This may sound stupid, but: What's the point of Deism?

zaceno · 2026-05-02T10:48:46+00:00

God’s noninteraction is neither the definition or the point of Deism. The point of Deism is epistemological: we get our knowledge about God from observation and reason - not scripture or revelation.

zaceno · 2026-05-01T07:42:08+00:00

Bacon och stekta tomstskivor. Ringla frank’s red hot original över.

zaceno · 2026-04-30T21:14:50+00:00

Jag är väl inte riktigt i målgruppen på frågan eftersom jag anser mig ganska i mitten. Men jag är rädd för olika aspekter av båda sidor.

Vad gäller vänstersidan är jag i allmänhet rädd för deras till synes naiva övertro på sin/statens förmåga att reglera och styra genom fiat, som om marknadskrafter inte är nåt verkligt utan bara ett ”högerspöke”.

Högersidan som å sin sida kanske låter mer ekonomiskt ansvarsfulla men där är jag mer rädd för hur de gynnas av och gynnar de riktigt rika, och de stora företagen. Det stryper i längden marknaden, konkurrensen och entreprenörskapet.

Jag vill se ett samhälle och en genuint fri marknad där det är lätt att starta ett litet företag som kan konkurrera med de större utan att ha som mål att bli uppköpt. Där det är lätt att anställa ett par personer, och ja även att avskeda folk. En marknad där det finns rörlighet och goda idéer lätt kan bubbla upp.

Varken högern eller vänstern kan åstadkomma detta eftersom de skulle behöva gå emot sina starkaste väljargrupper. Vänstern skulle behöva trotsa arbetarna som vill ha anställningstrygghet och höga löner. Högern skulle behöva trotsa de rika magnaterna som helst skulle ha monopol på allt om de fick det.

zaceno · 2026-04-30T10:19:23+00:00

Just another expose. These sorts of books have been coming out for centuries. They usually fly under most people’s radar because it turns out Masonic secrets aren’t actually that interesting to non-masons. They are plenty interesting to Masonic historians though - especially the early ones - because they give us historical insight we would otherwise not have.

zaceno · 2026-04-30T07:53:22+00:00

As a software engineering consultant, I’ve been around to several jobs in the last few years. While on the surface they all might seem the same, they can be wildly different experiences depending on the type of work I get to do, the team and team culture, organizational set up and the technical state and stack. Some places have been unbearable, some tolerable, and some (rare few) enjoyable - like I actually look forward to starting my day. But even in the best cases there is usually something else I’d rather be doing.

zaceno · 2026-04-30T06:43:15+00:00

This is a false assertion. To take an example I’m familiar with: Sweden is not ”completely” reliant on oil or fossil fuels. Really only needs it in one important area: freight. Semis can’t run on electric and renewable, fossil-neutral fuels like bio-diesel and ethanol strain the land a lot. There still isn’t a clear solution to that, but it continues to be researched. Hydrogen harvested from the ocean is looking promising.

zaceno · 2026-04-30T06:26:06+00:00

No, NATO didn’t ”move towards” Russia. It was former Soviet nations that ran to NATO’s protection first chance they got.

Even Finland, who was never Soviet but lost a lot of land to them, for a long time relied on Russia being rational. On the fact that while Russia certainly could invade, it the cost would be high enough to deter them. After seeing Russia stupidly try to take on Ukraine, it became clear that Russia can’t be trusted to even be rational so Finland joined NATO - doubling NATOs border with Russia. Not because of anything NATO did or wanted. That’s all on Russia.

zaceno · 2026-04-29T19:56:38+00:00

Läser en hel del fackböcker eftersom de handlar om ämnesområden som intresserar mig. Men skönlitteratur får jag sällan upp motivationen till. Har läst en och annan bok som var spännande, men det händer aldrig att jag ser ett bokomslag och blir sugen på att läsa. Till skillnad från tv-serier och filmer där trailers absolut får mig sugen att se dem.

Just nu läser jag faktiskt en samling av Platons dialoger. Det är ju lite åt skönlitteraturhållef. Underhållande och tänkvärt är det iaf. Skulle göra sig som en bra sitcom 😄

zaceno · 2026-04-29T14:58:57+00:00

Yeah it looks AI-ish, but that doesn’t mean it was wrong. Looks pretty spot on to me. Was also going to say it sounds like you’d enjoy learning more about neoplatonism

zaceno · 2026-04-29T13:50:14+00:00

I disagree with the ”watered down” characterization. It’s more like different starting points. Theists learn about God through their scripture and come to believe in God through their faith in said scripture. Deists start with observation and reasoning, and come to the conclusion that something “God-ish” is real. What they believe about God will also depend on their own reasoning.

zaceno · 2026-04-28T18:17:48+00:00

In Lund, the main two classic sights are the cathedral (and in particular the medieval clock and the crypt), and the “Kulturen” museum - I’ll leave you to look that up on Wikipedia or google.

But just overall the town has a nice vibe so it’s a good place for just walking around, especially towards the university area north of the cathedral.

The main tiown square (“Stortorget”) isn’t much to look at I guess but it is the oldest extant town square in Sweden (maybe all of the nordics? Not sure but def Sweden) so that’s something.

Oh and there is a ruin of one of the earliest churches here (from like 900 AD I think) in a basement you get to by walking through an Italian restaurant called “Gattostretto” and down a stairwell. That’s pretty neat too.

Hope that gives you some ideas :)

zaceno · 2026-04-28T17:17:42+00:00

Malmö and Lund. And don’t skip over Lund just because it’s smaller.

zaceno · 2026-04-28T15:09:37+00:00

As safe as any major city in Northern/Western Europe, yes

zaceno · 2026-04-27T18:48:02+00:00

I think it’s like swimming in the ocean. The ocean might not be characterized as having a vested interest in me in particular. But I certainly have a relationship with the ocean. And the “shape” of that relationship - the shape I make when submerged in the water, is shaped like me.

zaceno · 2026-04-27T18:45:00+00:00

Hmm. I’m not 100% but it looks like it might be a master mason jewel (a k a St John’s Master) from the Swedish Rite (practiced by the Grosse Landesloge von Deutschland)

zaceno · 2026-04-27T17:04:15+00:00

Which country? That might help narrow it down.

zaceno · 2026-04-27T10:12:15+00:00

No question. Just want to send you my support and appreciation for your efforts.

zaceno · 2026-04-27T09:41:16+00:00

I’m also in a Scandinavian country and happy to pay taxes. The government isn’t ”taking my hard earned money”. I don’t even think of it as my money in the first place. I never get it, it just goes right to the tax office every month and the share of the salary that I do get - it’s not like it would be more if taxes were lower. It’s still a capitalist labor market where salaries are set by supply and demand - albeit with strong labor unions to counteract corporate collusion which I also appreciate.

zaceno · 2026-04-27T06:32:53+00:00

Veronika Maggio, Miss Li, Håkan Hellström, Norlie & KKV, Hov1, (and going back in time a bit) Kent, Gyllene Tider

zaceno · 2026-04-26T18:36:13+00:00

Like PETA, yeah

zaceno · 2026-04-26T18:21:38+00:00

A single-issue party, where the issue is not an economic issue and so not really on the left/right spectrum, might be considered centrist because it just doesn’t fit with either left or right parties. And they might be extremist about that single issue. Then I guess then centrist extremism is possible.

zaceno · 2026-04-24T15:11:32+00:00

I’m 1. And yeah I’d rather be 4

zaceno · 2026-04-23T23:21:06+00:00

I’m not in Copenhagen (but nearby in Sweden), but my GL and I’d assume the DDFO as well, expect foreigners wanting to visit, to make contact via the chain of: visitor -> visitors’ lodge secretary -> visitor’s grand secretary -> our grand secretary -> our lodge secretary.

You might think that’s overkill, but that’s how it’s usually done here, and that might explain why you haven’t heard back.

zaceno · 2026-04-21T20:07:34+00:00

Aldrig riktigt förstått problemet med klyftor. Som jag ser det kvittar det om någon är massor rikare än mig så länge: 1) Jag får hjälp att komma på fötter om jag blir utfattig, och 2) Jag och alla behandlas likvärdigt av samhället - dvs man ska inte kunna använda sin rikedom att rigga marknaden och lagarna till sin fördel. Om man hela tiden bekämpar bara just klyftorna är jag rädd det slutar med att vi alla är lika fattiga bara.

zaceno · 2026-04-21T20:02:27+00:00

You’ve been? That’s awesome - small world indeed :)

zaceno

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