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shinningelectr0n
Recent Posts
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
Isn't there a beanie cap version with a muzzle, too? (1 hr ago | post #33822)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
A stomping Creator -- this is where our soles came from? (4 hrs ago | post #33807)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
Fanatical Muslims have their Christian counterparts across the globe. I think it is important, though, to delineate and expand upon the "education will fix it" mentality to take it from black-and-white and place it back into the gray where it belongs. (4 hrs ago | post #33806)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
Yes, the heart of the debate is the forcing of a set of beliefs onto those who don't subscribe. I am not at all promoting forced beliefs. The gist of my comments dealt with the possible acceptance of some form of human irrationality as being root to our psyche. (5 hrs ago | post #33805)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
If I may, I'd like to attempt presenting a little perspective regarding the supposed irrationality of spiritual beliefs. If we consider the sheer numbers of believers on this planet and place them against the number of those who claim it is irrational behavior, it would appear that human beings are generally irrational creatures. http://tinyurl.com /n2rsf (these numbers are understandably open to interpretation but it is a ballpark starting point) Still, being irrational creatures, humans have done pretty good for themselves at least from a technological/prob lem-solving perspective. The fact that the vast majority, even a simple majority, of humans are believers leaves the complaining academician crowd a very tiny percentage. Tinier still because we can cast the casual, indifferent agnostics aside. There are many, many different ways to approach this. Those academicians can viewed as either saviors holding a lamp of knowledge to guide humanity back from the precipice or clueless zealots chasing an agenda. Another view could be that their observations are only clinical, empirical and sincere not judgmental. Or a mix of all three and other views I haven't seen. But aside from viewing the sheer number differences between believers and non-believers, the amount and persistence of spirituality shows that perhaps "irrationalit y" is generally not a denigrating human characteristic but is somehow an integral element of our psyche with a purpose. A highly educated individual can enter a movie theater to watch *The Matrix* placing his 'real' belief system in a jar at the door to engage in two hours of irrational belief. This can occur in role-playing games across the Web or inside of bedrooms. On football fields, concert stages or within the creative mind of artists and mathematicians, a certain element of irrationality is necessary to, say, believe we can become much more than the sum of our parts. We can sit and watch *The Man Of La Mancia* stir our emotions with his acts of delusional and irrational behavior as he "Dreams The Impossible Dream". We enjoy this display and can identify with it. And yet many will still attack the irrational behavior of a religious person who attempts to follow the Man of La Mancia to become more than the sum of their parts. Just a musing of mine. (13 hrs ago | post #33780)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
Than the general population. Let's start there. (13 hrs ago | post #33779)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
It is still from a central location: Western culture regarding academic bias against believers. How about some evidence from the Vatican? How about the University of Tehran? The American Council Of Tribal Chieftains? WHen I point to a tree inside the forest, you talk about the forest. When I speak about the forest, you speak about certain trees inside it. When I point out your evasiveness, you point to the vagueness of language. You are a real jewel - because of all the facets that you rotate past us here. (14 hrs ago | post #33776)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
I just did. (14 hrs ago | post #33772)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
No. (15 hrs ago | post #33766)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
Would it be fair to say that professors are less likely to be irrational? I just love reading your generalizations. (15 hrs ago | post #33765)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
No it isn't. So there. Where is the value in seriously engaging arguments of slanted data accrued from biased sources? Pro-abortion and Pro-Life advocates both stack data. Democrats and Republicans do. The NY Times does. Academicians do it. Ad nauseum. You find some group who agrees with your special interpretation of "reason" and "rational " and you can't contain your excitement. It's a big yawn when people play with numbers and definitions. It is exciting when bias and selectivity is set aside, however, and clear conclusions are drawn. I earlier pointed to the cultural bias in Western definitions and here you return from the candy store with a handful of European data. Gee. I can hardly contain myself. (15 hrs ago | post #33763)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
Evolution vs. Creationism is a test of rationalism? I personally don't agree with Creationists but basing their level of rationalism on this debate is silly academic interpretation on your part and others. You've frosted the cake so thick that I can't swallow what's become and agenda and political/social proselytizing on your part. This is where rational discourse descends into number stacking and definition assaults. "they" are not rational. Who says? You, of course. By what criteria? They believe in a god. And you've got mountains of data from others who are playing the same game. It's a team effort. (16 hrs ago | post #33749)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
And what about that Dutch Boy that plugged a dike? (16 hrs ago | post #33745)
Intelligent Design: Coming To A State Legislature Near You
If a tree falls in the forest and no one was there to witness it, did it really happen? If a universe appeared at t=0 and no one was there to witness it, did it really happen? If a universe didn't exist before t=0, did it really not happen? (17 hrs ago | post #33736)
Q & A with shinningelectr0n
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My Life Is A Shell Game
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Read This Book:
How To Make Friends With Money And A Gun
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Water
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http://speculativeuniverse.info
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