dimreepr

How can Chang possibly know what follows death or that he’s glimpsed it, however deep his meditation goes? I don’t want to quash or dispel you’re beliefs and I know that meditation can imbue one with a profound sense of wellbeing and peace; but why search for more than that? Surely a contented, peaceful life is reward enough; why put what comes after, before that?

I think you protest too much, Ken, as Prometheus said “If the evidence is on your side the truth will out” so why are you trying to convince anyone? Let us suppose for a moment that you’re correct, the first question that comes to mind is so what? What difference will this knowledge make to my life, other than being able to impersonate ‘uncle fester’? And why does this ability mean there’s an afterlife?

The only thing this, and other, similar threads have convinced me of, is that guns are inherently dangerous and not always to the other guy.

On a lighter note...

It doesn’t make sense to be offended by something that has no impact on your life or situation, also that offence in turn offends others. Tolerance doesn’t mean you have to like something but it does save an awful lot of unnecessary pain, hurt and offence.

OK, but the idea that skin colour has an influence other than “a response to the strength of sunlight” seems trite. Edit/ cross posted.

Racism is born of ignorance, fear and the assumption that one’s own culture is the only valid way to live and think. This is compounded when one’s nation/society is dominant; education and tolerance is the key, homogenising skin colour would make little difference IMO. AFAIK skin colour is just an evolutionary response to the strength of sunlight.

I’m not the messiah so I’m not coming back, now piss off.

This is true but only when meaning and context are obvious, but if you’re trying to express a complex idea or if the context is ambiguous, then the auto-correct can create completely different meaning. That’s just confirmation bias. Nothing.

Being a plumber, Tim, you must know the dangers of too much energy in a sealed system.

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All a court of law can possibly do, is show the evidence provides a reasonable assumption of guilt. So yes “A probable murderer” and no it isn’t proven. If you had 10 witnesses to a crime, what you’d get, from the subsequent interrogation is 10 different statements; Because of the way we view the world, not only do we not see like a camera, but with a lot of added guesswork from the brain, but our view is terribly skewed by the mood we happen to be in at the time and that’s very dependent on a myriad of various chemicals and hormones. So how, from these divergent accounts do we create an absolute, like proof? Make sense? The problem is we haven’t yet evolved enough to cope with the size of the social structures our modern culture has created, but give it time, we will. This can only really be addressed at an emotional level not intellectually; you can’t feel right just because you think you should.

That’s exactly the point I was trying to make, here +1 (post #4), although it’s an order of magnitude superior in explanation.

Proof only really makes sense in maths; in a court of law it makes no sense at all.

You’re forgetting, humans will be humans, and the consequence of total reliance on the law is explained in Dickens ‘Bleak house’ via the storyline ‘Jarndyce v jarndyce’ which is, apparently, based on reality.

The system may not be broken, but the odd positive tweak, is always welcome.

My thinking, was, people would have a way to distinguish between a purely negative voter and a broadly fair or positive voter; however I think your objection to my idea is equally plausible (slightly differently maybe) in your scenario, so perhaps this idea is just a dead end.

Don’t worry; we haven’t been on topic, for well over a page now.

And yet that’s exactly what’s happened. Randi would have little choice if the tests are passed. “Chang is a self made millionaire” enough said I think.

That’s a good idea but only if there’s also a positive counter.

And yet rats, cockroaches, virus' and bacteria still exist. Edit/ Not to mention bedbugs, fleas and lice.

Not at all, it's perfectly possible to be content whilst making a run for it. Edit/ I’d certainly be content in the knowledge, I’m avoiding death.

Whatever floats your boat mate, but what could be better than to simply be content, now?

You would be better served, Ken, searching for a way to be content with your life; rather than searching for the unanswerable question of death; “The past is history, the futures a mystery but now is a gift; that’s why it’s called the present”, IOW live when you can, you’re a long time dead.

I gave one in post #17.