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RE: Some questions for you
January 23, 2017 at 6:55 pm
Morality is subjective and varies significantly across societies. Good and evil are merely viewpoints.
Biological urge to reproduce, and then provide a supportive home to bring up any offspring.
As for the Hollywood cliche, I think Theseus and the Labyrinth is among the oldest forms.
You yourself are a judge in the scenario you describe.
Quote:I don't understand why you'd come to a discussion forum, and then proceed to reap from visibility any voice that disagrees with you. If you're going to do that, why not just sit in front of a mirror and pat yourself on the back continuously?
- Esquilax
Evolution - Adapt or be eaten.
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RE: Some questions for you
January 23, 2017 at 8:31 pm
(January 22, 2017 at 8:55 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Quote:What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?
Or....suppose 'god' tells you to because he caught them working on the sabbath?
Quote:Observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Whoever profanes it must be put to death. If anyone does work on it, that person must be cut off from his people.
Ex 31:14
Seems fair, huh? That's one reason slip-on shoes were invented. It's a sin to tie shoelaces into a knot on the sabbath because that's considered work.
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RE: Some questions for you
January 23, 2017 at 11:50 pm
(This post was last modified: January 23, 2017 at 11:57 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(January 22, 2017 at 7:55 pm)Joz Wrote: 1. What is morality? Do good and evil exist? Yes.
Quote:2. Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love? By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness?
It's an experience. Life defining, for most of us. That particular story is deeply ingrained because we deeply ingrain it. Stories don't tell themselves.
Quote:3. Why does justice matter to each of us? If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences. But why should there be consequences for our actions? That would imply judgement and an judge. What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?
That happens all the time (ish, survival of the fittest likely doesn't mean what you think it does). Stealing a loaf of bread is still theft, as is stealing a car to sell for rent. There's no need for implication, there are judges and judgements.
How about yourself, what do you think about your questions?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Some questions for you
January 24, 2017 at 12:00 am
Hiya, Joz!
Nay_Sayer: “Nothing is impossible if you dream big enough, or in this case, nothing is impossible if you use a barrel of KY Jelly and a miniature horse.”
Wiser words were never spoken.
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RE: Some questions for you
January 24, 2017 at 12:10 am
(January 23, 2017 at 8:31 pm)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: (January 22, 2017 at 8:55 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Or....suppose 'god' tells you to because he caught them working on the sabbath?
Seems fair, huh? That's one reason slip-on shoes were invented. It's a sin to tie shoelaces into a knot on the sabbath because that's considered work.
True story. Years ago when I was a union official I was attending a meeting with the Local's President and two of the senior managers of the IRS in Brooklyn. One of them was late so we were just sitting around shooting the shit with the other guy. Now, the president was Jewish but not observant at all. He thought all of it was as stupid as I did. The Chief of the Examination Division was Italian but he lived in a building in a very orthodox jewish section of Brooklyn called Williamsburg. So he was telling us how on high holy days he performed a service for all of his neighbors in the building: He would open their refrigerators and loosen the light bulbs so that the light would not come on if they opened the door because, as you say, THAT would be considered "work."
My union president laughed this off as another example of how stupid the hasidics were but I couldn't let it go. Even then I was a ball buster. So I asked "What happens if when they open the door the temperature in the frig goes up and the compressor comes on? Isn't that the same thing? Does the floor suddenly open and they fall into a fiery pit?"
The president sat there trying to stifle laughter but the Chief said in all seriousness " the issue never came up. I'll have to ask." With that the president lost it and we all cracked up.
Chalk it up to Good Laughs at the Expense of Religious Assholes.
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RE: Some questions for you
January 29, 2017 at 12:36 am
1.  Yes, they exist.
2.  Most people love having sex.
3.  Whoever thought of law was crazy, weren't they ?
"I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it." - Clint Eastwood
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RE: Some questions for you
January 29, 2017 at 1:56 pm
(January 22, 2017 at 7:55 pm)Joz Wrote: Hi guys, I am a Christian and I like to compare worldviews with atheists/other religions etc. If you're up for it I have some questions for you, I promise these are not so I can preach or assert irrational beliefs, I've read the forum rules for theists 
Also I am not trying to catch anyone out, I am a thinker and I just genuinely want to know what you think about these things too.
Ooh! Questions for ME? Wow!
Quote:1. What is morality?
A given collective's or individual's assessment/determination of what is "right" and "wrong".
Quote:Do good and evil exist?
Sure. As concepts, YES, they exist.
Quote:2. Presuming that we are highly evolved biological machines whose main motivation is to survive and adapt, why, in societies in general, is there such a collective fixation with love? By this I mean the romantic love expressed in movies, pop music etc. In many movies there seems to be one story, that is, there is a hero, things go bad, the hero finds love, the hero fights for love, the bad is defeated, the hero wins the love. Why is this story so deeply ingrained in our collective subconsciousness?
Because evolution and biology aren't the ONLY factors that motivate/dictate human behavior.
Quote:3. Why does justice matter to each of us? If someone harms us or someone we love, we want them to pay the consequences. But why should there be consequences for our actions? That would imply judgement and an judge. What if the person that harmed us was merely executing their right to survival of the fittest?
See answers to Questions 1 and 2.
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