rather than saying they are bad and stupid. — Corvus

I did not say they are bad and stupid... I just think they are brainwashed or similar. Some of the arguments I have according to the books I have read are the following ones:

Religious people often assume that those without a belief in the supernatural cannot find beauty and inspiration in this world. Non-believers know that meaning in this world is of their own making and not dictated by a higher being... (Elisabeth Cornwell, Evolutionary Psychologist, "I Don't Need God to be Inspired," Center for Inquiry - LA, 7 October 2012)

In case I haven't mentioned this before, I'm an atheist. I do not believe there is any mind/body separation. All we are is our brains. We are chemical reactions. We are stuff - Penn Jillette, Presto! How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales, Simon & Schuster, 2016, p.125.

Augustine was an self-centered fantasist and an earth-centered ignoramus: he was guiltily convinced that god cared about his trivial theft from some unimportant pear trees, and quite persuaded -- by an analogous solipsism -- that the sun revolved around the earth.

New atheism:

making truth claims about the nature of reality, and are subsequently rejected on the grounds that there is insufficient evidence to support them. New atheism further maintains that religion is not simply wrong, but irrational, pathological and uniquely dangerous. By promoting beliefs and behaviours that emphasize cosmically ordained rules, sanctions and ways of life, religion is believed to foster divisive tribal mentalities, creating prejudice, discrimination and violence

but back it up from a logical point of view with universally valid reasoning and evidential facts on why the claims or statements are relevant and logical and therefore it is true.  That is philosophy. — Corvus

True! But I guess it is so difficult being rational with someone who believes in a celestial dictator as "God"
Facts, arguments, knowledge, statements, axioms, and other forms of logic, cannot fit with religion because those persons are already so influenced by a dogma which is so strong.

:up:

What can replace religion? — Wheatley

A better secular education system too.

Maybe they're different now. — frank

Yes, probably they are different or... They are just acting beacuse they are intelligent enough to understand all the pressure from social media and news Afghanistan is having.

Spain and UK have growing concerns for women and girls in Afghanistan

Spain, the UK and others have signed a statement outlining their concerns for women and girls in Afghanistan. The statement said, “We are deeply worried about Afghan women and girls, their rights to education, work and freedom of movement. We call on those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan to guarantee their protection.

:up:

I wish their protection is well guaranteed.

We’re All Existentialists Now

Hopefully I am not the unique boy!

This may also explain why social media exhibits its more toxic aspects. Social media is disembodied minds articulating mere words under the detached, judgemental, and baleful Look of an amorphous Other. It results in living either in pride or in shame through the detached and objectifying Look of the Other, with none of the solace, nuance, understanding, transcendence, or possibilities of connection that full-blooded, embodied being-with can provide.

This was so excellent :up: I am completely agree with him. The lack of understanding and transcendence probably were the main aspects of why I deleted my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. These monsters only created an amorphous platform where the youngest are only interested in empty "likes"

Anyway, thanks @Banno for sharing with us this interesting article. :ok:

I happen to like Karl Popper's philosophy of science:
https://youtu.be/ztmvtKLuR7I — Wheatley

I am glad you liked Karl Popper. He was an extraordinary man. Here in this context, I also recommend to you another philosopher and teacher: Leonard Nelson. He was the teacher of Popper. He was described as a person with an outstanding personality. Nelson was one of the founders of the proceedings of the Freisian school.
Check him out: Leonard Nelson

I think Sir Karl Popper was a key philosopher in XXth century. According to him:

It is imagination and creativity, not induction, that generates real scientific theories, which is how Einstein could study the universe with no more than a piece of chalk.

Popper wanted to change how Philosophy of Science was understood back then. Popper realized that science advances instead by deductive falsification through a process of "conjectures and refutations."

I guess you would like these links:
Criticism of Karl Popper in Martin Gardner's Are Universes Thicker Than Blackberries?
Sir Karl Popper (1902-1994)

Which are the differences between "Astral Region of creation" and "Causal Region of creation?"
Why the brain is not involved in those at all?

Is not the climate an element of the Creation?

What is your meaning of Creation? Because deserting or flooding the most part of the world because of pollution and bad decisions does not seem to be a Creation significant to me but the contrary, we are literally destroying instead of building...

I am not worried about it but it pisses me off because they are so hell stubborn. I think Spain is losing a lot of time and resources due to this issue.

Prepare to read:

The warrior of the Tiger skin. by Rustaveli.
This is a collection of epic poems from Georgia (most of them in Tbilisi) where Christianism, Muslim, and Hinduism are influenced. All these poems were written between XII and XIIIth century.

Note: If you are interested in this book, be careful and search it also as "panther warrior" because for some authors Rustaveli referred about this epic animal not the tiger.
The poem is composed by 1487 quatrains.

It is so beautiful. Sad of how humans can destroy the nature and earth just for religious or political beliefs, right?

I just got the second vaccine of Moderna. I want to thank all the doctors and nurses who work hard when it is even summer time. They deserve holidays but here they are putting all the vaccines to the citizens.
Despite the fact Madrid changed the plan and now you can go at any hour of the day, I did not see a lot of people in queue as in June and July (probably due to holidays...). I wish, in September we can already get the 70 % (we are in 63 %) of the population vaccinated, but due to Delta variation we can't know what the future holds and it frustrates me a bit...
Stay safe, you and your family and friends :up: :flower:

How long has philosophy sought to prove the existence of Truth, and yet has failed to do so? — 1 Brother James

Philosophy provided (or at least it tried to) a lot of logical principles to discover the "truth". This word as anothers like "freedom" or "happiness" are so free of interpretation and opened to many answers related. Before blaming philosophy to not discover the truth, you have to ask yourself: what do I consider as a "truth"?

Cool. I wanted them out of Spain too because they do not stop wasting Spanish resources and economy. It is interesting that they say they can live from us but at the same time they are always asking to Pedro Sanchez a loooot of competencies and money.
I don't know what the future holds for Catalonia but I wish it did not affect us for bad like a civil war or something related

Probably my point of view was epistemological or metaphysical. I am agree with you in all you said previously but I was referring that I guess mysticism is not observed by intelligence neither is a "Whole of Man" as you said just because I see it as completely dogma. You cannot debate or put arguments (axioms or syllogisms for example) in something as simple as mysticism.

Spain could blow up at any time. — frank

Because of Catalonia riots or Catalan politicians pardons? :scream:

Madrid protests: Thousands rally against Catalan pardons

Hello James, we already debated this topic in this thread created by @T Clark Probably you are interested in what we discussed then because it is related to your question.
What is Mysticism?

can one's brain experience Mystical phenomena? — 1 Brother James

I think this is very opened to so different answers. There are people who actually defends they lived some Mysticism and they use it as an argument to explain everything around them. To be honest, I think the same as you and I am agree. For me, Mysticism is another religious belief which operates similar towards another religion dogma. According to the thread I shared above, I wrote back in the day:

No, completely not. As you shared with us, mysticism is another religious doctrine or way of living.

Context: We were debating if Taoism could be consider as "Mysticism". I stated no because Tao Te King is clearly a philosophical view which is related to our awareness, life, virtues, ethics, etc...
So much different from Mysticism, which is "spiritual energy" as you mentioned.

Turkey has announced its willingness to put its own military at the disposal of the Taliban. — Apollodorus

Turkey has lost all their chances to be part of the Western world with this action. Erdogan is a crazy and incompetent leader...

Expected Afghan influx reopens divisions over refugees in Europe

Albania, a country of 4.2 million in south-eastern Europe, is taking in hundreds of refugees.

“I am devastated to see people left behind and want to give them at least the possibility to breathe again,” the country’s prime minister, Edi Rama,

:up:

Austria’s interior minister, Karl Nehammer, described banning deportations as “a pull factor for illegal migration which only fuels the inconsiderate and cynical business of smugglers and organised crime”.

:down:

JOE BIDEN's handling of the situation in Afghanistan has been blasted by a republican Congressman, who admitted the US has more troops in Spain than Afghanistan.

OK this was so hilarious.

The book is a steaming pile of shit, I do not recommend it at all. Save your time, most of it is just atrocious. — darthbarracuda

Finally I found someone that thinks like me about that stupid ass book! Thank you. I remember getting tired before the page 100...

Yes, it is true that both Russia and China left their embassies but I think it was “just in case” context. I was watching the news and they are not clearly saying that are against talibans. Probably there will be many chances that Russia or China would start making some contacts and see which are the real interests of Afghanistan.
To be honest, I feel they win. This mess is now focused in the failure of the Western. I totally think that Russia and China are planning something but is not the appropriate moment yet.

China's effective support for the regime may become problematic for the general discourse on human rights, — thewonder

It is true that the focus of human rights will be around China again but it looks like this country never ever cared so much about the issue so it is not effective at all…

rich countries — https://www.independent.co.uk/news/britain-charity-canada-africa-european-union-b1902578.html

Aren’t we supposed to be poor according to literally all the world?
How ironic this article was!

Selfish bastards — Isaac

Why we have to donate? Didn’t say they do not want anything from Spain anymore? Aren’t we supposed to be the bad persons due to conquista?
Spain has not obligations towards Latin America

This note was written in 2002 about Afghanistan: This meant war, which is just what the terrorists wanted. What they really wanted was probably World War III between Islâm and the West; but that was not what they got. The United States did not want to occupy Afghanistan, like the Soviets, but just to beat down the regime and its power and hunt out the leaders of the terrorists and their installations. At the same time, the old enemies of the Ṭâlibân, hanging on in the North, still with Russian support, could be encouraged and aided. Whether or not they would be able to actually retake the country, the basic American operation should be a commando or "special operations" one, long celebrated in movies, which now must be proven in practice.

Thus, a poor, bare, harsh, sad, and luckless country, Afghanistan, enters the 21th century as the cockpit of world history.

Kings of Afghanistan

he IS doesn't hold any large cities or regions as before.

Situation in February 2021: — ssu

Thanks for sharing. IS clearly lost a lot of power in Syria, so can we already speak about Al-Assad´s victory over there?

Morocco isn't a failed state with competing governments and internal disarray. Morocco doesn't have armed groups roaming around. — ssu

Well this is so interpretable... if you say is not failed state when is a feudal monarchy with zero human rights I do not understand you then. They do not even have the chance to have internal disarray because their king controls everything already. To be honest, I do not think they control the borders so efficiently. Do not remember when they allow to enter all their citizens in Spanish territory with zero reasons? or maybe the reason was not caring about the life of many moors and then, make Spain responsible if a disaster occurs both humanitarian and politically. So I do not think Morocco is a "normal" or "progressive" state. Their king does not give certainty about the defense or security so we cannot speak in general terms arguing that Morocco has not armed groups because we do not know it yet neither what is going on inside their power.

there is the Polisario — ssu

This territory, sadly, is a mess. Some say is part of Morocco, others say belongs to as an autonomy country as "Saharawi"

As Spain approaches 70% target, who is still to be vaccinated against Covid-19? :up:

Spain as a country, however, is still progressing at an enviable speed with its vaccination campaign. With 62.2% of its population having received the full protection offered by the vaccines, only Canada is ahead among the 50 most-populated countries on the planet, according to Oxford University’s Our World in Data website. Spain is yet to see its campaign stall, as has happened in other countries such as the United States, Israel, Germany and France. Experts consulted by EL PAÍS recommend that the process continue in Spain for now without offering incentives nor there being penalties for the unvaccinated, Pablo Linde reports. Fernando García López, the president of the Research Ethics Committee at the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, argues that is better to “convince rather than coerce, something that can polarize.” He adds: “In Spain, there is no major anti-vaccination group against which we need to fight, as is happening in other places.”

:victory:

IS has been both in Syria and in Libya, so what's your point? Both collapses gave way to IS earlier. — ssu

I am agree on Libya context... But what's the real impact in Syria? It is true that IS is around there and having army prepared to fight but I guess they not should consider as a terrorist cell or similar because they do not overtake all Syria territory yet so they are not powerful enough to make impact aspects as we are used to know. Furthermore the fact that Al Assad won his 4th elections. We can or cannot like him but he is literally the ruler of Syria. IS is there just an "enemy" and I guess Syria doesn't fall at all...


Also, even the fact that IS can have some control over Libya, they are not dangerous as other countries closer like Morocco. This country did not fall at all, is ruled by their king but at the same time IS is having a very important role over there. Barcelona attacks in 2017 or Paris 2015 were perpetrated by a terrorist cell in Morocco territory. Here is when you know the IS has a real power not in a broken country wihout control like Libya.

But I think that the collapse of Afghanistan will encourage muslim insurgents everywhere and IS will also reappear. And that is the last thing the Biden administration wants to admit. — ssu

Interesting argument but if the collapse of Syria or Libya did not encourage IS at all, why Afghanistan would do it then?

Agreed with you and good argument. I think political and lobby power do not care about Afghanistan anymore because probably is not so profitable that it used to be. You mentioned the important lobby of weapons not only dangerous but how rich many businessmen went due to this amazing “business”. Here, in this context, we have to mention other powerful market: drugs. It is so known that Afghanistan is country where marijuana or heroine are planted and then sold in Western countries. There are a lot of powerful institutions clearly connected with this because it is easy money.
The sad part of this situation is the people who is suffering it when they are not collaborating neither connected with the issue and I give you examples: the Afghan kid which sadly is raised full of violence in a broken state. The teenager who sorrowfully takes drugs that were planted in Kabul and were purchased by a rich Western ambitious businessmen.
Conclusion: here lose all the weak and civil citizens.

. Every time some naive idiot bleets sheds crocodile tears about 'saving woman and children' without at the same time pointing the finger straight at the toxic and malevolent complicity of the US in creating the situation in which those precious women and children will be subject to inhumanity, they can be safely ignored. — StreetlightX

I was not speaking in an American perspective but an European one... Europe Union did a recognizable effort about women and children’s rights in Syria crisis. I wish they do the same in this context towards Afghanistan.

Understandable. I even think that we should search more authorities. For example, What is going on with Russia or Putin? Why they do not make any decision? They were responsible for the mess occurred back between 1979 and 1989. I guess Russia can be an important authority in this context.

It entails paying attention to other people's specific needs or preferences. — Yohan

It could be useful but sometimes “good intentions” don’t matter at all and even the other person can feel intimidated for asking some questions.
I guess the diamond rule can fit better if we just respect other’s privacy and businesses

What did you expect from Joe Biden’s government? It is quite impossible to repair something that is already broken and in a mess. I think in such complex situations like this one, is The president’s responsibility protect and take all the Americans to USA.

I am not so pessimistic. I hope that the Taliban will prove us wrong, and even think that they will to a certain extent. — thewonder

I hope so but it will be so difficult the fact the would no act as authoritarian as we tend to think. They are literally taking the power by the force and they do not care all the mess of Afghanistan. Something which starts in this way will not end up pretty well... who knows if the Western needs to take the place again like in Gulf War 1991. I wish not because this was one of the worst failures that the western democracies ever did... Irak and Kuwait! Oh boy... many years wasted and death bodies in the street. But it is true that now Irak is administered under USA agencies right? Probably it was somehow worthy at all. I wish Afghanistan will not live the same experience as Irak’s.

Islamic Emirate, — thewonder

This issue still be a big problem in Syria but nobody cares now :sad:

The status of women there is certainly something that the international community ought to pay attention to — thewonder

Completely, this is the real XXIth century issue. Most of the countries are developing a lot of rights toward women. But in Islamic world are more “slower” than the rest...

Everything else, the status of women in Afghan society in particular, will have to be met, as it very well should, as the new nation develops. — thewonder

This complex and sensible situation will not be easy because of their religious belief. I guess they will even need an international refereeing or something similar to guarantee the women’s rights and security.
It is true that we don’t know how Afghanistan will look like afterwards yet but there are big probabilities that will be a chaos in different levels: some could be easy of repair, others don’t. I wish nobody has their life in risk again.

Should anyone either within or outside the Philosophy Forum read this and believe that they have some capacity to put it into effect, I would recommend that they do so in the immediate now. — thewonder

:up: :100:

Let’s see what the future holds to the Afghan citizens. I wish they would not live the same experience as Syrian refugees. Now Afghanistan is a mess but we wish Taliban forces do not go mercenary against their own population. If most Afghans want to leave I wish they do it because the situation is unbearable not because their lives are in huge risk.
Also, it is important protect women in this context. Taliban forces will not have complain about abuse and slave them. Now, UN and all international organizations should protect children and women in this weak situation.

These events have happened before and everybody hated it. We will all hate it again. And again, — Bitter Crank

True, all of these bad events already happened but I can’t say if they got removed from water. If we are lack of water we have to prepare ourselves in order to experience big wars and many deaths.