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Musings on the Pandemic Quarantine:
Many people are thinking about "when this is over," getting ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I salute you for a very nice essay, however until the spell is broken on a good majority of the voting public, until at least two-thirds of the senate either come to their senses or are gone, and until we recognize that the inequities in our society are damned un-American and realize that Donald and Melania are America's Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, we will not march on Washington. Too many Americans are behaving like frogs in a slowly warming pot!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I salute you for a very nice essay, however until the spell is broken on a good majority of the voting public, until at least two-thirds of the senate either come to their senses or are gone, and until we recognize that the inequities in our society are damned un-American and realize that Donald and Melania are America's Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, we will not march on Washington. Too many Americans are behaving like frogs in a slowly warming pot!
I would have preferred to see Bernie Sanders win the nomination for the democratic party, but it is ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I agree with @Omnedon, prior to this health crisis and resulting loss of life, leading to an economic meltdown and what seems certain to be an impending recession, I saw Trump as a shoe in. Even under the most optimistic scenario of a turnaround in the third quarter (Jul-Sep), unemployment may remain high in November, allowing the Democratic nominee to ask the simple question, 'Are you better off today than you were four years ago?'
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I agree with @Omnedon, prior to this health crisis and resulting loss of life, leading to an economic meltdown and what seems certain to be an impending recession, I saw Trump as a shoe in. Even under the most optimistic scenario of a turnaround in the third quarter (Jul-Sep), unemployment may remain high in November, allowing the Democratic nominee to ask the simple question, 'Are you better off today than you were four years ago?'
Israeli virologist urges world leaders to calm public, slams ‘unnecessary panic’
...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
Yes, as Doug Adams said, "Don't panic." Keep calm, and carry on, right? But until we flatten the curve, we really must shelter in place, or else our future is Italy's multiplied fivefold.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
Yes, as Doug Adams said, "Don't panic." Keep calm, and carry on, right? But until we flatten the curve, we really must shelter in place, or else our future is Italy's multiplied fivefold.
I have a theory about karma.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
Waiting for karma to address injustices always seemed to me to be too much like waiting for the day of judgment. Meanwhile the path is strewn with victims. Whether it be a family, a team or a nation, it only takes one bad actor to do permanent harm. And this isn't just about being nice, either. Today we have arseholes out there ignoring the directives and spreading a virus.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
Waiting for karma to address injustices always seemed to me to be too much like waiting for the day of judgment. Meanwhile the path is strewn with victims. Whether it be a family, a team or a nation, it only takes one bad actor to do permanent harm. And this isn't just about being nice, either. Today we have arseholes out there ignoring the directives and spreading a virus.
I dedicate this song to Robert Reich.
[youtube.com]
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I wonder if Peter Dinklage would be disappointed that you didn't dedicate the song to him?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I wonder if Peter Dinklage would be disappointed that you didn't dedicate the song to him?
PBS The Violence Paradox
[youtube.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I have yet to see this program, but have read much of Steven Pinker's work, and find myself in agreement with his analysis. Reading 'The Better Angels of Our Nature' blew my mind. Thank you for this recommendation!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I have yet to see this program, but have read much of Steven Pinker's work, and find myself in agreement with his analysis. Reading 'The Better Angels of Our Nature' blew my mind. Thank you for this recommendation!
Grrrrrrr!!!!!!
[youtube.com]
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
The Falcon 9 is a Dassault jet. Why buy from the frogs? He should go for the Gulfstream (Savannah, GA). He's clearly not listening to Jesus! America first, dammit!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
The Falcon 9 is a Dassault jet. Why buy from the frogs? He should go for the Gulfstream (Savannah, GA). He's clearly not listening to Jesus! America first, dammit!
Since dating is no longer really possible in the traditional sense because of all the isolation ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I sometimes wonder if our being forced to stay at home with nowhere to go, no sports to watch, and not a whole lot left to do will lead to a spike in the number of babies born about nine months from now. I mean, who wants to go out and buy condoms during an epidemic, right? Maybe we're living in a kind of social experiment, like the New York City blackout.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
I sometimes wonder if our being forced to stay at home with nowhere to go, no sports to watch, and not a whole lot left to do will lead to a spike in the number of babies born about nine months from now. I mean, who wants to go out and buy condoms during an epidemic, right? Maybe we're living in a kind of social experiment, like the New York City blackout.
Inspired by a recent post:
Is Theism a philosophy?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
Before addressing any of these questions, perhaps you should lay the groundwork of what constitutes a philosophy. Terminology / definitions first, sound good?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
Before addressing any of these questions, perhaps you should lay the groundwork of what constitutes a philosophy. Terminology / definitions first, sound good?
I just watched a video of televangelist Kenneth Copeland defending his lavish lifestyle, and why he ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
America was established to be a free and open market for both the commerce of goods and of ideas, so long as they aren't deemed 'subversive' of course! In such a market, robber barons, moguls and magnates of the business world stand next to the grand hucksters, fraudsters and con men of the cloth. In a very real sense, the Osteens, Bakkers and Copelands, and so many more, are the 'winners' in this free market system, because they've massively succeeded in selling whatever bullshit their followers are buying. "A fool and his money are soon parted." Thomas Tusser
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
America was established to be a free and open market for both the commerce of goods and of ideas, so long as they aren't deemed 'subversive' of course! In such a market, robber barons, moguls and magnates of the business world stand next to the grand hucksters, fraudsters and con men of the cloth. In a very real sense, the Osteens, Bakkers and Copelands, and so many more, are the 'winners' in this free market system, because they've massively succeeded in selling whatever bullshit their followers are buying. "A fool and his money are soon parted." Thomas Tusser
Good and right post
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
Beautiful! Excellent quote! It seems almost as if NDGT is 'channeling' one of my intellectual heroes, Robert Green Ingersoll, *The Great Agnostic*, whose speeches / lectures were seen by more Americans during the last three decades of the 19th century than any other public figure. Ingersoll said:
"Nature, so long as we can discern, without passion and without intention, forms, transforms, and retransforms forever. She neither weeps nor rejoices. She produces man without purpose, and obliterates him without regret. She knows no distinction between the beneficial and the hurtful. Poison and nutrition, pain and joy, life and death, smiles and tears are alike to her. She is neither merciful nor cruel. She cannot be flattered by worship nor melted by tears. She does not know even the attitude of prayer. She appreciates no difference between poison in the fangs of snakes and mercy in the hearts of men."
*The Gods*, 1872
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 20, 2020:
Beautiful! Excellent quote! It seems almost as if NDGT is 'channeling' one of my intellectual heroes, Robert Green Ingersoll, *The Great Agnostic*, whose speeches / lectures were seen by more Americans during the last three decades of the 19th century than any other public figure. Ingersoll said:
"Nature, so long as we can discern, without passion and without intention, forms, transforms, and retransforms forever. She neither weeps nor rejoices. She produces man without purpose, and obliterates him without regret. She knows no distinction between the beneficial and the hurtful. Poison and nutrition, pain and joy, life and death, smiles and tears are alike to her. She is neither merciful nor cruel. She cannot be flattered by worship nor melted by tears. She does not know even the attitude of prayer. She appreciates no difference between poison in the fangs of snakes and mercy in the hearts of men."
*The Gods*, 1872
How could Adam and Eve sin if they didn't know sin yet?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
According to the Genesis story, they were instructed by their creator not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But they chose to disregard this command, and immediately thereafter felt a sense of guilt, so the story goes. Bottom line, much like children they knew what they were doing wasn't allowed, but they did it anyway, and they felt awful afterward. In other words, they had knowledge of right and wrong. All of this is, of course, a fable ... but one that is worth discussing.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
According to the Genesis story, they were instructed by their creator not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But they chose to disregard this command, and immediately thereafter felt a sense of guilt, so the story goes. Bottom line, much like children they knew what they were doing wasn't allowed, but they did it anyway, and they felt awful afterward. In other words, they had knowledge of right and wrong. All of this is, of course, a fable ... but one that is worth discussing.
One of the guys i golf with told me that he used to cough to hide a fart but since the pandemic he ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
When you reach a certain age, you begin to lose your trust in farts.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
When you reach a certain age, you begin to lose your trust in farts.
New Zealand Pastor Blames Coronavirus on Airborne Demons Controlled by Satan | Beth Stoneburner | ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
"This sounds like it came right out of the Dark Ages..."
Sadly, it does. In fact, it comes out of the bronze age, which predates the Dark Ages by a thousand years!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
"This sounds like it came right out of the Dark Ages..."
Sadly, it does. In fact, it comes out of the bronze age, which predates the Dark Ages by a thousand years!
New Zealand passes law decriminalising abortion - BBC News
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
Wait, the progressive, forward thinking nation of New Zealand only now in the year 2020 had their Row v. Wade moment?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
Wait, the progressive, forward thinking nation of New Zealand only now in the year 2020 had their Row v. Wade moment?
Do you think the Corono-virus will hurt or help religion?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
On the whole, I doubt there will be an impact, either way. Sadly, however, some of loved ones of those killed by the virus will inevitably ask, 'why?' Experiencing first hand the 'problem of evil' is often an impetus to question, or even doubt. It most certainly was for me. Why, after all, would a kind and loving god allow a virus to destroy one of his children, leaving loved ones without a parent or grandparent? And if they become unsatisfied with the platitudes from the pulpit, they may arrive the same logical conclusion as Epicurus, even if they've never heard of him.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
On the whole, I doubt there will be an impact, either way. Sadly, however, some of loved ones of those killed by the virus will inevitably ask, 'why?' Experiencing first hand the 'problem of evil' is often an impetus to question, or even doubt. It most certainly was for me. Why, after all, would a kind and loving god allow a virus to destroy one of his children, leaving loved ones without a parent or grandparent? And if they become unsatisfied with the platitudes from the pulpit, they may arrive the same logical conclusion as Epicurus, even if they've never heard of him.
It's way past time to face reality...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
I like this for two reasons, first for what it says, second for what it shows. Every middle and high school girl should see this image, so that more will be inspired ... we need more women in STEM!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
I like this for two reasons, first for what it says, second for what it shows. Every middle and high school girl should see this image, so that more will be inspired ... we need more women in STEM!
Is anyone more fascinated than afraid with how everyone is responding to this Pandemic/ quarantine ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
I'm not sure where you are, but 95% of people being 'pretty much normal' is not what I've witnessed. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the bars, restaurants and health clubs are locked up, the freeways are empty, the schools are closed and gatherings are limited to 10 persons. In fact, 95% of the people in our city appear to be following the protocols, while 5% of the populace are behaving 'pretty much normal' as the selfish assholes they always were.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
I'm not sure where you are, but 95% of people being 'pretty much normal' is not what I've witnessed. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the bars, restaurants and health clubs are locked up, the freeways are empty, the schools are closed and gatherings are limited to 10 persons. In fact, 95% of the people in our city appear to be following the protocols, while 5% of the populace are behaving 'pretty much normal' as the selfish assholes they always were.
The philosophy of Atheism represents a concept of life without any metaphysical Beyond or Divine ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
Ah, Emma Goldman, that pioneer anarchist. She speaks the truth, here. It is very liberating, exhilarating even, to realize that the 'eye in the sky' you always assumed was there, is really just make believe. My only quibble with her statement is that lacking a belief in a deity, or atheism, isn't a philosophy. Rather, it is merely a point of reference.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 19, 2020:
Ah, Emma Goldman, that pioneer anarchist. She speaks the truth, here. It is very liberating, exhilarating even, to realize that the 'eye in the sky' you always assumed was there, is really just make believe. My only quibble with her statement is that lacking a belief in a deity, or atheism, isn't a philosophy. Rather, it is merely a point of reference.
Griftin' in the name of Da Lawd
[huffpost.com]
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
The man of orange has a weakness for blondes.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
The man of orange has a weakness for blondes.
Ice age 'house' made from bones of more than 60 mammoths mystifies archaeologists | Live Science
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Any romanticizing of aboriginal people living in balance and at one with nature is given a shock by the reality of the woolly mammoth being hunted into extinction.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Any romanticizing of aboriginal people living in balance and at one with nature is given a shock by the reality of the woolly mammoth being hunted into extinction.
For those of you who know the story, this is funny as shit!!!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Noah's ark built with steel beams? I sense a phony photo.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Noah's ark built with steel beams? I sense a phony photo.
[zerohedge.com]
video--scroll down...bad world...is this where we are?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Mad World (not bad world) is an excellent song, written in the early 80's by Tears for Fears, believe it or not, but that video is damn depressing!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Mad World (not bad world) is an excellent song, written in the early 80's by Tears for Fears, believe it or not, but that video is damn depressing!
Religious friends and Coronavirus.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
I was brought up in the Seventh-day Adventist religion, which has finally vanished from my rear view mirror. But I still have many friends & family in the faith, some in the medical field. No matter what whacky beliefs Adventists hold, one is not a reliance on prayer to heal, as their medical system (Loma Linda University, Advent Health, etc.) does not include divine intervention as a medicine.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
I was brought up in the Seventh-day Adventist religion, which has finally vanished from my rear view mirror. But I still have many friends & family in the faith, some in the medical field. No matter what whacky beliefs Adventists hold, one is not a reliance on prayer to heal, as their medical system (Loma Linda University, Advent Health, etc.) does not include divine intervention as a medicine.
Supermarkets here are getting stripped by panic buying.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
I am still floored by this run on toilet paper. I wonder if Freud would think we're all anally fixated.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
I am still floored by this run on toilet paper. I wonder if Freud would think we're all anally fixated.
Christians, or as I call some of them, christian scum, like to call evolution and science "Lies from...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Christianity is founded upon three immoral and obscene outrages: 1) That the 'guilt' of one man for a single act may be passed down to all generations; 2) That this 'guilt' may be transferred in some strange bargain that requires a human sacrifice; and 3) That a young virgin must be debauched by a deity in order to produce a half-breed 'sacrificial lamb.' One cannot help but wonder, by what biological mechanism was this impregnation of a teenage girl accomplished? And what are the genetic constituents of Holy Spirit sperm? Ever wonder what God's DNA looked like?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Christianity is founded upon three immoral and obscene outrages: 1) That the 'guilt' of one man for a single act may be passed down to all generations; 2) That this 'guilt' may be transferred in some strange bargain that requires a human sacrifice; and 3) That a young virgin must be debauched by a deity in order to produce a half-breed 'sacrificial lamb.' One cannot help but wonder, by what biological mechanism was this impregnation of a teenage girl accomplished? And what are the genetic constituents of Holy Spirit sperm? Ever wonder what God's DNA looked like?
Has anyone else noticed that religion is portrayed as truth and real history on most TV ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
The History Channel belongs in the dustbin of history, along with other mind suckers, such as *In Search Of* (hosted by Leonard Nimoy, of all people!) *Ghost Hunters* and *Omni* magazine!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
The History Channel belongs in the dustbin of history, along with other mind suckers, such as *In Search Of* (hosted by Leonard Nimoy, of all people!) *Ghost Hunters* and *Omni* magazine!
This is not the end of the world, according to Christians who study the end of the world
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Eschatology is at the core of many religions and all doomsday cults. What makes 'end times' thinking so dangerous is that it promotes an attitude of disregard. How motivated are you likely to be to preserve the planet for future generations if you firmly believe that we're approaching a time when it will all be destroyed in a divine apocalypse? When people believe this world is little more than a waiting room for paradise, they tend to devalue it and those in it who do not share their belief.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
Eschatology is at the core of many religions and all doomsday cults. What makes 'end times' thinking so dangerous is that it promotes an attitude of disregard. How motivated are you likely to be to preserve the planet for future generations if you firmly believe that we're approaching a time when it will all be destroyed in a divine apocalypse? When people believe this world is little more than a waiting room for paradise, they tend to devalue it and those in it who do not share their belief.
Steven Novella on being anti-intellectual during a pandemic.
[theness.com]
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
It is rather depressing to live in a time of such irrationality which, to be clear, is not neccessarily associated with a given political persuasion. For example, the anti-GMO and antivax movements are not based on science, and each have been fueled by adherents on the political left. The urge to generalize based on anecdote, to distrust what is hard to understand and relying on gut feelings--these are human traits that can only be overcome with critical thinking and reason.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 18, 2020:
It is rather depressing to live in a time of such irrationality which, to be clear, is not neccessarily associated with a given political persuasion. For example, the anti-GMO and antivax movements are not based on science, and each have been fueled by adherents on the political left. The urge to generalize based on anecdote, to distrust what is hard to understand and relying on gut feelings--these are human traits that can only be overcome with critical thinking and reason.
Nice explanation of exponential growth by 3Bluw1Brown.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 17, 2020:
Thanks for this graphic. One need only watch the daily numbers to see where we are with regard to the growth of this pandemic. I recommend: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 17, 2020:
Thanks for this graphic. One need only watch the daily numbers to see where we are with regard to the growth of this pandemic. I recommend: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
& not in the blood of Christ!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 17, 2020:
Just make sure the water isn't 'holy.' ;-)
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 17, 2020:
Just make sure the water isn't 'holy.' ;-)
Our headlines read: "People in LA lining up for guns as virus cases increase in California.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 17, 2020:
Putting aside the fact, for a moment, that it only takes a few dozen patrons to create a line at a gun store, the purchase of ammunition and guns (plus waiting period) and toilet paper (of all things) during a pandemic must surely share a meme... one that I'm oblivious to.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 17, 2020:
Putting aside the fact, for a moment, that it only takes a few dozen patrons to create a line at a gun store, the purchase of ammunition and guns (plus waiting period) and toilet paper (of all things) during a pandemic must surely share a meme... one that I'm oblivious to.
YouTube has many atheists that produce content.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 16, 2020:
For entertainment, MrDeity has always been good for a laugh. For education, I prefer the aforementioned Potholder54 (particularly on topics like climate change and evolution), as well as QualiaSoup and his brother, Theramin Trees. My deconversion, some years ago, was aided greatly by Evid3nc3, Matt McCormick, philhellenes and of course, The Atheist Experience.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 16, 2020:
For entertainment, MrDeity has always been good for a laugh. For education, I prefer the aforementioned Potholder54 (particularly on topics like climate change and evolution), as well as QualiaSoup and his brother, Theramin Trees. My deconversion, some years ago, was aided greatly by Evid3nc3, Matt McCormick, philhellenes and of course, The Atheist Experience.
Hi, I'm a new member.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 16, 2020:
Thank you for introducing yourself, and welcome. Some, myself included, are not nearly so polite, and just dive right in ... Cheers!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 16, 2020:
Thank you for introducing yourself, and welcome. Some, myself included, are not nearly so polite, and just dive right in ... Cheers!
Am I the only one?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 15, 2020:
You are by no means the only one, @RoadGoddess! But are you looking for conversations about science itself, or conversations that have their basis in the scientific method? Either way, depending on the discipline, if you were to start one, as @AstralSmoke suggests, I would be game.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 15, 2020:
You are by no means the only one, @RoadGoddess! But are you looking for conversations about science itself, or conversations that have their basis in the scientific method? Either way, depending on the discipline, if you were to start one, as @AstralSmoke suggests, I would be game.
What are your personal pet peeves about religous people?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 15, 2020:
Coming from one who once believed he had "The Truth," it is the arrogance of certitude--claiming knowledge of things one cannot possibly know. It is this attitude that pervades a vast number of persons in this country, leading to a virtual 'epidemic' of the Dunning-Kruger effect. A straight line may be drawn between the anti-science evangelicals to the White House which, as we have now seen, has a direct impact on public health.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 15, 2020:
Coming from one who once believed he had "The Truth," it is the arrogance of certitude--claiming knowledge of things one cannot possibly know. It is this attitude that pervades a vast number of persons in this country, leading to a virtual 'epidemic' of the Dunning-Kruger effect. A straight line may be drawn between the anti-science evangelicals to the White House which, as we have now seen, has a direct impact on public health.
Over 300 Minor Planets Discovered Beyond Neptune: [iflscience.com]
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 14, 2020:
One wonders what we might discover were we to send probes designed to remain in orbit around the sun beyond Pluto in order to map the Kuiper Belt, rather than flying past as previous missions have done. Lots of raw material out there, perhaps waiting to be 'nudged' into a more elliptical orbit.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 14, 2020:
One wonders what we might discover were we to send probes designed to remain in orbit around the sun beyond Pluto in order to map the Kuiper Belt, rather than flying past as previous missions have done. Lots of raw material out there, perhaps waiting to be 'nudged' into a more elliptical orbit.
I'd like to ask what is the most important single plausibe technological breakthru that could happen...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 14, 2020:
Genetically engineered immune system enhancements designed to attack invasive cells, made available to all.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 14, 2020:
Genetically engineered immune system enhancements designed to attack invasive cells, made available to all.
Coronavirus: Millions of Britons will need to contract COVID-19 for 'herd immunity' | Politics News ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 14, 2020:
Herd immunity may be via natural means (enough people in a given population develop immunity), or artificial via vaccination. It takes too many casualties in order to get there naturally--consider Native Americans' exposure to small pox.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 14, 2020:
Herd immunity may be via natural means (enough people in a given population develop immunity), or artificial via vaccination. It takes too many casualties in order to get there naturally--consider Native Americans' exposure to small pox.
Many in the science communities believe the Coronavirus is a mutation (it evolved).
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 12, 2020:
Many, perhaps most, who deny Darwinism, or Evolution by Means of Natural Selection, remain open to genetic mutations. In other words, they can accept micro-evolution, but reject macro-evolution. And then, there are those who believe Covid 19 was the work of either the Devil (to wreak havoc) or God (to punish). There's really no clear path through this underbrush of lunacy.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 12, 2020:
Many, perhaps most, who deny Darwinism, or Evolution by Means of Natural Selection, remain open to genetic mutations. In other words, they can accept micro-evolution, but reject macro-evolution. And then, there are those who believe Covid 19 was the work of either the Devil (to wreak havoc) or God (to punish). There's really no clear path through this underbrush of lunacy.
I believe in love, peace, companionship, moral righteousness, honor, wisdom, intelligence, respect, ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 12, 2020:
I subscribe to much of what you proclaim, however two terms are problematic to me, personally, as they may be applied in ways that I don't condone: a) moral righteousness, and b) honor. Care to elaborate?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 12, 2020:
I subscribe to much of what you proclaim, however two terms are problematic to me, personally, as they may be applied in ways that I don't condone: a) moral righteousness, and b) honor. Care to elaborate?
I'm tired of the assumption that I just want to sin and not be accountable to a god.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 12, 2020:
Your statement appears to accept that there is such a thing as sin, which when rejected liberates one from this religious trope. Once we view the term 'sin' as an artificial construct, and reject its usage entirely, we are freed from these pointless arguments.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 12, 2020:
Your statement appears to accept that there is such a thing as sin, which when rejected liberates one from this religious trope. Once we view the term 'sin' as an artificial construct, and reject its usage entirely, we are freed from these pointless arguments.
I came across an interview I’d not seen before.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
Did you have to remind us? ;-)
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
Did you have to remind us? ;-)
what is your choice?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
Reject.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
Reject.
Oh, the irony.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
Faith healer, heal thyself!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
Faith healer, heal thyself!
Yes. ppl are still fighting and killing each other over who has the best imaginary friend.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
"And God said...
I don't dwell upon you, I dwell on something else
I am not really here, so get over your self
And God said...
There's no anger in me, you must mean someone else
Cause it's not me that you see, you're looking at yourself
And I won't give you a prize instead of someone else
Cause I don't play favorites, so get over yourself
And God said...
You are not serving me, you're serving something else
Cause I don't need to be pleased, just get over yourself
You can't suck up, up to me, I know you all too well
But I don't dwell upon you, so get over yourself
Cause you're not praying to me, you're praying to yourself
And you're not worshiping me, you're worshiping yourself
And you will kill in my name and heaven knows what else
When you can't prove I exist, so get over yourself."
--Todd Rundgren, 'God Said'
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
"And God said...
I don't dwell upon you, I dwell on something else
I am not really here, so get over your self
And God said...
There's no anger in me, you must mean someone else
Cause it's not me that you see, you're looking at yourself
And I won't give you a prize instead of someone else
Cause I don't play favorites, so get over yourself
And God said...
You are not serving me, you're serving something else
Cause I don't need to be pleased, just get over yourself
You can't suck up, up to me, I know you all too well
But I don't dwell upon you, so get over yourself
Cause you're not praying to me, you're praying to yourself
And you're not worshiping me, you're worshiping yourself
And you will kill in my name and heaven knows what else
When you can't prove I exist, so get over yourself."
--Todd Rundgren, 'God Said'
Christian pastor: I’d support Trump ‘even if he ran a dogfighting ring on Mother Teresa’s ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
Trump was right about one thing he said, prior to the 2016 election ... he really could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and not lose any of his voters. Sadly, I see little hope of improvement on this account over the past 4 years.
Are we, as a society, more educated and more discerning? Do we listen to scientific experts more carefully than we do our clergy, talk show hosts or political leaders? Are we, on the whole, more rational and well-reasoned in our daily lives? Do we even know how to reject junk science, conspiracy theories, rumors and propaganda posing as news?
Too many of us look like Jay Leno's Jaywalking interviewees, stumped by questions the average 5th grader would know. Too many of us watch 'reality' TV and the WWE and believe it's real. I've said this before, but we deserve the politicians we get, and get the politicians we deserve in this country, as we are a nation that suffers en masse from the Dunning-Kruger effect! We're simply too stupid and ignorant to realize how incompetent and brain-dead we are!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
Trump was right about one thing he said, prior to the 2016 election ... he really could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and not lose any of his voters. Sadly, I see little hope of improvement on this account over the past 4 years.
Are we, as a society, more educated and more discerning? Do we listen to scientific experts more carefully than we do our clergy, talk show hosts or political leaders? Are we, on the whole, more rational and well-reasoned in our daily lives? Do we even know how to reject junk science, conspiracy theories, rumors and propaganda posing as news?
Too many of us look like Jay Leno's Jaywalking interviewees, stumped by questions the average 5th grader would know. Too many of us watch 'reality' TV and the WWE and believe it's real. I've said this before, but we deserve the politicians we get, and get the politicians we deserve in this country, as we are a nation that suffers en masse from the Dunning-Kruger effect! We're simply too stupid and ignorant to realize how incompetent and brain-dead we are!
Okay, so there is always the Atheist vs.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
I'm either immune or tone deaf to the A vs. A vibe, but then I'm a nullifidian. It seems to me that one can remain an agnostic for life, as The Great Agnostic, Robert Green Ingersoll did, and I count Ingersoll as one of my intellectual role models.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 11, 2020:
I'm either immune or tone deaf to the A vs. A vibe, but then I'm a nullifidian. It seems to me that one can remain an agnostic for life, as The Great Agnostic, Robert Green Ingersoll did, and I count Ingersoll as one of my intellectual role models.
Okay, I was talking with a friend yesterday.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 10, 2020:
"Documentaries" on ancient gods? On the History channel? Consider the source. And landing strips? So interstellar space travel requires a runway? "There is evidence out there?" Really? Of just what, exactly?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 10, 2020:
"Documentaries" on ancient gods? On the History channel? Consider the source. And landing strips? So interstellar space travel requires a runway? "There is evidence out there?" Really? Of just what, exactly?
How many know that the Hindu festivals season will kick off in India, Nepal etc.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 10, 2020:
Your reference to internal plumbing is even more jarring when you consider that a much greater percentage of homes were without it in 1974 when India successfully tested its first nuclear bomb, named Smiling Buddha.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 10, 2020:
Your reference to internal plumbing is even more jarring when you consider that a much greater percentage of homes were without it in 1974 when India successfully tested its first nuclear bomb, named Smiling Buddha.
Orthodox Israeli Rabbi Claims Coronavirus is God’s Revenge for Gay Pride Parades | Beth ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 10, 2020:
When reading a news article or any essay on the topic of religion, the term 'orthodox' should be seen by all as a rather unique and troubling qualifier. No matter the religion, orthodoxy is all-too-close to chauvinism, autocracy and fascism. In nearly every context, the more orthodox a religious person is, the more others have to fear.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 10, 2020:
When reading a news article or any essay on the topic of religion, the term 'orthodox' should be seen by all as a rather unique and troubling qualifier. No matter the religion, orthodoxy is all-too-close to chauvinism, autocracy and fascism. In nearly every context, the more orthodox a religious person is, the more others have to fear.
Catholic Churches Are Removing Holy Water Out of Fear of Spreading Coronavirus | David Gee | ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 9, 2020:
Okay folks, I'm no apologist for Catholicism, and in fact was raised in a Protestant offshoot that believed the Pope was akin to the anti-Christ. That said, as a nonbeliever I am less interested in taking casual and all-too-easy pot shots than I am in analyzing the steps / actions taken to limit the effect of the virus. If, as I've previously commented, one considers these groups as 'social clubs' like the Lyons, Kiwanis or Rotary, but on a somewhat larger scale, the same considerations apply, when dealing with an epidemic. Appropriate steps are appropriate steps, period.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 9, 2020:
Okay folks, I'm no apologist for Catholicism, and in fact was raised in a Protestant offshoot that believed the Pope was akin to the anti-Christ. That said, as a nonbeliever I am less interested in taking casual and all-too-easy pot shots than I am in analyzing the steps / actions taken to limit the effect of the virus. If, as I've previously commented, one considers these groups as 'social clubs' like the Lyons, Kiwanis or Rotary, but on a somewhat larger scale, the same considerations apply, when dealing with an epidemic. Appropriate steps are appropriate steps, period.
I have to be honest.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
"I would bet that less than 10% of the Bible can actually be verified and proven."
In my view, you're being way too generous as the entire collection is fictional.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
"I would bet that less than 10% of the Bible can actually be verified and proven."
In my view, you're being way too generous as the entire collection is fictional.
Someone recently argued that greater educational attainment in first nations is the driver behind a ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
By your reference to Native Americans as First Nations, may I assume you're Canadian? If so, what religious belief(s) do Canada's public schools tend to squelch?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
By your reference to Native Americans as First Nations, may I assume you're Canadian? If so, what religious belief(s) do Canada's public schools tend to squelch?
Curiosity Mars Rover Snaps 1.8 Billion-Pixel Panorama (narrated video) [youtube.com]
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Thank you for posting this fascinating video!
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Thank you for posting this fascinating video!
So, after years of reading countless works of eastern philosophy​, I've come to the following ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Perhaps you missed the Noble Eightfold Path?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Perhaps you missed the Noble Eightfold Path?
Scientists Found a Caterpillar That Eats Plastic. Could It Help Solve our Plastic Crisis?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? Caterpillars.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? Caterpillars.
Life is what it is...Can someone even find true love on earth anymore?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Yes, but then I feel very fortunate. I fell hard my senior year in high school and the rest was history. After four years of steady 'dating' through college, 38 years of marriage, two grown kids and the challenges faced by any relationship, I am a firm believer in true love. But it has to be right for both--it means replacing "me" or "I" with "us" or "we." One partner picks up the slack when the other is low and one partner kicks the other in the butt when it's needed. Total trust--both are all in. True love is beyond the physical, and includes a total partnership and full commitment to the pair or team, not the individual.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Yes, but then I feel very fortunate. I fell hard my senior year in high school and the rest was history. After four years of steady 'dating' through college, 38 years of marriage, two grown kids and the challenges faced by any relationship, I am a firm believer in true love. But it has to be right for both--it means replacing "me" or "I" with "us" or "we." One partner picks up the slack when the other is low and one partner kicks the other in the butt when it's needed. Total trust--both are all in. True love is beyond the physical, and includes a total partnership and full commitment to the pair or team, not the individual.
Man Killed By Police At Santa Ana Catholic Church – CBS Los Angeles
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
If you're 'troubled' by public officials invoking God, first, where have you been? And secondly, welcome to the club! Attributing the so-called 'grace of God' for saving some, while allowing others to be killed, invites much scrutiny. And yet, this ludicrous acceptance of divine interference survives, and is nearly ubiquitous, to the extent that an assumption is made (on the part of some) that a belief in God is the default state. But the following famous, and rather awkward, example of such an assumption is instructive, not only to the viewing audience, but to the press corps! Not everyone is a sheep, Wolf!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RjXHXIVL9g
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
If you're 'troubled' by public officials invoking God, first, where have you been? And secondly, welcome to the club! Attributing the so-called 'grace of God' for saving some, while allowing others to be killed, invites much scrutiny. And yet, this ludicrous acceptance of divine interference survives, and is nearly ubiquitous, to the extent that an assumption is made (on the part of some) that a belief in God is the default state. But the following famous, and rather awkward, example of such an assumption is instructive, not only to the viewing audience, but to the press corps! Not everyone is a sheep, Wolf!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RjXHXIVL9g
I am feeling great sadness this morning, and it is broad based.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
“I am feeling great sadness this morning ... The best advice I can put out is to be fluid with where you put your efforts, your time and money and brain power. Look for what does good over what feels good, and for me this suggest efforts that are more local and less political.”
Physician, heal thyself.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
“I am feeling great sadness this morning ... The best advice I can put out is to be fluid with where you put your efforts, your time and money and brain power. Look for what does good over what feels good, and for me this suggest efforts that are more local and less political.”
Physician, heal thyself.
I don't understand all the hate when it comes to my Marxist philosophy.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Both Marx and Lennon were key figures in philosophy, wouldn't you agree?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Both Marx and Lennon were key figures in philosophy, wouldn't you agree?
In A 1st, Scientists Use Revolutionary Gene-Editing Tool To Edit Inside A Patient
[npr.org]
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Fascinating! Overcoming nature--vis-à-vis the editing of genetic code--represents a pinnacle of human achievement. Only through the mastery of life sciences, including genetics and epidemiology, may we engineer a future for ourselves.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
Fascinating! Overcoming nature--vis-à-vis the editing of genetic code--represents a pinnacle of human achievement. Only through the mastery of life sciences, including genetics and epidemiology, may we engineer a future for ourselves.
Why do amens not work.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
In my experience, resounding amens are a tool used to manipulate emotion in a group setting. Speaking and singing in unison (including laughter, cheers and boos) can incite a bonding effect, whether in a secular or so-called sacred setting.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 5, 2020:
In my experience, resounding amens are a tool used to manipulate emotion in a group setting. Speaking and singing in unison (including laughter, cheers and boos) can incite a bonding effect, whether in a secular or so-called sacred setting.
Trump Campaign Will Hold Event at “Gay Is Not Okay” Evangelical Church in Ohio | Hemant Mehta | ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
It's sometimes difficult to know which is more despicable, Trump's currying favor by showing up, or this organization's acceptance of him in their midst. Perhaps they deserve each other?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
It's sometimes difficult to know which is more despicable, Trump's currying favor by showing up, or this organization's acceptance of him in their midst. Perhaps they deserve each other?
Do you think it is possible for a professing Christian to be agnostic?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
"Do you think it is possible for a professing Christian to be agnostic?"
Not only is it possible, but it could be the rule, not the exception--we just don't know. Who knows how many self-professed Christians--from the pulpit to the pew--are in fact internal agnostics and atheists, fearful of what might happen if they 'came out?' The fear of being shunned, or even unemployed, can outweigh the desire to self-express, and thus a 'double life' may be lived. And while some may pass judgment against such 'paradoxical' behavior as being hypocritical, they really shouldn't.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
"Do you think it is possible for a professing Christian to be agnostic?"
Not only is it possible, but it could be the rule, not the exception--we just don't know. Who knows how many self-professed Christians--from the pulpit to the pew--are in fact internal agnostics and atheists, fearful of what might happen if they 'came out?' The fear of being shunned, or even unemployed, can outweigh the desire to self-express, and thus a 'double life' may be lived. And while some may pass judgment against such 'paradoxical' behavior as being hypocritical, they really shouldn't.
Some Atheists can be just as self righteous and judgmental as Christians/religious people.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
Why not just say, some people can be self righteous and judgmental, no matter what their personal beliefs?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
Why not just say, some people can be self righteous and judgmental, no matter what their personal beliefs?
Why do hunters mount taxidermied deer heads on their walls?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
It seems to me to be a vestige of the past, a primitive ritual of collecting and displaying trophies from the hunt. A practice likely as old as humankind. Though I must admit that an herbivore's antlers are somewhat less impressive than the claws and fangs of a predator.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
It seems to me to be a vestige of the past, a primitive ritual of collecting and displaying trophies from the hunt. A practice likely as old as humankind. Though I must admit that an herbivore's antlers are somewhat less impressive than the claws and fangs of a predator.
Honestly, what good is NATO?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
While in the military, I was assigned to EUCOM (US European Command), working in a NATO bunker in the former West Germany, weeks after Reunification. When I arrived, my CO asked me if I knew the three reasons for the existence of NATO: To keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down. These reasons—told to me in jest—were in fact based on a 1949 blueprint which clearly needed revision. The Soviet Union had collapsed and the Russians where leaving the former East Germany and Poland as fast as they could fall back. Germany had been successfully ‘kept down’ militarily, but had risen, once more, to the dominant European economy. Finally, the US had assisted in deterring a third major European war of the 20th century, and even the George H. W. Bush administration was looking for a ‘peace dividend.’
Following Desert Storm (the first Gulf War), many of the troops that had deployed from EUCOM never returned, and instead headed home. While in Germany, we watched the Soviet divisions head east, as ceremonies returning American base after base to German control took place. NATO was looking for a new reason to justify its existence, and it didn’t take too long for things to get pretty hot, right in their own backyard. But the Balkans were not why NATO was created, nor are the myriad activities to which you refer. I’m proud to have served as a deterrent, and gratified that NATO played a role in preventing World War III, but I find myself persuaded by your argument.
Incidentally, my CO, who had quite a sense of humor, also asked me if, as a member of NATO, I knew the difference between heaven and hell. “Heaven” he said, “is where the Germans are the auto mechanics, the British bobbies [who at that time remained armed only with nightsticks] are the police, and the Italians are the cooks.” “Hell,” he continued, “is where the Italians are the auto mechanics, the Germans are the police, and the British are the cooks!”
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
While in the military, I was assigned to EUCOM (US European Command), working in a NATO bunker in the former West Germany, weeks after Reunification. When I arrived, my CO asked me if I knew the three reasons for the existence of NATO: To keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down. These reasons—told to me in jest—were in fact based on a 1949 blueprint which clearly needed revision. The Soviet Union had collapsed and the Russians where leaving the former East Germany and Poland as fast as they could fall back. Germany had been successfully ‘kept down’ militarily, but had risen, once more, to the dominant European economy. Finally, the US had assisted in deterring a third major European war of the 20th century, and even the George H. W. Bush administration was looking for a ‘peace dividend.’
Following Desert Storm (the first Gulf War), many of the troops that had deployed from EUCOM never returned, and instead headed home. While in Germany, we watched the Soviet divisions head east, as ceremonies returning American base after base to German control took place. NATO was looking for a new reason to justify its existence, and it didn’t take too long for things to get pretty hot, right in their own backyard. But the Balkans were not why NATO was created, nor are the myriad activities to which you refer. I’m proud to have served as a deterrent, and gratified that NATO played a role in preventing World War III, but I find myself persuaded by your argument.
Incidentally, my CO, who had quite a sense of humor, also asked me if, as a member of NATO, I knew the difference between heaven and hell. “Heaven” he said, “is where the Germans are the auto mechanics, the British bobbies [who at that time remained armed only with nightsticks] are the police, and the Italians are the cooks.” “Hell,” he continued, “is where the Italians are the auto mechanics, the Germans are the police, and the British are the cooks!”
This Rare Microburst Bomb Falling From The Sky Looks Insane
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
The crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 191 (DFW, August 2, 1985) was attributed to this type of weather event. This was the first I had heard the term 'microburst' and I will never forget it, as a neighbor down the street was on that flight, and perished.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 4, 2020:
The crash of Delta Air Lines Flight 191 (DFW, August 2, 1985) was attributed to this type of weather event. This was the first I had heard the term 'microburst' and I will never forget it, as a neighbor down the street was on that flight, and perished.
If most folks can agree that we "create our own reality" can we then agree that we create our own ...
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 2, 2020:
If an asteroid destroyed the Earth tomorrow, would this reality be our own individual creation, or would it be shared with 7 billion others who experience annihilation? Reality exists whether or not we as individuals accept, deny or even perceive it. In addition to the steady chain of causes and effects, reality consists of matter and energy, which can neither be created nor destroyed.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 2, 2020:
If an asteroid destroyed the Earth tomorrow, would this reality be our own individual creation, or would it be shared with 7 billion others who experience annihilation? Reality exists whether or not we as individuals accept, deny or even perceive it. In addition to the steady chain of causes and effects, reality consists of matter and energy, which can neither be created nor destroyed.
What do you suppose gives rise to and supports belief in God?
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 2, 2020:
"God belief goes back much further than any attempt to explain anything."
Agreed. Ancient hominids probably didn't care for explanations, they just wanted to make it to the next day. We appear to have an innate fear of animals with fangs and claws, and those who survived likely carried superstitious fears regarding natural events like earthquakes, volcanoes and violent storms. Paranoia can confer a survival benefit. Believing that someone (or something) is relentlessly trying to kill you tends to keep the group on the alert. My assumption is that superstitious belief in spirits is as old as language, which began with gestures, grunts and hand signals. However, it is actually not natural to be a monotheist--polytheism has been the norm.
p-nullifidian comments on Mar 2, 2020:
"God belief goes back much further than any attempt to explain anything."
Agreed. Ancient hominids probably didn't care for explanations, they just wanted to make it to the next day. We appear to have an innate fear of animals with fangs and claws, and those who survived likely carried superstitious fears regarding natural events like earthquakes, volcanoes and violent storms. Paranoia can confer a survival benefit. Believing that someone (or something) is relentlessly trying to kill you tends to keep the group on the alert. My assumption is that superstitious belief in spirits is as old as language, which began with gestures, grunts and hand signals. However, it is actually not natural to be a monotheist--polytheism has been the norm.
I just saw this on a meme:
Imagine if you will:
An atheist in their car at a green light, stuck ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 29, 2020:
That's great! Reminds me of the internal conflict an atheist would have with an insurance policy that covers 'acts of God.'
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 29, 2020:
That's great! Reminds me of the internal conflict an atheist would have with an insurance policy that covers 'acts of God.'
We all believe in evidence-based science, and that's why we're agnostic/atheist, right?
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 29, 2020:
The social sciences, (i.e., the so-called 'soft sciences' of psychology, sociology, anthropology, poli-sci) don't always apply the same scientific rigor as the natrual sciences (physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, etc.) and thus, in my view, do not occupy the same rung on the ladder of knowledge.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 29, 2020:
The social sciences, (i.e., the so-called 'soft sciences' of psychology, sociology, anthropology, poli-sci) don't always apply the same scientific rigor as the natrual sciences (physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, etc.) and thus, in my view, do not occupy the same rung on the ladder of knowledge.
Good Article but sad how America has begun to question Science.
[blogs.scientificamerican.com]
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 29, 2020:
Thank you for sharing this article. I found this quote by David Dunning (of the Dunning-Kruger effect) spot on: “Some of our most stubborn misbeliefs arise not from primitive childlike intuitions or careless category errors, but from the very values and philosophies that define who we are as individuals.”
I agree with @t1nick (below) in his assessment of the long trend, which I only recently became cognizant of during the George W. Bush administration and through reading books like Susan Jacoby's 'The Age of American Unreason.' The rise of anti-intellectualism has brought us anti-vaxxers, the anti GMO movement, the anti-Evolution (teach the controversy) crowd, climate change deniers, conspiracy theorists and flat Earthers.
Politicians reflect their electorate, and when a large enough segment of a democratic society rejects reason and critical thinking, refuses to consider they may be wrong, eschews knowledge and expertise, castigates the educated as elites and resorts to a limited, if not, singular source for information, you get elected leaders like we see today. Leaders whose funding priorities align with their constituents who may view spending on scientific research and disaster preparedness as wasteful.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 29, 2020:
Thank you for sharing this article. I found this quote by David Dunning (of the Dunning-Kruger effect) spot on: “Some of our most stubborn misbeliefs arise not from primitive childlike intuitions or careless category errors, but from the very values and philosophies that define who we are as individuals.”
I agree with @t1nick (below) in his assessment of the long trend, which I only recently became cognizant of during the George W. Bush administration and through reading books like Susan Jacoby's 'The Age of American Unreason.' The rise of anti-intellectualism has brought us anti-vaxxers, the anti GMO movement, the anti-Evolution (teach the controversy) crowd, climate change deniers, conspiracy theorists and flat Earthers.
Politicians reflect their electorate, and when a large enough segment of a democratic society rejects reason and critical thinking, refuses to consider they may be wrong, eschews knowledge and expertise, castigates the educated as elites and resorts to a limited, if not, singular source for information, you get elected leaders like we see today. Leaders whose funding priorities align with their constituents who may view spending on scientific research and disaster preparedness as wasteful.
My mother called to say her Springer Spaniel seems to have cancer in her upper digestive system.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
Ironic as it may seem, those who allow their pets free run of the house and don't bother to properly train them are helping their pets as a loving parent, rather, they are behaving irresponsibly. All my life I've had cats and dogs, all of which were trained, sooner or later. Cats can be trained not to jump up on food surfaces such as tables or counters. And dogs can be trained how to behave as well, beginning with the tendency to 'jump up' without consent.
I detest irresponsible pet owners. We have some friends who are cat lovers as are we, but we won't go to their house for dinner again, as they allow their cats to jump up on the dining room table, the kitchen counters and even their grand piano. I frequently dog sit a friend's Alaskan Malamute who is most affectionate, but he behaves differently with me than he does with my friend. Dogs know what's expected of them--kind of like kids, actually--and they can easily take advantage of a inattentive or complacent owner.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
Ironic as it may seem, those who allow their pets free run of the house and don't bother to properly train them are helping their pets as a loving parent, rather, they are behaving irresponsibly. All my life I've had cats and dogs, all of which were trained, sooner or later. Cats can be trained not to jump up on food surfaces such as tables or counters. And dogs can be trained how to behave as well, beginning with the tendency to 'jump up' without consent.
I detest irresponsible pet owners. We have some friends who are cat lovers as are we, but we won't go to their house for dinner again, as they allow their cats to jump up on the dining room table, the kitchen counters and even their grand piano. I frequently dog sit a friend's Alaskan Malamute who is most affectionate, but he behaves differently with me than he does with my friend. Dogs know what's expected of them--kind of like kids, actually--and they can easily take advantage of a inattentive or complacent owner.
The first case of community transmission of the coronavirus has just occurred in northern ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
When the number of deaths attributed to coronavirus come anywhere near this year's version of the flu, I will be concerned. According to the CDC, the flu has already caused an estimated 26 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths this season, and this is just in the U.S. alone! Coronavirus has infected less than 100,000 of which approximately 2,000 have perished, worldwide. A little more perspective would help here.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
When the number of deaths attributed to coronavirus come anywhere near this year's version of the flu, I will be concerned. According to the CDC, the flu has already caused an estimated 26 million illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths this season, and this is just in the U.S. alone! Coronavirus has infected less than 100,000 of which approximately 2,000 have perished, worldwide. A little more perspective would help here.
Hey everyone.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
Hey Britt, here's my 2 cents. It seems to me that this site attracts a disproportionate number of sapiosexuals (those who are attracted to one another by what, or more importantly, how one thinks--i.e., people who get turned on by another's mind). Consider this when posting comments, and be prepared to be disappointed in the 'lack of action' this site delivers. But anything's possible ... people come here for multiple reasons.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
Hey Britt, here's my 2 cents. It seems to me that this site attracts a disproportionate number of sapiosexuals (those who are attracted to one another by what, or more importantly, how one thinks--i.e., people who get turned on by another's mind). Consider this when posting comments, and be prepared to be disappointed in the 'lack of action' this site delivers. But anything's possible ... people come here for multiple reasons.
So unlike my parents, whom I love, lol I am letting my son decide what to believe or not to believe.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
Wait, he believes in God on his own? Who introduced your son to the concept of God? His grandparents? Other family members? A church? His public school (perish the thought)? When you say your son still believes in Santa at the age of 11 that would be the 5th or 6th grade? By then I clearly remember having pretty much abandoned any notion of an omniscient dude who knew when I was sleeping or awake or bad or good--I mean, that's God-like, and there's only one of them! In my young mind, Santa was totally fake!
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
Wait, he believes in God on his own? Who introduced your son to the concept of God? His grandparents? Other family members? A church? His public school (perish the thought)? When you say your son still believes in Santa at the age of 11 that would be the 5th or 6th grade? By then I clearly remember having pretty much abandoned any notion of an omniscient dude who knew when I was sleeping or awake or bad or good--I mean, that's God-like, and there's only one of them! In my young mind, Santa was totally fake!
I have a beautiful, tender-hearted young Christian relative who is working her way through college ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
This incident was a crime, pure and simple. Religious belief is irrelevant. Does the investigating officer really care what religious leanings the victim or perpetrator hold? A victim of a crime, no matter her religious philosophy, is a victim, while the thief is a criminal scumbag.
Now, sometimes those of us with progressive leanings may forget that the thief doesn't just rob someone of her possessions or cash, but literally robs her of the unrecoverable hours that it took to build up said possessions or cash. The thief doesn't merely steal your wallet, but he robs you of a significant portion of your life.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
This incident was a crime, pure and simple. Religious belief is irrelevant. Does the investigating officer really care what religious leanings the victim or perpetrator hold? A victim of a crime, no matter her religious philosophy, is a victim, while the thief is a criminal scumbag.
Now, sometimes those of us with progressive leanings may forget that the thief doesn't just rob someone of her possessions or cash, but literally robs her of the unrecoverable hours that it took to build up said possessions or cash. The thief doesn't merely steal your wallet, but he robs you of a significant portion of your life.
WHY does the AHA questionnaire keep asking "do you believe---" As a Scientist one doesn't BELIEVE ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
What if the word "believe" were replaced with "accept?" I accept the Theory of Evolution, for example.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
What if the word "believe" were replaced with "accept?" I accept the Theory of Evolution, for example.
Philippines priests have changed their ash Wednesday ritual because of COVID-19 (Corona Virus).
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
What a scene! Are the priests providing sackcloth to go with those ashes?
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 27, 2020:
What a scene! Are the priests providing sackcloth to go with those ashes?
‪Melania’s Comeback to Whether She’s a Gold Digger: ‘If I Weren’t Beautiful, Do You Think ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
This quote, if accurate, is telling. Maybe it's time that people stop viewing Melania as a victim? What if a deal was struck? The Donald, ever the playboy, has a model as his trophy wife, while she has access to a lifestyle unattainable in Slovenia, and can easily get her parents into this country--remember chain migration?
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
This quote, if accurate, is telling. Maybe it's time that people stop viewing Melania as a victim? What if a deal was struck? The Donald, ever the playboy, has a model as his trophy wife, while she has access to a lifestyle unattainable in Slovenia, and can easily get her parents into this country--remember chain migration?
Gif or Jif?
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
Originally it was pronounced "jif" (soft g), but that was decades ago, and as is the case with all word usage, the majority rules. Dictionaries change over time, and if the "common use" happens to differ from the original, so be it. Just know and understand that those of us who continue to pronounce "gif" properly (with a soft g) were there at the beginning and choose to do so out of homage to the originator.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
Originally it was pronounced "jif" (soft g), but that was decades ago, and as is the case with all word usage, the majority rules. Dictionaries change over time, and if the "common use" happens to differ from the original, so be it. Just know and understand that those of us who continue to pronounce "gif" properly (with a soft g) were there at the beginning and choose to do so out of homage to the originator.
It sometimes feels that we seldom stray far from the topic of religion on this site, so I have a ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
Too many topics to handle here, but seriously ... palm readers and the Bible agree? <<sigh>>
According to that work of fiction known as the New Testament, the character named Jesus is not always a "decent bloke." He told his disciples directly what he was about and who they should love more: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Matthew 10:34-37 (NIV)
Now tell me, do those sound like the words of a decent bloke, or a freaking narcissist? Gentle Jesus meek and mild my ass!
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
Too many topics to handle here, but seriously ... palm readers and the Bible agree? <<sigh>>
According to that work of fiction known as the New Testament, the character named Jesus is not always a "decent bloke." He told his disciples directly what he was about and who they should love more: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Matthew 10:34-37 (NIV)
Now tell me, do those sound like the words of a decent bloke, or a freaking narcissist? Gentle Jesus meek and mild my ass!
God bless Catholics! Say what you will, those guys can party! Just had a roaring good time at a ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
I have many Catholic friends, Irish, Italian, French, Hispanic and more. One thing they seem to share is a love, if not lust, for a good celebration. And while my Catholic friends of Irish descent may be willing to give up something for Lent, they won't allow it to impact Saint Patrick's Day! Don't really care what they believe, so long as they enjoy a good time! Sláinte!
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
I have many Catholic friends, Irish, Italian, French, Hispanic and more. One thing they seem to share is a love, if not lust, for a good celebration. And while my Catholic friends of Irish descent may be willing to give up something for Lent, they won't allow it to impact Saint Patrick's Day! Don't really care what they believe, so long as they enjoy a good time! Sláinte!
Oh well, you can't be right all the time I suppose.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
Poor Joe. Looks like "early onset."
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
Poor Joe. Looks like "early onset."
Have you ever encountered someone like this?[youtu.be]
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
I believe it's possible to separate mental health issues from religion--the two need not be inextricably linked. The woman's clearly been in the mental health 'system' before, as her terminology and threats would indicate. But did religion do this to her? Not likely. Unless there's a motherfucking faith that I've not heard of.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
I believe it's possible to separate mental health issues from religion--the two need not be inextricably linked. The woman's clearly been in the mental health 'system' before, as her terminology and threats would indicate. But did religion do this to her? Not likely. Unless there's a motherfucking faith that I've not heard of.
From There to Here
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
The first twinge of doubt, which I chose to ignore for decades, came when I was an "earliteen" during the pastor's prayer for a gravely ill member of the congregation. He first prayed for the healing of the congregant, but later gave God an 'out' by saying something like, "...if it be thy will, Lord..." followed by words to the effect that "We all will meet again in Heaven." Well heck, I knew right then this was a win-win scenario. Either a) heal the poor man, and claim a miracle, or b) allow him to die, but not question this decision? Even as a 7th grader, I saw this as a free pass for God, but I buried this misgiving.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
The first twinge of doubt, which I chose to ignore for decades, came when I was an "earliteen" during the pastor's prayer for a gravely ill member of the congregation. He first prayed for the healing of the congregant, but later gave God an 'out' by saying something like, "...if it be thy will, Lord..." followed by words to the effect that "We all will meet again in Heaven." Well heck, I knew right then this was a win-win scenario. Either a) heal the poor man, and claim a miracle, or b) allow him to die, but not question this decision? Even as a 7th grader, I saw this as a free pass for God, but I buried this misgiving.
Who knew there was a word to describe the Trump presidency so well...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
I did, and thank you for bringing the term to our attention! I believe I first used that term when referring to the mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, sometime prior to 2016. And here's the problem, we (the people) elect our leaders, so in a very real sense, we deserve what we get and get what we deserve.
Historically, the unskilled and uneducated have always outnumbered their highly-skilled, well-educated counterparts in this country, but this didn't present much of a problem, so long as deference was given to demonstrated expertise. In other words, as long as gaining expertise and higher education were universally valued, we didn't seem to have issues. But what happens when a significant segment of the electorate ignore experts? What happens when they believe their opinions are on an equal footing with the consensus of acknowledged authorities on a topic? And what happens when they are unaware of their inaccurate thinking?
In a democracy, when a large enough number of poorly-educated, poorly-informed, flat-earthers, anti-vaxers and anti-media conspiracy theorists vote, we get a kakistocracy. The outcome of the 2016 election revealed that educational level was a major factor in predicting which candidate one would vote for. Sadly, a significant portion of our electorate are casualties of the Dunning-Krueger effect, and I have little hope that this circumstance has changed.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 26, 2020:
I did, and thank you for bringing the term to our attention! I believe I first used that term when referring to the mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, sometime prior to 2016. And here's the problem, we (the people) elect our leaders, so in a very real sense, we deserve what we get and get what we deserve.
Historically, the unskilled and uneducated have always outnumbered their highly-skilled, well-educated counterparts in this country, but this didn't present much of a problem, so long as deference was given to demonstrated expertise. In other words, as long as gaining expertise and higher education were universally valued, we didn't seem to have issues. But what happens when a significant segment of the electorate ignore experts? What happens when they believe their opinions are on an equal footing with the consensus of acknowledged authorities on a topic? And what happens when they are unaware of their inaccurate thinking?
In a democracy, when a large enough number of poorly-educated, poorly-informed, flat-earthers, anti-vaxers and anti-media conspiracy theorists vote, we get a kakistocracy. The outcome of the 2016 election revealed that educational level was a major factor in predicting which candidate one would vote for. Sadly, a significant portion of our electorate are casualties of the Dunning-Krueger effect, and I have little hope that this circumstance has changed.
I love how most people who believe the bible can trace their belief to the notion that the bible ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
"...the bible never explains the origin of magic but uses it frequently as proof of divine power."
By 'magic' may we assume you mean 'miracles?' The two are never synonymous in the eyes of most believers. Magic connotes a trickster or sleight of hand, or it can refer to witchcraft and the devil. Either way, magic cannot be associated with divine miracles as found in a book or certified by some priests and elders. I enjoy a good magic show as well as the next person, but the laws of physics remain unbroken, and miracles don't happen.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
"...the bible never explains the origin of magic but uses it frequently as proof of divine power."
By 'magic' may we assume you mean 'miracles?' The two are never synonymous in the eyes of most believers. Magic connotes a trickster or sleight of hand, or it can refer to witchcraft and the devil. Either way, magic cannot be associated with divine miracles as found in a book or certified by some priests and elders. I enjoy a good magic show as well as the next person, but the laws of physics remain unbroken, and miracles don't happen.
Three of Saturn’s moons – Tethys, Enceladus and Mimas – are captured in this image taken by ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
Anybody miss Carolyn Porco? I sure do. I thoroughly enjoyed her homage to Carl Sagan's 'Pale Blue Dot' in her 'The Day the Earth Smiled' image.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Earth_Smiled#/media/File:The_Day_The_Earth_Smiled_-_Preview.jpg
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
Anybody miss Carolyn Porco? I sure do. I thoroughly enjoyed her homage to Carl Sagan's 'Pale Blue Dot' in her 'The Day the Earth Smiled' image.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Earth_Smiled#/media/File:The_Day_The_Earth_Smiled_-_Preview.jpg
The preacher at the church my family forces me to go to just said Jesus is the perfect communicator,...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
What plane? I've heard of the 'sermon on the mount' but never once have I heard of the 'sermon at the plane.'
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
What plane? I've heard of the 'sermon on the mount' but never once have I heard of the 'sermon at the plane.'
Finding like-minded people
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
Your experience is all-too-familiar, Michael, and your succinct post has not gone unnoticed. My recommendation is to never shy from 'venting' (i.e. sharing) about your experience. How, after all, are we ever to truly connect with one another without making our feelings known?
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
Your experience is all-too-familiar, Michael, and your succinct post has not gone unnoticed. My recommendation is to never shy from 'venting' (i.e. sharing) about your experience. How, after all, are we ever to truly connect with one another without making our feelings known?
Hello
coming from a catholic background,how do you fill or erase the psycological void of God ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
Catholics are not that much different from other faiths, where this immense personality--the all-knowing, all-seeing and all-powerful deity--occupies basically every aspect of one's life. How indeed does one fill such a void? By coming to terms with your new model of God and viewing it as a tumor that has been growing on your psyche from a very young age. A great relief may come when the cancerous burden of belief in a deity is surgically removed by the voice of reason. And when interacting with friends and relatives who believe differently, one simply must find a way to love them without judgment. My advice, after years of 'engagement' on the topic, is to disengage on the subject of religion or faith with your family, if possible, and view them as caring persons who hold different beliefs than you.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
Catholics are not that much different from other faiths, where this immense personality--the all-knowing, all-seeing and all-powerful deity--occupies basically every aspect of one's life. How indeed does one fill such a void? By coming to terms with your new model of God and viewing it as a tumor that has been growing on your psyche from a very young age. A great relief may come when the cancerous burden of belief in a deity is surgically removed by the voice of reason. And when interacting with friends and relatives who believe differently, one simply must find a way to love them without judgment. My advice, after years of 'engagement' on the topic, is to disengage on the subject of religion or faith with your family, if possible, and view them as caring persons who hold different beliefs than you.
‘Belief’ definition
I surmise that one cannot think about beliefs in the singular as if they...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
I enjoy comparing / contrasting religion with mathematics. We begin with basic, simple concepts and build upon them. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division form the building blocks for our learning. Before high school we learn basic geometry and algebra, and in high school we are taught (if we are fortunate) trigonometry and Calculus. And that is but a simple foundation.
Religious belief is similar in that it builds a lattice work, or superstructure, of belief upon basic articles (or principles) or faith. Mathematics is universal--it crosses religious, cultural and ethnic boundaries in which it is tested and found to be true. Can the same be said for religion?
In the end, it is my contention that belief is not a choice. I cannot choose to believe in something that my reason and intellect reject. Just as I cannot accept that the world is flat, I cannot believe in a supreme being as described to me by ancient books or others whose knowledge on the topic is, in all fairness, no greater than mine.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
I enjoy comparing / contrasting religion with mathematics. We begin with basic, simple concepts and build upon them. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division form the building blocks for our learning. Before high school we learn basic geometry and algebra, and in high school we are taught (if we are fortunate) trigonometry and Calculus. And that is but a simple foundation.
Religious belief is similar in that it builds a lattice work, or superstructure, of belief upon basic articles (or principles) or faith. Mathematics is universal--it crosses religious, cultural and ethnic boundaries in which it is tested and found to be true. Can the same be said for religion?
In the end, it is my contention that belief is not a choice. I cannot choose to believe in something that my reason and intellect reject. Just as I cannot accept that the world is flat, I cannot believe in a supreme being as described to me by ancient books or others whose knowledge on the topic is, in all fairness, no greater than mine.
I miss church.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
You are not alone.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
You are not alone.
Why are many Christian people against D&D (Dungeons and Dragons.) playing?
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
I was raised in a religion that perceived any interaction, or even encounter, with Satan’s realm as a possible first step toward the loss of one’s soul. In my youth, Satan’s domain included witchcraft, Ouija boards, seances, mystics, fortune tellers, tarot card or palm readers, etc. All of these were “of the Devil,” according to the Christian faith in which I was raised. These were all Satan’s attempts to snare us. The Bible teaches that witches and witchcraft are real, so it is no wonder that Christians today remain spooked by the ‘magic,’ ‘spells’ and ‘curses’ found in everything from Dungeons & Dragons (very retro, indeed) to Harry Potter, and beyond.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 25, 2020:
I was raised in a religion that perceived any interaction, or even encounter, with Satan’s realm as a possible first step toward the loss of one’s soul. In my youth, Satan’s domain included witchcraft, Ouija boards, seances, mystics, fortune tellers, tarot card or palm readers, etc. All of these were “of the Devil,” according to the Christian faith in which I was raised. These were all Satan’s attempts to snare us. The Bible teaches that witches and witchcraft are real, so it is no wonder that Christians today remain spooked by the ‘magic,’ ‘spells’ and ‘curses’ found in everything from Dungeons & Dragons (very retro, indeed) to Harry Potter, and beyond.
Who has been the most influential Atheist/Agnostic famous person for you?
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 24, 2020:
The lectures of Robert Green Ingersoll, as read by Michael Scott Earl (http://reasonworks.com). Ingersoll was a brilliant orator and forward thinker, and Mike Earl's readings of his speeches, and The Age of Reason by my avatar, as well as some of his own essays, opened and then completely blew my mind.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 24, 2020:
The lectures of Robert Green Ingersoll, as read by Michael Scott Earl (http://reasonworks.com). Ingersoll was a brilliant orator and forward thinker, and Mike Earl's readings of his speeches, and The Age of Reason by my avatar, as well as some of his own essays, opened and then completely blew my mind.
What Bret Weinstein Gets Wrong About Group Selection – The Evolution Institute
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 21, 2020:
Agreed, though I'm not certain consensus is achievable. In my opinion, while it would seem almost certain that, prior to organized religion, an evolutionary survival advantage would have been conferred upon hominids who ascribed unknown agency (which led to superstition/gods) to natural events, it is a significant leap to assert (or even imply) that, without organized religion (with its doctrines, clerical authority and forced subscriptions), our survival as a species may have been in doubt.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 21, 2020:
Agreed, though I'm not certain consensus is achievable. In my opinion, while it would seem almost certain that, prior to organized religion, an evolutionary survival advantage would have been conferred upon hominids who ascribed unknown agency (which led to superstition/gods) to natural events, it is a significant leap to assert (or even imply) that, without organized religion (with its doctrines, clerical authority and forced subscriptions), our survival as a species may have been in doubt.
I have been a member on this site now for nearly two years and I have come to an interesting ...
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 20, 2020:
Militancy of any kind has no place in reasoned discourse! Unfortunately, the aggression you perceive is real and appears to be an unfortunate byproduct of this medium--one which has managed to gather, on the whole, a disproportionate throng of hostile, indignant and self absorbed narcissists. Those of us who come here for stimulation, conversation and perhaps an infrequent new concept, are in no way impressed by hardliners, chauvinists and zealots.
p-nullifidian comments on Feb 20, 2020:
Militancy of any kind has no place in reasoned discourse! Unfortunately, the aggression you perceive is real and appears to be an unfortunate byproduct of this medium--one which has managed to gather, on the whole, a disproportionate throng of hostile, indignant and self absorbed narcissists. Those of us who come here for stimulation, conversation and perhaps an infrequent new concept, are in no way impressed by hardliners, chauvinists and zealots.
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