The Atheist path; a path of liberation or of necessity?

[AirPo]

Fearless of death? Well. I wasn't always so. But 40 years gives you time to come to terms with reality.

Yes, thanks, I'm lucky. The spouse and I have a cruise planned in a few weeks. It won't keep death away, but time will be better spent than at work.

Ever been on a cruise?

 

[jayem]

Some things are indeed getting better, but overall things are getting worse. It's only a matter of time when the failing character and deliberate ignorance of mankind will reap it's full reward.

OK Debbie Downer, Louis would disagree.

Don’t you know? No one can contradict the great Satchmo.

 

[Ken-1122]

I laud the good but focus on improvement.

Judging from your words, it appears you focus on the bad.

 

[Ken-1122]

True, but I measure progress by where we should be, not where we are. One would think that a mature society wouldn't indulge in the crap that we do.

But where YOU think we should be is upside down and backwards according to where someone else think we should be.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Ever been on a cruise?

Yeah, I think this will be #5.

 

[AirPo]

Yeah, I think this will be #5.

have a blast.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

But where YOU think we should be is upside down and backwards according to where someone else think we should be.

That's the problem.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Judging from your words, it appears you focus on the bad.

I'm not alone. Watch the evening news.

 

[bhsmte]

I'm not alone. Watch the evening news.

The news does that for the "wow" effect.

If you gauge total reality on the news, you are missing a few things.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

.

 

[bhsmte]

The media actually ignores the most serious problems as not being newsworthy.

LOL

 

[OldWiseGuy]

LOL

I struck that comment (so I won't have to explain it).

 

[Ken-1122]

That's the problem.

That's reality.

I'm not alone. Watch the evening news

When I was a kid, an old Christian woman told me
"One shot gun blast will make more noise than a thousand silent prayers. And unfortunately we live in a society where only noise makes the news!"
It was true then, and it is still true today

 

[DogmaHunter]

Nature expresses no morals

Humans do.

Nature is not a moral agent.
Humans are.

 

[DogmaHunter]

You can't have it both ways.

Off course you can.
The universe and humans, aren't the same thing.

I knew another 'naturalist', who had utter disdain for humanity but was an ardent supporter of organizations that cared for animals.

So? What does that have to do with us?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Humans do.

Nature is not a moral agent.
Humans are.

How do we know that?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Off course you can.
The universe and humans, aren't the same thing.

So the liberal "child of the universe" is no more?

So? What does that have to do with us?

I considered her a model of the species.

 

[essentialsaltes]

How do we know that?

Moral agents are things that can behave in different ways with respect to moral questions. In the presence of an unattended $100 bill, some people will steal it and others won't.

In the presence of an unattended $100 bill, fire will burn it. Nature is not a moral agent.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

That's reality.


When I was a kid, an old Christian woman told me
"One shot gun blast will make more noise than a thousand silent prayers. And unfortunately we live in a society where only noise makes the news!"
It was true then, and it is still true today

So our problems are vastly overstated? Maybe that's why little attention is paid to them by most.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Moral agents are things that can behave in different ways with respect to moral questions. In the presence of an unattended $100 bill, some people will steal it and others won't.

In the presence of an unattended $100 bill, fire will burn it. Nature is not a moral agent.

Research done in the 1960's revealed that most unattended money will be stolen, even when the rightful owner is known.