DrP

There has never been a single piece of evidence that proves anything like a ghost or an external spirit from the human body, out side of what are easily explainable as errors of vision/illusions, wind, hoaxes or hysteria. No claims have ever been repeated, no produced evidence has ever stood up to scrutiny or critique.

Yea, sorry, I think I meant CAT scans. There were eggs put through a CT scanner in a youtube vid I saw.

It plays a part though Itoero - without it we'd be floating about and it would be much harder to meet people. ;-)

We are clearly all in the same reality - regardless of what any of us believe. The point is - you can't prove it or which one you are in.

About 10 years ago I was having a coffee at the golf club one Friday (might have been a Tuesday) morning. I was on my own waiting to go and practice or play. I stood up and looked outside at the 18th green and BAM - all of a sudden it felt as though I Had accelerated fast by about 2 foot to the side... The feeling was in my brain/head - I felt nothing in the rest of my body, just this sudden sideways 'shove to the side. It was a little nauseating at first but it passes quickly. Many things went through my thoughts... was the earth displaced? (no) was it a quake? (no), did anyone else notice this? (looks around - no).... was it imagination?... (hmmm doubt it, felt VERY real). Was it a tiny tiny stroke or blood lot moving? (Maybe, how would I know). I still do not know what that was... maybe I should have reported it to a doctor, but it never happened again and I had a busy day of golf practice planned so I just carried on. Whatever it was - I am pretty sure the occurrence was biological rather than physical. Maybe the same goes for the perception of the room moving for the OP? Hard to tell.

QUOTE: GOAT "immigrants taking advantage" You might see this happening goat... but it is a drip in the ocean. A few hundred immigrants trying to fiddle the system a) isn't going to break the country. and b) isn't the cause of any of America's problems. and what they are doing is illegal and will be stopped if they get caught - like any criminal activity.

It was spider goats a few years back. They were mutating them to produce spider silk in their milk. yum.

You are not wrong... buuuut.. if we were a simulation of humans from the 20th/21st century to test out whatever the programmer was testing... all we would know was the level of tech you are talking about.. I am saying that there would be no way to actually know. your test might not work for a 30th century human sim bot programmed to think he was a human in the 21st century. Besides, it doesn't need to be a fully human sim robot... it just needs a brain/processor to think it is. (I do not believe that we are, obviously, but I am saying that I do not think you have a test to disprove that reality, and just saying "well I'd feel the wires coming out of my arse" or some thing to that effect that that other guy posted doesn't win the argument imo).

"lacking due to poor tax fund use"... Then the problem is with the organisation of the funds... not how the funds are raised.

QUOTE SJ, POST #38... "...example of this practice" Yes, it's sad. QUOTE: "Increase funds to education" Well that's great - but where do these funds come from if not from taxation? No one is saying things are perfect - quite the opposite, we all know there is waste and corruption everywhere in every country. It is sad. But I honestly believe it is improving. Look at where the world is now compared to 5 years ago, 10, 20, 60, 100, 200, 400 etc.. of course the governments aren't perfect, but they are supposed to be and in the ideal, the taxation system should easy cover all that is needed for anyone who falls for any reason.

We have several public services over here in the UK which are a shambles now they have been sold off to private investors (mates of the guys in power who sold it to them). They just want to make money... when they were government run they were focused on service to the people rather than profits and bonuses for the shareholders.

QUOTE: "won't go through the government, making it easier to control and improve" Who will you pay your taxes too then? Who can you trust? At least the government is 'chosen by the people for the people' and all that... it is supposed to be there in the best interests of the masses. Who better to organise the money?

QUOTE: "Aggressive" Really? Because I am disagreeing with you I am aggressive? You are the one who tried to belittle Delta's questions and repeated your question in bold shouty CAPS. ;-) There was no hatred in anything I wrote above. Some cynicism, maybe, that you think that people without jobs are lazy and shouldn't be helped if they need the emergency services. Mainly because it looks like that is what you are saying and I do not like that "I'm alright Jack" judgmental attitude. Anyway - peace out. Embrace love for your fellow man and don't begrudge the poor an extra $50 a month from your paycheck - you might need some help yourself one day and you'll be grateful for the tax people paid so that the services they pay for will be yours for free on that day and you won't get a huge bill.

Just because there is corruption doesn't make the whole idea of it wrong. Without taxes there would be NO health care system for the masses that cannot afford it. I liked Delta's post... what does happen in your world without taxes to someone with no money who needs the emergency services? (sorry - we call them 'services' in our country - we pay our taxes so that these 'services' can be the same for everyone, not just the rich). So to answer your bold type question: - without taxation there would be no public heath care, there would only be care for those that could pay for it.

Well said Mordred. In defence of the topic though, talking about a scientific construct that replicates reality and then discussing philosophically about what it thinks.... does that not come under the title of the thread, Philosophy, Science and Reality? The whole simulation discussion is relevant imo, but I won't discuss it anymore - I only came in to comment on one post. PS - without wanting to continue off topic (although I don't believe it is) I do not agree with what you wrote in post#227 - it would depend upon how good the simulation was. You are presuming a simulation based on the technology we have now.

QUOTE: "It's much more reliable than going to a public hospital.." That's because the public one is underfunded because people don't like paying tax... so you get decent healthcare for those that can afford it and whatever the underpaid public service staff can be bothered to do for the poor then eh? So selfish imo. If what you and others paid into insurance was tax in stead then everyone's healthcare would improve.... but I suppose they don't deserve it if they haven't got the money then eh?

How do you know this? Again your response is "I don't believe it, I believe this"... and you can't see that you are doing it. QUOTE: "When did you stop beating your wife" I do not understand the question about beating my wife? Shall I ask you personal questions about your sexual desire for your own daughter? QUOTE: "Only a real mind could consider whether it was real or not" - Nonsense again - how can you possibly know this? You can't, it is what you believe but you do not know this for certain - it is impossible. QUOTE: "I am a realist .... can't prove a negative to prove their point" I am a realist too. You are totally missing the point again/as usual. I don't believe it either - I just can't PROOVE it. No -one can, so to say that "a computer would know it isn't real because of the wires coming out of it" or whatever idiocy you wrote back there is just jaw dropping. It's why I commented. It is also why I shouldn't have gotten involved, if you can't comprehend something so basic it is just as dumb of me for arguing with you.

QUOTE "I oppose taxes in general" ... so, do you oppose the fire brigade, police and army services, ambulances street cleaners, education and road maintenance too? Video won't play for me here - will try again later. It does sound like a loop hole but surely if it was that simple surely every company would do it.... maybe then the loop hole would be shut if too much money was lost. (or maybe they'd keep it open in return for a few back handers). Personally I think govs should and probably will clamp down harder on companies that bend the rules and find little loopholes to avoid taxes in the future. Taxes are a good thing for the population of the world - if managed properly I believe we could end starvation and poverty in the world and develop great new things... the place could be a paradise but it is full of corruption and greed.

The rock, though, will not believe itself to be human. Believe whatever you want - I'm not going round pages and pages with you repeating the same stuff... it's obvious. It's why I said "oh, never mind" with an implied face palm when I first entered the conversation as I knew you would just stick to your guns and just repeat the same stuff without actually bringing any actual substance to the discussion other than "I don't believe it". I'll ask one more time - "HOW can you prove you are not a simulation"? Just saying "It's obvious, I don't believe that I am" is not proof that you are not.

I don't believe they are lying to us either.... that's not the point. We have no way of proving this and wouldn't know if they were.

To say "it is a statement of fact" - is just ridiculous.. your definition of 'fact' is very different from mine then. You tell me - "HOW can you possible even test for that"? If you were a bot programed to think you were human then you would have no way of finding out. All of your senses could be programed to lie to you about actually reality. Obviously I do not think that this is the case, but there is no way you could possibly objectively check for this or not without using your own senses, which are what are under question in the first place. If you were a computer programmed to think you were human then you would think you were human - you wouldn't know about the wires. All of your senses could just be routines in the program and you'd have no way of testing what is real or not if the program was good enough.

I thought that the whole point was - how on earth could you even know if you were a simulation or not? How would you test it? How can you be sure or trust the results of any test as it could have been fed to you through your programming. I thought it was generally accepted that you cannot prove such a thing at all. At first I thought you could have been joking in post 216. How would a computer know if it had wires or not?... lol,. I still do not know if it was a humour attempt or not.

.... but, but, the computer wouldn't know it had wires and chips if it was a person simulator... oh, never mind.

1 - there is a linear scale that measures the displacement of a marker on the spring with the load added to the hook. Known weights can be added and displacement noted and the system can be calibrated... you might be able to predict the displacement using some maths and the Young's modulus of the spring or something, but basically you are measuring the displacement caused by the load on the spring. 2 - "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" - When you push a block across a surface the resistance to the pushing is experienced as a force in the other direction. If you look at the surface of the block and that of the table or floor it will be rough at the micro level..... like a mountain range even. Pushing these rough surfaces against each other causes a force in the opposite direction to motion as the rough peaks and troughs of the surface physically catch on each other and have to ride up and over or bust through to over come the resistance to the motion. I am sure you might be able to come up with a better answer, but this is how I understand what you are asking about - I hope that helps. Any more questions, or if I haven't given you what you are looking for then please ask - If I cannot answer your question then I am sure someone else will.

lol - check out what this guy is asking for what clearly isn't a toe. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fossilized-Toe-or-Toe-Shaped-Rock-/142426182953?hash=item2129431529:g:v3IAAOSwbtVZPaks your rock looks like this one a bit.. doubt it is a toe though. need to know the find location and see what else has come from there. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOSSILIZED-TURTLE-TOE-PAD-NORTH-FLORIDA-river-bone-collectible-reptile-fossil-/291802775861?hash=item43f0cd0135:g:PZ4AAOSwMNxXbqs-