Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Pope OoO (Out of Order) on October 27, 2010 at 9:41pm

One of the largest problems i have with science is that there are so many opposing theories

Right, but I think the worst problems with science are caused by ignorance and abuse of it, not so much the necessary, daily trial and error part of it.

Meanwhile, science is still increasingly accurate in its descriptions of reality, and increasingly powerful as a tool. And as is becomes increasingly powerful and pervasive, the quacks like Deepak Chopra and L Ron Hubbard capitalize on people's ignorance and wishful thinking.

I'll bet Deepak's sincerely attempting to help the world and thinks he's improving science rather than perverting it. Hubbard (and even Bin Laden) used our own science/tech against us more like sabotage.

As tools of science pervade, so do its risks of abuse. It seems the best strategy is to educate/enlighten people who need it the most, before we accidentally or purposely wipe ourselves out. This includes (like you say) getting non-scientists to open their eyes as well.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Jon Axl on October 28, 2010 at 1:39pm

"Meanwhile, science is still increasingly accurate in its descriptions of reality"

Only in certain fields, and even in those fields you have a great number of opposing sides. Reality is strange because in the world of physics realty can be completely different from one realm to the next. I'm not talking about alternate dimensions but more in the realm of the body and the mind.

I agree completely about people who use science against us. I have read Dianetics and found it to be rather interesting but overly opinionated and loosely based on any research done at the time on the brain. Hubbard was in it for the money while Deepak may have wished to help people.

Science certainly has it's limitations and it's biggest come from the scientist themselves. But we can not rule out the validating side of science when dealing with technology and medicine. We can see for ourselves how these studies affect us and work. When science tries to explain why we think a certain way then i become skeptical, as no two people on earth think the same way. Those sides of science should be left up to sound individual studies of yourself. Science should explain what makes up our body, how it works and what could make your body not work like it should.

I dont see where Bin Laden comes into play. Could you give me more feedback on that. This may sound awful but i believe our own government supplies him with information and weapons, based on history with his family and our involvement in the middle east for decades, it doesn't look good on our part. Like when we put Saddam in power back in the 70's, we may be using people like Bin laden to change the structure of power, which we kinda have.

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Permalink Reply by Pope OoO (Out of Order) on October 28, 2010 at 5:47pm

I dont see where Bin Laden comes into play. Could you give me more feedback on that. ...[snip]... we may be using people like Bin laden to change the structure of power, which we kinda have.

I'm just emphasizing how science & tech can be used against us, e.g. in 9-11, or other potential terrorist projects. The fact that it ties into our dependence on oil--including ramifications of global warming--and middle east politics adds even more layers of complexity. I.e., these are major issues that are harder to solve when the world's people (and especially those of us in power) are unable to grasp the complexities en masse, or pursue efficient solutions in a timely manner.

To stay on topic, I'm talking about enhancing science/tech literacy, partly by opposing whichever anti-science movements are doing more harm than good, and while still being able to treat it all in a larger picture of complex socio-economic-political issues. The complexities of modern times, all inter-related! The solutions have to be pro-science/tech overall, but with self-reflection to cut out the bad "science" (or whatever it should be called).

Permalink Reply by Velogiraptor on October 28, 2010 at 7:26pm

" Reality is strange because in the world of physics realty can be completely different from one realm to the next. I'm not talking about alternate dimensions but more in the realm of the body and the mind."
What did you mean by this? Were you talking about perception of reality through sensory input of different species?

I think that Deepak is in it for the money too. You could get injured standing between him and a camera or celebrity. He's a modern snake oil salesman, exploiting terminology and distorting its meaning in order to dupe people into buying what he's selling. God.

Permalink Reply by Michael Jon Axl on October 29, 2010 at 9:12am

"What did you mean by this? Were you talking about perception of reality through sensory input of different species?"

Not necessarily through different species.

Permalink Reply by Velogiraptor on October 29, 2010 at 11:17am

Okay, because I was going to say that perception of reality doesn't actually make physics change between mind and body. The physics works the same way, although it's different parts of physics at work between neurons and muscle tissue. (Although closely related because it's all involving electrical impulses.)

Permalink Reply by Skycomet the Fallen Angel on October 25, 2010 at 6:58pm

Play patient... wait until they do something "legally sketchy" and then pounce and file lawsuit.

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Permalink Reply by kelltrill on October 26, 2010 at 6:40pm

That website really grates me. The wording in the Evolution section is really annoying, arrogant, and misinformed. Evolution is the "belief" that blah blah? What the hell?

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Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on October 27, 2010 at 7:24am

They call it freedom of speech, but it should be illegal!

If it was. We would have been theists all along.
You're declaration comes out of anger. We have to let people tell what they are thinking. It is the person that hears it that has to validate it.

I am getting so fed up with all the blatant lying in our society
You should realize that there is also unintentional lying ( that we observe in those who furiously defend their ideas and spread it onwards thinking they are doing 'good' ). There is also intentional lying that occurs when you think about your own gain. Lying is a weapon that shoots information.

2 forms of lying from my point of view : delusional and interest-oriented.

Solution to delusional lying is education ( hard to penetrate ignorance though ). Solution to interest-oriented is security and law enforcing ( hard to achieve though )

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Permalink Reply by T A A on October 27, 2010 at 3:27pm

Lying serves a purpose, to confer an advantage, and if you let people lie in public about important topics, THEIR way is advantaged, and they win. In our society, the honest will always lose.

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Permalink Reply by Keith Johnston on October 28, 2010 at 6:10pm

Well a good place to post lists like these is http://www.wikipedia.org/
There are already some cool lists of criminal evangelists and so on.

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Permalink Reply by Mallory on November 6, 2010 at 11:07pm

It's kind of funny that you can't exactly write a comment on the articles. You can only "share" this stuff. I wonder if that's because they know they're full of it?

But as far as calling attention to this kind of thing... Personally, all I know I can do is shed light on this with my friends, and ask them to really think about what these people are saying. I'd like to think most of my friends would at least read something like this website and wonder, "Hmm... that doesn't seem quite right."

If enough people question, surely things would change. Maybe one day writings like this will be far and few in between (I'm not sure we'd ever get completely rid of it), and the majority would just realize it's nothing to be taken seriously.

I highly doubt it'll happen anytime soon. Maybe in my hypothetical children's time, but not mine. :(

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