Interviews are perfect for downloading onto my mp3 player and enjoying while I exercise. Could we have a download link for this and future interviews? Thanks!
1 Like
Perhaps the root of our evils dates back to the thought that trade tokens may be exchanged for anything, including political power. (Comparing prowess at gathering donations has become part of every election!) Those with a knack for accumulating the most determine policy in their own favor, ignite wars for profit, author law, set the populace to work building monuments to their own glory, convert balanced biosystems to poisonous trash and merrily guide the ship of state onto the rocks so they can scamper through the wreckage salvaging prizes. Since the talent for gathering loot using other folksâ labor and resources doesnât necessarily require wisdom, altruism, foresight or any other virtue, we become used to a leadership by mannequins sporting the latest frowny-faced facades, while the truly powerful grunt and writhe happily backstage. So, it should be no surprise that spectacular mismanagement, confused certainty, amorphous rage and shifting contradictions mark our societal slide - at least thatâs my two centi-trade tokens worth. (It didnât have to be this way- perhaps a wiser successor civilization will permit hoarding of trade tokens by a pitied, befuddled few- but only allow them to be exchanged for giant ornate hats which professional therapists will pretend to envy and admire.)
7 Likes
If one lives in a culture saturated by one of the Abrahamic sects, one might be under the impression that the proselytizers of Dhama are lone nutters.
This is not the case.
Thus, Dharma does not only refer to traditions with which it is usually associated such as Hinduism and Buddhism, but also to the Taoist, Confucian, Zoroastrian, Native American, and European pagan traditions, all of which, this book holds, share a common, basic worldview. From the Darmanation.Dhamanation
Freedom and love are not at odds, au contraire, they are complementary. Love does not preclude one from seeking the truth and what is right, it serves to strengthen the resolve.
11 Likes
âcharacteristics of that other institution where talking, joking, and thinking arenât allowed: church. We have two denominations, both as fact-averse as real churchesâ
I like much of Taibbiâs writing, but I think he is ascribing whatever lousy experiences he once had with church with all churches. And, I think he has misunderstood the complexity of faith, facts, Truth, belief.
I agree that some of the craziness we are seeing with masks, vaccines, etc. has elements that resemble religious fervor, but these things do not equal church or faith in God. Perhaps I got lucky, but facts and questions and inquiry were encouraged in the majority of churches I have attended. Science was not part of discussions because the questions of God and morality are spiritual in natureâmeaning, goodness, doing right, the symbolic.
5 Likes
Chris,
I trust you are already considering interviewing a series of "Woke" thinkers, in order to understand the sociodynamic of the belief system? What caused 'Wokism' to arise when it did? What spreads and sustains it? How might it be gainfully resolved (ideally without violence nor other oppression)?
Egregore - Wikipedia
Egregore (also spelled egregor; from French Ă©grĂ©gore, from Ancient Greek áŒÎłÏΟγοÏÎżÏ, egrÄgoros 'wakeful') is an occult concept representing a distinct non-physical entity that arises from a collective group of people. Historically, the concept referred to angelic beings, or watchers, and the specific rituals and practices associated with them, namely within Enochian traditions.More contemporarily, the concept has referred to a psychic manifestation, or thoughtform, occurring when any group shares a common motivationâbeing made up of, and influencing, the thoughts of the group. The symbiotic relationship between an egregore and its group has been compared to the more recent, non-occult concepts of the corporation (as a juridical person or legal entity) and the meme.
----
Egregore - Theosophy Wiki
An egregore (pronounced egg' gree gore) is a group thought-form.It can be created either intentionally or unintentionally, and becomes an autonomous entity with the power to influence. A group with a common purpose like a family, a club, a political party, a church, or a country can create an egregore, for better or worse depending upon the type of thought that created it.
Woke (/ w oÊ k / wohk) is a term, originating in the United States, that originally referred to awareness about racial prejudice and discrimination.It subsequently came to encompass an awareness of other issues of social inequality, for instance, regarding gender and sexual orientation.Since the late 2010s, it has also been used as a general term for left-wing political movements and ...
I confess, I don't envy you the task of interviewing a series of Woke people. However, if anyone can do it, and survive the task, I trust that you can!
Consider, there must be some level of overall integrity in any system of beliefs (although perhaps not an immediately obvious rational one). That is, there must be some system of reward or dynamic with fervently believing something which doesn't immediately appear to conform to reality, or the belief system would soon give way to something more effective.
Peter Boghossian said Wokeism is largely confined to English-speaking countries. I suspect that is a clue. Another clue, I think needs to be considered, is the timing of this rapid spread. Is it tied to "Social Media"? To Peak Oil? To Smartphone usage? To the subversion of the' Occupy Wall-Street' movement? To what? Linkage isn't necessarily cause, but there IS a cause -- and correlation ought to give us a clue.
Peter also implied that a lot of people are simply pretending to believe in Wokeism. Although I have no doubt many people start out faking it, that isn't a sustainable dynamic. In the absence of other sociodynamic forces, people generally resolve conflicting beliefs by changing beliefs. How does one come to believe in an identity, a religion -- or Santa Claus? What sustains that belief? What changes it?
I've been impressed, watching you interview various people - especially when you likely disagree with much of their thinking. I hope you will consider interviewing some seriously articulate Woke thought leaders. As you've pointed out repeatedly, understanding an opposing position is paramount to artful resolution.
8 Likes
Wokism didnât just arise, it has been ideologically driven through the tertiary education system. It is a self righteous label indicating one has been enlightened to the truth of this new ideological religion. After about 30 years, during which time âwokeâ graduates have moved into a range of institutional professions bringing their viewpoints and desire for social change with them, it seems to have suddenly burst forth to surprise us all. But, like a fetus, it was growing and getting ready to be born upon the world. Now, it is a toddler throwing tantrums.
Yes, it has also been fed by media, social and corporate, but I have tutored students for over twenty years and I have seen the effect of the ideological education on their perceptions and capacity to critically think. This is the new religion and it isnât a spontaneous evolution of ideas, it is a deliberate construction of ideas and attitudes. I am sick to death of this stuff, so forgive me if I give any such interviews a miss.
20 Likes
If your friends repeatably vote to initiate violence against you, then no, they are not your friends. There may come a point where rational discussion fails and bonds must be broken. The alternative sounds like a form of Stockholm syndrome.
9 Likes
Mark_BC, thanks for your rather long exposition, I have had a very similar journey. As a result, I have rejected the materialistic and mechanistic view of the universe. It doesnât mean that I deny the physical reality of evolution, as you eloquently said, but the mechanism by which it occurs. It seems that our culture as a whole is unable to deal with, âI donât knowâ, and degenerates immediately into black and white thinking - either you believe evolution in as mechanistic process or you are a creationist. What total nonsense.
I have of course generated my own working hypothesis own the nature of universe and human beings role in that unfolding reality, which is constantly evolving, how could not. If your view of reality is not evolving, then you are dead, either figuratively or literally.
The dysfunctional thinking method of the wokesters has been around a lot longer than we care to admit, I think it appears to be a rather permanent part of the human condition. Though I do believe that we are ever so slowly evolving away from that type of unconsciousness. It is a truism, even in the currently vaulted halls of âscienceâ, that it (science) progresses one funeral at a time. If that is not describing the evolution of a belief system, then what does? What it does also show however, is that the scientific community (or perhaps used to), permits the existence of a rabble rousing minority that insists on a connection with an ever evolving connection with reality. If our culture loses the ability to allow this rabble rousing minority to not only exist, but flourish, then our culture will perish. Of that, I am certain.
3 Likes
But I noticed when Chris asked him questions of an overall world view he always reverted back to the college view.
I understand he has been a professor for 30 years and can see that is his main area of expertise. Which I agree is a huge problem. The conditioning of the young in this way only leads in one direction, downhill.
This doesnât explain the people in power now acting like this. I would like to hear more of his overall thoughts, a wider view if you will. He can say he âdoesnât knowâ but Iâm sure he has some input.
3 Likes
As with most of these âbig/deepâ concepts I am always inclined to point out that it only applies to tiny portion of the population, the portion of the planet called the west or the highly developed world which represents about 10 to 15% of the population or around 1 to 1.5 billion. Of that population âwokeismâ is entirely meaningless to more than half of them, they are just living their lives like the other 7+ billion.
The state of education talked about is an absolute fact and has been heading in this direction for 50+ years, we are just in the blade of the hockey stick period of this process and going vertical.
Wokeism is just another gaslighting exercise in my opinion. I find that when talking with a wokester that they donât actually even understand half of the real history of the US and its exploits around the world for the last 100 years or so all of which has done more to define life on this planet than any religion or ism. It is also what will define the end of all life on this planet but I wonât go into all that right now.
Suffice it to say there are very few if any people or places left on the planet that have not been profoundly negatively effected by US actions. Until we all understand this, discuss it openly, and accept the reality we will never be able to accomplish anything that desperately needs to be done.
OK, now everyone can go back to looking at your belly buttons now.
9 Likes
Chris & Peter - all I can say is thanks. One of the better interviews Iâve seen in years! Socratic thinking & discourse is so darn powerful, especially with highlighting âillogical constructsâ
5 Likes
Just saw this JB and JY want to track every transaction above $600. Why $600? Lotâs of interesting stuff buried in that $3.5T billâŠ
âThe U.S. Chamber of Commerce officially condemned the bill this week, calling it an âexistential threatâ to the economy.â
https://www.yahoo.com/now / irs-track-bank-transactions-over-140000522.html
8 Likes
Arthur, would we still need to burn the widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands? Hope not, not very friendly to widows. But I guess it does solve the problem of what to do with all those old women.
1 Like
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1443962207037968390
âThey who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.âhttps://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1442558221017702403
16 Likes
I am boycotting and defunding the manipulators. Ended my subscription to The Guardian. Their recent articles against Ivermectin & anything anti- vac are pure propaganda, and ironically can be proven lies just by carefully reading the reference links, (when they provide any), because what the references actually say is not what they claim in their articles. I presume they are confident no one ever reads the links. My son thinks Iâm hoodwinked by false conspiracies and tries to prove me wrong by referencing Factcheck.org. I follow his links only to discover that on these subjects Factcheck has been doing zero investigative reporting and simply quotes reps from the CDC and the WHO as fact proofs.
Also, I hope you have backups of your old blog videos. Yesterday Youtube announced they will be taking down any content that questions vaccine efficacy or harm. I will now no longer open any Youtube link.
There is also much reporting going on about the âgreat progressâ of the forthcoming anti-viral pill, but there is deadly silence as to what is in it. However I did see one mention that it has a broad way of blocking a key function of all viruses. This has me wondering, as unintended consequences often follow broad stroke âsolutionsâ. Do we have âgoodâ viruses in us just as we have âgoodâ bacteria? Have you gotten any insight on this pill yet?
21 Likes
Hope you keep diggingâŠthank you for going into detail into how you used science to figure out intelligent design. I am a believer and have witnessed many miracles and have seen many signs. There are intelligent beings beyond our realmâŠGod, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and heavenly hosts. You can call them what you want but they are there and all around us.
5 Likes
Mark_BC
I went through a similar voyage of discovery as you and became a biologist as a result of my curiosity. But my conclusions differ from yours.
- you assume that atoms and molecules are not living but instead follow some strict âlawsâ of physics or chemistry. Then you define life as self replicating cells, which suddenly are alive and come from non-alive stuff.
Actually nothing is self replicating because everything relies on a larger homeostatic environment that facilitates âselfâ reproduction. Is some thing or someone self replicating when it cannot do it alone but relies on a cocoon of gravity, temperature between 300-310 degrees kelvin, certain moisture and pressure and special nutrients supplied by others of its own kind? ⊠but that should be a separate discussion. - consequently you seem to be looking for a âmechanismâ that converts ânon livingâ atoms and molecules into âlivingâ cells.
I disagree with your assumptions.
Instead, I conclude that atoms and molecules comprising carbon (and silicon/germanium/GpIII-GpV combinations such as gallium arsenide) are living or at least have some properties of âlife.â In fact, the property of being essentially balanced as seen in carbon etc. has analogues throughout the layers of life.
When studying organic chemistry, we assume that all molecules of a set within a glass flask follow the exact same rules. But in reality, only MOST molecules do that. There is a wide spectrum of reaction products (small amounts of unexpected or different results) from a reaction of large numbers of molecules in the glassware. I do NOT assume that those molecules are non-living any more than I assume that human beings are non-living just because when gas prices drop, more gas is consumed by the humans (a predicted property of a non-living entity such as a fossil fuel motor). And by the way, those pure chemical reactants in the organic chemistry flask have a wide variety of members, if you look at their individual energies (of various types even within a molecule) and extreme isotopic differences etc.
life at all levels (including the molecular and sub molecular) have the same life properties. a. they form more complex forms in order to minimize their own entropy and increase their own stability, at the expense of their surroundings.
b. they follow basic energy desires that a. create increased entropy in their surrounds, in order to create greater internal stability. These energy rules concern molecules as well as cells and civilizations, as explored by Jeremy England, who CM referenced here a couple years ago.
Here is an example: a small atom or small molecule is exposed to a great number of random, interfering forces that controls it. Translational, rotational, vibrational effects on the small molecule constantly and randomly control its behavior. This is extremely horrific/entropic to that entity. But by merely joining to form a large molecule, such imparted environmental force perturbations are shared throughout a larger assemblage of atoms, which allows each bump of random energy from the outside for use/harvesting by one portion of the larger molecule. As a member of the larger group (molecule) an energy bump (whether physical or from light etc.) received by one atom, will be shared and transferred to the others. Existence becomes more homeostatic.
Such sharing creates a greater homeostasis, and less random existence to each of the contributing members. This is a life-like property that we see emerge as well when large assemblages form cells, cells form tissues, tissues form organisms, humans form societies. As you go up the life chain, each layer has more control over its environment and each higher layer provides more stability/security/existence-persistence to its components. In other words, I argue that even atoms and molecules are alive, or partly alive, to the extent that they are balanced and form larger entities (carbon based being the best example).
The key point here is that organic chemistry rules describe the nature of large groups of atoms/compounds and does not describe the behavior of every single member directly. We should not assume that decision making or free will suddenly emerges at some âhigherâ layer of life but does not exist at lower layers.
Miracles
It seems that this âorigin of lifeâ discussion is relevant to the notion of where a âmiracleâ comes from. So, here is my contribution to the miracle story:
Here is an example of a miracle, which emerges from this layering. Consider the life of a cell within a body. That cell becomes infected with a bad bacterium. Not only that cell but other cells around it are infected and about to die. Suddenly, penicillin arrives on the scene. The penicillin kills the bacteria and rescues the cells. Now, you are one of those cells and have no understanding of a brain, language, human history, Sir Alexander Fleming or of the synthesis and distribution of penicillin. Where did that penicillin come from? In a similar manner, consider a human being within something larger. A miracle happens wherein some large entity (perhaps separated by both space and time) that considers that human being part of its greater collective existence and looks out for it. From the viewpoint of the human, there is no explanation of the miracle. We should not assume that we know everything and should embrace the notion of âI dont knowâ and stop making $hit up.
8 Likes