog should be labeled “God” seems inappropriate and shallow to me. Call it what you want, but there really is a great unknown.
Sometimes the universe drags us kicking and screaming to where we need to be but that suggests a ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
Great post!
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
Great post!
Is balance worthwhile?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
Very intriguing post. This one is worth pondering. Maybe the dark was just misperception, untrue thoughts and wrong judgments. It never really existed.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
Very intriguing post. This one is worth pondering. Maybe the dark was just misperception, untrue thoughts and wrong judgments. It never really existed.
Many atheists still hold the erroneous conception that religions are basically a failed ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
In support of what you are saying, about half of all scientists report a belief in God. Apparently they see no conflict, and have no trouble separating the two modes. It is only if you insist on looking just at the shallowest kind of dogmatic religion that you see conflict.
In like manner, it is entirely possible to erroneously worship science as a God IMO. Religion and science are in different categories—they are not opposites.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
In support of what you are saying, about half of all scientists report a belief in God. Apparently they see no conflict, and have no trouble separating the two modes. It is only if you insist on looking just at the shallowest kind of dogmatic religion that you see conflict.
In like manner, it is entirely possible to erroneously worship science as a God IMO. Religion and science are in different categories—they are not opposites.
Do you hold grudges, if so, has that effected your life, relationships,,,?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
I had a grudge that I didn’t even know about until I woke up from a dream cursing.
Someone told me that holding a grudge against someone is like drinking poison and waiting for the person to die.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
I had a grudge that I didn’t even know about until I woke up from a dream cursing.
Someone told me that holding a grudge against someone is like drinking poison and waiting for the person to die.
Global Warming Linked to Higher Suicide Rates across North America - A new study suggests.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
Maybe it’s a good time to invest in the funeral industry.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
Maybe it’s a good time to invest in the funeral industry.
Many atheists still hold the erroneous conception that religions are basically a failed ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
Matias, IMO you have said the truth dead on. Sehr gute!
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
Matias, IMO you have said the truth dead on. Sehr gute!
Science and Philosophy Offer More for Grief than Religion Bereavement is horrible, but religion is ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
The scientific opinion often seems to be that we are nothing but our bodies, that conscious awareness is just the firing of neurons and that emotions are nothing but chemistry. The universe just sort of fell into existence on accident. There were some protein molecules lying around that accidentally turned into DNA and presto! Here we are. Tell that to the bereaved: You are nothing really. Your so-called feelings are just some chemical reactions. All your thoughts are nothing but neural activity. Your children who died were worth nothing anyway and you are nothing so get over it. That’ll be $200...NEXT.
There are better ways of looking at things, but a psychology founded in the materialist/reductionist view of reality doesn’t know those ways.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2018:
The scientific opinion often seems to be that we are nothing but our bodies, that conscious awareness is just the firing of neurons and that emotions are nothing but chemistry. The universe just sort of fell into existence on accident. There were some protein molecules lying around that accidentally turned into DNA and presto! Here we are. Tell that to the bereaved: You are nothing really. Your so-called feelings are just some chemical reactions. All your thoughts are nothing but neural activity. Your children who died were worth nothing anyway and you are nothing so get over it. That’ll be $200...NEXT.
There are better ways of looking at things, but a psychology founded in the materialist/reductionist view of reality doesn’t know those ways.
Isn't it ironic how the religious use only their holy book as a point of reference?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2018:
Some of the religious.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2018:
Some of the religious.
Atheism is a non prophet organization with no invisible means of support.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2018:
Good one!
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2018:
Good one!
Critical Thinking Skills: What are They and How Do I Get Them? - Brights Bulletin, Thinker Academy
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2018:
No matter how much critical thinking is being done, at the end of the day people will still disagree. That might be because no one really knows the answer. We need to be careful about thinking that our opinions are the correct ones because WE are the ones who use critical thinking, while our opponents supposedly do not. That itself is an example of non-critical thinking IMO.
It is with trepidation that I mention climate change, but it was implied in the article that critical thinking about climate change requires trust in professional climatologists. I notice that there are various opinions among climatologists.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2018:
No matter how much critical thinking is being done, at the end of the day people will still disagree. That might be because no one really knows the answer. We need to be careful about thinking that our opinions are the correct ones because WE are the ones who use critical thinking, while our opponents supposedly do not. That itself is an example of non-critical thinking IMO.
It is with trepidation that I mention climate change, but it was implied in the article that critical thinking about climate change requires trust in professional climatologists. I notice that there are various opinions among climatologists.
Money is power? True or false?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2018:
As I see it, money is an accounting system that keeps track of the interchanges between you and society. Assuming you’re not a robber the money you have equals your contributions less the goods and services you used. So yes, interacting with society by trading gives individuals MUCH more power than trying to go it alone.
But that power is limited to the offerings of society. For real personal power, joy, and freedom, in addition to money you need deep conscious awareness, appreciation, and gratitude for the staggering implications of the gift of life.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2018:
As I see it, money is an accounting system that keeps track of the interchanges between you and society. Assuming you’re not a robber the money you have equals your contributions less the goods and services you used. So yes, interacting with society by trading gives individuals MUCH more power than trying to go it alone.
But that power is limited to the offerings of society. For real personal power, joy, and freedom, in addition to money you need deep conscious awareness, appreciation, and gratitude for the staggering implications of the gift of life.
Is the universe amoral?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 23, 2018:
In the first place, good and bad are not opposites. Everything that exists or happens is “good”. Everything fits properly and happens for reasons. It is all correct and benevolent.
The concept of “bad” is only a mistake in thinking. We assign the “bad” label to things we don’t like, but those mental assignments have no significance from a cosmic perspective. Bad is relative. What is bad for a rabbit is good for a fox, for example.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 23, 2018:
In the first place, good and bad are not opposites. Everything that exists or happens is “good”. Everything fits properly and happens for reasons. It is all correct and benevolent.
The concept of “bad” is only a mistake in thinking. We assign the “bad” label to things we don’t like, but those mental assignments have no significance from a cosmic perspective. Bad is relative. What is bad for a rabbit is good for a fox, for example.
Religion vs Ritual vs Rite-Of-Passage
I recently posted a description of my wife’s (now mine ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2018:
I think there is a place for strong religious sentiments by individuals. You don’t have to believe or know anything to be religious IMO. You just have to be deeply aware of the questions and live a life of appreciation and gratitude. It’s all a personal thing, but if you set the example others might follow.
I’ve never much cared for rituals and ceremonies, but I don’t see that they hurt anything. No human sacrifice though—that’s going too far.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2018:
I think there is a place for strong religious sentiments by individuals. You don’t have to believe or know anything to be religious IMO. You just have to be deeply aware of the questions and live a life of appreciation and gratitude. It’s all a personal thing, but if you set the example others might follow.
I’ve never much cared for rituals and ceremonies, but I don’t see that they hurt anything. No human sacrifice though—that’s going too far.
God, Trump and the meaning of morality - The Washington Post
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2018:
A condescending, judgmental article full of slurring stereotypes. All this negativity about “evangelicals” wears thin. Trying to associate “evangelicals” with political conservatism and the election of Donald Trump is ridiculous. There’s hardly any difference in Methodists and Baptists—Methodists are evangelicals! HILLARY CLINTON IS AN EVANGELICAL!
DT was not put into office by evangelicals. Trump was elected by a broad spectrum of Americans from across the country, including 52% of White women. Many Catholics voted for Trump. Many non-believers voted for Trump.
Rural communities tend to be more conservative than small towns. Small towns tend to be more conservative than small cities. Small cities tend to be more conservative than large cities. There are various reasons for this, but I can tell you one thing: correlation does not equal causation. Yes, in a town like Luvern there are a lot of Protestants. There are a lot of political conservatives. Political conservatism is not CAUSED by being Protestant.
Luvern BTW, is a beautiful town, full of intelligent, warm-hearted and fair-minded people. I love Luvern.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2018:
A condescending, judgmental article full of slurring stereotypes. All this negativity about “evangelicals” wears thin. Trying to associate “evangelicals” with political conservatism and the election of Donald Trump is ridiculous. There’s hardly any difference in Methodists and Baptists—Methodists are evangelicals! HILLARY CLINTON IS AN EVANGELICAL!
DT was not put into office by evangelicals. Trump was elected by a broad spectrum of Americans from across the country, including 52% of White women. Many Catholics voted for Trump. Many non-believers voted for Trump.
Rural communities tend to be more conservative than small towns. Small towns tend to be more conservative than small cities. Small cities tend to be more conservative than large cities. There are various reasons for this, but I can tell you one thing: correlation does not equal causation. Yes, in a town like Luvern there are a lot of Protestants. There are a lot of political conservatives. Political conservatism is not CAUSED by being Protestant.
Luvern BTW, is a beautiful town, full of intelligent, warm-hearted and fair-minded people. I love Luvern.
Ghosts: To those of you who DO believe in ghosts, I ask, how does that work in your opinion?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2018:
You might be referring to me as one of the “believers”. It’s not a question of belief. I heard an intriguing story that seemed to check out. I lean toward acceptance, but have no definitive proof.
You ask questions which no one can answer. You are broaching a mysterious subject, and the correct attitude is to be mystified. To me though, it is just as irrational to dismiss ghost stories and attribute them to naive, emotional people as it is to claim that you understand all about ghosts. A mystery is a mystery, end of story.
As a person who leans toward the concept of universal consciousness, it is easier for me to accept the possibility of such things as ghosts, reincarnation, psychic phenomena. etc. Seeing how something might be possible is a long way from understanding how those things work, or knowing with certainty that they DO work.
Keep it on the back burner, and maybe someday more more evidence will present itself.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2018:
You might be referring to me as one of the “believers”. It’s not a question of belief. I heard an intriguing story that seemed to check out. I lean toward acceptance, but have no definitive proof.
You ask questions which no one can answer. You are broaching a mysterious subject, and the correct attitude is to be mystified. To me though, it is just as irrational to dismiss ghost stories and attribute them to naive, emotional people as it is to claim that you understand all about ghosts. A mystery is a mystery, end of story.
As a person who leans toward the concept of universal consciousness, it is easier for me to accept the possibility of such things as ghosts, reincarnation, psychic phenomena. etc. Seeing how something might be possible is a long way from understanding how those things work, or knowing with certainty that they DO work.
Keep it on the back burner, and maybe someday more more evidence will present itself.
Five Foundations of Morality in America (Jonathan Haidt)
When you decide whether something is ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
We would be better off if we didn’t make moral judgments at all IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
We would be better off if we didn’t make moral judgments at all IMO.
Say we found out nothing is real, it’s all an illusion. Does it really matter?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
Well, it can’t ALL be an illusion. There has to be something behind it all creating the illusion. I do feel that the sense of self as a separate individual is an illusion, and that the world of space, time, and matter is a display of mere symbols that we create in our heads.
But we experience conscious awareness and there is something real about that IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
Well, it can’t ALL be an illusion. There has to be something behind it all creating the illusion. I do feel that the sense of self as a separate individual is an illusion, and that the world of space, time, and matter is a display of mere symbols that we create in our heads.
But we experience conscious awareness and there is something real about that IMO.
Quotes:
"Collective commitment to the absurd is the greatest demonstration of group love that ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
I’m not sure I understand about group love. I’ve never really thought about rituals being “group love”. Commitment to the absurd, yes. Do you think that group love is just a feeling of unity?
The desire of humans to belong to a tightly-knit group might explain a lot of behavior. Religious organizations accommodate that need very well. Perhaps the adherents are only pretending to have ridiculous beliefs and the beliefs are of no importance to them—it’s all about being a member. Clearly a church could provide a greater sense of unity than just a social club, and a city gang could also, with its blood rituals. Maybe a crucial element is the sense of elitism, of standing strongly together and being in the right. It doesn’t matter if you really are right—it’s the feeling of righteousness that matters.
Then there are we steppen-wolves who got tired of the group strictures and go it alone.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
I’m not sure I understand about group love. I’ve never really thought about rituals being “group love”. Commitment to the absurd, yes. Do you think that group love is just a feeling of unity?
The desire of humans to belong to a tightly-knit group might explain a lot of behavior. Religious organizations accommodate that need very well. Perhaps the adherents are only pretending to have ridiculous beliefs and the beliefs are of no importance to them—it’s all about being a member. Clearly a church could provide a greater sense of unity than just a social club, and a city gang could also, with its blood rituals. Maybe a crucial element is the sense of elitism, of standing strongly together and being in the right. It doesn’t matter if you really are right—it’s the feeling of righteousness that matters.
Then there are we steppen-wolves who got tired of the group strictures and go it alone.
I am very fascinated by ravens and crows.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
In my experience, crows are psychic.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
In my experience, crows are psychic.
Supernatural VS Atheist
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
I too have heard a very convincing ghost story. A story is just a story, but in this case various family members repeated the exact same story at different times, many years apart, so I tend to believe. Also I was shown the object of the haunting.
I do not like the concept of the supernatural. Just because a phenomenon is anomalous and mysterious does not mean it is not natural—just that it is not understood. Read about modern physics and you’ll learn that the basic structure of reality is outside the realm of human perception. The paranormal pales in eerieness compared to quantum field theory.
If advances are made in the study of the paranormal, those phenomena may well become seen as just part of nature.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2018:
I too have heard a very convincing ghost story. A story is just a story, but in this case various family members repeated the exact same story at different times, many years apart, so I tend to believe. Also I was shown the object of the haunting.
I do not like the concept of the supernatural. Just because a phenomenon is anomalous and mysterious does not mean it is not natural—just that it is not understood. Read about modern physics and you’ll learn that the basic structure of reality is outside the realm of human perception. The paranormal pales in eerieness compared to quantum field theory.
If advances are made in the study of the paranormal, those phenomena may well become seen as just part of nature.
At what age did you realize the Earth wasn't flat?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 20, 2018:
We had a globe, and I just accepted that as the shape of the world. As a toddler I don’t think I bothered with such thoughts one way or the other.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 20, 2018:
We had a globe, and I just accepted that as the shape of the world. As a toddler I don’t think I bothered with such thoughts one way or the other.
How many of you live in the moment as much as possible?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 20, 2018:
I try. If something disturbing happens I try to consciously observe my body’s thoughts and feelings. I’m learning to get centered again quickly. Are you following some specific guide book?
I just read “The Untethered Soul”, which stresses this very thing.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 20, 2018:
I try. If something disturbing happens I try to consciously observe my body’s thoughts and feelings. I’m learning to get centered again quickly. Are you following some specific guide book?
I just read “The Untethered Soul”, which stresses this very thing.
Beyond Meat Triples Production Footprint - This is HUGE!
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 20, 2018:
I don’t think I’ve had any of those particular products. Are they good? Do they taste like real meat? Are they more expensive?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 20, 2018:
I don’t think I’ve had any of those particular products. Are they good? Do they taste like real meat? Are they more expensive?
Do you feel optimistic about the future??
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 20, 2018:
There is beauty and harmony everywhere. Whatever changes occur happen because they have to happen, and they are all good. Time is an illusion anyway.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 20, 2018:
There is beauty and harmony everywhere. Whatever changes occur happen because they have to happen, and they are all good. Time is an illusion anyway.
What is the most bizarre apologetic you have come across?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
It’s not worth messing with.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
It’s not worth messing with.
"Losing religion can be seriously good for your wealth"
This headline of The Times (London) of ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
I agree with your last paragraph. I think that as societies modernized people moved from farms to cities. That alone would have an effect on church attendance. Often churches in small rural places serve as important social centers as well as dispensers of religious messages, but cities have other venues.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
I agree with your last paragraph. I think that as societies modernized people moved from farms to cities. That alone would have an effect on church attendance. Often churches in small rural places serve as important social centers as well as dispensers of religious messages, but cities have other venues.
Has anyone else experienced Ego Death, if so, what was your biggest take away from it.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Was it through yoga meditation? Did you have a teacher?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Was it through yoga meditation? Did you have a teacher?
What kind of animal would you be?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Eagle.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Eagle.
How many holocausts, and how many genocides have there been since records began
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Too many to count: I had no idea.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Too many to count: I had no idea.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history
Not to offend Americans but i don't like it when they call football Soccer and their own NFL real ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Well, I understand from Wikipedia that they both evolved from English school games. Ours used to be called rugby football until the “rugby” got dropped.
Anyway, we apologize and will take your criticism under consideration. It might be difficult to get 325 million people to change but I’ll see what I can do.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Well, I understand from Wikipedia that they both evolved from English school games. Ours used to be called rugby football until the “rugby” got dropped.
Anyway, we apologize and will take your criticism under consideration. It might be difficult to get 325 million people to change but I’ll see what I can do.
When I was in 1st grade, I was excited to tell my mother about my day at school.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
So did you just make this up? :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
So did you just make this up? :-)
What invention doesn't get a lot of attention but has made a huge positive impact on the world?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Fire
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
Fire
Does Atheism Attract A Specific Political Affiliation?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
I favor libertarianism and that sounds like what you are. I can’t select that option on your poll however because it is listed as “fringe” and is thrown in with some horribly distasteful parties.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2018:
I favor libertarianism and that sounds like what you are. I can’t select that option on your poll however because it is listed as “fringe” and is thrown in with some horribly distasteful parties.
What is Reality?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
Reality is not what we perceive. Beyond our perceptions is a higher essence, one we can not detect except crudely, partially, and indirectly. Quantum Loop Theory describes reality as made out of quantum fields, interacting with each other, where space is granular and there is no time.
That is underlying reality. But yes, we create our own personal reality, and you are right that it is full of distortions. It’s easier to see distortions in other people’s reality than in our own.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
Reality is not what we perceive. Beyond our perceptions is a higher essence, one we can not detect except crudely, partially, and indirectly. Quantum Loop Theory describes reality as made out of quantum fields, interacting with each other, where space is granular and there is no time.
That is underlying reality. But yes, we create our own personal reality, and you are right that it is full of distortions. It’s easier to see distortions in other people’s reality than in our own.
Where do you stand on the political compass?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
I am a slightly to the right and moderately libertarian, just as I thought. It’s an interesting test. Thank you.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
I am a slightly to the right and moderately libertarian, just as I thought. It’s an interesting test. Thank you.
Does aggressive antitheism beget anti-atheism?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
It seems silly to divide up into groups based on who believes or doesn’t believe stuff, and attack each other. Nobody knows or understands our underlying reality. All we know is that we are experiencing conscious awareness in a beautiful and magnificent reality that we don’t understand.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
It seems silly to divide up into groups based on who believes or doesn’t believe stuff, and attack each other. Nobody knows or understands our underlying reality. All we know is that we are experiencing conscious awareness in a beautiful and magnificent reality that we don’t understand.
Utopian or Dystopian?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
Formal religion has been eliminated or drastically reduced in many places at various times, but it always springs back. I think that the religious impulse is embedded in human nature and is our highest and best attribute, but it is often corrupted and misused for ego purposes.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
Formal religion has been eliminated or drastically reduced in many places at various times, but it always springs back. I think that the religious impulse is embedded in human nature and is our highest and best attribute, but it is often corrupted and misused for ego purposes.
Blog:Union of Concerned Scientist: The Endangered Species Act is Itself Endangered
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
The proposed amendments seem reasonable to me. Why should a small group of people have near dictatorial power to make decisions affecting all of us and not even be required to explain or justify their edicts?
Of COURSE politics will be involved. What would happen if they required the razing of Manhattan in order to save a certain rare pigeon species? Wouldn’t get very far would it? Yet government bureaucrats feel free to run roughshod over tribes, farmers, and small communities.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
The proposed amendments seem reasonable to me. Why should a small group of people have near dictatorial power to make decisions affecting all of us and not even be required to explain or justify their edicts?
Of COURSE politics will be involved. What would happen if they required the razing of Manhattan in order to save a certain rare pigeon species? Wouldn’t get very far would it? Yet government bureaucrats feel free to run roughshod over tribes, farmers, and small communities.
Many people who subscribe to the values of the Enlightenment insist that things are only relevant if...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
Since we have no awareness of the things we don’t know we are tricked into thinking we know almost everything. Actually, we may only know a minute fraction of what could be known. But more importantly, our way of knowing is limited, meaning that the things we know consist only of superficial knowledge. There is an underlying reality that is beyond our comprehension IMO.
Yes, I think that most of what we do, both individually and as a society is determined by instinct or whatever and is out of our conscious control. Sometimes consciousness takes over and we create new things, new ideas.
You pose some interesting questions, and I am especially attuned to the last one. Often well-meaning progressives jump in to correct perceived problems, but they create more problems than they solve. Things are the way they are for reasons.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 18, 2018:
Since we have no awareness of the things we don’t know we are tricked into thinking we know almost everything. Actually, we may only know a minute fraction of what could be known. But more importantly, our way of knowing is limited, meaning that the things we know consist only of superficial knowledge. There is an underlying reality that is beyond our comprehension IMO.
Yes, I think that most of what we do, both individually and as a society is determined by instinct or whatever and is out of our conscious control. Sometimes consciousness takes over and we create new things, new ideas.
You pose some interesting questions, and I am especially attuned to the last one. Often well-meaning progressives jump in to correct perceived problems, but they create more problems than they solve. Things are the way they are for reasons.
What would you need to happen to convince you there was a god?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
I don’t know that I’d call it God, but if there were some sort of dramatic creation demo—say trillions of stars created along with all the elements, energy, space and time,etc. all at once, and this creation thing started expanding in a certain way, obeying certain laws and exhibiting precisely calculable behavior, then my interest would certainly be aroused.
Say that after fourteen billion years I witnessed a bunch of extremely complex organized systems of cells where each cell itself was complicated almost beyond imagination, self-replicating, evolving, into higher and higher life forms, then I might begin to take notice and wonder.
Just as a rhetorical supposition, imagine that this supposed world of cellular forms was somehow made to be consciously aware of itself, and was able to wonder about its origins, and to philosophize about the meaning of it all.
If anything like that ever happens, I will be so shocked and awed that I will scarcely be able to speak. You could take the stupid little god word and shove it because such a symbol explains nothing and is worthless. If such a demonstration ever occurs I won’t have the slightest interest in a ridiculous, infantile argument over whether or not there is a “god”.
Good lord!
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
I don’t know that I’d call it God, but if there were some sort of dramatic creation demo—say trillions of stars created along with all the elements, energy, space and time,etc. all at once, and this creation thing started expanding in a certain way, obeying certain laws and exhibiting precisely calculable behavior, then my interest would certainly be aroused.
Say that after fourteen billion years I witnessed a bunch of extremely complex organized systems of cells where each cell itself was complicated almost beyond imagination, self-replicating, evolving, into higher and higher life forms, then I might begin to take notice and wonder.
Just as a rhetorical supposition, imagine that this supposed world of cellular forms was somehow made to be consciously aware of itself, and was able to wonder about its origins, and to philosophize about the meaning of it all.
If anything like that ever happens, I will be so shocked and awed that I will scarcely be able to speak. You could take the stupid little god word and shove it because such a symbol explains nothing and is worthless. If such a demonstration ever occurs I won’t have the slightest interest in a ridiculous, infantile argument over whether or not there is a “god”.
Good lord!
The urge to see a hidden purpose.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
I can see that if we were to have a sudden serious loss our subconscious minds might instantly react with fearful or guilty ideas, or refuse to accept the event as a random circumstance. If say, a limb fell on me, I’d be faced with the urgent question as to why, of all the places I could have been, I was exactly in that spot at that split second.
Hopefully our conscious self would immediately leap in and straighten things out. There are other options for discussion but they are far too woo-woo to present in a forum such as this. If you saw “Run Lola Run” you might get the idea.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
I can see that if we were to have a sudden serious loss our subconscious minds might instantly react with fearful or guilty ideas, or refuse to accept the event as a random circumstance. If say, a limb fell on me, I’d be faced with the urgent question as to why, of all the places I could have been, I was exactly in that spot at that split second.
Hopefully our conscious self would immediately leap in and straighten things out. There are other options for discussion but they are far too woo-woo to present in a forum such as this. If you saw “Run Lola Run” you might get the idea.
What makes something a religion?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
My definition: A way of life based on deep awareness and appreciation for the staggering implications of the mystery of existence. That’s what I think is the central core.
If you want a definition that covers all religion you’d have to write a book, or read one already written, such as “The Varieties of Religious Experience” by William James.
“The Perennial Philosophy” by Aldous Huxley categorizes themes commonly found in established religious groups.
There is a difference in establishing a definition for purposes of argument and trying to truly learn and understand something.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
My definition: A way of life based on deep awareness and appreciation for the staggering implications of the mystery of existence. That’s what I think is the central core.
If you want a definition that covers all religion you’d have to write a book, or read one already written, such as “The Varieties of Religious Experience” by William James.
“The Perennial Philosophy” by Aldous Huxley categorizes themes commonly found in established religious groups.
There is a difference in establishing a definition for purposes of argument and trying to truly learn and understand something.
Quote:
"Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, 'I am not the kind of ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
“I am not the kind of person I want to be” means
“I was born in sin. I am sinful and guilty. I need saving. God will punish me if I don’t believe and repent”. All that is ego-based mental manipulation having no basis in reality. Dwell on such thoughts and you’ll create hell for yourself, and it is unnecessary.
I am a miraculous extension of universal consciousness. My existence is a thing of beauty and mystery. Every second of conscious awareness is heaven.
There’s no such thing as sin. Each phase of my life was good and necessary. As I learn, my mistaken behavior patterns fall away. Guilt plays no part.
I’ll check into this Frank Herbert guy. Thanks for the post.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
“I am not the kind of person I want to be” means
“I was born in sin. I am sinful and guilty. I need saving. God will punish me if I don’t believe and repent”. All that is ego-based mental manipulation having no basis in reality. Dwell on such thoughts and you’ll create hell for yourself, and it is unnecessary.
I am a miraculous extension of universal consciousness. My existence is a thing of beauty and mystery. Every second of conscious awareness is heaven.
There’s no such thing as sin. Each phase of my life was good and necessary. As I learn, my mistaken behavior patterns fall away. Guilt plays no part.
I’ll check into this Frank Herbert guy. Thanks for the post.
How do you plan on raising your children?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
Already did. These were my guiding rules:
Provide for their basic needs. One of those needs was a harmonious household. If I disciplined it was because I needed a harmonious household for myself. I did not know how to shape their character, nor was it possible.
Enjoy their presence. Play. Take delight in their progress.
They are not your property, They belong to themselves, and deserve the utmost respect.
They will follow your actions, not your words.
Take care of your own self first. The only purpose of life is not to raise children.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 17, 2018:
Already did. These were my guiding rules:
Provide for their basic needs. One of those needs was a harmonious household. If I disciplined it was because I needed a harmonious household for myself. I did not know how to shape their character, nor was it possible.
Enjoy their presence. Play. Take delight in their progress.
They are not your property, They belong to themselves, and deserve the utmost respect.
They will follow your actions, not your words.
Take care of your own self first. The only purpose of life is not to raise children.
DO ATHEISTS AND HUMANISTS HAVE SACRED VALUES?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 16, 2018:
My sacred value is conscious awareness, and I don’t even understand what it is.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 16, 2018:
My sacred value is conscious awareness, and I don’t even understand what it is.
Did you know there is a scientific institution studying Parapsychological events? [noetic.org]
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 16, 2018:
It’s a great topic for discussion Dave. Thanks for posting this.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 16, 2018:
It’s a great topic for discussion Dave. Thanks for posting this.
Wish everyone knew this.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
They look like fine human specimens.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
They look like fine human specimens.
What happens when corporations own the government
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
Corporations presumably pay the taxes that they are legally required to pay. If you want higher corporate taxes and less personal tax, it would be more persuasive to express your wish in a straightforward and honest way.
The US already has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world however. https://www.google.com/search?q=corporate+tax+by+country&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us=safari
What is a corporation other than its shareholders? Is there anything wrong with investing? If we discourage investments how will the economy be affected?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
Corporations presumably pay the taxes that they are legally required to pay. If you want higher corporate taxes and less personal tax, it would be more persuasive to express your wish in a straightforward and honest way.
The US already has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world however. https://www.google.com/search?q=corporate+tax+by+country&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us=safari
What is a corporation other than its shareholders? Is there anything wrong with investing? If we discourage investments how will the economy be affected?
Study of religious beliefs vs intelligence
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
I’m unable to access the full article. I was curious as to how the intelligence of those polled was determined. Was it IQ? If so, seems like that might be hard to find out with any certainty. Besides that, IQ does not tell the whole story when it comes to intelligence.
What is the point? If the findings are true does that prove or disprove anything about religion or religious belief? Is it an exercise in ego?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
I’m unable to access the full article. I was curious as to how the intelligence of those polled was determined. Was it IQ? If so, seems like that might be hard to find out with any certainty. Besides that, IQ does not tell the whole story when it comes to intelligence.
What is the point? If the findings are true does that prove or disprove anything about religion or religious belief? Is it an exercise in ego?
Is it possible to be completely and utterly non biased in the realm of subjectivity?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
Are there religions that embrace the findings of science? Of course there are. And about half of all scientists believe in God. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
Are there religions that embrace the findings of science? Of course there are. And about half of all scientists believe in God. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
I am curious if anyone ever wonders how can this really smart person believe in God?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
Niels Bohr was a very intelligent person, and he shared his thinking on this subject.
Statements of Bohr after the Solvay Conference of 1927, as quoted in Physics and Beyond (1971) by Werner Heisenberg
“ 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.”
Note that Bohr didn’t believe in a personal God as taught by religious organizations. Yet he seemed to have a concept of a higher power that can not be approached by science. Am I reading it right?
If you want to argue against the religious opinions of people like Bohr, Einstein, et. al. you’ll have to do more than offer a psychological analysis of their characters. That argument can easily be directed at anyone, including atheists, but it is not a valid argument.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 15, 2018:
Niels Bohr was a very intelligent person, and he shared his thinking on this subject.
Statements of Bohr after the Solvay Conference of 1927, as quoted in Physics and Beyond (1971) by Werner Heisenberg
“ 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.”
Note that Bohr didn’t believe in a personal God as taught by religious organizations. Yet he seemed to have a concept of a higher power that can not be approached by science. Am I reading it right?
If you want to argue against the religious opinions of people like Bohr, Einstein, et. al. you’ll have to do more than offer a psychological analysis of their characters. That argument can easily be directed at anyone, including atheists, but it is not a valid argument.
"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Einstein couldn’t imagine that particular kind of God but he did have other God concepts:
“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."
“I believe in Spinoza's God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind.”
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Einstein couldn’t imagine that particular kind of God but he did have other God concepts:
“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."
“I believe in Spinoza's God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind.”
Free will?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
You can build a computerized robot that might appear to have free will, but we know it doesn’t. Its actions are determined by built in programming. Its decisions are not decisions at all. Without conscious awareness there is only rote, mechanical response. The response might be a very sophisticated one, such as a dazzling chess move. The response might depend on a random number generator. But the response in the end does not depend on the will of the robot. Robots have no will.
In like manner, I don’t see how our bodies could have either consciousness or free will. Our bodies are nothing but robots, temporary and expendable. I lean toward the idea that our higher and more real self in which we all share, is what is conscious, and has will.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
You can build a computerized robot that might appear to have free will, but we know it doesn’t. Its actions are determined by built in programming. Its decisions are not decisions at all. Without conscious awareness there is only rote, mechanical response. The response might be a very sophisticated one, such as a dazzling chess move. The response might depend on a random number generator. But the response in the end does not depend on the will of the robot. Robots have no will.
In like manner, I don’t see how our bodies could have either consciousness or free will. Our bodies are nothing but robots, temporary and expendable. I lean toward the idea that our higher and more real self in which we all share, is what is conscious, and has will.
Fear of Death?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
It does not seem possible or desirable for an individual person to live forever. I think that our identity as a separate entity is only an illusion. The only thing supporting that illusion is memory, and memories fade eventually. There is nothing about our bodies worthy of immortality—our bodies are just robots IMO. Whenever you experience self-awareness, free will, love, creativity, appreciation, or gratitude, it is a higher self that is having that experience. Think deeply about this and you might see that it’s more than woo.
I lean toward the concept of a universal consciousness in which we all share. A sense of time arises from conscious awareness. Universal consciousness is immortal by default, so as extensions of that consciousness we are immortal also, just not as separate individuals. We are not, and never were our bodies. We are consciousness itself.
Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman has developed what he calls “Conscious Realism”, which offers ideas about the nature of reality and the role of consciousness.
Consider reading The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.
There is nothing to fear.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
It does not seem possible or desirable for an individual person to live forever. I think that our identity as a separate entity is only an illusion. The only thing supporting that illusion is memory, and memories fade eventually. There is nothing about our bodies worthy of immortality—our bodies are just robots IMO. Whenever you experience self-awareness, free will, love, creativity, appreciation, or gratitude, it is a higher self that is having that experience. Think deeply about this and you might see that it’s more than woo.
I lean toward the concept of a universal consciousness in which we all share. A sense of time arises from conscious awareness. Universal consciousness is immortal by default, so as extensions of that consciousness we are immortal also, just not as separate individuals. We are not, and never were our bodies. We are consciousness itself.
Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman has developed what he calls “Conscious Realism”, which offers ideas about the nature of reality and the role of consciousness.
Consider reading The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.
There is nothing to fear.
As Young Shun Religion, Believers Aging Fast
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
“Curiously, irreligiosity skewed to the young is most pronounced in Christian countries.”
Maybe that’s because Christianity is the religion that requires people to believe certain things with the promise that such beliefs will get them a ticket to heaven. Put out a lot of untrue garbage and eventually people will catch on.
In contrast, some New Thought churches are gaining. https://www.newthought.info/new-thought-today/new-thought-today.htm
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
“Curiously, irreligiosity skewed to the young is most pronounced in Christian countries.”
Maybe that’s because Christianity is the religion that requires people to believe certain things with the promise that such beliefs will get them a ticket to heaven. Put out a lot of untrue garbage and eventually people will catch on.
In contrast, some New Thought churches are gaining. https://www.newthought.info/new-thought-today/new-thought-today.htm
Most intelligent God
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
It’s a made-up myth IMO. Logically though, that myth does not invalidate all concepts of God.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
It’s a made-up myth IMO. Logically though, that myth does not invalidate all concepts of God.
What are the articles of clothing you hate to wear but must at certain times?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Man, I hate ties! I chose a career that did not require that kind of self-torture.
Reminds me of the time I almost walked into a church wearing a suit and tie—and my Auburn cap. I caught myself at the door, thankfully, or I would have been razzed thoroughly by old classmates. Said classmates told me afterwards: “William, we didn’t know you had a suit! You clean up pretty well”.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Man, I hate ties! I chose a career that did not require that kind of self-torture.
Reminds me of the time I almost walked into a church wearing a suit and tie—and my Auburn cap. I caught myself at the door, thankfully, or I would have been razzed thoroughly by old classmates. Said classmates told me afterwards: “William, we didn’t know you had a suit! You clean up pretty well”.
Who speaks up when friends post religious beliefs?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Live and let live—just move on. After all, a little bit of what they say might have a shred of truth.
A person’s opinion about religion is just an opinion—yours, mine, everyone’s. In the final analysis no one has the answers to the deep questions about reality. Maybe it would help us stomach the opinions of church folks if we concentrate on religion as a way of life rather than as a body of knowledge.
They have chosen their way of life for reasons meaningful to them. There are worse ways to live.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Live and let live—just move on. After all, a little bit of what they say might have a shred of truth.
A person’s opinion about religion is just an opinion—yours, mine, everyone’s. In the final analysis no one has the answers to the deep questions about reality. Maybe it would help us stomach the opinions of church folks if we concentrate on religion as a way of life rather than as a body of knowledge.
They have chosen their way of life for reasons meaningful to them. There are worse ways to live.
I have found myself despondent after the medication quit working.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
I can’t think of any jokes, but I can say unequivocally as a non-expert that I oppose both drugs and shock treatment. I realize that you know yourself better than anyone else knows you, and what other people do might not be right for you.
Consider that your unhappiness might be caused entirely by repetitive untrue negative thoughts, and that if you learned to identify and analyze those thoughts that your life might take a sudden u-turn for the better. “Help Yourself to Happiness” by Dr. Maxie Maultsby is a book that can guide you.
The current paradigm seems to be that depression is caused by a defective brain, and that someone needs to get in there and “fix” that brain. An alternate opinion is that there’s nothing wrong with your brain. What is wrong is the way you are using your brain. As an analogy, think of yourself as playing a piano. You become very frustrated and unhappy because you keep hitting discordant notes. One solution might be to hire a psychiatrist to come with a pair of wire cutters and clip out the troublesome strings. Your frustration would abate for awhile, but deep down you’d know that you had lost something very valuable. What might well occur is that when you realized what you had lost, your frustration would be replaced with murderous rage because of the damage to your fine piano.
A different solution would be to pay close attention to the discordant notes, and experiment with hitting the correct notes instead. One such session would raise your spirits tremendously!
It’s your body, your decision. You asked for advice and I gave my opinion.
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1373619
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
I can’t think of any jokes, but I can say unequivocally as a non-expert that I oppose both drugs and shock treatment. I realize that you know yourself better than anyone else knows you, and what other people do might not be right for you.
Consider that your unhappiness might be caused entirely by repetitive untrue negative thoughts, and that if you learned to identify and analyze those thoughts that your life might take a sudden u-turn for the better. “Help Yourself to Happiness” by Dr. Maxie Maultsby is a book that can guide you.
The current paradigm seems to be that depression is caused by a defective brain, and that someone needs to get in there and “fix” that brain. An alternate opinion is that there’s nothing wrong with your brain. What is wrong is the way you are using your brain. As an analogy, think of yourself as playing a piano. You become very frustrated and unhappy because you keep hitting discordant notes. One solution might be to hire a psychiatrist to come with a pair of wire cutters and clip out the troublesome strings. Your frustration would abate for awhile, but deep down you’d know that you had lost something very valuable. What might well occur is that when you realized what you had lost, your frustration would be replaced with murderous rage because of the damage to your fine piano.
A different solution would be to pay close attention to the discordant notes, and experiment with hitting the correct notes instead. One such session would raise your spirits tremendously!
It’s your body, your decision. You asked for advice and I gave my opinion.
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1373619
We really do create our own misery!
I'm not downplaying real pain or abuse but the longer I am ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Great question. Maybe they don’t know any better. Maybe they are trapped in an endless loop of untrue, negative thoughts and don’t know how to escape. Maybe they are afraid to be happy because previously when they felt happiness that feeling always came tumbling down. Maybe it is a protective mechanism—they are preparing their psyches for the possibility of some horrible events that might happen in the future.
Whatever the reason, there’s no need for unhappiness, even if they are on hard times. By thinking only true thoughts their perpetual sadness will instantly turn to joy.
Tell them to read Dr. Maxie Maultsby Jr., my idol.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Great question. Maybe they don’t know any better. Maybe they are trapped in an endless loop of untrue, negative thoughts and don’t know how to escape. Maybe they are afraid to be happy because previously when they felt happiness that feeling always came tumbling down. Maybe it is a protective mechanism—they are preparing their psyches for the possibility of some horrible events that might happen in the future.
Whatever the reason, there’s no need for unhappiness, even if they are on hard times. By thinking only true thoughts their perpetual sadness will instantly turn to joy.
Tell them to read Dr. Maxie Maultsby Jr., my idol.
Human Instinct: Is there such a thing? If so, what is it?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Of course we have instinct. Just like the other animals, our bodies come preprogrammed with all sorts of instructions. Back when I was in high school our science books claimed that instinct was for animals only and that humans were above all that. That claim made no sense to me then or now. What it did was to create in me a fiery skepticism toward claims made in the name of science.
IMO our bodies are directed mainly on the subconscious level, and instinct plays a big part in that. Just as a computer can be reprogrammed and modified by conscious effort, so can our bodily selves be changed through conscious oversight. Our basic operating systems are pretty well fixed though.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Of course we have instinct. Just like the other animals, our bodies come preprogrammed with all sorts of instructions. Back when I was in high school our science books claimed that instinct was for animals only and that humans were above all that. That claim made no sense to me then or now. What it did was to create in me a fiery skepticism toward claims made in the name of science.
IMO our bodies are directed mainly on the subconscious level, and instinct plays a big part in that. Just as a computer can be reprogrammed and modified by conscious effort, so can our bodily selves be changed through conscious oversight. Our basic operating systems are pretty well fixed though.
Moral philosophy
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Morality has been philosophized to death. There’s not much to it. Find a balance among individual, family, village, and society well being. Obviously that balance is not absolute or static.
A teaching attributed to Jesus that I like is this: Don’t follow the rules because they are so written and you are trying to be a good person to win favor, avoid punishment, or to enhance your ego. Let your actions be governed by love, love brought on by personal awareness, appreciation, and gratitude for life in a mind-boggling reality. Jesus didn’t put it just that way of course—I’m having to help him out a bit with his phrasing. :-) Following that advice will give you great flexibility in deciding how to act.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Morality has been philosophized to death. There’s not much to it. Find a balance among individual, family, village, and society well being. Obviously that balance is not absolute or static.
A teaching attributed to Jesus that I like is this: Don’t follow the rules because they are so written and you are trying to be a good person to win favor, avoid punishment, or to enhance your ego. Let your actions be governed by love, love brought on by personal awareness, appreciation, and gratitude for life in a mind-boggling reality. Jesus didn’t put it just that way of course—I’m having to help him out a bit with his phrasing. :-) Following that advice will give you great flexibility in deciding how to act.
Just making another run through.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Amazing! Thank you.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Amazing! Thank you.
Just making another run through.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Amazing! Thank you.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 14, 2018:
Amazing! Thank you.
Libertarianiam Linked to Climate Denial [counterpunch.org]
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 12, 2018:
I saw no mention of libertarianism in the article, just a lot of condescending hateful slurs. Did I miss something?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 12, 2018:
I saw no mention of libertarianism in the article, just a lot of condescending hateful slurs. Did I miss something?
Identity Beliefs
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 12, 2018:
It seems to me that we gradually change into a new and different person. Our selfhood seems continuous because of the memory trace, but old memories are gradually forgotten. We might say that we are reincarnated versions of our former selves.
Personal identity is quite an enigma. I lean toward thinking that our sense of self as a separate entity is an illusion.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 12, 2018:
It seems to me that we gradually change into a new and different person. Our selfhood seems continuous because of the memory trace, but old memories are gradually forgotten. We might say that we are reincarnated versions of our former selves.
Personal identity is quite an enigma. I lean toward thinking that our sense of self as a separate entity is an illusion.
What's are you're thoughts on modern libertarianism vs democratic socialism
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 12, 2018:
I like Libertarian ideas. Libertarianism is financially conservative and socially liberal—liberal in the area of human rights and equality.
We live in an era of overwhelming material abundance, abundance created by a worldwide free market. Yet some people are complaining bitterly about “capitalism”, and calling for it’s abolishment. Capitalism is nothing more than groups of people banding together to accomplish tasks too large for individuals. Whenever free trade has been suppressed the result has been poverty.
Some social programs are desirable IMO. There is a middle way.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 12, 2018:
I like Libertarian ideas. Libertarianism is financially conservative and socially liberal—liberal in the area of human rights and equality.
We live in an era of overwhelming material abundance, abundance created by a worldwide free market. Yet some people are complaining bitterly about “capitalism”, and calling for it’s abolishment. Capitalism is nothing more than groups of people banding together to accomplish tasks too large for individuals. Whenever free trade has been suppressed the result has been poverty.
Some social programs are desirable IMO. There is a middle way.
What You Need to Know About Neurodiversity
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 12, 2018:
According to the book “Rethinking Madness”, even schizophrenia should not be considered a disease to be cured with medication. According to the author, those people are dealing with existential questions, and if given social support will eventually find their way in most cases.
I wonder how many great creative geniuses have been drugged into oblivion by our medication-crazy society.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 12, 2018:
According to the book “Rethinking Madness”, even schizophrenia should not be considered a disease to be cured with medication. According to the author, those people are dealing with existential questions, and if given social support will eventually find their way in most cases.
I wonder how many great creative geniuses have been drugged into oblivion by our medication-crazy society.
Progressive churches in the Shreveport area?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 11, 2018:
I have the feeling you would like Unity.
https://www.google.com/search?q=unity+of+shreveport&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us=safari
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 11, 2018:
I have the feeling you would like Unity.
https://www.google.com/search?q=unity+of+shreveport&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us=safari
Q: Am I Republican or Democrat?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 10, 2018:
Very good point. One downside to the English language is that we have to identify our being with various trivial characteristics. We say, “She is a schizophrenic” as though that is all she is. Or “he is blond”. “Yeah, it’s a weird looking animal. I was wondering what the heck it was and that’s it: a blond”. Not all languages have it so.
BTW, if you are in Germany and it is a hot day, never ask a German woman if she is hot. (Sind sie heiss?) I don’t know the correct phrasing, but the above means, “Are you in heat?”
Another point is that in all those categories you mentioned, they are not opposites, but we are supposed to act and speak as though they were. A Republican is not the opposite of a Democrat. A liberal is not the opposite of a conservative. And also IMO, an atheist is not the opposite of a theist—a non believer is not the opposite of a religious person. You can have characteristics of each side.
Great post.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 10, 2018:
Very good point. One downside to the English language is that we have to identify our being with various trivial characteristics. We say, “She is a schizophrenic” as though that is all she is. Or “he is blond”. “Yeah, it’s a weird looking animal. I was wondering what the heck it was and that’s it: a blond”. Not all languages have it so.
BTW, if you are in Germany and it is a hot day, never ask a German woman if she is hot. (Sind sie heiss?) I don’t know the correct phrasing, but the above means, “Are you in heat?”
Another point is that in all those categories you mentioned, they are not opposites, but we are supposed to act and speak as though they were. A Republican is not the opposite of a Democrat. A liberal is not the opposite of a conservative. And also IMO, an atheist is not the opposite of a theist—a non believer is not the opposite of a religious person. You can have characteristics of each side.
Great post.
A question to the humanists in this forum: Do I have to sympathize with all human beings, or is it ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 10, 2018:
Because each person is the end result of a very long evolutionary process, they are logically entitled to respect. If we are, as I lean toward thinking, all extensions of universal consciousness, then we are all the same thing from a higher perspective. I cannot harm another conscious being without harming myself.
That said, I think there are evolutionary reasons for a tribal mentality. Birds of a feather flock together for a reason. IMO, the tribal mentality is part of our instinctive makeup and we need not feel guilty or ashamed. Our bodies are actors on the world stage, and they generally follow the script. For greater happiness though, we can expand our circles, gradually experiencing the beauty of all.
I consider myself to be a primatist. I belong to a couple of primate supremacy groups, and I vote only for primates. The other mammals are ok in their places, but I certainly would not want my sister to marry one of them. :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 10, 2018:
Because each person is the end result of a very long evolutionary process, they are logically entitled to respect. If we are, as I lean toward thinking, all extensions of universal consciousness, then we are all the same thing from a higher perspective. I cannot harm another conscious being without harming myself.
That said, I think there are evolutionary reasons for a tribal mentality. Birds of a feather flock together for a reason. IMO, the tribal mentality is part of our instinctive makeup and we need not feel guilty or ashamed. Our bodies are actors on the world stage, and they generally follow the script. For greater happiness though, we can expand our circles, gradually experiencing the beauty of all.
I consider myself to be a primatist. I belong to a couple of primate supremacy groups, and I vote only for primates. The other mammals are ok in their places, but I certainly would not want my sister to marry one of them. :-)
Would you date someone who is a self-proclaimed psychic/intuitive?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 10, 2018:
You are irrationally lumping together a bunch of things that you dislike. Hypnotism is a thoroughly documented and verified technique.
If I felt drawn toward a person I’d go for it regardless of those differences. It would be boring to agree all the time. Look at the whole person.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 10, 2018:
You are irrationally lumping together a bunch of things that you dislike. Hypnotism is a thoroughly documented and verified technique.
If I felt drawn toward a person I’d go for it regardless of those differences. It would be boring to agree all the time. Look at the whole person.
So, I was at a book club.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 10, 2018:
If two people get married they automatically give up part of their freedom. Submissive? The question is how submissive. If each is not somewhat submissive I don’t see how they can stay married. It’s a Tao thing.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 10, 2018:
If two people get married they automatically give up part of their freedom. Submissive? The question is how submissive. If each is not somewhat submissive I don’t see how they can stay married. It’s a Tao thing.
The humbling of the atheists: How religion survived the progress of science
"Not so long ago, ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 9, 2018:
"Religion is not a “primitive type of science,” as John Gray puts it. It is a form of life.“
IMO this is a very true statement. Many people think that religion is an attempt to explain nature through far fetched magical thinking—that the religious are cowardly people who need a comforting belief in the supernatural in order to face life and death.
While that version of religion might have some presence, that does not tell the whole story. Many deeply religious people exhibit profound courage by maintaining a life of attention, awareness, awe, appreciation and gratitude for existence. For them religion is not about faith or belief in scriptures or trying to be good, and it is not about explaining nature. It is about standing in awe of the unexplainable. It is not about knowing but about wondering.
It is perfectly reasonable to point out that biblical myths are unscientific. It is commendable to criticize organizations that promote such myths. It is not reasonable IMO to attack religion in general.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 9, 2018:
"Religion is not a “primitive type of science,” as John Gray puts it. It is a form of life.“
IMO this is a very true statement. Many people think that religion is an attempt to explain nature through far fetched magical thinking—that the religious are cowardly people who need a comforting belief in the supernatural in order to face life and death.
While that version of religion might have some presence, that does not tell the whole story. Many deeply religious people exhibit profound courage by maintaining a life of attention, awareness, awe, appreciation and gratitude for existence. For them religion is not about faith or belief in scriptures or trying to be good, and it is not about explaining nature. It is about standing in awe of the unexplainable. It is not about knowing but about wondering.
It is perfectly reasonable to point out that biblical myths are unscientific. It is commendable to criticize organizations that promote such myths. It is not reasonable IMO to attack religion in general.
There is a tendency, even in this forum, to attribute anything science cannot at this moment explain...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 9, 2018:
There’s no such thing as the supernatural. There is however the part of nature that we can not understand with our space/time/matter model. Also there are deep, deep questions whose answers are probably unknowable. In that sense nature is all “supernatural”, and the part that we can detect, which we call the physical, we see only dimly, crudely, and indirectly.
The spirit of science is to forge ahead into the unknown, to pounce greedily on new thoughts and ideas. A lot of people seem to think that science is all about stifling discussion of ideas that don’t fit the established scientific world view, and debunking anomalous evidence.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 9, 2018:
There’s no such thing as the supernatural. There is however the part of nature that we can not understand with our space/time/matter model. Also there are deep, deep questions whose answers are probably unknowable. In that sense nature is all “supernatural”, and the part that we can detect, which we call the physical, we see only dimly, crudely, and indirectly.
The spirit of science is to forge ahead into the unknown, to pounce greedily on new thoughts and ideas. A lot of people seem to think that science is all about stifling discussion of ideas that don’t fit the established scientific world view, and debunking anomalous evidence.
Christian Hate Preacher Will Be Deported from Australia After Harassing Muslims – Friendly Atheist
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Great article to read! It takes the spotlight off our US kooks and shines it on New Zealand. Let them bear the shame for a spell. :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Great article to read! It takes the spotlight off our US kooks and shines it on New Zealand. Let them bear the shame for a spell. :-)
In your experience, can anger turned outward also be simultaneously turning inward; or ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Whenever I have flared up in anger I have later suffered. I don’t think the anger got directed inward though—we can’t hurt another person without hurting ourselves because at heart we are connected.
IMO, the cause of anger is a judgmental or untrue thought that we have fed into our subconscious mind. Stop doing that and you won’t be angry.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Whenever I have flared up in anger I have later suffered. I don’t think the anger got directed inward though—we can’t hurt another person without hurting ourselves because at heart we are connected.
IMO, the cause of anger is a judgmental or untrue thought that we have fed into our subconscious mind. Stop doing that and you won’t be angry.
Can someone explain this to me?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Physics, chemistry, and biology do not even address, let alone answer the deep questions of existence. Most of the founders of modern physics were religious in their own ways, so it should be no surprise that about half of scientists today say they believe in God.
What I think is that no one knows or understands the nature of underlying reality, and that underlying nature is probably unknowable. So if you say you are an atheist or a theist, you aren’t saying anything much.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Physics, chemistry, and biology do not even address, let alone answer the deep questions of existence. Most of the founders of modern physics were religious in their own ways, so it should be no surprise that about half of scientists today say they believe in God.
What I think is that no one knows or understands the nature of underlying reality, and that underlying nature is probably unknowable. So if you say you are an atheist or a theist, you aren’t saying anything much.
I've been debating online quite a bit with family.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Interesting that someone just today related a NDE. I found the story to be very intriguing and inspirational. The person is an honorable fellow human and I have no reason for doubt.
We are not talking here about a mathematical theorem in need of proof, but if proof is what you are wanting I suggest putting the information on a back burner and waiting for science to catch up with human experience.
So far as debating your family, if your experience is like mine you are fighting a lost cause. I say leave ‘em be.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Interesting that someone just today related a NDE. I found the story to be very intriguing and inspirational. The person is an honorable fellow human and I have no reason for doubt.
We are not talking here about a mathematical theorem in need of proof, but if proof is what you are wanting I suggest putting the information on a back burner and waiting for science to catch up with human experience.
So far as debating your family, if your experience is like mine you are fighting a lost cause. I say leave ‘em be.
We’re lucky in the UK that we don’t experience the aggressive Christian bullying that seems to ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Your key word is “seems”. If you go by the media you would think that US churches are perpetually bullying the populace and that things here are dire and out of control and that theocracy is on the way. The media loves to whip up a frenzy, but it’s mostly just fluff IMO. There are a handful of church zealots who make a lot of noise but have little power.
The media is screaming and crying bloody murder over the election of old DT. They are spreading the message that his supporters are ignorant, impoverished, racist, uneducated, bigoted, drug using, baseball cap wearing “evangicals”, whatever the heck those are. Meanwhile Trump is a sort of secular guy while Clinton claims to be a Methodist. I doubt if many people voted based on their religion.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Your key word is “seems”. If you go by the media you would think that US churches are perpetually bullying the populace and that things here are dire and out of control and that theocracy is on the way. The media loves to whip up a frenzy, but it’s mostly just fluff IMO. There are a handful of church zealots who make a lot of noise but have little power.
The media is screaming and crying bloody murder over the election of old DT. They are spreading the message that his supporters are ignorant, impoverished, racist, uneducated, bigoted, drug using, baseball cap wearing “evangicals”, whatever the heck those are. Meanwhile Trump is a sort of secular guy while Clinton claims to be a Methodist. I doubt if many people voted based on their religion.
The Constitution is Not Neutral
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Lots of extreme language in there and not much to back it up. Remember, courts interpret laws. Laws can be changed.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Lots of extreme language in there and not much to back it up. Remember, courts interpret laws. Laws can be changed.
I'd really love to see a Universal Basic Income implemented.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
I wonder if a lifetime subsistence dividend for every citizen could be implemented. It would be funded by a massive public trust fund invested in stocks and bonds. Every social program could be eliminated along with taxes and public debt.
It’s not all that far-fetched—Alaska has its permanent fund. Canada funds pensions that way. Norway has something like that.
From a national perspective, having to do work is a liability. As time goes by there’ll be more robots and less need for labor, but the bounty from those robots will need to be distributed somehow. Just think of the free time for hobbies, education, relaxation, socializing, etc. For those hell-bent on getting rich, they still could. (Those people are society’s drones BTW)
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
I wonder if a lifetime subsistence dividend for every citizen could be implemented. It would be funded by a massive public trust fund invested in stocks and bonds. Every social program could be eliminated along with taxes and public debt.
It’s not all that far-fetched—Alaska has its permanent fund. Canada funds pensions that way. Norway has something like that.
From a national perspective, having to do work is a liability. As time goes by there’ll be more robots and less need for labor, but the bounty from those robots will need to be distributed somehow. Just think of the free time for hobbies, education, relaxation, socializing, etc. For those hell-bent on getting rich, they still could. (Those people are society’s drones BTW)
Are you really here? Or am I just a figment of your imagination?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Our bodies and all the other stuff that we perceive are nothing but fluctuations in the quantum gravity field. Beyond that is pure consciousness. We are extensions of that conscious awareness.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 8, 2018:
Our bodies and all the other stuff that we perceive are nothing but fluctuations in the quantum gravity field. Beyond that is pure consciousness. We are extensions of that conscious awareness.
What makes the difference between being logical and just being negative?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 7, 2018:
A positive outlook is not the opposite of a negative outlook. If you see the world and it’s creatures as beautiful it is because you are looking around and perceiving reality as it really is. If you see ugliness it is because you are not looking. You are wrapped up in judgmental, untrue thoughts—a wholly different category. Your thoughts really do matter IMO.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 7, 2018:
A positive outlook is not the opposite of a negative outlook. If you see the world and it’s creatures as beautiful it is because you are looking around and perceiving reality as it really is. If you see ugliness it is because you are not looking. You are wrapped up in judgmental, untrue thoughts—a wholly different category. Your thoughts really do matter IMO.
What is "promiscuous teleology" ?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 7, 2018:
Interesting perspective. No matter what our emotional needs are, that does not explain away our questions about existence in a strange and eerie reality. Despite what many people say, there is some evidence for a higher intelligence—that which I call universal awareness. My emotional needs are interesting, but the fact that I have such needs does not address that evidence or refute the concept in any way. Psychoanalyzing your opponent is not a very good way to persuade people.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 7, 2018:
Interesting perspective. No matter what our emotional needs are, that does not explain away our questions about existence in a strange and eerie reality. Despite what many people say, there is some evidence for a higher intelligence—that which I call universal awareness. My emotional needs are interesting, but the fact that I have such needs does not address that evidence or refute the concept in any way. Psychoanalyzing your opponent is not a very good way to persuade people.
If you were to create your own belief system what would it look like?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 7, 2018:
I would not presume to create a belief system as I feel totally ignorant, bewildered and agog.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 7, 2018:
I would not presume to create a belief system as I feel totally ignorant, bewildered and agog.
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