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ORIGINAL: GotSteel

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ORIGINAL: JstAnotherSub
I guess my problem is I do not see anything wrong with blind faith sometimes.  It is not a bad thing if it helps someone be a better person and live their life in a way that shows kindness and respect to others.  In fact, I would prefer to be that kind of person than a critical thinker. 

The problem with blind faith is that whether someone ends up a saint or a jihadist just depends on what they happen to have been indoctrinated with, in both cases the person involved believes they are doing what's good and right.

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Most people were born to a stupid whore that didn't use contraception and their life has been a downward slide since.

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ORIGINAL: belladevine

I would agree with that too. Most people realize that they are not really wanted in this world.

Most people were born to a stupid whore that didn't use contraception and their life has been a downward slide since.

I think most people actually have a deep seeded death wish for themselves.

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ORIGINAL: FirmhandKY
What is "blind faith"?
Firm

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ORIGINAL: Musicmystery


I'm glad IB brought up this quote; it nicely complements the Gould article about science I linked to earlier. It also brings up back to Poe's "poets and mathematicians" as both needed components of true critical thinking--approaches from just the "poet" side or just the "mathematician" side will fall short.

Likewise, this is why the religion/science divide in the Renaissance and, unfortunately, still today, is a false dichotomy. Created really as a compromise between Descartes and the Vatican, the model has been taken for truth since.

As the OP notes, arguing from a narrow religious standpoint, e.g., no dinosaurs in the Bible, is limited to the point of irrational. LOTS of things that exist are not in the Bible either. And, this is only a subset of religious people--as Firm's point about religious scientists makes clear.

But the "science" response often falls short of either science or critical thinking as well, merely buying into the either/or debate with arguments rooted to a narrow view of science. They, too, are repeating dogma, not thinking critically--as evidenced by the reliance on conclusions divorced from methodology, something that would make any "true" scientist cringe.

As Gould notes above, thinking is broader than these narrow views from two artificial poles. Poe is right; we need the mathematicians, but we also need the poets--not for mere entertainment or reflection, but for true critical thinking.

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ORIGINAL: belladevine

I would agree with that too. Most people realize that they are not really wanted in this world.


My take on the doctors remark was that he felt that the mind is the center of wellness and that it is the mind that has the ability to cure physical ailments. That his job as a doctor was to take care of the mechanical things like broken ribs and deviated septums and to comfort the patient while their mind was busy with more important task.
I cannot lend much credibility to your claim that most people do not feel wanted...I have traveled somewhat and I have not found that to be the case amongst those whom I have met.



Most people were born to a stupid whore that didn't use contraception and their life has been a downward slide since.

I think many would take exception to this characterazation.
I am sure that there are many smart whores who chose to become pregnant and used thier profession to find an appropriate sperm donner and managed to get paid in the process.

I think most people actually have a deep seeded death wish for themselves.

If that were so then I have a deep and abiding need to view the list of those people for the purpose of finding out just how deeply submerged the death wish is for bush&co. I would seek to find some way to add a bit of floatation.

People are trying to kill themselves constantly, they do subtle and not so subtle self destructive behaviors ALL THE TIME.

Do you suppose that this may be the result of critical thinking...
They have given their life some critical thought and decided that they were not wanted and made the logical decission to leave?
or
They are not self aware enough to actually indulge in critical thinking and while looking for lent in the barrel of their .45 pulled the trigger to see if they had remembered to unload it.

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ORIGINAL: brainiacsub

I don't think you are correct on this. The Resonance Project is pure science. Religion is not mentioned or included in this effort. Also, religion and philosophy are not the same things.

Science is a means or method - a system - of study for acquiring knowledge about the natural world.

Epistemology is a branch of philosophy focusing on the nature of knowledge - what do we know and how do we know it (among other things). It's theories make up the scientific method.

Religion is about faith.



The only thing "religious" about the Resonance Project is their stated goals are rather nebulous. The are harmless, if not noble in their pursuits.

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ORIGINAL: brainiacsub

I know this guys work. Religion isn't part of it is all I'm saying. Unified theory is about physics, which is the major body of his work. He also wants to include the hard science disciplines like biology, chemisty, etc as well as the soft sciences of ancient archeology and sociology to model humanity in a single unified theory of the universe. At worst he's a religious apologist (he's been accused of that in some circles) at best he's an idealist. He'll never get a NAS grant but he's harmless. I have no problem with what he's doing.

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ORIGINAL: brainiacsub

You don't have to get defensive. It wasn't meant as an insult. I was only pointing out that his work is not what you initially presented it to be. I'm not trying to pick a fight.