And to be doubly clear, there is no fundamental dichotomy between "chance" and "design". Chance needn't exist for a God or Godless universe, and "design" (as a vague concept, not specific theory) seems to exist either way too (though it could be illusory). I believe that I design things - so as an explanation for "how things are", most people are going to invoke design as a mechanism either way.

Of course there is a fundamental dichotomy between chance and design. Let's look at the definitions:

Chance

: something that happens unpredictably without discernible human intention or observable cause
b : the assumed impersonal purposeless determiner of unaccountable happenings : luck -an outcome decided by chance-

c : the fortuitous or incalculable element in existence

1
: to create, fashion, execute, or construct according to plan : devise, contrive
2
a : to conceive and plan out in the mind -he designed the perfect crime- b : to have as a purpose : intend -she designed to excel in her studies- c : to devise for a specific function or end -a book designed primarily as a college textbook-

A design was deliberately caused by a mind, whereas chance just happens. Either existence as we know it was deliberately caused by a mind, or it wasn't. Whether the Universe is deterministic and things had to happen this way has no bearing, because that says nothing for the reason of the original configuration, or how it got that way. Either there is no particular reason and it just happened to be that way, or it was set into motion by an intelligence. Design is planned and chance is unplanned, and that is the dichotomy.

If you want to speak about what is arbitrary, then you have to consider that everything is equally unlikely from the standpoint of one who is unsure about everything. You may suspect there is a truth, because things appear to happen for a reason, but be unable to grasp it. This is like a black hole for the mind, and there is no escape from uncertainty.

You have to make a couple of assumptions to even begin to reason. The first is that you are real. The second is that the Universe is not inherently deceptive. The first, because you cannot reason without assuming you exist, and so assuming the contrary will only lead to absurdity. The second, because again, if you cannot trust anything then you cannot trust your own thoughts either. Therefore, you have no route to reason and again it leads to absurdity.

This isn't to say you couldn't be deceived about the Universe. It is to say that there is always some route to the truth. Therefore, the truth is something tangible and can be grasped. However, you are still in the quandary of being a subjective being with limited knowledge. There may be a route to the truth, but it requires you to be omnipotent. This is where most people stop and say, well, we just can't ever know what the truth is, but this isn't true. Even if you are not omnipotent, an omnipotent being could tell you what the truth is. That's my claim.

God is also the simplest explanation for everything, which can account for absolutely everything we see, feel, or experience, and that is precisely why some people don't like it. They don't want an ultimate answer like God because He interferes with their personal autonomy. They want to be free to imagine that it could be any number of things, so therefore they have the ultimate freedom to live however they please. To say there is any particular answer, especially a personal one, restricts their personal freedom and makes them accountable to specific outcomes.

I'm not saying this universe is in any way likely or that it should compete with your current understanding of the world. So to clarify: my question to you is "do you agree it's not absolutely impossible that is the case". If you're leaving your answer to this clarified question as "no", what possible evidence could you have to rule this situation out? What evidence or experience couldn't be falsified by a devious supernatural agent? What if they could mess with your very process of reason (and I see no reason why they couldn't - again just as hypothetical)?

Well, you've agreed with me that God could reveal Himself to someone in such a way as they could be absolutely certain about it. Such a person could justifiably consider all other outcomes to be absolutely impossible, and be absolutely certain about that. That's my claim. Can I prove that I am that person, even to myself? Not entirely, but I have faith that it is true. This is not a blind faith, it is faith based on my personal relationship with God, which is experiential. Faith is the *substance* of things hoped for, because although I do not see God with my eyes, His Spirit dwells within me.

I do believe there is another supernatural power in this world, a kingdom of darkness which is a lesser power, but powerful enough to deceive human beings. Satan does want you to believe in God; the wrong God. Satan actually doesn't care what you believe, so long as it isn't in the Lord Jesus Christ. Another reason is that I have personal experience with demons; I have been around demon possessed people, and I have spoken to them when they manifested themselves in those people. They are professional liars (actors), the like you have not imagined.

It comes back to the Universe being inherently deceptive. You can't reason that way; you have to believe there is a route to truth. Neither can Satan completely deceive you; God gives everyone the opportunity to know the truth and to break free of their slavery to sin.


>> ^jmzero

THE BULLET IS ENORMOUS ! THERE IS NO ESCAPING !!

jumping...is useless.

There's no escaping the bass green shirt kid!!

Funny animation

>> ^ctrlaltbleach:

Until they finally take over the internet. Then there will be no escape. We all know it's coming. >> ^ChaosEngine:
On the face of it, he is totally right about the utter shallowness and vapidity of mainstream culture.
But, on the other hand, I can go to videosift and watch Stephen Colbert interview Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
I guess what I'm saying is you don't need to let the bullshit interfere with your life.



over my dead body...

/cocks shotgun

Until they finally take over the internet. Then there will be no escape. We all know it's coming. >> ^ChaosEngine:

On the face of it, he is totally right about the utter shallowness and vapidity of mainstream culture.
But, on the other hand, I can go to videosift and watch Stephen Colbert interview Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
I guess what I'm saying is you don't need to let the bullshit interfere with your life.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'portal, fan film' to 'portal, fan film, no escape' - edited by Grimm

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy (Poor boy)
I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
Little high, little low
Any way the wind blows
Doesn't really matter to me, to me

Mama just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life has just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody
I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, oooooooh (Anyway the wind blows)
I don't want to die
Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all

[Guitar Solo]

I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me
(Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo Figaro
Magnifico-o-o-o-o
I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity

Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go
Let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go
Let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go
Let me go (Will not let you go)
Let me go (Will not let you go) (Never, never, never, never)
Let me go, o, o, o, o
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
(Oh mama mia, mama mia) Mama Mia, let me go
Beelzebub has the devil put aside for me, for me, for me!

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

[Guitar Solo]
(Oooh yeah, Oooh yeah)

Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me

Any way the wind blows...

Hey, hey now, don't be messing with my sex robot fantasies.>> ^dag:

Uncanny bottomless pit, with no escape. Still cool though. promote.>> ^TheGenk:
That is so deep in uncanny-valley... and kinda terrible too, which i cant call
I give em props though for the pretty fluid motion

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I love robots. They're really coming- give it 10 years.

In reply to this comment by Hybrid:
Thanks for the promote Dag

In reply to this comment by dag:
Uncanny bottomless pit, with no escape. Still cool though. *promote.

Thanks for the promote Dag

In reply to this comment by dag:
Uncanny bottomless pit, with no escape. Still cool though. *promote.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Uncanny bottomless pit, with no escape. Still cool though. *promote.>> ^TheGenk:

That is so deep in uncanny-valley... and kinda terrible too, which i cant call
I give em props though for the pretty fluid motion

I'm conflicted.

Not on the issue, just on my current feelings. On the one hand, spousal abuse is a serious topic, one that needs to be seriously addressed. It's horrible because once the abuse starts it's a giant downward spiral into the feeling that eventually there's no escape, and that there's no help.

On the other hand, I remember a demotivational poster about "Irish Sunglasses" that I found funny as hell, and probably never will be able to again.

^ No escape from reality.

Sorry to hear about the divorce. That's rough enough when you do it in the same city, let alone a different country.

And I know what you mean about the fortress. I'm realizing now, more than any other time in my life, how important friends are.

What bugs me about the Jesse thing is...that I can't even believe the point is being argued.

Would the "she deserved it" people have sex with her if she offered it? Would they have sex with any eleven-year-old if they offered it? If no, why? Because it's illegal? Okay, if it were legal, would you have sex with an eleven-year-old?

See where I'm going here? If she's not old enough to be held responsible for making the decision to have sex, how is it that she's old enough to suffer the consequences of getting on the internet and espousing some bravado? "A brain slushie?" God, there are film school graduates who couldn't have dreamed that one up. Or maybe they did and, just like a stupid kid, she merely repeated what she heard.

But no, instead of just turning her off and ignoring her, let's get her personal info and make her and her family's life a living hell.

It's her own fault. She deserved it.

Most of the perpetrators of the mobbing were white, middle-class, suburban males, and it disturbs me deeply to see how many of them insist that she deserved it.

Sorry for the rant.

In reply to this comment by chtierna:
Shit man, I'm sorry about what happend to you, I don't know what you went through exactly, but I think I can relate in at least one way, namely:

When I was younger I thought I was this fortress, invincible against other peoples opinions etc. Then I got married in another country and now divorced and I realized that I depend on others just as much as anyone else and that I'm fragile in ways that I think everyone is but don't know they are. It was a scary realization and I started doubting myself in ways I'd never done before.

I think everyone needs to be able to cut stuff off at a certain level and just have somewhere they can lick their wounds and build themselves up, but when you're in a situation with no escape then the damage starts to really fuck you up, like it did me here, and probably you too.

I also think many people never ever had to face what it is to be exposed and feel like shit, or maybe they did and it's easier to deny it and join the mob to go after someone else and feel some kind of strength from that.

About going after the 4chan people that hurt others. Honestly, I think it would just feed the trolls. It would be something that other 4chan'ers would laugh at or that would take their boredom away. I dont think it would really make one iota of difference. But I see where you're coming from.

Fuck this bill.

This is one of the times when I hope the cons pull it off and kill this thing.

Had the dems had the BALLS to do it right in the first place, I'd still be with them, but this bill is going to fuck us all.

There are no escape hatches. The fuckers are trying to make a law where everybody has to pay insurance companies pretty much what ever the fuck they ask of us.

This woman is right: no public option = no reform.