John Cuthber
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Everything posted by John Cuthber
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You can get hopelessly lost in that sort of thing This is the house that Jack built. This is the house, that the malt lay in, that Jack built. This is the house that the malt, that the rat ate, lay in, that Jack built. This is the house that the cat, that the rat, that the malt lay in, ate, killed, that jack built.
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I gather the same is true of split infinitives.
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If I rivet together a strip of copper and a strip of steel, it will respond to the environment. It will bend if the temperature changes. Many bacteria don't have the ability to move, though that might not be the only "response" on offer. If Gee thinks all life is conscious (it's debatable; ask a plant) then there's no way that evolution and consciousness are independent, since they both always happen in the same thing. Where people take exception is saying that either " an organism consciously "wants" to evolve into something with a longer neck (o whatever)" or that "evolution happens because some entity -usually God- consciously wants things to evolve."
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Does brain power determines eye sights?
John Cuthber replied to nec209's topic in Evolution, Morphology and Exobiology
Dragon flies have pretty good eyesight- good enough to catch other insects in flight. It's not clear that people would benefit much from higher visual acuity. The energy needed to power the brain to process the additional information would be a cost that probably wouldn't be offset by any potential advantage. -
Well, as you quoted; it says they are seeking to protect human health and as anyone who thinks about it (or watched yogurt adverts) knows that means not killing the "good guys". Even the human immune system can't reliably tell good guys from bad guys in this context. However, hospital sheets + towels that reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance between species look like a good idea to me. What would you propose instead (given clearly limited financial resources in healthcare)?
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I know. I had thought about it when I said "But consciousness is not needed to produce evolution- most species on the planet are evidence of this". And, unless you think bacteria have a consciousness (and, if you do, you are undermining the meaning of the word), I'm right. It is estimated that bacterial species outnumber non-bacterial species by a huge factor- perhaps 10^13 https://coastalpathogens.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/how-many-species-of-bacteria-are-there/ Did you somehow think there were 10^19 species of trapdoor spider or something? I don't see how they are relevant otherwise. Your computer reacts when you press the buttons; is it conscious? iNow hit the nail on the head earlier. Without a sensible definition, we might end up discussing evolution in pop-up toasters.
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Pre-biologic generation of RNA monomers?
John Cuthber replied to JeffKos's topic in Evolution, Morphology and Exobiology
Yes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller–Urey_experiment -
Consciousness may be caused by evolution- we are examples of where it has done this. But consciousness is not needed to produce evolution- most species on the planet are evidence of this. So, there's a connection, but only in one direction, and only sometimes.
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Sam Harris (an atheist) says that God is possible/inevitable
John Cuthber replied to ProgrammingGodJordan's topic in Religion
It depends whether you understand and act on it. Pele is (was?) a famous very good footballer. He must have been good if I had heard of him because I have no interest in the game.The details don't matter. Commentators are noted for hyperbole so it's likely that one of them somewhere has described Pele as a "God among footballers". It doesn't mean that Pele created the universe. Sam Harris has said that we humans would be "gods" to the robots we build- we would have power of life an death etc. But it doesn't mean that we are the creators of the universe any more than Pele. Yet that's how you seem to have taken his mention of the word "God" you have interpreted it as evidence of his belief in a real supernatural creator. That's not what he said. -
Sam Harris (an atheist) says that God is possible/inevitable
John Cuthber replied to ProgrammingGodJordan's topic in Religion
I look forward to ProgrammingBodJordan reading some football commentator's description of Pele as " a God among footballers" and citing it as "evidence" for the existence of God; the Creator. -
It's easier to sell the idea that your group's "prophet" is special if they are not just " some bloke", but are a miracle in themselves- for example, because their birth was miraculous. Imagine you are a first century peasant looking at the religions and choosing one. They all have some sort of "messiah". In most cases you know them and their family (at least slightly). But in one case they are claiming that their father isn't just Mr Smith from along the road, but God Himself. That's a hell of a "unique selling point". My best guess is that all the successful "cults" had some sort of "special" leader and the mish-mash of those leaders which was stuck together like Frankenstein's monster and documented as the character we call Christ, included this very saleable trait.
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If you wanted to share what you call "wisdom", why didn't you answer this?
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I don't think it would work, or, at best, it would work badly because none of the species involved is ionic.
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Qualitative effects of different alcohol and cannabis
John Cuthber replied to Prometheus's topic in Biology
It's said that gin makes people morose. https://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/6/1/8700045/why-gin-a-look-at-the-roots-of-why-some-fear-this-familiar-spirit Having tried this stuff https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sharish-Blue-Magic-Gin-50cl/dp/B01DZSISZM which is a blue/purple colour, but turns pink when you add tonic, I have to say it left me feeling quite cheerful- if less affluent. -
Yes and no. She probably didn't speak Greek, but it's the sort of thing someone would say. Google translates it as "and I grew up", which is interesting.
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It could be that simple. Except... she was engaged to be married- to Joseph, and they would have called her the equivalent of "betrothed" rather tan unmarried. The Bible makes it clear that there's an "issue" (and a miraculous explanation).Luke 1:34 " 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you."
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Qualitative effects of different alcohol and cannabis
John Cuthber replied to Prometheus's topic in Biology
Is there any evidence that this isn't purely psychosomatic? Carbonation can affect the rate at which a given blood alcohol level is achieved, but is there real evidence for different drinks having different effects? -
What can be deduced without making presumptions!
John Cuthber replied to Doctordick's topic in Other Sciences
Yes, that was exactly the point that I made and that Dick missed, possibly because he was busy being rude about my ability to think. Dick assumes experiences exist- which is entirely plausible, but an assumption. He also assumes that representations of experiences exist; and the same issues apply. Essentially, Descartes had a good point. -
This is almost literally the "Wisdom" of the Bible specifically Exodus 21:24. As I pointed out before. So, yes, we are going round in circles, because you keep saying stuff like that- and it keeps being not true, so I keep on calling you out on it. I don't plan to stop pointing out the problems so the recursive nature of the discussion is in your court... What you don't seem to understand is that a book which has some good stuff (even if it's obvious) and some rubbish (ditto) isn't any use unless you can tell those two groups apart. If you can separate the wheat from the chaff*, then you don't need the book. If you can't tell them apart then the book's no use to you. Well, if it was properly documented etc, then it would be science. If it wasn't documented properly then it would be religion. OK, it may not happen often, but Dimreeper and I are in complete agreement on this. * Matthew 3:12
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And you have made that claim in the past. I asked then, and I'm asking again, if there's any "wisdom" in the Bible that's not just common sense? If not, are you, on behalf of the Book, claiming knowledge that it actually lacks? I'm not sure I ever claimed anyone's loyalty.
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You must mean something like "In particular militant atheists who misuse their science to declare they have disproven the existence of God." If the declaration was valid we would have heard by now. I'm just as happy to call them hypocrites as I am to call the people who think the Bible is an a-la-carte menu hypocrites.