Why don't they kill themselves? They're telling us death is nothing to be afraid of and benefits us hugely....yet they seem reluctant to die. Actions speak louder than words. — Clearbury

Although I believe in life after death, I think NDEs are not good evidence for it. They seem better explained as dreams. — Clearbury

When I am unconscious I am not non-existent. I exist, but I am just not conscious. So 'consciousness' and 'a person' are not equivalent. My quibble, then, is that it is persons or minds (I use the terms interchangeably) who survive death, not 'consciousness' (consiousness is something persons have, but it is not what a person 'is').

The main difference is that they can be corroborated by others who were there. — Sam26

I'd expect that the situation would be more likely than ever to search for simple solutions to the complex problems. — Relativist

Hopefully I'm wrong. — ssu

Contemporary man has begun to lose his naiveté as ... the deep causes of the situation in which he finds himself are becoming clearer. He realizes that to attack these deep causes is the indispensable prerequisite for radical change. And so he has gradually abandoned a simple reformist attitude regarding the existing social order, for, by its very shallowness this reformism perpetuates the existing system.

*

It has become ever clearer that underdevelopment is the end result of a process. Therefore, it must be studied from a historical perspective, that is, in relationship to the development and expansion of the great capitalist countries. The underdevelopment of the poor countries, as an overall social fact, appears in its true light: as the historical by-product of the development of other countries. The dynamics of the capitalist economy lead to the establishment of a center and a periphery, simultaneously generating progress and growing wealth for the few and social imbalances, political tensions, and poverty for the many. — Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez, founder of liberation theology, d. 2024

Abortion and democracy may be what motivates people to get out and vote— but you don’t really know that, nor do I. — Mikie

Guess I’m not so crazy after all :rofl: — Mikie

Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy. So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America.

Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure. — John Kelly, retired 4-Star General USMC and former Trump WH Chief of Staff

A model of everything — Carlo Roosen

Then you wouldn't be an atheist about a necessary entity and you wouldn't commit the contradiction.
— Hallucinogen

You are misusing the term "atheist". An atheist is someone who believes that no deities exist [outside of the heads of true believers]. — Michael

It appears to me that you [@Baden] miss the point. Physicalism is a metaphysical theory, not a scientific theory. All coherent metaphysical theories are unfalsifiable. It's certainly reasonable to remain agnostic to metaphysical theories ... — Relativist

Metaphysical naturalism (or physicalism) fills in the gap that scientism leaves. Of course, it's not necessarily true, but it does defeat the claim (of some theists) that we "need" supernaturalism to account for aspects of the world.

Roevember 21
— 180 Proof

What does this mean? — Mikie

Rationality and its language of logic therefore are contained within the continuity_continuum of existence. The continuity_continuum of existence being the sine qua non prerequisite for reason, it can make no start outside the material theater of action. Given this fact, there can be no rational explanation for existence-itself-in-general. — ucarr

If man is imago dei

and if the devil is imago hominis,

then god is imago diaboli;

ergo imagoes est. Amen.

... a ridiculous unsupported prediction. — Baden

I'm just sayin' I'll do that if you're right about the national polls; what'll you do if I'm right that you're completely wrong? — Baden