It's not the energy being clean or not of course this is important insofar the atmosphere is concerned, but more important is what is done with this energy. Or even more important, the scale of use.

Pecunia has become an emblematic symbol. It's not a real physical stuff anymore, nor something existing in the mind. It has become a modern-day god. Knowledge about Her and the morals She desires can be known by reading the economic bible. Banks are the new churches and Money is prayed to daily. The gospel truth is sung about on the airwaves. Her voice and tune are omnipresent. She is omnipotent. Onnibenevolent even. It's commands are taught in schools and universities. She demands inflation, possession, and relentless accumulation. Those who not comply are ignorant pagans, and the laymen should be kept lay in order for the Super Capital to grow, her highest command.

I assume you replied to me? Yeah, poor Christopher. That Dawkins book is a laugh! He litterally claims he was enlightened by the truth that people and animals are slaves of genes and memes. Now what a meme!

A function f(x)=y is stationary though. Only if you move on it you see it changing from point to point.

Why a thumb down?

Right action is what solves the problem at hand honorably, quickest, and with the fewest negative consequences. — T Clark

Others might not be interested in honor, like to take it easy, and don't mind negative consequences or even welcome them.

Just to put things in perspective. :smile:

Sorry! I was referring to the multitude of scientific instruments used in experiments. In experiments reality is litterally molded to fit the theory. Scientific reality is litterally created.

Hopefully NATO and Russia avoid a nuclear war. It would be nice to see this before we vanish... — Manuel

I was just talking about this with my wife! She's really scared. Let's hope the best and keep looking out for supernovae to find out about dark energy, instead of thermonuclear annihilation we never asked for.

To be pragmatic in a scientific setting has it's virtues. What can be molded is the real stuff. So, depending on the instruments used different realities can come into existence.

Fucking Europeans and their continental bullshit!
— Tom Storm

Agreed. — T Clark

I flagged you!

Ha! Good one, my find!

Sure. A derivative can describe a rate of change with regard to a non-time variable: dy/dx — jgill

But it takes time to go from x to x+dx and from y to y+dy. How would you describe the path of Earth around the Sun without the use of time? A line integral over the orbit?

I've flagged you post. We'll let the moderators decide if the Final Solution was an "effective decision — T Clark

There was the decision made to continue the death camps. It was a decision based not on rational thinking but on booze, ego, hatred. It was even a pragmatic decision. How to get rid of jews as fast as possible. How difficult can it be: a decision that had effect. Like the decision to beat the nazis. Based on a feeling of compassion.

For the nazis it was. The machine of destruction was pretty well worked out. Hatred my fiend...

That's not true. Strong emotions are sometimes impossible to avoid, but I don't think they lead to effective decision making. — T Clark

It was hatred that was the motor behind one of the most effective decision making in history: "Der Endlösung" at the Wannsee Konferenz.

:up:

I agree 100% and stand on your side! I have read some stuff of him. About "Dasein"... And he discovered: "The human body is essentially something other than an animal organism"... Damned! How long did he take to find that out? When he saw a naked woman for the first time at age 30?

As for Heidegger, I thought his concept of das man derived from the fact he'd constantly yell "You da man!" whenever he saw Hitler or some higher-ranking Nazi. But I could be wrong. — Ciceronianus

That's a good one! "Jude Man!" How come he is considered by some one of the greatest philosophers? Sure, the works and politics should not be convoluted. Considering Heidegger I can't separate them though. Heidrich, Heinz, Heil, Heidegger... They all belong to the same nazi bunch, as far as I'm concerned, no matter their degree of "philosophical intelligence".

It's much easier to "oversimplify", and portray genes as little demons with their own selfish agenda, mind-controlling their human vessels with gene-propagating urges. — Gnomon

Oh, come on! Little demons controlling our bodily vessels? Maybe all our genes are mini mother Teresa's!, altruistically providing our poor suffering body with proteins so badly needed.

It's called 'compassion'; a well-known human emotion - maybe it's a sort of altruism, which evolutionary theory will tell you is a vital building block of advanced societies. — Tim3003

Does "evolutionary theory" tell us a moral tale? Evolution just took place. Is compassion a "building block" of an "advanced" society? Seems to me that the advantage of one people is the disadvantage for others so how you determine which is the right moral? By reference to evolution theory, like the holy bible teaches the morals as intended by the creator?

You're conflating change and the perception of change — ZzzoneiroCosm

Can you explain the difference in a mathematically justified picture? Can change be mathematically described without reference to time?

If we consider change as the difference, can't we make the change independent of the hands on a clock? How can things move through time, if there is nothing to move through except from space?

With great interest I follow this hot rational discourse. The problem seems to be the question if change can exist without time. Can change exist without time? Why not? If the difference between particles varies then it can do so without comparing it with a clock. The distances don't vary in time. Only when the variation in distances is compared with the linear motion of the hands on a clock, it seems the physical states flows in the river of time.

There are instants of time embedded in infinitesimal intervals. — jgill

That's an enlightening approach! Can time, an instant, have a real existence? Do we move through time as we move through space? Do we "pass" all values on a clock, like we pass points in space while moving? Or is the hand of the clock just passing different positions on the dial?

A part of your money you already give away when you get it: tax. When one has a lot of money, it's easier to be charitable, but oddly enough it are the poor who seem to be more charitable. Seem, cause you won't know till they have it.

Some people like possessions, other peoples don't. Some give it away easily, others keep their wallet tightly closed, with both hands wrapped around it, always looking around and alert towards powers trying to take their possessions. No one is obligated to give money or good away. You could force them by law though.

And everyone who wished people were easier to understand ate it up. — Possibility

You're damned right here! Genes just take care of protein information. They can just as well be called altruistic. It's indeed this desire to reduce people. As if we are gene vessels complying to our genes. Maybe Dawkins is slave to his memes. But the memes he presents are completely lacking in originality and too all-comprising. Don't take him too seriously (I believe you don'tcalready).