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gigagnatG B

Upstate, New York

University Library

Female

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Recent Activity

  • What is it that makes humans "better" than animals

    SK: Very nice article, and it definitely makes your points about the traits you listed ... except the whole tone seems to be saying that the more we study, the more alike we all are, animals and human.  The more we learn about "them", the more like "us" we realize they are.  From that standpoint, it's only a matter of time before we realize that the chimps and dolphins are just laughing at us behind our backs.  Now I'm paranoid.  How does that fit into this equation?

    Posted 28 May 08 in The Church Of LOTU

  • Predestination

    @ Cam: I haven't a clue ... I wasn't born yet.  Human history tells us it was "gods".  Most unexplained phenomena was attributed to random "gods" that controlled whatever was out of our control.  I can only guess that given a random human's perception of what (who?) God is, the answer could be anything from "nothing" to "there was no 'before' ".  I have trouble processing both.  That's why I'm here.  Besides, I never said that I believed in God, only that the debate was pushing the evidence in that direction.

    I keep coming back to ideas like the possibility that we are seeing our world from the perspective of an ant seeing us.  I know that fiction has no real place here, but Dr. Suess' "Horton hears a Who" comes to my mind.  The possibility that we could be looking at our world from the perspective of a tiny creature that can't possibly imagine the larger entities surrounding it makes more sense.  An ant will continue doing what it knows how to do until it dies.  Is is pre-destined that this being will be stepped on, eaten by a spider, or get stuck in sticky sap?  Who knows?  It's a natural progression as we understand it from a human perspective.  Laws of nature and balanced eco-systems and all that.  How does pre-destination matter if we're all just ... I don't know ... bacterium and viruses in some unbelievably huge entity?

    Actually, I like that comparison better ... we could be the small parts that make up a larger body.  Some white cells, some red cells, some bacterium, some protein, etc.  None of whom know what the body looks like, but all of whom will continue to do what they were designed to do until they die. The ones that rebel become the cancers.  Get enough cancer cells together and you can kill the body, even while not understanding how the whole thing works.  This all doesn't preclude pre-destination, just pushes it further off into some unknown timetable before the current focal point.  Are we supposed to be doing what we are designed to do or are we supposed to become a malignancy?  This is just my perspective.  I never claimed to have all the answers.

    Posted 27 May 08 in The Church Of LOTU

  • What do you remember from the 80's?

    Madonna when she had curves ... skin-tight, metallic, leather pants ... shoulder pads that made you look like a linebacker ... and the original (I want my) MTV.

    Posted 08 Apr 08 in General Conversation

  • The new seven social sins

    I just might, at that!

    Posted 08 Apr 08 in The Church Of LOTU

  • Weird prank using Craigslist.

    Is it wrong that I'm laughing and wishing I'd thought of it?

    Posted 01 Apr 08 in General Conversation

  • Genetic technology and philosophy

    Dino, this article is so far over my head, I'm thinking about leaving the group.  I need cliffs notes.

    Posted 01 Apr 08 in The Church Of LOTU

  • What's an atheist's motivation to do 'the right thing'?

    Dek, do you have more info on the documentary ... name, link or something?  I'd like to see it.

     

    Posted 16 Mar 08 in The Church Of LOTU

  • What was your journey?

    Dek, I'm not saying that adults are any more well-informed ... more along the lines of SK's observation ... reaching adulthood tends to breed the view that one has learned "enough".  I can't be bothered wasting my time trying to educate someone who thinks they don't need to learn.

    Posted 12 Mar 08 in The Church Of LOTU

  • Religion, Spirituality, Faith and Belief

    You like flavored?  The aroma of hazelnut sends me over the edge!

    Posted 12 Jan 08 in A Life Eclectic

  • Music (or what passes for music in your world)

    Open minds, open hearts ... too bad most people can't get a simple concept like that, eh?

    Posted 12 Jan 08 in A Life Eclectic

User Statistics in Tangler

Total Messages: 34

Topics Created: 5

Forums Created: 1