Were they gurgling bacteria? I wonder if my ancestors could gurgle in tune?
Actually, I feel genuinely ennobled by the thought that we're all descended from ultra primitive stuff. It just makes sense to know that my very distant cousins are tomatoes and blob fish. Knowing this helps me feel connected to other life - and that feels really nice. Knowing I'm descended from very primitive stuff helps me to tone down the obscene way that humans feel they're the only species that matters.

OK, sshhhhh...look I had to say all this cos my body does actually contain fewer 'human cells' than other forms of microbes (brute fact) and if I don't play along then who knows how they might punish me tomorrow.

 

Whatever floats your boat mucker!

 

As are you

 

There is absolutely nothing hypnotic about that toad's face - and I should know I've been staring at it for the last 24 hours to check.

 

God that must have been a boring old time mate!

 

Non-religious, myself.
There is another 'level' or something, within, that we can work with though.
But I even feel the word 'spiritual' has been a word given to us to confuse us.
I dunno.

 

You may be right my friend! I'm not religious myself but I do follow my own instincts in a (spiritual) way outwith the norm and find that it suits me! We should all follow our own instincts. Hey welcome back!

 

He's a great guy, Norm.

 

He's actually my real life role model! Bugger you sussed me out Fudsey!!

 

What is your alternative. Where do we come from and how are we special ?
No vague answer, be straight to the point.

 

A Confedaracy of Dunces is what we have in common. I read the 2nd printing in or around '82 and was blown away.

 

what's d point...everything stand on perception...it is everything...I know, been around d block too many times

 

Regardless of a 'higher power' or not, I feel that it's all been dumbed down such that we don't realise our true nature and potential.
And I believe that if we all did, the ruling 'elites' would not have the same success with the game that is being played.
But perhaps it's not so much about if we are special as such.

 

Are you under the impression that we are just molecules in an advanced state?

 

We are being dumbed down constantly on a daily basis by the eletist fuckers through education, news and TV programing. Be it Movies or sitcoms or whatever.
I mean tell me of a movie that you totally agree with that builds you up and makes you feel like a good person.
Everything we watch on TV is disfunctional and fucked up! Especially nowadays more than ever!
Most modern movies are distopian at least and serve no positive function.
That is why I threw out my TV. No more liscence to pay the BBC.
We have been paying to be programed! Hmm.

 

I didn't give my views, it was a simple question. So answer it.

 

I don't have to answer anything because you command that I do!
Go and do your own research mate!!

 

although i am aware of this content, i am very wary of these sorts of trendy pop re-imaginings of rudimentary teachings [especially at this current time and in that intellectual space]. personally i prefer engagement with source material and compound your own frames, i know, old, slow and boring but c'est la vie.

there is no denying the effectiveness of pointed discussion, socratic or otherwise but this is perhaps more applicable to moral and ethical matters, amongst others. even so, of course -- timelessly invaluable.

for the longest time i have been a bit leery about the conundrum of belief. i think maybe belief should find its utility in a totally subjective manner, therefore it is not of much use in the inquiry into a greater collective reality, at least as of the current state of play.

some propose that the hard sciences are a panacea for bypassing the need for belief altogether, if that is even possible. i have no clue.

double plus yes, it may seem overly simplistic to state, but is of immensely key importance: in the hard sciences, quantification, measurement is all; at all points, on the eternal journey from a conceptual, theoretical space to a more tangible concrete understanding.

a good current illustration of this in the realm of scientific endevour, which somewhat relates to your statement, is the inquiry into the nature of (proposed) dark energy/matter. the heretofore undetectable, technically non-existent in human terms, phenomena they seek is only theoretically observable because of a summation of 'the known', and what we know is needed to produce/sustain 'the known' is at a deficit. there is a whole lot of 'unknown' needed to balance the equation. it is BELIEVED (via calculation) that 'known' observable substance is may be less than 10% of the prerequisite total. therefore a significant portion of 'unknown (undetectable therefore technically non-existent)', yet essential, phenomena is required to produce the effect of what we observe/experience everyday. truly a problem for the ages. but how?

one program i know of is trying to detect (thus quantify) extremely subtle discrete packets of energy they call WIMPs [lol... yes seriously](Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), which are BELIEVED to be somehow related to this proposed colossal immaterial substrata. there lies the point. how to detect the undetectable? find something that is detectable that relates to, and is essential to, the target.

maybe this provides a small insight into the nature of belief in a naturalistic context. it is definitively a totally human phenomenon and to my mind it is totally transitory in nature. useful, but only for a while? as a placeholder? in lieu of anything else to satisfy a perceived 'lack' in circumstance?

BTW Sanford have their detector buried several kilometers under the surface of the earth, drilled into bedrock (good place for a studio maybe). WIMPs are so supposedly subtle that they require this kind of 'silence' to be detected. there are possibly billions 'passing through' any given physical object at any given time.

all of this is extant from the proto-newtonian concept of physical substance, which is not to say that newtonian conception will not get your rocket ship to mars or even perhaps a more significant galactic object, and maybe even develop the technology to do so. there is discrete conceptual levels to these things.

 

Why are you triggered at all ? It's quite interesting to see a man denying evolution, how can you not expect anyone to ask further questions ?

It's not like you're having an internal monologue, you purposefully came in a public forum to make a big statement so you do care about passing a message at the very least.

I'm all ear honestly, i don't know why you took it as an order, you seem a bit itchy there fellow.

 

Well maybe if you acted with a bit more decorum instead of forcing an ultimatum on me I might not be so titchy.
Quote "I didn't give my views, it was a simple question. So answer it."
Now do you expect me to just respect and respond to that kind of reply like a good little tyke?
If you want me to reply to any questions that you may have then have the decency to ask in a respectful manner! OK!