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Originally posted by Astyanax
What you imagine to be yourself -- i.e. that part of you which is brought to consciousness -- is a vanishingly tiny part of what you are.
And it has very little to do with your actions, as this essay by an information theorist explains in very clear and simple terms, following Dennett and others.
The Cartesian Theatre simply does not exist. At the neural level, free will is an illusion.
Originally posted by Astyanax
As for your adventures in evolutionary biology...
Research on the taming of foxes (that was started in the USSR) show that selective breeding with the most human friendly foxes could almost change them to be even physically more dog-like within the space of a relatively small number of generations?
I read about this. What on earth does it have to do with sociobiology, or indeed anything else we were talking about?
Originally posted by Astyanax
There is plenty of evidence from ethology, evolutionary biology and game theory to show that cheats don't prosper all, or even most of the time. This syllabus handout from the Psychology Department of the University of Leicester in England will direct you to the most relevant sources, many of which you will find mentioned in Sections 4.4 and 4.5.
You may also find this article helpful.
Originally posted by Astyanax
Well, this is 'Atheist Chat', remember? Shibboleths like 'God is no respecter of persons' and 'we are all equal in His sight' won't fly here. If we're going to find an absolute valuation according to which all men and women are judged as equal, we'll have to look for it on Earth, not in Heaven.
Where on Earth shall we find it?
Originally posted by MajorMalfunction
so do we. Infanticide. Child abductions. Serial killers. Even humans get pack mentality.
Originally posted by MajorMalfunction
Religion is NOT the source of morality. It just says it is, so that people will believe in it.
Originally posted by TheB1ueSoldier
Originally posted by MajorMalfunction
so do we. Infanticide. Child abductions. Serial killers. Even humans get pack mentality.
Yes animals and humans have shown acts of immorality. But humans have also done acts of morality, showing that they know what morals are. Now show me a single non-human animal that has done a moral act.
* Dogs often adopt orphaned cats, squirrels, ducks and even tigers.[1]
* Dolphins support sick or injured animals, swimming under them for hours at a time and pushing them to the surface so they can breathe.
* Wolves and wild dogs bring meat back to members of the pack not present at the kill.
* Male baboons threaten predators and cover the rear as the troop retreats.
* Gibbons and chimpanzees with food will, in response to a gesture, share their food with others of the group.
* Bonobos have been observed aiding other injured or handicapped bonobos.[2]
* According to the research of Gerald Wilkinson, vampire bats have a "buddy system" in which a bat who has had a successful night of feeding will regurgitate blood for its less fortunate companion.[3]
* In numerous bird species, a breeding pair receives help in raising its young from other "helper" birds, who protect the nest from predators and help to feed the fledglings.
* Most mammal carnivores like wolves or dogs have a habit of not harming pack members below certain age, of opposite sex or in surrendering position (in case of some animals, the behavior exists within entire species rather than one pack).
* Vervet Monkeys give alarm calls to warn fellow monkeys of the presence of predators, even though in doing so they attract attention to themselves, increasing their personal chance of being attacked.
* Walruses have been seen adopting orphans who lost their parents to predators.
en.wikipedia.org...
Originally posted by Kingalbrect79
Hell is earth.
Heaven is what you make it.
As far as my philosophical side goes, I tend to lean more towards the Buhdist teachings.
I think that re-incarnation is possible
Originally posted by Astyanax
Have you suffered for your beliefs?
I'm curious. Have any of you ever suffered pain or distress on account of your atheism?
Originally posted by Kingalbrect79
(I do like pickles by the way)
Originally posted by MajorMalfunction
Originally posted by Kingalbrect79
(I do like pickles by the way)
HERETIC! Pickles are clearly the work of the devil. Brine can only be evil. EEEEEEEvil!
Originally posted by Kingalbrect79
I might be an atheist, but that doesn't make me an absolute close minded individual though. For me, there is no open and shut case. I just CHOOSE not to believe until I am given good data to prove otherwise.
What dark side of Buddhism do you speak of?
My entire life has been drawn towards a specific period in time. I visited a place and a feeling hit me of "home". This place was so moving to me that it actually hurt me to leave at the end of the day...
What then is a good Atheist food, not brocholli MM?