ZhouBoTong

I am worried this will stress you out more, but these thoughts actually relax me in these situations: You only want the pure, unbridled truth in the f...

If this is true for MOST armed service personnel (including the high ranking and highly trained), then problem solved - we don't need a massively arme...

Nope. I answer "I don't know" to knowledge questions. I answer "I don't think so" or "I don't believe so" to thought/opinion questions (to be fair, in...

I agree no third option, but "I believe 'not-x'" is a little specific (it doesn't seem to include 'a lack of belief in x'...or does it? For me, and th...

This is playing word games. Phrases like this automatically exclude people like me from the conversation as I am a stickler for definitions. 'open to ...

when I when I hear 'secular view' I hear scientific method. did you mean something else?

Explain how religion put satellites in orbit? Ignore philosophy, in all other fields, the 'secular view' has a good track record. That was my point? T...

This is probably a tangent to the main point of your thread, so I will understand being ignored: I still can't figure out why libertarians use 'non-ag...

@"wayfarer" I just saw I missed a fairly long response from you. I will get to it...soon :smile:

Janus, This topic interests me, and I struggle to understand Agnostic arguments. My arguing style is very matter-of-fact which suddenly seems mean or ...

My thoughts exactly...unfortunately.

Well I definitely have this problem/trait. This is actually why I only teach middle school or higher, because younger than that, they NEED emotion/fac...

Hahaha, indeed. It really makes me laugh (and get a little sad) to think of Socrates in modern America. At best he would be a barely respected teacher...

if the metaphors are JUST metaphors, then lie or not, aren't we done here? There would be no debate as all atheists think the bible is JUST stories (a...

Thanks Wayfarer. You will see from my response that I am interested, but as you are already aware, I obviously do not exactly understand, or at least ...

Thanks J. And here I thought I was creating the opportunity for him to explain his ideas (even if I matched Wayfarer's slightly rude demeanor). Ah wel...

haha. Well maybe 'joking' was the wrong word. I did mention I was being sarcastic in the next sentence. But overall, I am happy to accept that most co...

Someone helped me when I messed up the same thing :smile: pay it forward, haha. I think I got that. My point, which upon review was not at all clear, ...

I thought I agreed with you a bit too often :smile: Sorry like I said, my brain makes assumptions that I occasionally need correction on...I have done...

First off, you are clearly just stating facts, so I am not disagreeing, but... I think you are using 'economy', when you mean 'progress of the human r...

Indeed. once anything becomes a business, then it seems business rule(s) apply. Seems like that could be a problem if applied to education. True. But ...

borderline nonsense ("God Does Not Exist" / "Let me be clear: I believe God is.") He could not be more unclear. If semantic games are enough for some ...

it's idle to imagine a deity? not understood in the least. And it must be very complicated. So classical theology doesn't actually look at any specifi...

That makes sense, and I do tend to latch onto 'official dates' and don't always consider the length of the process leading up to the date. Huh, intere...

Still true in the US. And what do you know, highly rated Finland gets their teachers from the top 20% of graduating classes. I am not sure about Europ...

Seems generally true. However, I think the more ADULTS emphasize that there are a variety of ways to be "cool" the less kids will feel the need to fit...

hahaha, I am sure he would. More interesting info. I hope at least a small percentage of this stuff sticks in my brain :smile: Arg, no sound on this c...

Why does a god that creates a world with suffering to test our commitment deserve our commitment? What is the point of the test? Did I need redemption...

For sure. It feels like an ad hom, but I would be lying if I said I never thought something along those lines.

indeed. I certainly was not trying to suggest that atheists are unemotional, just that "your spirit never dies" fulfills an emotional need, while "you...

I think this highlights the divisions and varying perspectives that cause us all not view this issue (anti-natalism) in the same way. Wouldn't EVERY s...

Interesting thought. I think I agree, but I also think it meets a need that not everyone has. I am starting to see many people and interactions as emo...

I think we are almost done with this discussion, but this post got a little long and seems full of questions. As I am not sure I am furthering the dis...

Thanks for that whole post. That explains my confusion in sometimes thinking you identify as christian, sometimes not. I am sure I am probably guilty ...

There seems to be very little consideration that people pick their majors based on personality tendencies they already have. Why are most teachers in ...

haha, indeed. Don't forget those grousing atheist philosophy amateurs with vaguely Chinese sounding user-names. I respect your reasoning/knowledge/tho...

Nice. I have learned a lot of different Bible verses and stories, but that one is new to me, thanks. However, that sounds much more like a human analo...

Well you should have seen us 20 years ago :grimace: I am in US, not Canada, but my experience suggests the "popular jock" thing is somewhat changing. ...

Your attitude seems fine to me. I think you are just analyzing education from what would be ideal, then wondering why everyone does not have the ideal...

Thanks @"Wayfarer". I will try to look into those links and see if I can make some sense out of it.. Thanks @"Fooloso4", So the secret is that there i...

Hahahaha. I will see you in super-hell. I was also raised Catholic. No purgatory for us who were exposed to the "Truth". And we will see you in hell a...

@"Fooloso4" and @"Wayfarer" Please read these comments as those of a novice who is trying to understand (everything I say or write seems to come acros...

And I meant one thing in this thread. I am sure I have offered plenty of barely justified opinions on this site (hell, probably more than once in this...

Dammit, the one thing I say that was entirely based on anecdotal evidence, haha. Yes, I got this from someone who went through the school system in Fr...

Well you will be happy to know that they now teach about as much Marx as Adam Smith (which is very little, but it is introduced). Also, many World His...

For sure. I want the system that can identify the geniuses in any "class". (even in a perfectly equal economic system {a fantasy for sure}, there will...

Hmmmm, that sounds right. But I may need to see examples. Almost every time I hear "fake news", it just means the speaker disagrees. Surely every time...

Once all opinions are equal, then facts are irrelevant. So what counts as "news"? Doesn't "fake news" just mean "I disagree"?

Huh, I haven't spent much time thinking about education from that view (economic mobility). It always just seemed a given that of course everyone shou...

I am not sure if this will help your discussion, but no, busing is no longer common. Brown vs Board over-ruled segregation in 1954, and then, througho...