I'd dose up on my antihistamines* if I didn't think this was just a hit and run.


*For my straw allergy

SafeAsMilk wrote:
If you don't believe in the validity of the human endeavor, you're welcome to not participate. Often (and always the point where I object) this choice is not given in Christianity and Islam. But I need to ask, why are you (trying to) using reason and logic to tell me that reason and logic is a bullshit basis for an ideology?

The nice thing is that everyone is born with and has various development of, a range of genetic promoters of social humane behavior. My experience is that happy people are quieter, less violent, and more inclined to consider those around them. But having participated in these forums I also have no doubt that some would enjoy a good evening of torturing puppies with sharp sticks.

"it takes all kinds" is probably the most powerful thing that can be said about genetics and our human condition. Without those evil outliers I don't think kindness could develop. Of course the opposite is true also. The perfect world would be perfectly horrifying.

SpeedOfSound wrote:

SafeAsMilk wrote:
If you don't believe in the validity of the human endeavor, you're welcome to not participate. Often (and always the point where I object) this choice is not given in Christianity and Islam. But I need to ask, why are you (trying to) using reason and logic to tell me that reason and logic is a bullshit basis for an ideology?

The nice thing is that everyone is born with and has various development of, a range of genetic promoters of social humane behavior. My experience is that happy people are quieter, less violent, and more inclined to consider those around them. But having participated in these forums I also have no doubt that some would enjoy a good evening of torturing puppies with sharp sticks.

"it takes all kinds" is probably the most powerful thing that can be said about genetics and our human condition. Without those evil outliers I don't think kindness could develop. Of course the opposite is true also. The perfect world would be perfectly horrifying.

Curious idea, that kindness couldn't develop without cruelty. I wonder if there'd still be masochists if there wasn't anyone around to serve their needs. I don't know if this is the case, but for sure if we were all pure vessels of This or That it would be a boring world. I think you're definitely right that nature wants to test its borders, and that we are good vehicles for it. Even someone who has chosen to strictly dedicate themselves to the human endeavor can't think in those terms all the time, and I certainly wasn't trying to suggest that was the case. At some point, the ideology breaks down...but that doesn't mean the ideology is never useful. The trick is to not let the hammer use you to beat nails into the wall, I guess.

I think you can actually make sense of do-gooding or altruism. It seems to have cured the symptoms of my alcoholism and I sometimes like to try and figure out why.

Overall I feel better when I am not pissed off about everything and everyone. I get into less sticky situations if I consider others and actually do the opposite of the greedy thing they suspect I will do next. A non-egocentric attitude in my thinking makes it possible for me to actually enjoy the happiness of a whole lot of other people while not losing the little personal pleasures I wanted all along. A stupid idea I have is to accept everything; to frame it in the positive no matter. Suddenly I can't think of a damned thing wrong with anything and this results in me having plenty of time to do what it is that I actually want to do.

I have set out to rid myself of selfishness. Not 'just-because' but BECAUSE I was dying anyway. I had nothing to lose. The result is oddly that I am more powerfully selfish than ever before. But only when it matters. I set out to be a peaceful pushover and the result is that I have powerful boundaries that people are now very reluctant to cross. I can be an angry purposeful person. But only when it matters.

Weird shit. WTF? Our intentions are cross wired with the results. I wonder. The hemispheres of our brain are cross-wired with out bodies, a decussation, I wonder if selfishness suffered the same strange evolutionary quirk?

exciting discussion about secular humanism commencing in 5...4...3...2...1...never.

(Uncle Orph'sTM popcorn - "Peace on Earth" )

Are rats secular or religious?
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/ ... empathy/2/

think wrote:exciting discussion about secular humanism commencing in 5...4...3...2...1...never.

I don't know what you were expecting, but based on the troll-ish nature of the OP, I would say it has received a far better discussion than it deserved.

MrDoom wrote:Tell me, secular humanists, what separates your ideology from Christianity, or any other dogmatic teleological belief system, for that matter?

Secular humanists claim to be non-dogmatic, and yet upon proclaiming (rightfully) the death of God, they replace one set of absolutes and fixed ideas (God, faith, holiness) which are to be pursued as a cause with another set of equally baseless values (logic, reason, truth, humanity). From my perspective secular humanism seems to be the same as Christianity, Islam, Universalism, etc. and a mere competitor with the same general characteristics (competing for mindshare in the human populace while promoting bullshit moral imperatives and values).

So why is "humanity" (or even reason or truth) in the abstract a worthy enough cause that I should pursue it in favor against my own, private, egoistic cause?

if you really don't value logic and reason then the answer is because of cheese.

Secular humanism might be as naive as feline-ism.