T_Clark

It doesn't take quantum mechanics to kill materialism and determinism. Both are metaphysics, not statements about how the world is, whether or not tha...

Philosophers tell stories as much as scientists do. Humans are story telling creatures. Everything we say is a story about what can't be spoken.

If that's true, then all knowledge, all concepts, are just stories. Which I actually believe. But that's a different discussion.

This is a complete misinterpretation of the scientific view of this subject. @"apokrisis" has pointed this out. In another post, he recommended "Life'...

I don't think this is off-post and I don't think I'm violating your request to stay away from "contentious topics." I really dislike getting involved ...

Many people consider most religions what you describe as "mythology." Generally, I come down with t0m and Apokrisis in this discussion, but I do agree...

Thanks for bringing up the Tao Te Ching. As I've said elsewhere, it embarrasses me that everything I say seems to end up back there. I've said this el...

I've tried to read all the posts in this thread. Boy, it's hard. If someone has said this before, I didn't pick it up - If some of us think of God as ...

I've read both of those, but I don't remember a discussion that emergent properties can be predicted. It's been a while since I read them, maybe I sho...

Joke of the Day - October 10, 2017 Archimedes is sitting in his bath. He farts, watches the bubbles, and yells “Eureka!, I have found it! Then he runs...

That's what she said.

Well, going back to the OP and carrying forward, I do think some people were saying that. Of course there were quantitative measurements - concentrati...

I thought that was what I did in my asteroid discussion.

As I said, I'm getting lost, but one of the major points seems to be the difference between quantitative and qualitative data. Well - the data from th...

Yes, a reproach for a moral lapse. That's what is not needed. If there is no moral judgment, society's reaction to unwanted behavior is more likely to...

One of my favorite experiences is to walk outside when the weather is really cold - low single digits or below 0 F. The air is very dry and has a brig...

There's another active thread you might be interested to on the forum - Reconciliation and Forgiveness. It's different enough from your post that it's...

Boy, I really don't understand, but I appreciate your effort. We should probably leave it at that.

I'm getting a bit lost, but what about this - A very thin layer of material that contains high concentrations of iridium has been found throughout the...

Do you mean that I've ruined the thread because my jokes are actually funny?

I hate to ask you this. I already have "Life's Ratchet" on my reading list, along with references from other posters, but could you give me a referenc...

I have heard of recent work being done by cognitive scientists. They use PET scanners to observe brain activity while the subject thinks of various ob...

Isn't the critical fact of emergence that the emergent properties cannot be predicted from or traced back to, the properties of the constituents? The ...

I think maybe this is part of what I was talking about. Being forgiven "puts me off." There is nothing the hurt party can do to take away what I've do...

Don't tree-occasions, grass-occasions, snake-occasions, and all the other related occasions in a body produce, by means of a network of plant, animal,...

Anyone is welcome to contribute jokes, but only T Clark can contribute the "Joke of the Day." I guess I'll have to start writing it "Joke of the Day®"

I like this, especially the idea keeping a sense of self by keeping forgiveness out of it. Do you agree that it works the other way too - that I, as t...

Yes - Happiness = Peace. I don't need to forgive myself. I feel a deep sense of responsibility for my life. We're back to forgiveness vs. responsibili...

That explanation of "Ein Sof" makes it sound a lot like the Tao. If that were the case, it wouldn't be God. It would come before God. It would be the ...

You're right. My interpretation was given as an alternate one, but it was not the original meaning. But then, Thorongil didn't use it correctly, did h...

I was a kid - 5th grade? Not sure. I have always loved reading newspapers, especially the comics and especially on Sundays. There was a comic called "...

Nils Loc tells jazz jokes - he improvises on the themes of others. Whether or not it makes any sense. Or maybe they're zen jokes. What is the smell of...

Joke of the day - October 9, 2017 Lesser known philosophical sayings: • Gunga Galunga • The D’oh that can be spoken is not the eternal D’oh • Hemlock!...

The phrase "The exception proves the rule" means that the exception tests the rule, not that it supports or justifies it. It's like in "proving ground...

Yeah, well. I was talking big, but I like my intimate life pretty vanilla pudding. Maybe that's not the right image.

I took this quote and PMed it to MysticMonist. He is undertaking an assault on the fortress of Plato and I thought he might find it helpful.

Sounds good to me. I don't have any disagreements with what you have written.

Definition of "clarity" - Expressing what you mean in a way that makes it obvious you’re wrong

Holy smokes, that sounds great!! Actually, I agree with everything you said except for this.

I always worry about that joke - I bet Sartre never said "to be is to do." Actually, sometimes it is attributed to Sartre and sometimes to Camus. It f...

I'm a little confused. I thought I had already done this. Anyway... Forgiveness doesn't really have any philosophical content for me. Maybe that's bec...

My head itches when I eat spicy food. It even itches when I smell, see, or think about spicy food. It itches when I eat mild salsa. Don't ruin my illu...

God will not have his will made manifest by cowards.

So far, your jokes have left me scratching my head. Which is fine. Keep them coming.

Here is my advice about how to manage your intimate relationships. This is based on decades of study and experimentation - Whatever guidance I give yo...

Again you send me off to my favorite writing: "To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all...

My statement does not really put any meat on the bones of my definition of the scientific method. My "specific, defined set of rules and algorithms," ...

I don't really disagree with any of that, at least for physics, chemistry, and some biology. I think it might leave out observational sciences like ge...

The systemization is the heart of the matter. Science is a systematic search for knowledge that follows a specific, defined set of rules and algorithm...

My quote is just a small part of the whole poem. It's all wonderful.