TheMadFool

First of all, let me thank you for willing to participate as a guest speaker on the forum. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to talk to and interact...

Given, the standard definition of consciousness as awareness of something and that something being either the self or one's environment, it appears th...

I'm glad that you find it "...intriguing..." Aryamoy Mitra. Give it some thought. Isn't it strange that we identify ourselves with our minds (brains) ...

An interesting thought to consider is this: If you survey non-human animals, even those allegedly closest to us - the great apes - you'll find that th...

Definitions of validate: 1. To prove a point. The results of the experiment validate the theory. 2. To endorse (a proposal): The committee is yet to v...

I can't quite place Neil deGrasse Tyson's comments in a specific kind of worldview except that his sentiments on the matter of how much we know, exten...

Paraphrasing: Interviewer: We know only 4% of what can be known Neil deGrasse Tyson: Yes, and I'm happy with that.

Sad that Jesus has, even after 2000 years, failed to convince people that there's a god despite all that he had to go through. Jesus, to me, is a syno...

I didn't imply otherwise. As much as it's a thorn in our side, it's an inescapable fact that given an observation, there are multiple hypotheses that ...

I suppose there's merit in your argument but I'm certain there's a hole in your argument and that too an own goal so to speak. Two words, Akashic reco...

Of course, of course. It's just a thought which I hoped would stimulate further discussion. Looks like they're a dead ends. It seems, on reflection, w...

Not really. Science has laws of nature and it, as you already know, avoids god (a purported law maker). Taoism is about conflict between opposites and...

I was hoping for more from you but that's just me I guess. I get what you're saying - every situation has its own unique features that preclude any at...

First, to attempt to prove god's existence is a waste of time for the simple reason that an immaterial being can't be proven in material terms. That w...

:lol: Sorry for my lukewarm response to your explanation for why there are contradictory sayings. It's me and not its adequacy. By the way, I just rea...

Makes sense but I was hoping for something much, I confess, grander. Forgive me if for my reluctance to fully endorse your perfectly good response but...

Thanks for the link. Will report if I find anything interesting.

Can you do both at the same time?

Well, from where I stand - looks and feels like quicksand - you've not given this enough thought. Unless you hit the right keys, you won't be able to ...

I'm also open to the possibility, and think it more likely, that we I am confused. However, in my defense, the meanings definitely point in opposite d...

This may come across as irrelevant but as per Isaac Newton, the English physicist of gravity fame, god has to continually make adjustments to keep the...

@"180 Proof"'s words in his post here said something that touched a chord in me to wit, love has a past tense - loved - which, quite literally, demoli...

I love it when good ideas are put into even better words. Bravo! Keep it coming, sir/madam, as the case maybe. :lol:

It seems we've reached an impasse. Quite unfortunate. Have a good day.

An interesting thought worth putting under the microscope. It goes without saying that people are susceptible to flattering lies and that the occasion...

I'm beginning to think you're right after all but I still have this nagging doubt about the morally good being definable in a way that's free from con...

Indeed, you maybe right. I'm not making a truth claim as much as I'm trying to offer my own perspective on the matter. I have a feeling that, by virtu...

My bad. I must've failed to maintain that distinction. It's a jungle of concepts out there. To get lost is more the norm than the exception for a novi...

If you say so. :up:

I wonder, given what we know or more accurately what we think we know, if there are "silent" genes in plants, much like the letter "h" in honest that,...

Bullseye! We can, if all goes well, merge with machines - mind uploads, cybernetics, etc. but this'll probably not happen in my lifetime - I envision ...

Do you mean to imply that the people, the intelligentsia specifically, were in cahoots with the religious establishment and coordinated the 400 year p...

Where is humanity going? :chin: It looks as though it (humanity) has come a long way from being scattered tribes of hunter-gatherers through subsisten...

Good point but I have a feeling that 180 Proof's idea of morality as "adaptive for prosocially existing" is nuanced enough to tackle this objection. I...

Really? Are you reading this sentence?

That's a lot of years. So many great thinkers flushed down the toilet by religious nutjobs. An ugly truth whose effects we still endure even as the 21...

The color red, all colors in fact, is through and through subjective i.e. it can't be brought out of, extracted from, the mind for display, a requirme...

To my reckoning, what we usually mean by "reality" is simply that "facet of reality" in which we can get hurt and die. Remove those pesky factors (inj...

I followed your link and here's the deal - you define morality as "how adaptive they are for prosocially coexisting" but is this, your, definition of ...

What bothers me is how entheogen-induced mental states have been lumped in with hallucinations as the other word "hallucinogenic" suggests. This smack...

Indeed! However, look at it this way. You'll be relieved and that must mean something.

Ok, let's come at the issue from a different angle. I mentioned in one of my posts above that "...thoughts, words, and deeds..." are the kind of thing...

Biblical Entheogen Hypothesis (Benny Shanon)

@"Wayfarer"I feel "hallucinogenics" is a loaded term and immediately discredits and devalues a person's experience with, what I prefer to call, psycho...

Tell that to the person who got transferred here from hell. Of course, for people who were deported from heaven, it's exactly what you say it is. This...

You're missing the point or, more probably, given your vast knowledge, ignoring it. Suppose X is the definition of good and furthermore, suppose X wer...

What do you mean "nonsense"? To me, it's obvious that the definitions of good and bad - the foundations of any moral theory - must themselves be judge...

I'm having second thoughts about what I said earlier. Allow me to explain. Suppose I define good as maximizing happiness. as utilitarians do. Call thi...

So the choices are, 1. Keep all our freedoms but prepare for another pandemic and all the problems that accompany it OR 2. Give up some of our freedom...

As much as systems enable, free, and empower us, they disable, enslave, and weaken us. Remember the fable of the stag with magnificent antlers - they ...