Dirac on religion:

I cannot understand why we idle discussing religion. If we are honest—and scientists have to be—we must admit that religion is a jumble of false assertions, with no basis in reality. The very idea of God is a product of the human imagination. It is quite understandable why primitive people, who were so much more exposed to the overpowering forces of nature than we are today, should have personified these forces in fear and trembling. But nowadays, when we understand so many natural processes, we have no need for such solutions.

I can't for the life of me see how the postulate of an Almighty God helps us in any way. What I do see is that this assumption leads to such unproductive questions as why God allows so much misery and injustice, the exploitation of the poor by the rich and all the other horrors He might have prevented. If religion is still being taught, it is by no means because its ideas still convince us, but simply because some of us want to keep the lower classes quiet. Quiet people are much easier to govern than clamorous and dissatisfied ones. They are also much easier to exploit.

Religion is a kind of opium that allows a nation to lull itself into wishful dreams and so forget the injustices that are being perpetrated against the people. Hence the close alliance between those two great political forces, the State and the Church. Both need the illusion that a kindly God rewards—in heaven if not on earth—all those who have not risen up against injustice, who have done their duty quietly and uncomplainingly. That is precisely why the honest assertion that God is a mere product of the human imagination is branded as the worst of all mortal sins.

From here the pattern doesn't look too hard to grasp... first things go one way, then they'll come back the other.

I understand its VERY different when you're there and shits flying around, but some of those folks looked very surprised over and over, and a couple just turtled during the lulls instead of bracing for the next swing. Trains and Boats are out to get you! Keep you're head on a swivel!

I don't disagree about anything you just said. But, you did admit that unless we find a way to control the natural instinct for fear and the outright control everyone has over another at sometime during there lives, the cycle will continue. Technology will only make it worse.

BTW, when I speak of "merging with A.I.", with aspects of bio-engineering (breeding "bad" genes
can get out of control, as can the A.I., but this is true for all of advanced science...), is most likely the best choice to solve the worst of issues. At higher I.Q. ratios you begin to see people realizing that it takes humanity as a whole to accomplish great things. But, none of us want to lose our individuality. The A.I. I speak of would be individual A.I.s. Not controlled by a hive. When they merge it's you and them; then if you want you can merge with more to become a larger individual (i.e.- your wife, etc...).

As technology gets more advanced it becomes more likely that a small group or perhaps one person, one day, in the not-so-far-off future could make this decision without either of our consent.

The tech singularity that I linked to above is what I mention and has been bouncing around in sci-fi and science for a good one hundred years. I'm hoping it's possible to get rid of the issues that can create victims, but nothing else. Having arguments are healthy and it allows us to better ourselves. Getting rid of all the arguments would be a fatal flaw and basically nullify evolution.

/Just in case you understood wrong, I at no time meant life to become the "Borg" or for us to resolve to using Eugenics in the classical sense. Hope this gets across better as I think we're mostly on the same side.

>> ^NetRunner:

>> ^kceaton1:
Sorry, that's not what I meant it to sound like. I meant that the "no war" dichotomy would fail in the modern world as humanity has failed on every level to ever follow a specific ideology. What they said may be very correct and it is something we should teach and spread, that will cause what I said above "a lull".
I suppose your point then is that the hippies don't have foolproof ways of creating their desired utopia for humanity? Who does?
>> ^kceaton1:
But, as a species until you can "breed" out arguments that spill out of the brain we will always have the same issues, though they may be mitigated. What they did was not in vain, it's still being fought for and argued for.
I don't really think trying to engineer people to fit into some utopian ideal is much of a solution to anything. That sounds like a really, really scary dystopia to me.
Letting people have the ability to engineer themselves, on the other hand, sounds like it might enable us to fix some long-term societal problems by letting us have more conscious control over who we are. Or it might just make us even more factionalized and give us an even better excuse to dehumanize those we disagree with...


Sorry, ye ol' trollin conservative guys you're on ignored for comments in the past that were most likely very childish and distasteful. Just like this sentence probably is to you. So put me on ignore.

Also, the hippies certainly never had any idea of how to fix the issues in this world. Neither do I, neither does anyone posting. If crucifying my statement helps you, have at it. I only tried to post one idea out of many that "could" happen. Is it going to work? Ask the people after they try it.

/The song is right, but it, like our posts are 20/20 hindsight.

>> ^kceaton1:

Sorry, that's not what I meant it to sound like. I meant that the "no war" dichotomy would fail in the modern world as humanity has failed on every level to ever follow a specific ideology. What they said may be very correct and it is something we should teach and spread, that will cause what I said above "a lull".

I suppose your point then is that the hippies don't have foolproof ways of creating their desired utopia for humanity? Who does?

>> ^kceaton1:
But, as a species until you can "breed" out arguments that spill out of the brain we will always have the same issues, though they may be mitigated. What they did was not in vain, it's still being fought for and argued for.

I don't really think trying to engineer people to fit into some utopian ideal is much of a solution to anything. That sounds like a really, really scary dystopia to me.

Letting people have the ability to engineer themselves, on the other hand, sounds like it might enable us to fix some long-term societal problems by letting us have more conscious control over who we are. Or it might just make us even more factionalized and give us an even better excuse to dehumanize those we disagree with...

Sorry, that's not what I meant it to sound like. I meant that the "no war" dichotomy would fail in the modern world as humanity has failed on every level to ever follow a specific ideology. What they said may be very correct and it is something we should teach and spread, that will cause what I said above " a lull".

But, as a species until you can "breed" out arguments that spill out of the brain we will always have the same issues, though they may be mitigated. What they did was not in vain, it's still being fought for and argued for.

/The Dirty Fucking Hippies Were Right

>> ^NetRunner:
edit-lol

I'll vote this up, but there is one contention I'll mention. The Hippies are not completely right. The problems that exist in our country exist across the globe. We are, for now, in the spotlight because of: resources, resource consumption, pollution, population, wealth, influence of global markets and politics/governments, military, business, and a little bit of religion.

When China (or anyone) comes to fruition they will cause the same problems to creep up. I'm not saying we shouldn't look for an answer to these issues, but mankind has had the same problems since people could carry a tale.

The EU seems to be doing fairly well, but they have a host of problems to deal with as well. Fundamentally, I can't see much of a change (maybe lulls) coming to mankind until we actively change out our sturdy genetically encoded fight or flight system with something more updated. It will have to allow for individuals to make important decisions with the consent of the group -- as the group will need to realize that every individual choice is important, but it can't forsake an individual's right without circumstance. This issue is decided by both the individual and the group to have the same value/decision.

Merging with A.I.? I have no clue how will solve this. For now, we only have tourniquets. I think the real race for what will happen to humanity lies purely at science's feet. Something akin to a:Technological Singularity. This may be a form of ideology we can never meet.

My 0.02...

/Unless El FSM shows up soon with my meatballs.

>> ^sfjocko:

what/who is this?

Comedian Greg Giraldo...

You can view him at a lull in his career as a judge on this season's "Last Comic Standing"

Funny guy though. He also does a lot of celebrity roasts.

Well I enjoyed seeing the police officer actually going after the guy who used the turn lane as a passing lane. There's an intersection on my way to work where damn near every day I can see something happen that deserves a ticket, mostly jaywalking...which isn't so bad except they jaywalk when cars are coming and hold up traffic instead of waiting for lulls in traffic. Even see these people do it in front of cops and don't get busted, probably because they couldn't/wouldn't pay the ticket anyway.

The ones with strollers are the worst, they use those things like it's a rolling road block...because no one wants to run over a baby..even if it causes a car full of kids to get hit head on.

But I have to think that the complete lack of cops doing anything about the dangerous situations....causes more dangerous situations because other people figure that if the cops won't bust the people interfering with traffic..they won't mind if 5 cars turn after the lights turned red.

>> ^burdturgler:

>> ^lampishthing:
With all this uproar I haven't read anyone offering a different solution. Any ideas?..
I don't agree with the racial profiling but it's worth keeping in mind that this law will be popular until they have an alternative to solve the problem and if the law is taken away by the feds while it's still popular it will make things worse - make the people angrier and more ruthless on the issue.

^Integration is the key. Make it easier for people to legally immigrate and you'll have less illegal immigrants. Trying to stem the flow of people who want to join our country is not the answer. Spend the money on speeding up and creating easier access to the legal immigration process. America is not supposed to be about building walls, it's supposed to be:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"


totally agree with you bud.
one problem.
that would be really bad for big business.
i mean..workers realizing a common cause and a common foe?
then actually joining in defense of their interests?
no no no no no..
elites dont share with peasants!
they pay a LOT of money to keep the legislators churning out sweet heart deals and they spend the rest of the money keeping us either sedated with mind numbing programming or they create a fear enviroment with their massive propaganda machine.
divide and conquer and then lull us into a television induced coma.
they have gotten better at it over the years and they mean to subjugate us using the very tools we thing are their to benefit us.
it is the ultimate lie and they have done a damn good job of it.

what you propose BT is based on common sense but who would it benefit?
normal,regular people..like you and i..since when did any elite give a rats fuck about you or i?
the only time..and i mean ONLY..is when we,as people,have let it be known it was in their best interest but we have lost that fight over 30 years ago and the majority have no idea they lost.
too wrapped up chasing their own tails.
they gotcha..
they gotcha by the balls.
you dont want to work overtime for no extra pay?
we will find someone who will..good luck paying your balloon mortgage.
bah..i could ramble for hours on this subject but i hope you get my drift.
debt=slavery
consumerism=slavery
corporate media=does not work for you and it never has.
capitol hill=bought and sold by your bosses and no longer work for you
judges=nope..not them either.

yet they have actually convinced people it is the brown people who are the problem.
/the mind boggles

>> ^rychan:

Beautiful dog, but I'm pretty sure that baby isn't asleep at the end.


"Siberian Husky Serenades Crying Baby In a Fruitless Attempt to Lull Him or Her to Sleep" was a more accurate title, but just wasn't quite as catchy, so I opted for the M.-Night-Shyamalan-esque twist ending instead.

I don't believe a soldier shot a baby intentionally, or even an unarmed civilian, for that matter.

That being said, Israelis need to recognize some harsh truths about Cast Lead. That operation started with the intention of stopping the rocket fire, toppling Hamas and possibly rescuing Gilad Shalit. While the second and third are obvious failures, the rockets are quiet for now, but that's only a lull while Hamas builds up it's arsenal again.

But we're still in denial. We look at the statistics of the dead and automatically say "the Palestinians are lying about how many died". We look at the percentage of civilians and say "they're lying, there were many more combatants there". I have yet to hear an excuse for the number of slain children during Cast Lead, but I'm sure some Israeli has one waiting.

After Cast Lead, the UN did the only thing it can do. It launched an investigation. It even appointed a South-African Jew to lead it. And still I heard people I live around, people I work with, people I grew up with, call him an anti-Semite. Saying the report was biased before the report was even started.

And of course Israel refused to cooperate with the investigation. Politically, cooperating has only a down-side. If we allow soldiers, commanders and politicians to be interviewed, if we allow documents to be subpoenaed, if we give any form of assistance to the investigative committee, we're essentially signing off on the result. If we deny any responsibility, claim sovereignty, and refuse to accept the committee's authority, we get to keep the Status Quo.

And what a Status Quo it is. Were listed as 141/144 in the Global Peace Index. Below us are Somalia, which has no government, and then only Afghanistan and Iraq, which I don't really need to explain.


No. I don't believe we deliberately killed innocent men, women and children.

But we did set out knowing full well that the goal was unattainable, that the fighting itself would take place in extremely-dense populated areas, that we would be facing an enemy that has no qualms with firing rockets from schools, with placing enough ambushes in second-floor windows that soldiers on the ground wouldn't feel safe without sending a rocket or grenade into every building first. I don't believe there was a single commander, at any level of command, who didn't expect high civilian casualties.

We are responsible. And we're not going to change unless forced to.

>> ^NordlichReiter:
They will be lulled over by the cuteness, silliness, or horror.


Or quite possibly all three at the same time!

As a cat myself I have never done anything like this. I can say that this cat is certifiably insane. Unless the he is hunting humans, then it is perfectly fine to act like an idiot. Because while the humans go get the DVR you can ambush them when they come back! They will be lulled over by the cuteness, silliness, or horror.

Yes, a strong nesting instinct has shown itself in my nature lately. I'll check that link, thanks!

In reply to this comment by EndAll:
Fall is a time for change, it seems. I hope you settle in comfortably.
I've been okay myself, hunkering down for the winter, letting the beard grow out. I need to get a job though!

You should check out http://www.fromthebasement.tv/ - Nigel Godrich just launched it, live shows of a wide range of fantastic artists. Andrew Bird is one, I believe. It's just a shame they're not embeddable!

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
Just fine, thanks Ollie. Settling into my new bachelor lifestyle. Sorta weird sorta wonderfull. Occasionally quite sad. And yourself?

In reply to this comment by EndAll:
Cheers Schmawy! How've you been?

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
*quality

Fall is a time for change, it seems. I hope you settle in comfortably.
I've been okay myself, hunkering down for the winter, letting the beard grow out. I need to get a job though!

You should check out http://www.fromthebasement.tv/ - Nigel Godrich just launched it, live shows of a wide range of fantastic artists. Andrew Bird is one, I believe. It's just a shame they're not embeddable!

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
Just fine, thanks Ollie. Settling into my new bachelor lifestyle. Sorta weird sorta wonderfull. Occasionally quite sad. And yourself?

In reply to this comment by EndAll:
Cheers Schmawy! How've you been?

In reply to this comment by schmawy:
*quality