tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post6994199819518286050..comments2023-09-24T07:53:50.826-05:00Comments on The Atheist Experience™: Too Stupid to NOT ShareUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-42746510161611190512010-06-15T18:18:08.560-05:002010-06-15T18:18:08.560-05:00The funniest part about this, in my opinion is tha...The funniest part about this, in my opinion is that what he has implied is that GOD created humans in such a way that we are attracted to something that is harmful and repulsed by something which is harmless. It's incredible that those are the very grounds by which he dismisses evolution and yet he is simply BLIND to it. This is nothing short of mental illness.Blast Radiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09920406607545747185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-72437378432676408012010-06-07T13:07:43.872-05:002010-06-07T13:07:43.872-05:00Red Sox fan.<i>Red Sox fan.</i>George From NYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06158111795024631345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-44945089089290514332010-06-06T18:26:35.986-05:002010-06-06T18:26:35.986-05:00"How can a poisonous plant be pretty if there...<b>"How can a poisonous plant be pretty if there is no God?"<br /><br />Why in the world would God make, “the Autumn Crocus look so attractive to us, whilst the harmless slug is so revolting, yet so benign?”</b><br /><br />Several people have commented on this and I find it very important. Obviously, this is an argument for the vicious, sadistic nature of god. Why else would he wire us to find poisonous plants beautiful?<br /><br />Or maybe it's simpler to just conclude that this guy is a moron.<br /><br /><b><br />A man gets angry and yells or whatever and it's fine, a woman does it and it's "hysterics."</b><br /><br />Maybe we could invent a term for the male version. Testical, maybe?<br />Or penical?Lukashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844177654412625852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-69117454258675474042010-06-05T11:21:12.686-05:002010-06-05T11:21:12.686-05:00Geoff - to be honest I think we pretty much agree,...Geoff - to be honest I think we pretty much agree, but I don't necessarily believe that solipsism is so easily and frequently abused, and also, there are other philosophies I would throw out as garbage solely due to its possible abuses before that one.<br /><br />Perhaps I have just come across so many people who refuse to even consider changing their mind that I'd rather their philosophy was one which (at least if applied rationally) prevented them being dogmatic. Perhaps I have also just been lucky enough to have not run into that many people who are dogmatic about their solipsism.<br /><br />Only yesterday, I came across someone who came straight out and (proudly!) said that they would not change their mind no matter what argument was made or evidence was presented because they knew god existed - this, of course, being said when they were trying to persuade someone else to change their mind. <br /><br />Whether or not this attitude is caused by their philosophy, or merely because they can't admit it if they are wrong, I don't know, but it's simply impossible to argue against this kind of person. <br /><br />At least with solipsists you can ask them why they are so determined to argue with figments of their imagination!Afterthought_btwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17758975616219512727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-37472917021967677082010-06-04T18:05:36.266-05:002010-06-04T18:05:36.266-05:00"If I did have a garden, I know what I would ..."If I did have a garden, I know what I would use to kill them, presuming they'd be a nuisance: a bowl of beer."<br /><br />It works. What you can do is get a shallow can, like for tuna or cat food, place it on the garden soil and stepping on it, push it in level with the ground. Then fill it with beer. The next day it will be filled with slugs.<br /><br />I prefer to keep the garden well weeded and the plants pruned and staked up, so the slugs have less ground cover. This seems to work as well (I don't have a slug problem anyway).Mark Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12082856602483276803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-14688313296625951262010-06-04T11:50:00.252-05:002010-06-04T11:50:00.252-05:00@Tracieh-About slugs (and I know it's off topi...@Tracieh-About slugs (and I know it's off topic): I don't like them much, but don't hurt them as my wife is vegetarian (I am not even allowed to kill a fly in the house). If I did have a garden, I know what I would use to kill them, presuming they'd be a nuisance: a bowl of beer. I read somewhere that they are so attracted to it that they drown in willingly. At least they would die happy...Guillaumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12376749604845793465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-28010652803075753152010-06-04T10:58:28.039-05:002010-06-04T10:58:28.039-05:00Dearest Women,
Due to the fact that your ovulator...Dearest Women,<br /><br />Due to the fact that your ovulatory cycles have synchronised I wish to withdraw from this public dialog for a period of 5-7 days. At which point I hope to find your estrogen levels returned to normal & that rational conversation can resume.<br /><br />Wishing you well in your hormonal struggles.<br /><br />CaduceusCaduceushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10369389014613347864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-73189598395510726502010-06-04T08:52:46.263-05:002010-06-04T08:52:46.263-05:00Best AE post since the analysis of the claim "...Best AE post since the analysis of the claim "God Exists."ouinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15476746377310639286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-82622136922603429712010-06-04T06:53:03.303-05:002010-06-04T06:53:03.303-05:00D-Train:
Your post cracked me up, because I also ...D-Train:<br /><br />Your post cracked me up, because I also love slugs and find them attractive. I'm an avid gardener. Many gardeners kill slugs, because they can harm plants. But I LOVE them and do them no harm. They leave silver "money" trails all over my paving, and whether they have a shell or not, I think they're cute as heck! Go on, damage my plants, you cute little things!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-28478165959668730592010-06-03T19:43:07.083-05:002010-06-03T19:43:07.083-05:00@Afterthought_btw
”I think it depends on the kind...@Afterthought_btw<br /><br /><i>”I think it depends on the kind of solipsism used - I have no problem with the kind of solipsism which (essentially) says:”</i><br /><br /><i>”I cannot know anything for certain, but only varying degrees of probability because I cannot be certain of what my senses tell me.”</i><br /><br /><i>”Because this pretty much guarantees a willingness to admit that you're wrong”.</i><br /><br />I totally understand what your saying here, but by the same token, communism looks really good on paper.<br /><br />I remember watching the thunderf00t Vs Ray Comfort videos where TF talks about how a secular reason that lying is bad, is that only so much lying can be perpetrated before the language becomes effectively useless at communication any real information (which is its sole purpose). I see the same thing with ideologies like communism and solipsism. Sure they're nice on paper, but they're so easily and frequently abused as to render them completely useless at delivering any kind of practical results.<br /><br />Even if we lived in a world were we could demonstrably show that we all existed and shared a common reality, people would still be capable of making observational and logical mistakes and and also be capable of not being stubborn arse holes about it, assuming they are subject to the same laws of physics, chemistry and biology they are now. So, I don't see solipsism as being necessary for people to make mistakes or be willing to admit their wrong. In fact, I wouldn't even label this solipsism so much as just a practical matter of physical reality.<br /><br />Inversely, I've never heard a direct appeal to solipsism in any argument that didn't basically boil down too “that may be true for you, but it isn't true for me” or “science can't really prove anything, in 100 years people will look back and laugh at what science says is true today” or “well you can't prove god doesn't exist”. Honestly, have you?<br /><br />I'm not necessarily saying your theoretically wrong, I'm just saying that as a matter of practical application, solipsism causes way more problems than it solves. Kind of like how communism is supposed to make everyone equal, but in practice almost invariably leads to loading bodies into mass graves. There is no way I can empirically against with Descartes statement that “I think therefore I am”. I mean how could I? But as Matt D sometimes points out, even if solipsism was 100% demonstrably true, it would still be a useless philosophy because even if I am just a brain in a matrix like vat, this is still the reality I'm forced to interact with. Solipsism, even if correct, offers no practical insights into life or reality. Given the damage it does to layman understanding of science these days, I think we would be much better off simply throw the whole thing out as garbage.<br /><br />Sorry if some of this rambeling doesn't make complete sense, i'm typing this up between jobs at work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-55382802601144513132010-06-03T14:57:38.745-05:002010-06-03T14:57:38.745-05:00And the notion that an idea should be poisonous is...<b>And the notion that an idea should be poisonous is also ridiculous, it's only the society that implements such an idea that is dangerous, not the idea itself.</b><br /><br />Had he penned no other stupid thing, that bit right there would suffice to unmask his intellectual imposture.George From NYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06158111795024631345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-39797493584818301682010-06-03T12:07:12.949-05:002010-06-03T12:07:12.949-05:00I like the point G*3 made, above. There are huge t...I like the point G*3 made, above. There are huge theological issues with a god creating something imperfect. If God is infinite in capability (omnipotence), then the results of his creation will be precisely how he desires that they be. After all, he can't attempt to create an orange, and accidentally wind up with an apple, instead. So, if there is something flawed with relationship between humans and poisonous plants, God wanted it to be that way. He wanted us to be tempted into poisoning ourselves. This bears an explanation.<br /><br />The atheist worldview (if there is such a thing) does not necessitate a perfect universe. The theist worldview typically does. Why a theist would appeal to a lack of perfection within the universe as proof of God, is beyond me.<br /><br />Also, the quicker someone resorts to the debate-about-the-debate red herring, the weaker their argument. Is there even a goal here, besides distraction? "Atheists are jerks, therefore, God is real."I Am The Scumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04720991390792197291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-117274247664295172010-06-03T11:37:22.577-05:002010-06-03T11:37:22.577-05:00> Dawkins is a great example - I know I am not ...> Dawkins is a great example - I know I am not the only one who had been put off reading his books because of his reputed 'tone', and then wondered what on earth the fuss had been about when I finally read them.)<br /><br />I had this same experience.<br /><br />> The problem comes when people invoke solipsism in a way such that they suggest that something which is 0.000001% probable has as much weight as something which is 99.99999% probable.<br /><br />I actually demonstrated this in my “supernatural transcendent dice” model. I had one jar with some dice in it, and asked Matt how many he guessed were in the jar. He said “25” if I recall correctly, and I issued some stupid guess, like “100,050.” My point was that, while neither of us could claim to “know” how many dice were in the jar, clearly one claim was outrageous. Not knowing the answer is not some sort of equalizer that makes all guesses equally reasonable. The _jar_ cannot hold 100,050 dice. What we _do_ know about the parameters makes one “guess” clearly stupid, and the other obviously closer to reality. So, yes, just because I can’t “know” an answer does not mean any guess is equally reasonable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-25335412598721389962010-06-03T11:31:29.375-05:002010-06-03T11:31:29.375-05:00Ugh.
This guy is an ignorant ass-hat. Not only di...Ugh.<br /><br />This guy is an ignorant ass-hat. Not only did he feel the need to slander women, free speech, rationalism, and the proper use of the ampersand (hat tip to Benedikt), but he insults <i>slugs?!</i><br /><br />Who says slugs aren't beautiful? I think they're marvelous creatures. I'm actually looking to buy a bigger tank to house some of my gastropod friends. If they were capable of doing so I'm sure my pets (Carl, James, and Michael) would feel quite alienated by this persons hurtful comments.D-trainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532618040426391685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-69303487839726258362010-06-03T10:57:33.112-05:002010-06-03T10:57:33.112-05:00I suspect that he thought you were being mean and ...I suspect that he thought you were being mean and nasty Tracie because you used words like: idiot, stupid, racist, etc. <br /><br />Some people seem to be so eager to take offence that there eyes get attracted to these words and ignore the rest of the sentence. You could say something like: <br /><br />I hate idiotic, racist, misogynistic paedophiles.<br /><br />and these people would think you were being strident, shrill, and aggressive!<br /><br />Not to mention, of course, the people who think that if you disagree with them then you are being aggressive towards them (when it comes to atheism, Dawkins is a great example - I know I am not the only one who had been put off reading his books because of his reputed 'tone', and then wondered what on earth the fuss had been about when I finally read them.)<br /><br />To Geoff:<br /><br /><b>In all seriousness though, I see a much bigger problem than just the situation of people being 'ignorant of the facts', and this guy makes a few appeals to it himself.<br /><br />More and more, I'm hearing people making appeals to solipsism. And it really fucking worries me. </b><br /><br />I think it depends on the kind of solipsism used - I have no problem with the kind of solipsism which (essentially) says:<br /><br />I cannot know anything for certain, but only varying degrees of probability because I cannot be certain of what my senses tell me.<br /><br />Because this pretty much guarantees a willingness to admit that you're wrong. <br /><br />The problem comes when people invoke solipsism in a way such that they suggest that something which is 0.000001% probable has as much weight as something which is 99.99999% probable. <br /><br />I'm washing my hands with someone like this elsewhere on the net atm, after 12 hours plus of patient writing, so if someone has an idea of how to deal with people like this I'm all ears. ::sigh::Afterthought_btwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17758975616219512727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-35486384436882854122010-06-03T10:47:10.755-05:002010-06-03T10:47:10.755-05:00Wow... Talk about a guy who doesn't get it... ...Wow... Talk about a guy who doesn't get it... I'm surprised you didn't get a migraine after the whole conversation.ThatAtheistChickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13062439506515114055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-89890407889015000532010-06-03T10:47:10.756-05:002010-06-03T10:47:10.756-05:00@Tracie-I noticed the sexist insult at the end str...@Tracie-I noticed the sexist insult at the end straight away, it is actually one of the few things I remember of these messy, stupid divagations. <br /><br />And regardless of your gender, you are one of the least hysterical person I have ever "met". On the other hand, hysteria is frequent among fervent believers of both genders. Can we say pot kettle black here? He seems that he is making a lot of projection.Guillaumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12376749604845793465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-5672910583139127592010-06-03T08:57:13.946-05:002010-06-03T08:57:13.946-05:00Oh, and let me add that I have not lost faith in m...Oh, and let me add that I have not lost faith in mankind, becuase I knew that this person's ideas would be ridiculed. I felt confident in my capacity to assert my position is reasonable, and his is stupid.<br /><br />How could I have known that I wouldn't get a flood of replies saying "Tracie, you totally misunderstood this person. He's right"? I _trusted_ the rational judgment of the readers to say "this guy's an idiot." And you lived up to my expectations.<br /><br />Meanwhile, he's not unlike Patrick Greene, who wanted to go to court over the bumper sticker that said atheists were fools. He wanted to halt that sort of criticism, and when Matt aired his idea, we were FLOODED with viewer mail, from atheists AND theists, who said he was an absolute fool.<br /><br />I would think everyone has a vested interest in free speech. I would say most _average theists_ would go to the wall for a person's right to speak out, even if they disagree with what's being said. That sort of free public dialog should (and I believe _does_ in most cases) cross every boundary--sexual, racial, theological. People WANT the right to speak freely, and so they support the right of others to do so. It is the rare idiot who doesn't value that right--to express what's on his mind. But if you don't grant it to others, you're undercutting your own freedoms.<br /><br />It's like theists who want to have _their_ religion taught in schools. They don't see that it's a genie that, once out, threatens THEIR theology. What happens when that religion taught in the school moves toward Catholicism, and your a Baptist? or toward Baptist, and your a Methodist?<br /><br />Everyone has equal rights, or else all our rights are on shaky ground. And I am confident most people (at least in the US) get it.<br /><br />With regard to gay rights, if everyone would get off their ass and vote their conscience, I think we'd have gay marriage tomorrow. I think most people don't give a crap if gays get married. But if the majority fails to vote, the moral minority wins the ballot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-92199012875097845922010-06-03T08:47:38.666-05:002010-06-03T08:47:38.666-05:00Ignacio:
I have to take a hit on this one. I had ...Ignacio:<br /><br />I have to take a hit on this one. I had misspelled "hysterionics" in my actual e-mail. And I would have to say this guy just followed suit. (Again, I'm just THAT influencial, perhaps?) But, I wouldn't say the words are that dissimilar. I do see histrionics as someone going overboard about a thing--in some sense, being hysterical about nothing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-83094512199466370112010-06-03T08:18:21.080-05:002010-06-03T08:18:21.080-05:00@Ignacio
I love your last line there, I am kind of...@Ignacio<br />I love your last line there, I am kind of sad to say that it struck home for me. <br />'I lost my faith in god a long time ago, but now I am losing my faith in mankind'<br />I sure hope that I reach a different conclusion later in life, but I can't see humanity actually getting appreciably better in the future. Do others get that, or do you feel that there is evidence that people are getting intrinsically more enlightened? <br />Things like suffrage and civil rights are good, and gays will have equal rights by the time my 6 yr old is an adult (i feel pretty sure), but is there just too much wrong with people, in general? Are greed and self interest just too strong?<br />I know this is more of a damper than a wet moldy washcloth, but hey, its the good times that keep me going! :)Yazbechttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01003031589562209359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-74696889358980537982010-06-03T07:47:08.515-05:002010-06-03T07:47:08.515-05:00All that could be said about the ridiculous argume...All that could be said about the ridiculous arguments presented has already bee said.<br /><br />Also, all that could be said about this man's misogynistic views has been discussed... except for one thing. A minor detail, perhaps, but revealing.<br /><br />Have I missed some of the dialogue, or that moron could not even tell the difference between "histrionics" and "hysterics"?<br /><br />You told him to drop his ridiculous histrionics, and he replied talking about hysterics. I did not even realize there was any connection between your phrase and his until I read it twice.<br /><br />Reading his points, such ignorance seems to be well within the scope of his previous statements, for sure. However, I find it to be poetic justice that on trying to pretend to be educated, he only shows his ignorance even more.<br /><br />I am not even a native English speaker, while I assume he is. Do I have to know his own language better than him?<br /><br />I lost my faith on a God a long time ago, but now I am losing my faith on mankind.Ignaciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16793297795570194955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-66498403052648904622010-06-03T06:07:59.349-05:002010-06-03T06:07:59.349-05:00Kargoneth:
Thanks. I knew there was a "to&qu...Kargoneth:<br /><br />Thanks. I knew there was a "to" issue, but had trouble finding it on my reread. I've corrected. The "quite" I will leave, as it is what I actually wrote in my original e-mail. Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-50393653350135428552010-06-02T23:20:10.166-05:002010-06-02T23:20:10.166-05:00When I read "...I’m arguably the kindest coho...When I read "...I’m arguably the kindest cohost..." I thought "Tracie". Interesting...<br /><br />This is very similar to a recent conversation I had on youtube on the video "The Biggest Stars In The Universe". He wasn't actually interested in answers to his questions and he kept telling me to think, as though I was some kind of moron.<br /><br />I saw some typos (I don't know if posts can be edited after they are made or not, but here they are):<br />- "the option to keep *quite* if they "<br />- "became *to* funny to read"Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00754868350469328271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-71575152575052468562010-06-02T22:13:04.464-05:002010-06-02T22:13:04.464-05:00I got stuck on this bit of nonsense:
> So why ...I got stuck on this bit of nonsense:<br /><br />> So why then does the Autumn Crocus look so attractive to us, whilst the harmless slug is so revolting, yet so benign? I, or rather the religious part of my brain, likes to attribute this appreciation to the idea of a grand designer, what many might call God.<br /><br />But that doesn’t make any sense either. Even if our aesthetic sense made no sense, evolution at least has the excuse that it isn’t a being with intelligence or intent. Why in the world would God make, “the Autumn Crocus look so attractive to us, whilst the harmless slug is so revolting, yet so benign?”G*3https://www.blogger.com/profile/06104739087560005056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33241741.post-55623380188847123222010-06-02T22:07:50.922-05:002010-06-02T22:07:50.922-05:00Tracie, this is a perfect example of why i watch y...Tracie, this is a perfect example of why i watch you on the show... no matter how stupid the question, you go out of your way to answer it, and then go beyond to show the problem with the question. Your patience is commendable and if the author of the email had bothered to read the email instead of just knee-jerk reacting to being corrected, s/he could have learned something.Patient_Canuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09532489960107588195noreply@blogger.com