John Dub

The video says you can be what you want. That’s one of the things people here said here when you first showed up. Apparently you want to be the guy who keeps asking the same questions and deflecting the answers.

Buddhism isn’t abusing as many children or trying to get their religion into science classes or trying to keep laws that discriminate against LGBT or rescind Roe v Wade.

Just catching up on this one. Good stuff, a bit obscure maybe, but it’s about that fine line I often point to, the one mentioned in the OP of not knowing if experiences cause the brain changes or the brains are different, resulting in a different experience. I always allow people to report their own experience as true, because it is true to t…[Read more]

It does not determine  how the press can function or what its ultimate purpose is or even if it needs to have an ultimate purpose. It does not prevent the press from being bought off by special interests. It does not prevent journalists from being dishonest.

If the press is openly hostile to a segment of the population as most mainstream media…

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To do science, you have to accept that we exist as independent minds in a universe. — my summary of what Weinstein said about what you need to accept to start doing science.

I think it’s more realistic to except that your mind is of a different realm than this physical universe. — CC

That’s fine. To me, science is a part of the universe r…[Read more]

Of the people on the field, the pitcher is the second closest person to the batter. How un-amazing can you get? I’m guessing you are a person who spends a lot of time in coffee shops, thinking that you are observing mainstream America when you are actually part of something fairly new and hopefully temporary. I work in an office. Lots of mugs.

This is a Bart Campolo podcast on the topic. Trouble is, you aren’t the parent. You have no authority to tell anyone in the scenario how to act. You can only say something about what you would if you were the parent. It would be difficult to have anything you say not sound like unsolicited advice. I’ve found that even the most enlightened non…[Read more]

What confuses me is what any of that has to do with any of this:

I’m trying to make the case that confronting people with math and science ignores how people relate to their world. We evolved things like hyper agency detection long before we evolved the ability to create abstract models of the universe. The cooperation mechanisms that grew out of…[Read more]

something feels off about it

Your instinct is correct on this. There are people who study religion and psychology and make useful conclusions about how we evolved and how ancient writers had some insight but didn’t have the data to back it up like we do. Then there’s guys like the one in the HuffPo who just connect some random facts like how we…[Read more]

Varela contended that anatta has also been corroborated by cognitive science, which has discovered that our perception of our minds as discrete, unified entities is an illusion foisted upon us by our clever brains. — Xian

Your links are not science. Pointing out that we are made of water doesn’t prove Buddhism. The Valera thing was interesting, b…[Read more]

Or, if you want a more evolutionary biology approach, here are two of them talking. At around 43 minutes, Trump is brought up. Not sure how much of the context you’ll need. Basically, Weinstein is saying there is a genetic basis for genocide. We find it naturally abhorrent, but when the right environmental conditions arise and a leader pushes us…[Read more]

The term is used by those disciplines, but I don’t know of different definitions of it. It’s the power of the individual to make a decision, using whatever faculties they have, to act according to those faculties, regardless of any outside influence. They can override their hormones, their fears, their doubts, their bad parenting, the lies their…[Read more]

I’m starting hear some rumblings from powerful Republican senators. They are at least stating that taking money from a foreign government for personal political gain is wrong.

What worries me about the wait for the voters approach is, if he loses, he will have 3 months in office with nothing to lose.

I’ve done all this stuff. I find it most enriching when it’s done with people who respect the symbols but don’t revere them. You can know that what you’re doing has a rich and deep tradition and also know that it is nothing more than burning leaves or a loaf of bread. The magic doesn’t come from the flame or the crumbs, it comes from the sharing…[Read more]

I went over to the paranormal forum bought some spray and sprayed it all over the place. Hopefully this will keep away those interminable threads.

I can’t say any part of them is “wrong”, but they never end. It was interesting to me once upon a time but then someone asked “what’s the mechanism?” If there is free will, what is willing freely? I…[Read more]

Here’s a bit more in depth dive into the psychology I’m talking about. Addressing the facts doesn’t work because it’s seen as an attack on the structure. The facts are fine as they are, but what structures can we build that promote a cleaner environment and a a sustainable future?

Plus in regards to Buddhism behind different than other religions is still the science. – Xian

This is a science inquiry forum, so if you are going to say there is science, you should show the science. Plus, it would be good for you to match up what you are thinking is true with what you can verify as actually true.

Also – did you mean to put…[Read more]

You must be joking. We are doing that right now.

I figured you’d say that. We just did the opposite in Syria. We at least pretend to have reasons for sending troops and we don’t take over. At worst we influence elections.

Needed a free hour. The boss is away today, although there is that mindless robot logging everything do. Anyway.

I heard something different from Penrose, following his first listing of the 3 things. He says the mysteries are in the connections. He doesn’t question the math being there and answers “yes” to Justin’s question about it being…[Read more]

The left is explicitly anti-white middle class. They want to redirect wealth from the upper class to the black and brown underclass.

There are so many memes and videos about this, I’m not going to even bother to engage that one guy. He’s bought the story that I’m threatened by someone who wants the cookie crumbs I have when there’s a guy with a w…[Read more]