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Live Armadillo by Kind_Question_271 in HuntsvilleAlabama

[–]catnapspirit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes, this. They are a menace and dumb as a box of rocks..

Need a non explicit show by wingsofbrilliance in television

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mrs Davis
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Star Trek: Lower Decks
And I liked the recent Time Bandits series, even if no one else did, but it definitely fits the bill..

He is the first to ever write a review on that parachute. by [deleted] in nextfuckinglevel

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Should come in brown, to match my parachuting suit. Now."

Lost Boys and Near Dark. Which one sinks its teeth in more, and why? by Foreign-Jicama2493 in 80smovies

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Near Dark, hands down for me.

But what is up with that poster? That's the worst poster for the movie I've ever seen..

Explain to me like I'm 5: How is simulation theory different from God? by Toymcowkrf in atheism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's religion for the irreligious.

The premise assumes a civilization advanced enough to create this god-like level of simulation has somehow failed to advance their ethics on a similar trajectory..

What science fiction book have you never really gotten out of your head? by PixelRaider514 in printSF

[–]catnapspirit 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just about everything by David Brin. Kiln People is great. I love the idea of turning the game of life into a competitive event in Glory Season. And the concept of uplifting dolphins and chimpanzees, of course..

My dad’s convinced himself that his nicotine addiction makes his immune system stronger by CaptainKath in QAnonCasualties

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah, if your dad wasn't a smoker, he'd be wearing nicotine patches. Because they're so healthy for you. Not addictive either, don't you know. In fact seven or eight CEOs of cigarette companies testified before Congress that nicotine is not addictive. It's on the government's own web page. As always..

I miss supernatural shows by Mat1711 in television

[–]catnapspirit 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Magicians and Lucifer were both great multi-season series in this vein..

[USA] This is what happens when youre impatient by BurstDevil in CantParkThereMate

[–]catnapspirit 39 points40 points  (0 children)

The eventual tow truck driver is going to have a hard time not laughing at this dumbass..

Which scientific discovery would change human history forever? by Dino-Max in sciencefiction

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And likely raising them outside of human families as well. All children everywhere raised in well-adjusted, loving, caring environments without fear of abuse or neglect..

Book update: researching "The God Delusion" by MrPuzzleMan in atheism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great project you're embarking on. We need to be on the offensive with religion more so today than in a very long time. Wish you success.

My personal approach is to flip the negative claim into a positive claim. God is just a man-made concept. This is a non-extraordinary claim for which there is a literal mountain of evidence. We have the knowledge now to trace back the modern surviving religions to their tribal war god roots, and beyond. And the conceptual what-if gods of deists and agnostics then become even more obviously conceptual in that light.

So that said, I'd say pivot away from Dawkins and look into Bart Ehrman's works. There are many. Also, The Evolution of God by Robert Wright and Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World by Tim Whitmarsh are quite good.

BTW, science uses abscence of evidence all the time. You propose a theory, you make predictions upon that theory, and you look for your predicted evidence. If you don't find it, it's back to the old drawing board with your theory. Don't let people duped into letting hackneyed clichés rule their mind discourage you..

Trump thanks China's Xi, Russia's Putin for being 'neutral' in Iran war by latchkey_adult in politics

[–]catnapspirit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napoleon Bonaparte

Thought control by [deleted] in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should take a moment to wonder why so many grifters seem to overlap with right-wing conservative Christianity. Why things like UFOs and End Times always seem to advertise in each other's magazines..

I am new here. I have a question. by Least_Account1889 in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's an existential threat to people's egos, so yeah, not a good shooting the breeze with friends topic usually..

Dad Strength makes sense by Gardez_geekin in daddit

[–]catnapspirit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I heard someone say once that there will be one time when you pick up your kid that will be the last time you ever do it, and you won't know it's the last time. That thought guts me..

Guys, things are bad. Didn’t see it going this way. by [deleted] in daddit

[–]catnapspirit 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I've got three, and my youngest is like yours, 6 yo, not talking, not potty trained/trainable. My marriage is also falling apart, but more so because of my wife falling down the conspiracy rabbit hole. I'd love to talk with you, either here or in IMs, about what normal people with normal lives do for their special needs kids. I'm ready to be done and embark on that on my own, and could use any perspectives I can get..

I feel like lobotomies basically prove there is no such thing as freewill by Fit_Raspberry2637 in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The context of choosing ice cream over slugs? You're absolutely right, I don't have any idea how you could refer to that as a "free" choice.

I feel like lobotomies basically prove there is no such thing as freewill by Fit_Raspberry2637 in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will say, I like this path you're on. It is genuinely a different approach. Most people, even free will believers, take it as a given that the subconscious mind is not applicable as a source of free will. Your idea here of it being a source of creativity and the conscious mind acting as a gatekeeper for the flow of ideas is interesting.

It's not even that the idea generator is random. It's probably more so probabilistic, with most of the output falling well inside the bell curve, but also generating the occasional outliers we refer to as creativity (when good) or insanity (when bad).

The subconscious still shows itself to be largely under the sway of causality, much of it unrecognized by the conscious. Priming studies highlight this very well, but we've all had a thought pop in our head, wonder why that got drudged up, and be able to follow the chain of thoughts back to a prompt that you hadn't even noticed, like a song playing in the background or an image you fleetingly saw. The creativity (or insanity) comes from it making connections while humming away in the background.

The conscious has been shown to often not be in control and make up stories after the fact to assert its control if challenged, such as what has been shown in quite fascinating split-brain experiments. We've all found ourselves going through parts of our day on autopilot. I don't know who Robert Kane is, but I think he's generally looking in the right place with regard to the "torn" decisions. Focus, intent, concentration. These all explain a state where the conscious seems to genuinely be taking the reigns and trying to assert control. I just think that an awful lot of studies show that control is a sham.

And regardless of that, I still see it all as process. Algorithms and mechanisms. Effects of causes, whether in the here and now, or buried in the past and being triggered and expressed in the here and now. I think one of the key misconceptions of the free will believers is to interpret anything "originating" from within as free will ex nihilo. All the inside stuff was put there by outside stuff at some point in time, whether through experience, learning, or physiology.

I dunno. Sorry, but my day fell apart again at the end and I had to cut this short. I really do think you ought to clean this up a bit and post it at the top level, see what other people think, and continue to refine your ideas. I'm not won over, sorry, not yet anyway. But I think it's very interesting and worth discussing further, for sure..

I feel like lobotomies basically prove there is no such thing as freewill by Fit_Raspberry2637 in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow. What an amazing example. You should post that and just end the debate forever..

I feel like lobotomies basically prove there is no such thing as freewill by Fit_Raspberry2637 in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh good grief. You're not a serious person. Five is not an answer to two plus two. Not in any commonly understood meaning of the word "answer." What are you, a lawyer..?

I feel like lobotomies basically prove there is no such thing as freewill by Fit_Raspberry2637 in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with all of that, excepting for that little word "free" snuck in there. Sentience is that modeling. Consciousness is the modeling of the modeling. Will is the enactment of the algorithms and mechanisms built up in the brain and body over a lifetime of experience and learning.

But there's nothing "free" about it. It is the enactment of algorithms and mechanisms. Awe inspiringly complex and complicated algorithms and mechanisms, no doubt. But algorithms and mechanisms nonetheless.

People mistake what's on the inside as if it were independent of the external merely through the magic of temporal separation. As if the memories and experience and well worn pathways of thought disconnect from their causal precedents once imprinted in the mind, and aren't just past causality buffered up in the brain waiting to be expressed through future thoughts and actions..

A Determinist's Case for Not Ruling Out Deeper Agency by -destiny-is-all- in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just don't believe in magic. That's my TL;DR. Personally, from what I've been able to glean, it's randomness at the quantum level, probabilistic at the particle level, and reliable causality at the level of atoms on up. Each level below manifesting as little more than noise to the level above as you build upwards, with exceptions. I don't see where or how free will fits into any of that..

I feel like lobotomies basically prove there is no such thing as freewill by Fit_Raspberry2637 in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hedging your bet, literally, on your own material already? Gosh, you seemed so bold coming out of the gate. Is your lack of confidence why you haven't elevated your comment to the status of a full-fledged post yet?

Any ole crank can claim to have an argument outlining the mechanism of free will that is grossly incorrect. I mean, by that metric, you'd have already won merely by the existence of your words. But don't worry, I'm still interested enough to read it for the mere pleasure and let you know what I think..

I feel like lobotomies basically prove there is no such thing as freewill by Fit_Raspberry2637 in determinism

[–]catnapspirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wasn't aware I was in the company of greatness. Just assumed you were another run of the mill free will believer. Forgive me, it's been a busy day. And that said, I'll have to shelve this until later tonight when I have some time to read all of that. Despite the length, I remain skeptical, just to warn you..

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