Atheists... Your life is pointless

<lag>

Welcome to reality spades.



I was not being a bully toward him and I hope the best for him and everyone else.

Ditto...and that was the point of my post to spendius...

Not that I was trying to kick him when he is down, but so that it can be seen that I, and others express how we feel because we do care...and we are not saying what we say to be hateful, act nasty, or start fights...etc...but because one can fully understand what others are saying when their eyes are fully open to being able to see everything said for what it is truly worth...

I can not speak for everyone but if I was was able to I would say that we all love you for who you are Spades.

Thank you very much Logic...and I can not speak for everyone else either, but I am sure that they love you and everyone else for who they are as well...Even if it seems that others are being sociopathic, or bullies...and even if it seems that they do not know this...

That is also reality...

It's pretty hilarious to see Spade criticize me, or anyone else, for being unwilling to "back down," or admit to being wrong.

Pot, meet kettle.

It's a rare event in internet debates when anyone does so, innit?

I agree. Part of the problem is that many people post without providing substantiation for their claims, and if challenged, they either attempt to divert the discussion, or they say something to the effect of it being their opinion, "just my two cents." If you reduce every thing to "just my opinion," you can avoid the necessity of admitting that you're at error.

However, not all opinions are created equal. I am not unwilling to admit that i'm wrong, and for whatever people may say, i have frequently done so in the past. But in a clash of opinions, which is about 95% of internet exchanges, there's really no way to say who is right and who is wrong. So yes, few people online ever admit to being wrong; few people online are willing to "back down."

True that. In my experience, it's common for people to fail to distinguish between fact and opinion. Except for as how it applies to others. When possible, I try to provide relevant supporting material. My opinion on its own isn't even very important to me. Empirical evidence, whether its conclusive or not, on the other hand, is.

Yes, and this is the source of a good deal of strife online. If you attack what someone writes, they take it personally, and often state outright that you've attacked them. If i say that the expression of your opinion is idiotic, i'm not calling you an idiot. If you post something which you can't substantiate, i'm justified in dismissing it, and you would not be justified in taking offense. A good deal of this is a result of the difference between online communication and face to face communication. I could be joking around, and if you were sitting across the table from me, you could tell it. But online, you wouldn't necessarily know that. Furthermore, in real life, if you make a claim and i challenge it, it rarely gets to the point of demanding proofs and name-calling on either side. Social situations in real life are usually set up to ameliorate strife. No such safeguards exist online.

What is the empirical evidence for the application of Christian discipline applied to the disparate collections of human beings in Europe over the last 1,000 years compared to the application of other forms of discipline during the same period?

Yeah, exactly. I've learned (or tried to) to write very specifically to indicate when I'm talking about and idea and when I'm talking about the person presenting it. It doesn't always work, of course. People still tend to take it personally, but what can you do? People have varying reading comprehension skills, not to mention interpersonal communication skills.

17.4 on every other Wednesday.

Part of the problem there is that people identify so closely with their beliefs and opinions. This is especially true when it comes to religion, ideology or professional identity. I was talking to someone here once, and said that in the new electronic age, the customer is always wrong. Another member, who was not a part of the conversation at all, but who is in some form of IT or code writing, jumped in and wanted to know why i was attacking him.

Sorry FB--I thought you were interested in empirical evidence. Profound apologies.

I'm nonplussed at how unskilled some people are at reading comprehension, much less critical reasoning. But I guess online you meet people at pretty much every stage of intellectual and emotional development. Dodging landmines takes a lot of (bad) experience.

Show me some, then.

Thank you for sharing what you do not want, Matt.

I "don't want" humanity constantly at war with itself.



Telling others how to react to constant insults and patronizing remarks on the part of Setanta...is patronizing in itself, Matt. Unless you have been designated to serve in some kind of Operating Officer capacity here in A2K, giving instructions of this sort seems inappropriate.




I appreciate you taking the time to diagnose Setanta. Your observations are interesting...and your conclusions, although I suggest they are incorrect, are also.

I've dealt with Setanta for well over a decade now. He has proved to be one of the nastiest individuals in this forum; one of the quickest to take offense; and absolutely savage in his replies. Look over his posts and you will see anger, hatred, name-calling, and generally offensive conduct run rampant. And when he is not demeaning or savaging others….he is explaining why it was necessary and appropriate for him to do that sort of thing earlier.

He may indeed “be a completely different person outside of A2K”…but that would mean he takes advantage of anonymity and the safety of the Internet to do his insulting…and merely make him a coward as well as a rude, offensive individual.

No one here is “creating a villain” by refusing to take Setanta’s savagery. He is doing it to himself. So please…stop with the lectures.

"Now...developing..."??????????????????

You are entitled to your opinion, which is not gospel truth.

I have a different one: I appreciate the way he doesn't allow people to tread on him.