dimreepr

A lot of my favourites have already been mentioned, so I’ll limit my reply to those that seem to have slipped through the net: East of Eden, Sweet Thursday, Cannery Row and The Pearl, Steinbeck. For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea, Hemmingway. Anything by Pratchett. Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, Adams. There are lots of others that, for the moment, slip my mind.

I’m sorry this is a reference to an English science fiction series called “Dr Who”, TARDIS means time and relative dimensions in space and is a time machine.

You do realise a “TARDIS” is a purely fictional concept?

Most explanations of different dimensions seem to explain them as curled or twisted to the point that they can’t be recognised or measured in a conventional manner, or are you trying to represent “A TARDIS”?

An interesting question, but it seems to me to have nothing to do with God. Isn’t these just cases of psychosis pinning an apparent cause “God” to actions they can’t otherwise explain?

I'm certainly no genius, but I'm constantly asking myself questions, most of which are of such nonsense as http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/61840-elbowcaps/page__p__641777__fromsearch__1#entry641777 so for me it would be a pre-requisite for such great people, just a higher quality of question. Edit/ Not necessarily a childlike quality though.

I’m at risk of sending my own thread off topic here but, in the UK the NHS’s biggest drain is, the “ethical” need to keep people alive (for the sake of life). If, along with the “Donor Card” a “Living Will Card” could be kept about ones person many, many millions could be saved, here, at least, in the UK.

I haven’t been here too long but, my observation is, the average thread doesn’t get much above 20 replies, yet some achieve much, much higher. My question is twofold firstly what thread, apart from “The official introduce yourself” thread, has the largest amount of replies and which of these was the most enjoyable debate?

I think you need to define the term “childlike”. Is it that, a capability to have fun, is childlike, or is it just something adults share with children? Isn’t it just a case of them being human?

This is true as of now, but I see no reason it couldn't be extended, legally, to encompass such wishes.

What's the question?

You clearly have no idea of what “evidence” actually means, in that it requires empiricism or proof, if you will, and your book simply doesn’t provide such.

I read a book recently “unseen academicals” by Terry Pratchett, it however, doesn’t provide evidence of trolls or any other fictional characters. Why do you think your book does?

Eugenics was never a good idea; seriously, it’s the thin end of the wedge.

In England, as in America, it is an example of; governance by accountancy, in that education and many other aspects of society is defined by numbers, which if manipulated well enough can show just how well our society is doing. Intelligence hasn’t changed, in general, but the numbers sure do make it seem like they have.

For me it goes deeper still, in that, the Elders saw a way to use these observations (that all agree on) to manipulate the thinking of the tribe in general. Wisdom of the aged, in a simple society, goes a long way. Herd behaviour is exploitable as long as the “herd” is unaware of the scrutiny.

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner#Superstition_in_the_pigeon after all tell me the difference between religion and superstition.

For me you can’t beat, “heart of gold” powered by the “infinite improbability drive” in “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams.

Lots of the planets flora and fauna now have interdependency with humanity, so our disappearance would have a negative impact on such that is now dependant. The planet really doesn’t care what we do; it’ll just continue to trundle through space.

Could dark matter be explained by variations in the density of the Higgs field?

It’s not pointless, if you’re the one in prison (for stealing a loaf of bread to feed your starving family), and in what universe do you need to supply a solution in order to ask a question? Have you even read the rest of this thread? When do I advocate people shouldn’t be punished? Part of a judge’s job is to decide the punishment, on an individual basis, so things like the ability to pay can be taken into account. Why is it inhumane to put people to work as a punishment? In England community service is a well established form of punishment. Yes I have lots of ideas, one of which would be to act on the point ‘phi for all’ made.

What version of IE are you using? edit spelling correction no e in using

Good point I guess subjectivity does have a lot to do with it, though, given the propensity for psychological manipulation within a lot of cults; it does muddy the waters somewhat. Further to the OP, a lot of religions can be said to have started as a cult, so at what point do they become a religion? Good joke btw Greg.

Sounds very Catholic to me, history shows they have engaged in many of your definitions.

What is the difference between religion and a cult? Is it simply numbers, or is the difference more fundamental? I.e. is brainwashing a factor?