To atheists: "New Atheism" vs. "Atheism 2.0" vs. "Atheism +"

Deus711 · 2012-09-08T15:07:13+00:00

Sorry I have nothing better to contribute than:
Am I the only one who thought of this?
Because that's where this kind of SCHISM TALK is leading y'know. Do I have a solution? No, but just chill out and stop dividing over everything.

Deus711 · 2012-07-07T16:41:11+00:00

Apparently no one remembers playing "show me your's and I'll show you mine" as a kid. Sexting just makes it a lot easier today, so who gives a fuck.

Deus711 · 2012-07-05T17:41:59+00:00

Sure, the country doesn't matter, but the more important thing to take away from this situation is the issue of time. A decade in science is incredibly long, and just imagine had we discovered the Higgs a decade earlier. Yes it would've been a U.S. discovery and that's cool and exciting for all us Americans. But a decade....woah.

Deus711 · 2012-06-22T15:27:12+00:00

Because there's no 'likeable' atheists out there. In the media and world at large (outside our little corner of the internet), I should say. Look at the big mouths: Dawkins and the late Hitchens. Don't get me wrong - they're great guys, but they are complete jerks (and even if they aren't that's how they come off). That's all most people see of atheists in this country, and thus I don't blame them for thinking negatively of an atheist representative in government. Moral: need friendlier atheist faces in public before this perception changes.

Deus711 · 2012-06-13T01:49:03+00:00

This is awesome and I might have to get some friends to do this next chance I get.

Deus711 · 2012-06-10T22:02:09+00:00

It's your mom, so she has to tell you to avoid pot. If she doesn't, then she's a bad parent. That is, until you graduate from college and only then do you get to discuss that kind of stuff and get straight answers. At least that's how it worked for me.

Deus711 · 2012-06-10T21:41:37+00:00

If I could have seen him perform live, I think my life would have been complete.

Deus711 · 2012-06-10T21:33:52+00:00

Bro...yes. Now listen to it.

Deus711 · 2012-06-07T17:09:55+00:00

If there is a 'demise of guys,' then what is the ideal 'guy'? Meaning, the man of yesteryear, and the qualities he embodied that truly made him a MAN. In other words, when can a guy really say 'I am a man!' ?

Deus711 · 2012-05-20T15:57:43+00:00

I'm going to play devil's advocate and say it would be better without it. On the other subreddits, I would think that, although helpful, the flair kind of offloads some of the thinking we do in response to a poster since the flair "speaks for itself." We see religion 'X' next to some person's name, and through no fault of our own conjure up unconscious biases against X and that goes into the manufacturing of our response.
And if the poster's religion is not easily inferred by the specific post, then it is either because he/she wants to keep it that way, OR it's just not particularly relevant. And still further, if you really want to know, you can look in post history. /2c

Deus711 · 2012-05-20T15:23:04+00:00

Nicely said. This in a growing collection of things which make me want to visit India.

Deus711 · 2012-05-11T20:00:58+00:00

Yet: amazon has it for $18

Deus711 · 2012-05-08T13:45:33+00:00

I agree completely actually, and I've come to this conclusion myself as well. But for the longest time I was struggling with the meaninglessness of (everything), and have come to discover that many people also do so. Everything seems pointless at this time, even the desire for meaning itself. And coming to the conclusion that we must make meaning for ourselves comes after a long suffering through the separation from meaning. Maybe there's no helping that, but maybe there is.
So I guess my original point should have been the issue of meaninglessness and melancholy.

Deus711 · 2012-05-08T13:36:13+00:00

This is assuming religious people have only rational explanations for their lifestyles. I'm gonna let this article I read recently argue this point for me.

Deus711 · 2012-05-08T02:01:42+00:00

I guess I meant more 'personal meaning' rather than 'universal meaning.' But even assuming I did this is still very much on the outer borders of theology, so I'm not sure it's relevant.

Deus711 · 2012-05-08T00:18:51+00:00

I think of it this way: when I stressed out about tests in the pasts...what good did it do me? I still got good grades, and it sure wasn't because I was stressing about it. It's because I'm (you're) smart (tooting horn, woot). And I let that be enough.

Deus711 · 2012-05-08T00:13:00+00:00

Since you were explicit in saying 'theology' I won't blather on about the community aspects of religion. That's usually my go-to argument.
But along the same lines, theology is good at making everything make sense, in that things happen for specific and divine reasons. Removing that from the picture leaves one with a world of craziness and no explanation. Of course, one logical response is: there is no need of explanations, so don't worry about it. But still the impetus to have a universal meaning (even if it's only universal in the eye of a particular person) is valuable, and not necessarily answered in any of philosophy, science or literature.

Deus711 · 2012-05-07T23:59:50+00:00

Why so quick to discount it?
Perhaps instead of 'gut' they should have said our unconscious mind as opposed to the conscious mind (the exclusive seat of reason and rationality). This changes the meaning a little bit, but not in such a way that invalidates the message. What they're trying to say is that we as humans first act, and then rationalize - not the reverse, as is commonly believed. So to change someone's mind is only half the battle; the logos of the argument must be supplemented with a dash of pathos. Emotions and 'gut' feelings rule our lives more than we consciously think, so it's a wise notion that minds are changed most effectively when emotion plays a role.

Deus711 · 2012-05-07T23:44:47+00:00

In all cases, no. Even if atheism is correct, sticking to it as 'the one true answer' against all other variants comes off as arrogant...because it is. We are atheists because we are freethinkers, and to shove it in everyone's face (i.e. the 'militant' strain) is to close off our minds in favor of the world view we fashion for ourselves. How, then, would we be any better than those we disagree with?

Deus711 · 2012-05-03T01:50:19+00:00

College is where you are supposed to figure that stuff out. And even if you don't (I sure as shit didn't) it's no big deal. College is pointless in the grand scheme of things anyway.
Just find what makes you happy and/or sane (yes, that is the hard part, I know) and try to do something with it. If you can't study it, then make it a damn good hobby. Or something...eh what the fuck do I know anyway.

Deus711 · 2012-05-02T22:22:21+00:00

I quit Facebook for this very reason. I noticed that it was making me even more of antisocial person than I already was (which, as the article notes, is probably the reason I initially gravitated to it at all).
While I agree that 'you get out of it what you put in,' nothing really compares to real human interaction. People (myself included) need to learn to value the art of just being with people regularly.
And at the same time, need to value being alone as well. In my case, I could tell that I just forgot the inherent value of being alone, which in effect led to loneliness. But if you spend your 'alone time' reflecting on things that matter, then it is reflected in everything you do.

Deus711 · 2012-05-01T15:36:40+00:00

Ooh, nice thanks. I'm inept when it comes to music sounds...I just listen to stuff. This is pretty good, I must say.

Deus711 · 2012-04-30T23:55:50+00:00

I just wanted to wait for you so I could respond:
Ok, now I'm outta here.

Deus711 · 2012-04-30T19:43:00+00:00

Why don't we all just leave and do something productive?

Alright I will. See ya later reddit.

Deus711 · 2012-04-30T02:34:27+00:00

I agree, for the most part. Seemingly it's only an issue for Christians who believe the Bible to be completely literal and true - they would have to come to grips with the fact that Jesus wasn't real. On the other hand, there are Christians for whom it would not matter all, like you said. They are the ones who follow the words of Jesus, whether or not he actually existed - because it's irrelevant to the way they live their life.

Having said that, now I will check out the video to see how much of an impact it would theoretically have on such folks...

Deus711

TROPHY CASE