Geek Out On This

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I love the direction this is going. I haven't had a good laugh all day.

Thanks guys. :thumbup:

I'm printing out the annotated Periodic Table as I write this.

Ignorance is not bliss.

Theories are just works in progress, but they have research to back them up. To say something is "just a theory" is an insult to all who have worked in the pursuit of its validity. The colloquial use of the word theory is more like a hypothesis or even a wild guess.

I wouldn't mind reverting to the ignorant primitive state. No power or technology would allow me to get some sleep for a change instead of staying up late watching movies and camping on this board.:)
 
Yeah KingVidiot but I think you're missing the bigger point.

SadMax was just RickRolled and didn't even know it!
 
If I knew what being 'RickRolled' meant, I might even be unhappy about it.

KingVidiot - Ignorance *is* bliss. But it won't hold up in court.

The funny thing, is how people who prefer faith (in whatever) denigrate scientific theories by pointing out that "they're just theories." Which is hysterically funny, because the fact that well-constructed scientific theories can be revised to account for new data, is what makes them infintely better tools for quantifying and describing objective reality (or as close as we can come) than bronze-age superstitious fixations (and their modern apologists' output) could ever be.
 
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Mark Harris said:
Yeah KingVidiot but I think you're missing the bigger point.

SadMax was just RickRolled and didn't even know it!
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As someone who was also rickrolled, I feel his pain. :crybaby:
 
Sad Max said:
If I knew what being 'RickRolled' meant, I might even be unhappy about it.

KingVidiot - Ignorance *is* bliss. But it won't hold up in court.
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What I should have said is that ignorance is not true bliss, since awareness can make you blissful. When you have a better understanding of how great life can be by actually paying attention to the world around you, you can truly enjoy life for all of its ups and downs. Realizing that the world isn't some magical place is an important step.

Being "out of the loop" can be therapeutic at times, but always being out of the loop isn't bliss, it's sad.
 
Sad Max said:
I don't believe that Creationists are bad people, per se, but their efforts to dumbify and primitivize us are really insidious.
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I'm a Creationalist in the context that I believe in a God (a creator) and proud of it, Have I ever "dumbifyed and primitivized" you?

I'm not trying to turn this into an argument, I'm too relaxed for that.

But I would kindly ask that you do not make sweeping generalistion about people.

Anyone whom believes in God is a creationalist, and thats a LARGE part of Humanity, we are talking about every Jew, Muslim, Christain, Hindu, plus any other monothesitic groups.

To speak in general about such a large part of humanity in those terms is not very appropriate.

I have not encountered any Issues with you thus far, I would like to keep it like that.

Thank you for your understanding. :thumbup:
 
KingVidiot said:
What I should have said is that ignorance is not true bliss, since awareness can make you blissful. When you have a better understanding of how great life can be by actually paying attention to the world around you, you can truly enjoy life for all of its ups and downs. Realizing that the world isn't some magical place is an important step.

Being "out of the loop" can be therapeutic at times, but always being out of the loop isn't bliss, it's sad.
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Can't disagree with any of that.
 
Anhar Miah said:
I'm a Creationalist in the context that I believe in a God (a creator) and proud of it, Have I ever "dumbifyed and primitivized" you?

I'm not trying to turn this into an argument, I'm too relaxed for that.

But I would kindly ask that you do not make sweeping generalistion about people.

Anyone whom believes in God is a creationalist, and thats a LARGE part of Humanity, we are talking about every Jew, Muslim, Christain, Hindu, plus any other monothesitic groups.

To speak in general about such a large part of humanity in those terms is not very appropriate.

I have not encountered any Issues with you thus far, I would like to keep it like that.

Thank you for your understanding. :thumbup:
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Well, here Creationist has a more specific connotation, and kind of refers more to a political movement than just people who believe in God in general. Here, the "Creationists" actively lobby for the dissolution of science, and they are a very powerful and vocal political body. So I don't think that was a dig at "all people who believe in God."
 
Sad Max I really hope you were referring to a political movement as apposed to monotheism in general.
 
Anhar Miah said:
I'm a Creationalist in the context that I believe in a God (a creator) and proud of it, Have I ever "dumbifyed and primitivized" you?
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Some time ago, you recommended a site intended to undermine evolutionary theory with a mixture of valid observations regarding the theory's weaknesses, and absolutely flagrant untruths regarding the supporting evidence. I won't characterize your recommendation, but yes, I firmly believe that the creators of that site are trying very hard indeed to dumbify and primitivize the site's viewers.

I'm curious as to why one would be proud of one's belief in a particular faith-based (or any other kind of) worldview. Firm in it, yes, secure in it, sure, comforted by it, no doubt. But proud? Seems to me pride is for actual accomplishments; having made a choice to believe in something doesn't seem to me like an accomplishment. Although I acknowledge that someone else might see it differently.


Anhar Miah said:
I'm not trying to turn this into an argument, I'm too relaxed for that.
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I prefer a conversation, to an argument.


Anhar Miah said:
But I would kindly ask that you do not make sweeping generalistion about people.
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I don't regard the comment as a sweeping generalization.


Anhar Miah said:
Anyone whom believes in God is a creationalist,
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'Creationism' in this time and place is usually meant to describe people who take the biblical (or Koranic, or - I suppose - Vedic, animist, etc) creation texts with some degree of literalness. The proposition that one must believe in Creationism, to believe in God, is ridiculous. For example, I'm personally acquainted with people at CalTech and JPL - astronomers and cosmologists - who profess a faith in God, but tend to chuckle when asked about the contents of the Book of Genesis.

Just noticed your use of the word 'Creationalist' rather than 'Creationist.' I don't know if that's a typo, or if there is a difference in meaning.


Anhar Miah said:
and thats a LARGE part of Humanity, we are talking about every Jew, Muslim, Christain, Hindu, plus any other monothesitic groups.
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The fact that a large number of people believe a foolish thing, does not make it any the less a foolish thing. Just because a majority of people polled believe that Wiley Coyote should travel in straight line off the cliff for a while, before he starts to fall, does not mean that they have the slightest grasp of what really happens to an object on a ballistic path. What it does mean, is that they are under-educated.


Anhar Miah said:
To speak in general about such a large part of humanity in those terms is not very appropriate.
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See above. The fact that a large number of people think a certain way, is irrelevant to whether or not they are correct - or even consistent. Pointing to the fact that these disparate groups believe in a single diety (and most Hindu-sect practitioners I know, are polytheists or at best, henotheists) is meaningless: they disagree - often violently - on almost everything else. And their abiding faith that their world-view and understanding of God is the right one, and everyone else's is wrong lends extra viciousness to their behavior.


Anhar Miah said:
I have not encountered any Issues with you thus far, I would like to keep it like that.
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If being disagreed with is an 'Issue,' I'm afraid I can't make any promises.

Anhar Miah said:
Thank you for your understanding. :thumbup:
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Sure. Thank you, too.
 
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bballplaya283 said:
Sad Max I really hope you were referring to a political movement as apposed to monotheism in general.
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Monotheism in general is no better or worse than any other form of theism, in general.

Any admixture of theism and politics, though, is pure poison. And, alas, certain segments of our society - and many other societies - have successfully contaminated the one, with the other.
 
Mark Harris said:
The first what?
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The first sentient life in the universe. The first to venture into space, both physically and electronically.

Who's to say we're not that species? I don't know that we are, but it's certainly possible.
 
Well, since we're comfortable with faith-based arguments in the form of sig lines, why not an actual conversation?

So long as it stays pleasant.
 
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