Do stars make you sick?
Offline No, not Hollywood stars, silly; the stars in the sky. People used to think celestial bodies could make you sick. Now we know better. The word 'influenza' is derived from the medieval Latin influentia, meaning influence, because doctors once believed epidemics were caused by unfavorable planetary and stellar influences. But we know now that's ridiculous. (From http://wow-really.blogspot.com/2006/10/bad-sign.html)
Four hundred years ago a way of knowing the facts about the world around us was developed. We still use it today; it's based on empirical validation of ideas. In other words, we just can't believe everything that comes into our heads, we need proof because some things we dream up are just plain loony (as in lunatic...a word derived from a supposed influence of luna, the moon).
After the scientific revolution astronomy became a successful source of understanding about the universe. Astrology began to appeal only to people who didn't take the time to think for themselves. Even today, many people just don't think critically about the wacky claims of astrological con artists.
Actually, it doesn't take much thinking to realize that astrology can't have any basis in reality. For example, what's so significant about the moment you're born--the basis of an astrological sign? Why not the moment of conception 9 months earlier, say? And for that matter, what do celestial conditions years ago have to do with our life today anyway? And why 12 signs, there should be 13.
Sure, if the Big Bang had slightly different characteristics we might not even be here today. But Jupiter (more massive than all the other planets combined) has less effect on you than a dump truck several miles away.
Point to ponder: why are people so willing to believe goofy stuff? Why do we persist in believing ancient beliefs that science has shown are just myths?
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Same reason as for the existence of religion (partially): It gives them the well needed purpose in their lives, and people are willing to believe in goofy stuff to find purpose.
I think it was in the hindu religion, the concept of Dharma. It translates to life, task, or religion. Dharma is a person's belief that they feel is somehow important in fulfilling themselves. Someone might believe their Dharma is to help the poor, make art to entertain people, spread the word of Jesus Christ or learn more about the aliens that visit earth (not that I believe such thing).
Trust and believe in no god, but trust and believe in yourself.
Yes, I agree. This article explains my own theory on it all. The article is long but it's worth the read. It was emailed by my Intro to Philosophy teacher to our class, as we are discussing this very topic.
The Moral Instinct - NY Times
We persist in believing because we are genetically predisposed to keep believing in (at least formerly) beneficial lies. Being unconsciously tricked actually helps us, from an evolutionary perspective.
It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand.
No fate but what we make for ourselves.
Hinduism describes dharma as the natural universal laws whose observance enables humans to be content and happy, and that which will save them from degradation and suffering. As a philosophical view there's probably some truth to it—it's probably universally true that stealing from your neighbor won't contribute to your happiness (or theirs). But the broader question is, why are people willing to believe things that are demonstrably not true, or for that matter why will they disregard things that are demonstrably true. Apparently half the people in the US believe in angels, and yet there's not one shred of evidence that they exist. And more than half the people in the US don't believe in the Law of Evolution, which is as well established as the Law of Gravity and Law of Relativity. I wonder if the fact that 40% of the people in the US read one book or less last year has anything to do with it?Some time ago I visited a Flat Earth Society website. It has forums full of deluded idiots who seriously believe the earth is flat. A delusion is a strongly held belief despite evidence to the contrary, and there is lots of evidence to debunk their little "belief". Also, they have no evidence at all to counter the round earth.
But one thread in the forums caught my eye. The topic was "I see only one earth, and it's flat!". In the topic, the writer called all non-believers idiots for not believing the earth is "obviously" flat, because it looks like it.
The point is, that people want to have certainty in the great uncertainties in their lives. They want to believe in something and think they have knowledge of things that others don't know about. It makes life very meaningful to live in that delusion.
The link to the forums is here:
http://theflatearthsociety.org/forum//
WARNING! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!
Trust and believe in no god, but trust and believe in yourself.
From the NYT article, possibly the best quote I've seen in popular print about morality:
"People don’t generally engage in moral reasoning, Haidt argues, but moral rationalization: they begin with the conclusion, coughed up by an unconscious emotion, and then work backward to a plausible justification."
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
I thought the Flat Earth Society was a parody.
Are you sure they weren't just joking?
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
Sadly, no. There are a few nutjobs that seem to really believe it. I never have seen a good explantion from anyone that thinks it is flat for why boats, as the get farther away, seem to get shorter and shorter. Or for that matter, how the sun and moon manage to get from one side of the sky to the ohter without going around.
Can you back up that statement? I'm not being aggressive, it's just that if you could, I would be relieved.
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
Or why there are seasons, or why there are night-day cycles, or why ships actually do not fall off the edge, or why one can take an aircraft from any direction to any destination from any point without stopping provided one has enough fuel, or why we have geosynchronous satellites and hence everything dependant on them, including things that they use, such as TV, and why the Foucault effect works, or the fact that Relativity, one of the most established principles in the whole of physics, does not permit celestial bodies to form as planar objects, they must be spherical (otherwise they would very quickly fall apart), etc ad infinitum, as well as the successful test predictions of disciplines which require a priori all celestial bodies (stars and planets) to be spherical, such as astrophysics, cosmology, etc. etc. This is something regarding which we can truly say "there really is no debate". Seriously. It's ridiculous.
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
Not hard to see the parody. The idea is so silly it seems like it has to be a joke—except that some folks apparently really do believe it.
Actually I can't, DG. I just assumed they were joking.
They can't be serious.
Can they?
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
It appears there might be a few flat earth societies roaming around and I'm sure, sadly, that not all are parodies. This one has to be, as this is the small type at the bottom:
The Flat Earth Society is not in any way responsible for the failure of the French to repel the Germans at the Maginot Line during WWII. Nor is the Flat Earth Society responsible for the recent yeti sightings outside the Vatican, or for the unfortunate enslavement of the Nabisco Inc. factory employees by a rogue hamster insurrectionist group. Furthermore, we are not responsible for the loss of one or more of the following, which may possibly occur as the result of exposing one's self to the dogmatic and dangerously subversive statements made within: life, limb, vision, Francois Mitterand, hearing, taste, smell, touch, thumb, Aunt Mildred, citizenship, spleen, bedrock, cloves, I Love Lucy reruns, toaster, pine derby racer, toy duck, antelope, horseradish, prosthetic ankle, double-cheeseburger, tin foil, limestone, watermelon-scented air freshner, sanity, paprika, German to Pig Latin dictionary, dish towel, pet Chihuahua, pogo stick, Golf Digest subscription, floor tile, upper torso or halibut.
If god takes life he's an indian giver
http://www.revisionism.nl/Moon/The-Mad-Revisionist.htm
here's an idea, fix the TV, ASAP . Seriously friends we must focus on that TV , don't ya think ?
Damn shit fuck crap stupid idiot fucking thing, oh but how healing it could be ...... that TV
Atheism Books.
Unfortunately the FES is very real. I ran into them on campus just a few years ago. I had very bizzare conversations with them in inumerable coffee shops.
Lyrics: Flat Earth Society
by Bad Religion
lie, lie, lie . . .the full moon is rising over dark water
and the fools below are picking up sticks
and the man in the gallows lies permanently
waiting for the doctors to come back and tend to him,
the flat earth society is meeting here today,
singing happy little lies
and the bright ship humana is sent far away
with grave determination . . .
and no destination, lie, lie, lie
yeah, nothing feels better than a spray of clean water
and the whistling wind on a calm summer night,
but you'd better believe that down in their quarters
the men are holding in for their dear lives,
the flat earth society is somewhere far away,
with their candlesticks and compasses
and the bright ship humana is well on its way
with grave determination . . .
and no destination, lie, lie, lie, ad infinitum.
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. - Richard Dawkins
Atheist Books, purchases on Amazon support the Rational Response Squad server.
Aren't we rather far afield from the original topic?
a
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
They are not parodies. There really are people who believe the earth is flat. But I have some words of comfort: Most people on the falt earth society forum don't believe in flat earth. The forums are mainly for critisizing the theory there.
Let me give you guys some quotes from the forums' FAQ -section:
"Q: "Why do the all the world Governments say the Earth is round?"
A: A Conspiracy among world Governments claiming to have space programs has disseminated the lie to the other governments of the world, as well as to the media and the general public.
Q: "What about NASA? Don't they have photos to prove that the Earth is round?"
A: NASA is part of the conspiracy too. The photos are faked."
Check out the rest here:
http://theflatearthsociety.org/forum/index.php?topic=13876.0Trust and believe in no god, but trust and believe in yourself.
The first time I heard of FES was when IG did a show on the topic. It was last winter - I'm sure you could look it up... It's amazing that they really can come up with "evidence" to support this. They would probably be bestselling authors of fiction novels if they could get past their own delusions.
Bad Religion is great.
I simply cannot believe that people think the earth is flat. I searched it on the web and everything I read seemed to be a parody. Really? I had a hard enough time believing that people actually truly honestly believed in god. But a flat earth?! Yikes.
If god takes life he's an indian giver