301. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #139438 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 8:46 pm

i was just referring to this website's reference an a clear-thinking oasis... and I'm not going to define clear thinking...it pretty much means what it means...but here is Bodhi and it's the opposit of clear-thinking

a buddha is generally considered to be a person who discovers the true nature of reality through (lifetimes of) spiritual cultivation, investigation of the various religious practices of his time, and meditation. This transformational discovery is called Bodhi, which literally means "awakening", but is more commonly called "enlightenment".

If you ask me Rebirth and Karma both seem as far away from clear-thinking as crystal power... lol

302. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #139433 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 8:17 pm

qster can you see the top of this page "A Clear Thinking Oasis"- reincarnation is not reasonable nor is it clear thinking

How long can you talk about nothing?

303. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #139428 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 8:02 pm

I voted for Hillary Clinton and sent her 50.00. To me, you're obligated to vote for the person with the best resume. For any other job you are anyway...She objectively has the best resume. We should get out of Iraq, have universal health care, and support gay marriage. We should have alternative energy sources, help preserve the environment and try to raise the living standards of less fortunate people. lol We should not bomb or invade other countries if at all possible. We should instead invest in medicine (like stem cell research)and science in general as well as science education...and we should smile more! and hug people more often lol

304. Fleabytes

Comment #139427 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 7:55 pm

I know this is off the topic of the original thread...but honestly it's terrible to read religious literature. It's agonizing. I have tried to watch debates between say Christopher Hitchens and his christian counterparts and when it gets to the christian apologist I totally glaze over and feel like I'm listening white noise. I want to pin down the "spiritual person" and ask them please point to heaven...please identify a human soul...please tell me why you feel the need to "worship" someone- just that word "worship" seems alien to me and just about perverted.

305. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #139422 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 7:30 pm

ok sure, I made it up

306. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #139413 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 7:00 pm

wow I totally agree, monks and buddhists get a free ride on this website and I can't see why! (almost as bad as the media hating Hillary Clinton and liking Obama)

307. Fleabytes

Comment #139410 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 6:52 pm

I've read Elbow Room. Definitely. I don't remember much because sometimes he's not very conversational. It sometimes get monotonous. But I do remember "What RoboMary Knows" and enjoyed it immensely.

308. Fleabytes

Comment #139408 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 6:48 pm

I suggest you read more about hypnosis and free will. There have been many experiments where for example someone will hypnotise a guy to jump on the floor when he hears the word "Germany" and later someone will say I want to visit Germany. And right then the gentleman jumps on the floor and says "ya know, I've always wanted to get into the Tile business...mabye sell tiles...or possibly even manufacture them" -all the while thinking he jumped on the floor of his own free will because he's interested in tile producing when the cause was unknown by the individual.

I hope I made myself clear. Also, I think people justify their actions by "looking backwards" and making sense of their actions when in reality they have no clue as to what drives them to: think up a completely random thought, or a new creative idea..etc etc etc I'm sure you get my point.

309. Fleabytes

Comment #139405 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 6:42 pm

so we are originators of our actions in a deterministic universe since we're functional- ?

just because none of the elements which comprises your body can accomplish what your body fully formulated can doesn't mean that you have free will-?

If the links in the temporal chain of causation that happen is us are necessary then how do we get to choose anything?

No offense, - I enjoy the topic, but I don't really understand any of what you just said except of course

The links in the temporal chain of causation that happen in us are necessary.

310. Fleabytes

Comment #139403 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 6:27 pm

1. Actions are events.
2. Every event has a cause.
3 If an event is caused, then it is causally determined.
4. If an event is an act that is causally determined, then the agent of the act could not have acted otherwise than in the way that she did.

I don't see how free will is compatible with this.

311. Fleabytes

Comment #139402 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 6:24 pm

omg, compatibilism seems viable???? It's such a copout - In language it makes the two sides "compatible" but the real question in reality "DO we have free will?" is not even touched by the ontological compatibilistic response.

312. Fleabytes

Comment #139400 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 6:16 pm

In the field of consciousness studies, I think the REAL story is about free will. In every field of science we are resolved to the fact that the universe acts deterministically or statistically (Quantum physics). Yet we know from personal experience that we act with free will. Even the most ardent supporter of determinism (hard) will walk out of the room acting like they have free will. I live in direct contradiction to what I believe. I personally believe there is no free will and that the laws that govern the rest of the world must include myself. So I accept that I have no free will...but then I turn around and act as if I have free will 10 minutes later (or less).

I just heard a great lecture about Descarte and objections to dualism and it was very interesting but the free will/determinism debate seems the most intractable.

313. Fleabytes

Comment #139288 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Well I know what you do NOT believe but not what you DO believe.

314. Fleabytes

Comment #139281 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 1:50 pm

no Steve, he really does think consciousness is a fundamental property of all matter see http://www.scaruffi.com/mind/chalmers.html
he's almost a believer in panpsychism with his "photophenomenal properties"

thx

315. Fleabytes

Comment #139272 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 12:59 pm

and really I think Chalmers is off the mark too - you can't just posit that there is a fundamental property of all matter namely consciousness just because a problem is "hard"- give me a break and cut off the dreads hhah

316. Fleabytes

Comment #139270 by robotaholic on March 5, 2008 at 12:57 pm

The thing about Mary is that it's a bad example. If she truely knew *ALL* there is to know about color vision - then actually you wouldn't have anything to tell her that she didn't already know -nor would she learn anything new when finally allowed to see colors for the first time. So....qualia don't exist.

I really do agree with MPhil on the last few pages of this thread. You can't say something exists [qualia] just because you want to Steve.

What is it like to be a hammer? lol

317. What's the Point of the Archbishop of Canterbury?

Comment #138770 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 7:14 pm

The point of the Archbishop of Canterbury is to wear this yellow funky garb: http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/9/9a/350px-Eames2.jpg

lol how funny

318. Fleabytes

Comment #138754 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 6:56 pm

Brian, I'm sure you would get a quasi-mystical word like "materialized" or some other word in line with "I Dream of Jeanie".

319. Fleabytes

Comment #138749 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 6:50 pm

No, I disagree.

320. Fleabytes

Comment #138734 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 6:33 pm

can't we just agree that it's irrational to be irrational lol

321. Fleabytes

Comment #138688 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 5:31 pm

David Robertson, aren't you "wowed" when you hear about the 15 billion history of the universe? Aren't you "wowed" when you learn about ring species? Surely you can agree that the universe is amazing.

I used to be a Christian. Ignorance was forced upon me by my parents. It's only natural to have an unquenched thirst for information so far as science can reveal it after that kind of upbringing.

You DO seem rude Mr. Robertson.

How are you able to judge that?

322. Fleabytes

Comment #138552 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 2:01 pm

...so the Deist god is a knob-twiddler

-I think that is how Richard Dawins put it...

323. Fleabytes

Comment #138525 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 1:26 pm

Steve:

Sure, but I find the idea of any other kind of God even odder. I mean, if he isn't interventionist, how can there be any evidence (apart from the appearance design, which, after Darwin, we should realise does not mean what it seems to). Personally, I think Dawkins lets deists off far to lightly.

324. Fleabytes

Comment #138522 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 1:22 pm

Paula:

I believed in a FEELING. I had found something that seemed to make sense of everything and that seemed to offer some kind of solution. THAT was the "truth" of what I believed.

325. Hebrew University researcher: Moses was tripping at Mount Sinai

Comment #138508 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 1:06 pm

...the people who wrote the bible were on drugs, and the people who read the bible and believe it are on drugs- I could have told you that...

326. Bulldozers tear down giant religious teapot

Comment #138507 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Besides the wackyness of a giant teapot - is there any reason for which muslims wont turn into a mob?

327. Fleas on the Horizon: In Defense of God

Comment #138141 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 1:43 am

I'm fed up with fleas. Time to deny their credibility from the start.

I mean - they need to make their OWN money.

Thank goodness:

HarperOne's Tauber doesn't think there are "many more huge books left in the category." -

328. Fleas on the Horizon: In Defense of God

Comment #138137 by robotaholic on March 4, 2008 at 1:36 am

Fine! believe in spirituality if you must, but don't call atheism dogmatic - there are no texts to be dogmatic about and clearly the "new atheists" never said you shouldn't believe in "nothing"- comeone - you idiotic writers - if you take the "adam and eve" story literaly then you discredit yourselves in the face of evolution - if you take it allegorically then jesus died to redeem allegorical sins- the whole idea of it is preposterous!- you have NO BASIS

Oh and there is no response to be had - I don't believe in invisible people with superpowers - you cannot write a book to convince me to do so-

The Flea market is CLOSED.

Oh and if "god" needs defending - "it" can do it itself.

329. Fleabytes

Comment #137734 by robotaholic on March 3, 2008 at 12:16 pm

I googled it and came across the debate between Sam Harris and Andrew Sullivan - is that what you were referring to? It's here: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/209/story_20904_1.html

330. Fleabytes

Comment #137720 by robotaholic on March 3, 2008 at 11:54 am

Rev- where is the written debate involving Sam Harris - I want to read it- thx

331. The Salamander's Tale

Comment #137703 by robotaholic on March 3, 2008 at 11:16 am

...Praises the Reverend for his righteous sentiments

332. Please Call Earth. We Still Haven't Found You.

Comment #137687 by robotaholic on March 3, 2008 at 10:46 am

you're right - we're all apes but you guys need to shave

333. Survey shows Non-Religious Outnumber Those of Every Single Faith (But One)

Comment #137677 by robotaholic on March 3, 2008 at 10:39 am

When considering the increase of atheist/agnostic people - the data said 3.2 percent to 4 percent - that's an increase of .8 percent - .008 * 300,000,000 is 2,400,000- that's a large number -especially when considered within the timespan of 2004 - 2007.

334. God, power and money

Comment #137655 by robotaholic on March 3, 2008 at 9:56 am

It would be wonderful if millions of people believed in an invisible person who expects me to live like a king.

335. Please Call Earth. We Still Haven't Found You.

Comment #137646 by robotaholic on March 3, 2008 at 9:39 am

What's with all the monkeys in here?

336. Fleabytes

Comment #137634 by robotaholic on March 3, 2008 at 9:26 am

Sam Harris-

It is time we acknowledge the boundless narcissism and self deceit of the "saved". It is time we acknowledge how disgraceful it is for the survivors of a catastrophe to believe themselves spared by a loving god while this same god drowned infants in their cribs. Once you stop swaddling the reality of the world's suffering in religious fantasies you will feel in your bones just how prescious life is and indeed how unfortunate it is that millions of human beings suffer the most harrowing abridgements of their happieness for no good reason at all.

337. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #137360 by robotaholic on March 2, 2008 at 5:33 pm

Well it's a good thing you gave up Steve because there is a limit to how much hot air someone can spew - even for you lol

I'm not being hateful, just laughing out loud.

338. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #137231 by robotaholic on March 2, 2008 at 2:39 pm

Steve, what are some truthfull claims about the world that Buddhism makes. What is Buddhism's utility?

339. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #137154 by robotaholic on March 2, 2008 at 12:33 pm

"Science's" answer--if I can call it that,--to many of these problems is pills, pills and more pills which often just amounts to chemical lobotomy.

340. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #137150 by robotaholic on March 2, 2008 at 12:28 pm

I am an atheist with respect to Buddha and/or the beliefs of Buddha. The real problem with this thread is the lack of clarification regarding the beliefs of Buddha. There are a few main beliefs that are associated with Christianity and in like manner there are at least a few with regard to Buddha. If I were going to locate a few major tennents of Budhism they would be what are found at www.buddhism.org which is "the most comprehensive directory service providing all the resources of Buddhism and Buddhist from around world and trying to spread out buddhism worldwide."-
-But I'm not because just like AtheistJon said:

Name one item in life that is not touchable by scientific ideas?

341. Fleabytes

Comment #137132 by robotaholic on March 2, 2008 at 12:01 pm

I'm tired of the assumption that atheists value life less than the theist. That is definitely backwards thinking. If anything we have greater respect for life due to the fact that this is all there is. That throw-away survival machine comment is completely backwards.

342. Fleabytes

Comment #137068 by robotaholic on March 2, 2008 at 9:27 am

MPhil I reviewed all my posts on this website and I've never made fun or mocked eliminative materialism - in fact I'm a strong proponent - I'm a big fan of Paul and Patricia Churchland's work as well as Dennett's- I especially love hearing Patricia Churchland speak-

343. Fleabytes

Comment #136828 by robotaholic on March 1, 2008 at 7:32 pm

MPhil yay, are you a fellow eliminative materialist???

344. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #136827 by robotaholic on March 1, 2008 at 7:30 pm

Steve I don't think Hitch is wrong about Buddha...I mean mabye there are different versions of the Buddha's birth, but even the 2nd-3rd century relief shown here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SiddhartaBirth.JPG shows him coming out of his mother's side...

345. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #136819 by robotaholic on March 1, 2008 at 7:16 pm

i think Maher is funny and don't care what you think about him Pentecost- Hitchens was great too

Steve Buddha is grown and smoked... lol

346. Fleabytes

Comment #136614 by robotaholic on March 1, 2008 at 1:48 pm

You have decided that it did not satisfy your desires, nor fulfill your longings.

347. Fleabytes

Comment #136593 by robotaholic on March 1, 2008 at 1:32 pm

Hello do you worship yahweh?

348. Fleabytes

Comment #136365 by robotaholic on March 1, 2008 at 2:01 am

wow Richard Dawkins- I am sorry you even had to deal with this- xoxo!

349. Fleabytes

Comment #136047 by robotaholic on February 29, 2008 at 12:44 pm

Paula, your piece was awesome. As if you didn't know...

Then comes the pained lament of "How would you feel if I took some of the more ludicrous and ignorant comments from some of the atheists on your website and used them as an example of how atheism rots the brain? It would not be fair or honest." This consideration, it has to be said, has not stopped Robertson from doing just that on the frontispiece of his book. In fact, it makes for amusing reading, but of course we know the context in which he provokes such responses. Given that he spends much of his time on this site atheist-baiting, it does seem a little disingenuous to complain when we bite.

350. Fleabytes

Comment #135872 by robotaholic on February 29, 2008 at 10:08 am

No, not at all. I believe in God because I have seen the difference He has made in people's lives