Joined: May 02, 2008 Posts: 2096 Location: Uhhh...Not Remulak
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 4:45 pm Post subject:
Grebels wrote:
Can you say what your background was Rocky? And what is reality?
I stated my background in my previous post in this thread. I do enjoy thinking about various theories about the nature of reality. It is a mystery. I seek knowledge about it with an open mind, but I now refuse to believe speculations about it without sufficient evidence.
Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Age: 33 Posts: 2930 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:06 am Post subject:
Lots of people to reply to.
Grebels wrote:
Quote:
The New Age stuff actually has its roots in the mid 19th century with the advent of spiritualism etc.
I know about the knock knock who's there times of early spiritualism, but how about the Oracle at Delphi and things in much more ancient times.
Oracles, such as the Oracle at Delphi were really part of the Ancient Greek religion. Religions have always involved a belief in the supernatural but what I was referring to was the beginnings of what we now call the New Age Movement.
thedaywalker wrote:
i don't think anyone that can't even explain the effects of a simple mushroom should be as arrogant as he is
You think Richard Dawkins is arrogant? Contrary to being arrogant, skeptics are usually the first people to admit they don't know when confronted with something they can't explain.
Robdemanc wrote:
I think anti depressants are over prescribed and aggessively sold to health professionals by drug companies. And I think the way they work has a strong correlation with the drug MDMA (Ecstasy), it is curious that all modern antidepressants came about after the 1950's when MDMA was first synthesised.
Also there is no proof that depression is caused by a lack of chemicals in the brain, and furthermore the anti depressants do not even increase the chemicals in the brain, they just make them longer acting. I think it is an industry that is chasing big profits rather than helping people.
I would agree that anti-depressents over-prescribed. One must actually be careful when prescribing anti-depressants, for example Prozac has been known to cause people to commit suicide. It may seem paradoxical that a drug designed to reduce the symptoms of depression can actually cause people to commit suicide but it does make sense if considers that people with clinical depression might of been having thoughts of suicide for a long time but just lacked the motivation for going through with it. Drugs like Prozac can initially improve symptoms like lack of motivation before the overall mood improves and that's what causes the problem.
Joker wrote:
Richard Dawkins said that Religion is a scientific theory that actually is the less hateful thing he has said about people of faith.
I think this series is more about superstition and alternative medicine than about religion or people of faith.
techstepgenr8tion wrote:
When Dawkins indicates that people should be skeptical that's wonderful - he has to just be aware that it doesn't end with him either.
He does say to look at the evidence. I'm not sure how anyone who's seen the evidence for evolution would not conclude that evolution is the right explanation for the diversity and complexity of life.
I think anti depressants are over prescribed and aggessively sold to health professionals by drug companies. And I think the way they work has a strong correlation with the drug MDMA (Ecstasy), it is curious that all modern antidepressants came about after the 1950's when MDMA was first synthesised.
Also there is no proof that depression is caused by a lack of chemicals in the brain, and furthermore the anti depressants do not even increase the chemicals in the brain, they just make them longer acting. I think it is an industry that is chasing big profits rather than helping people.
I would agree that anti-depressents over-prescribed. One must actually be careful when prescribing anti-depressants, for example Prozac has been known to cause people to commit suicide. It may seem paradoxical that a drug designed to reduce the symptoms of depression can actually cause people to commit suicide but it does make sense if considers that people with clinical depression might of been having thoughts of suicide for a long time but just lacked the motivation for going through with it. Drugs like Prozac can initially improve symptoms like lack of motivation before the overall mood improves and that's what causes the problem.
Yes. Antidepressents seem to stimulate motivation, so if the mood is low then taking them may motivate the person to act out their suicidal thoughts. I think its clear the medical profession are dabbling in a grey area.
Joined: May 02, 2008 Posts: 2096 Location: Uhhh...Not Remulak
Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 5:56 am Post subject:
thedaywalker wrote:
richard dawkins
As I see it, Professor Dawkins is less arrogant about his view of reality than theists. He is open to new evidence which might disprove his view. In his book, "The God Delusion," he writes that he is an agnostic atheist. He does not believe in any gods, but as a scientist, he is open to being proven wrong. Theists are not, since they believe as they do through faith, which can not be disproved through evidence.
Skip ahead to about 5'45" for the relevant part at 5 minutes 50 seconds. The rest of this talk can be found on YouTube. It lasts about 30 minutes. It is well worth finding. I must get some sleep, so I will leave that to you.
There is a person and there is anther person. One person has one perception, the other person has another. One person can not get inside the other and change their internal processing system. What is so good about reason, may I ask? Why is it so important?
i do not enter this thread as a advocate of any religion just as a advocate of the idea of god that i have never grasped as it was written but was brought to me trough the natural substances residing in the living things of this planet.
Joined: May 02, 2008 Posts: 2096 Location: Uhhh...Not Remulak
Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 3:08 am Post subject:
heavenlyabyss wrote:
There is a person and there is anther person. One person has one perception, the other person has another. One person can not get inside the other and change their internal processing system. What is so good about reason, may I ask? Why is it so important?
Reason is the most effective way of interacting with reality to achieve your goals. It is the only way to avoid making bad decisions based on wishful thinking. If you pray and something happens that you wanted, you might then conclude that reality is affected by prayer. You might then pray instead of working to achieve the objective on the next occasion that you want to accomplish something. Cause and effect can be dismissed and rationalization can then take over, to some extent.
Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Age: 33 Posts: 2930 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 9:45 am Post subject:
heavenlyabyss wrote:
There is a person and there is anther person. One person has one perception, the other person has another. One person can not get inside the other and change their internal processing system. What is so good about reason, may I ask? Why is it so important?
Reason is what built modern civilization. All of modern technology is due to science. There is no way to justify knowledge without reason and evidence, so I think that anything we claim as truth must have an empirical basis.
Last edited by Jono on Wed May 02, 2012 6:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: Jul 11, 2008 Age: 33 Posts: 2930 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 9:47 am Post subject:
thedaywalker wrote:
well i don't think the world is about achieving goals but about having fun and it's easyer to have fun when you irrational.
Things can look designed without being designed. There are many examples in nature where designs are flawed or imperfect, which would be explained much better if it were evolved rather than designed.
