That the fork is to the left of the knife is relative to where you sit to table. Do you conclude that the fork does not exist? Of course not. — Banno

I conclude that left and right do not exist objectively.

Any physics experts here? — TiredThinker

Maybe the physicists are studying an elaborate optical illusion they are mistaking for actual reality.

Everything is in the mind, Miller, so the point holds — Tom Storm

The mind likes to live with fear and wonder. It gives it more stimulation. Mental masturbation.

Everything is in the mind..... except reality (which is everything)

precious if it is finite — Tom Storm

It is only finite in the mind. I have no proof I am not eternal. The idea I am finite is an idea in the mind. Which then causes fear and wonder.

relative span of time — TiredThinker

Length, time, distance, speed, motion, etc... are all relative. Which means they don't actually exist. So the length of your life is an illusion. You only have the eternal here now.

The mind needs relativity to know. It compares things and calls it knowledge. Value and insignificance are just descriptions that can be applied to anything.

Problem of evil is a bad argument for atheism, it has been defeated and therefore using it just makes atheism look wrong. So if you want to win debates don't use it. Find better ones.

Why does evil exist? Well there is two kinds of evil: Evil done by humans happens because of free-will and there is justice in the afterlife. Evil done by nature happens because this is creation not heaven. Any physical creation is going to contain good and bad. Changing it will just create a new set of goods and bads.

And don't assume god does not feel every bit of pain we feel along with us. Life without pain does not work. Nobody would do anything.

Whats the difference between surface and base? — john27

You don't have to use those terms. By base I mean the foundation. We are all equally human. On the surface there is differences.

There is no morality. There is only true behavior or false behavior. Truth is mind that is accurate to the evidence. Accurate mind create accurate behavior.

There is no self, no free-will, no morality, there is only cause and effect. Truth and falsity.

My world view is simple and clear and contains no questions. Others spend their lives lost in illusions.

Wisdom is just truth in the subconscious intuition.

Humans are fifty percent equal and fifty percent different. The base is equal and the surface is different. Therefore our base behavior should represent equality but our surface behavior should represent difference. If it is to be behavior based on truth.

We have laws to regulate the behavior that pertains to the base. Since this is the fundamental and more important part. Law is basically just offloading your own self defense to the government. This makes people weak and dependent.

Humans do what they feel and then rationalize it later. Skepticism is no different. People are skeptical of what they don't feel like studying or believing.

Truth is a bothersome chore to most. To me its the elixir of the gods.

Easterners generally don't see the "ego" as as problematic as Westerners do. — baker

The evil ego is gonna getcha!

Buddhism is about achieving ego death through right ontology.

Offloading your own security to an authority sets up perfect conditions for tyranny.

Man is not modified by technology, he is harmed by it. Real evolution takes thousands of years. Technology is just the minds attempt to get more control over the brain. The mind is doing things the hard way. Instead of taking responsibility over itself it is using its ignorance to try and manipulate its own ignorance to reduce it's suffering, like a drug addiction.

Can human things be described by having a cause that is neither nature nor nurture? — TiredThinker

Yes, a magical invisible soul with the magical power of free-will to magically create new chains of causation from nothing. If those creations are good you should be part of the elite 1% who are not taxed, if they are bad you should be punished in prison for an eternity. If you are white with blonde hair that is the goodness of your soul shining through. Otherwise you are probably evil.

(sarcasm)

(things republicans believe without realizing it)

I got the flu and wanted to die.

:rofl: — Xtrix

Modern people are sick with neurosis. Caused by the very things they adore.

There's no instances of consciousness absent body — Manuel

Look up and you cant see your body. Now you have evidence of consciousness absent body.

The Conscious Mind consists of billions and billions of fatty, transistors or semiconductors for amplifying, controlling, and generating electrical signals. — Ken Edwards

Did he use his consciousness to see and know that? If so then it seems "fatty transistors" are produced by consciousness and not the other way around.

So tell me, how does consciousness create "fatty transistors" ?

The work from homers will become lazy and start to shrivel up. They will have to pay essential workers to come in and wipe their asses for them.

A socialist utopia is an unnatural fantasy. Unnatural things are unhealthy because we are natural beings. They require enormous amounts of unnatural energy to maintain. If humans vanished the plants would take over every city within 200 years. If a man goes to space his body atrophies and he can't even walk anymore. Create a utopia and everyone would get sick.

People don't need welfare they need real friends. Who will help them out and kick their ass. People on welfare feel no guilt for taking free money from a faceless government.

Time, space, distance, speed, direction, size, are all relative, and the play of the one eternal infinite substance.

In thinking on causality, I have concluded that the nature of existence necessitates a "first cause". — Philosophim

Causation is eternal. It never began.

But we need senses to get data for our brains — Manuel

I could be a disembodied omnipresent eternal solipsistic dreaming consciousness.

While on the other hand we have “Free-Will”, which puts YOU in the driver’s seat — Lindsay

YOU ??? and what is that?

Before you ask questions about whether "YOU" have control or not, or whether "YOU" are going to an afterlife or not, first find out if you even exist, if you are even here now.

Otherwise we might as well talk about whether the invisible pink unicorn can fly or not.

Maybe you want to talk about whether THE MIND has free-will or not. Depends how you define free-will:
1- Making choices? Well then obviously the mind has free-will.
2- Making choices out of thin air with no preceding cause like magic? Well then logically the mind does not have free-will, unless you want to believe in magic.

So to get your belief decide between logic or magic.

Not a very convincing response. — T Clark

"Play stupid games and win stupid prizes"

The response was adequate to match your own

you're just trying to jam additional meanings into the definitions of words. — T Clark

My explanations transcend words and intellect. You will only understand them when you are ready. Forest for the trees.

Science often makes discoveries that are counter-intuitive. — Wheatley

The intellect is no less flawed than the intuition. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. But even better when they work together.

Any hints at how to modify my formulation as to solve for this circular logic? — OscarTheGrouch

She was too poor to do anything. So she sees money as the first cause, and capitalism as the bringer of money.

Freedom is predicated on the idea that there is more good in people than bad. So a society based on freedom will be successful. Freedom doesn't need perfection to win, it only needs 51% goodness.

I don't believe we have a purpose — T Clark

Your purpose is to be, and being includes doing. The doing comes from the being, and fulfills your beings purpose. When I move, look, and know, I'm fulfilling my supreme purpose. Fight yourself and you fight god. Know yourself and you know god.

For if I am completely in myself, I don't see how I could recognize other things at all. I would just be a passive creature, taking in whatever sense data the world happens to throw at me. — Manuel

Don't assume you are recognizing anything other than yourself. How do you know you have senses? Did you sense them? A brain in a vat could be made to think it is a being with senses walking around in a physical world. Simply by creating shapes that appeared to be objects and triggering a feeling response when those objects come into contact with its virtual body. It would then use those shapes and feelings to "prove" a real physical world existed. But even if the world is a simulation something somewhere has to be real to create the simulation. Therefore the world is real, it's just not what we think it is. It is not what it originally appears, and is thought, to be.

I'd rather have the truth — Echoes

You would rather have your perfect fantasy, which is not achievable.

What we call nothing having nothing to do with the idea of nothing. — tim wood

I didn't say nothing, I said nothingness. They are different.

And where is this "everywhere" located? — Echoes

It's omnipresent. It's an infinite infinities inside another infinity.

where is it located? — Echoes

Everywhere.

And "infinite" meaning what, exactly? — tim wood

Keeps going forever. Which makes alot more sense than its alternative: nothingness.

It's not about having the perfect answer, it's about having the best answer.

And "infinite" meaning what, exactly? — tim wood

Nothingness is a problem, and therefore reality MUST be infinite and eternal. In order to avoid the problem of nothingness.

The reason nothingness is a problem is because already have somethingness. So what's beyond it? nothingness? makes no sense. Where did it come from? nothingness? makes no sense.

Therefore: this somethingness that we currently have MUST be infinite and eternal.

Assuming our universe is finite, what lies beyond it's edge? — Echoes

this proves that reality MUST NECESSARILY be infinite