GENIUS FORUMS

1otherS wrote:-The poetry in relativity isn't equivalent to the poetry in a dog's fucking. I sincerely hope you agree with me on this, Dan...

-There needs to be a genuine co-operation between empiricists and metaphysicists.

rebecca702 wrote:

Loki wrote:Rebecca, what are your reasons for equating inquisitive, creative people with God? Why are they anymore 'God' than an economist who happens to subscribe to utilitarianism as a philosophical outlook?

Whoa, I never equated people with "God"... what I meant by "God is not a utilitarian" is that the Truth stands apart from whatever measly goals humans might have in mind. As in, people hoping to find Truth in order to save the world only creates a hell of a lot of deluded Messiahs, and there are plenty of those already.

I like the quote by Thoreau, "If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life."

Ataraxia wrote:

rebecca702 wrote:

Loki wrote:Rebecca, what are your reasons for equating inquisitive, creative people with God? Why are they anymore 'God' than an economist who happens to subscribe to utilitarianism as a philosophical outlook?

Whoa, I never equated people with "God"... what I meant by "God is not a utilitarian" is that the Truth stands apart from whatever measly goals humans might have in mind. As in, people hoping to find Truth in order to save the world only creates a hell of a lot of deluded Messiahs, and there are plenty of those already.

I like the quote by Thoreau, "If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life."

Good one.

or

"Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes."

rebecca702 wrote:

Loki wrote:Rebecca, what are your reasons for equating inquisitive, creative people with God? Why are they anymore 'God' than an economist who happens to subscribe to utilitarianism as a philosophical outlook?

Whoa, I never equated people with "God"... what I meant by "God is not a utilitarian" is that the Truth stands apart from whatever measly goals humans might have in mind.

Loki wrote:

rebecca702 wrote:

Loki wrote:Rebecca, what are your reasons for equating inquisitive, creative people with God? Why are they anymore 'God' than an economist who happens to subscribe to utilitarianism as a philosophical outlook?

Whoa, I never equated people with "God"... what I meant by "God is not a utilitarian" is that the Truth stands apart from whatever measly goals humans might have in mind.

So you conceive of God as the non-conscious matter that we discover through science and philosophy?

Loki wrote:

rebecca702 wrote:

Loki wrote:Rebecca, what are your reasons for equating inquisitive, creative people with God? Why are they anymore 'God' than an economist who happens to subscribe to utilitarianism as a philosophical outlook?

Whoa, I never equated people with "God"... what I meant by "God is not a utilitarian" is that the Truth stands apart from whatever measly goals humans might have in mind.

So you conceive of God as the non-conscious matter that we discover through science and philosophy?

Rebecca initially wrote:

Throughout history, most of the big scientific breakthroughs were made by people who had no idea (and little interest) in what ways their work would practically affect innovation/manufacturing etc. They were simply driven to find the truth. They weren't cooking up ideas on how this new understanding of matter would lead to better and better toasters.

Loki: Rebecca, what are your reasons for equating inquisitive, creative people with God? Why are they anymore 'God' than an economist who happens to subscribe to utilitarianism as a philosophical outlook?

Rebecca: Whoa, I never equated people with "God"... what I meant by "God is not a utilitarian" is that the Truth stands apart from whatever measly goals humans might have in mind.

Loki: So you conceive of God as the non-conscious matter that we discover through science and philosophy?

Becca: Frankly, I don't know what that even means. Non-conscious matter?

Let me say that I would normally use a word like Truth or Tao, but in this case I anthropomorphized it with "God".

Do you conceive of God as the non-conscious matter that we discover through science and philosophy?

Maybe you can help me get a better idea of what you are asking me, what you are getting at.

Loki wrote:Ok, just tell me, what do you equate God with? What is his identity? It sounded to me like you equated God with either people searching for truth, or, you equate god with the scientific or philosophical discoveries that seekers make.

Am I close?

Dan Rowden wrote:It seemed to me that she was equating "God" with capital "T" Truth and saying that the mundane workings of science don't have any necessary relationship to that.

Loki wrote:Then why did she start off talking about 'scientific breakthroughs' ? She's not talking philosophy, she's talking about scientific discoveries.