Atheists... Your life is pointless

@spendius,

It seems like you have laid out a pretty intricate economy based around the sole currency of sex.
Is their a corollary economy that could be laid out based around the sole currency of power?

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@spendius,

Quote:

That's the sort of thing I mean by "consequences".

An agreement regarding consequences is going to hinge upon agreeing where to assign value.
In the system you elaborated on, the sole value is sex (particularly male gratification in this regard). I suppose with the exchange being in security? for the females.
Is there a more egalitarian way to reach universal agreement in assigning value?
Perhaps negative value placed upon suffering.
Perhaps positive value placed upon will.

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@spendius,

Quote:

We men would be all burned out, jaded and cynical by 22.

Too late for my salvation is this regard. Laughing

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@Zardoz,

Thank you for your response.

I stand by what I said earlier.

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@MattDavis,

Quote:

Re: Frank Apisa (Post 5256785)
I like "principled agnosticism".
The principle being that all knowledge is tentative.

Use that if you feel comfortable with it. I'm not sure how I will handle the matter...and will make up my mind when it comes up again.

Most people here know where I stand on this by now.

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@Zardoz,

It sounds like the only voices you're interested in listening to are those that tell you what you want to hear. Everyone else has a hidden agenda, and only you, and people like you, know what's really going on.

Any of that sound familiar?

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@MattDavis,

Quote:

An agreement regarding consequences is going to hinge upon agreeing where to assign value.

On this being better that what went before the Christian era despite the difficulties of getting from then to now.

I didn't elaborate any system. It has happened many times.

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@spendius,

Quote:

On this being better that what went before the Christian era despite the difficulties of getting from then to now.

Do you think that the concept of piety originated with Christianity?
How far back do you think it can be traced?

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@MattDavis,

No. But I was referring to a specific form of piety in the Christian world which is difficult to trace the origins of but for convenience might be said to be the end of the Dark Ages and only then applicable to the elites from whence it trickled down. The cult of the Virgin Mary.

The Pagan expression of it was in the form of respecting the gods of others. There are pious constitutionalists. There are pious atheists but none of them contribute to this thread except maybe myself on rare occasions.

Don Quixote was pious to a fault. Nobody is sure to this day whether Cervantes was taking the piss out of it or lauding it.

I think it is impossible to have a proper sense of humour without the presence of it. A piety of physical toughness in men can often be seen.

It's a sort of ceremonial devotion to a principle which runs counter to natural propensities.

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@spendius,

The way you speak of piety once divorced from sexual piety reminds me of virtue ethics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_ethics

Quote:

I think it is impossible to have a proper sense of humour without the presence of it.

I always thought of the root of humor to lie within finding results contrary to expectation, but realizing the unpredicted consequence to be benign. Leading to a mixing of the emotions of fear with trust. Suspense built and then diffused.

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@spendius,

Quote:

No. But I was referring to a specific form of piety in the Christian world which is difficult to trace the origins of but for convenience might be said to be the end of the Dark Ages and only then applicable to the elites from whence it trickled down. The cult of the Virgin Mary.

Frankly, it would be a lot easier making a case that suggests Christianity was THE cause...or at least, an important cause...of the Dark Ages.

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@spendius,

spendius wrote:

Quote:
What distinctions should be made regarding athiest and theist positions prior to discussing them?

Wouldn't the only distinctions be ones of the personality, education and class of the various believers and the consequences of them?

There is also the question of whether the beliefs are genuine or put on for various reasons.

The whole point is as important as.. to which hand the pope uses to wipe his arse

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@MattDavis,

Quote:

Thanks Frank,
Do you think it would be helpful to have a name for such a position that you describe.
I don't know just to throw some out there....
principled agnosticism
generalized agnosticism
?

Is there a name for someone who believes anything could be possible, like Gods, unicorns, elves, fairies and so forth?

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@reasoning logic,

Yes. Quite a number actually.

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@tenderfoot,

I take it on good authority (of my Muslim friends) that the left is preferable.

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@reasoning logic,

Quote:

Is there a name for someone who believes anything could be possible, like Gods, unicorns, elves, fairies and so forth?

With the emphasis on could, then I think this describes the same position. But this is pretty much the view of Sherlock Holmes as well. As in the when you have eliminated all other possibilities, whatever remains, no matter how unlikely, must be the truth. I don't think such a position is obliged to assign likelihood to such seemingly unlikely truths.

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@MattDavis,

Quote:

I don't think such a position is obliged to assign likelihood to such seemingly unlikely truths.

Wait til Frank tells you what he thinks may be possible. Smile

I like Frank he is a nice guy until he starts bullying people like Setanta. Pun intended. Laughing

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@reasoning logic,

Recently learned of the term "fallibilism" for something that I think fits pretty close.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallibilism

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@MattDavis,

MattDavis wrote:

I take it on good authority (of my Muslim friends) that the left is preferable.

I take it on good authority ( of my left handed friends ) they only use their left hand... right?"

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@MattDavis,

That word seems reasonable but does not deal with matters such as how Frank thinks it could be possible for there to be invisible elves because we can not disprove them.

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Atheists... Your life is pointless

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