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If you had the choice to live forever or to eventually die, which one would you choose... To get more meaning out of this, pretend that you would be in paradise for the rest of your life...
If you lived forever, you would realize that you will always be conscious and it will NEVER end... If you died, then you will NEVER be able to have consciousness again...
No matter how hard I try to convince myself that immortality is a curse, I find myself wishing nonetheless I could live forever.
The reason being that I might see whether or not hope is valid. To know that everything that has ever been fought for has not been in vain. And to find out once and for all whether or not love is merely an illusion.
Ah so your proposing a reality whereby death = eternal non-existence; and life = eternal existence in your current, physical form?
That makes things very tough. I think i would still choose life though. There would still be opportunity for spiritual evolution and increased awareness. There's still so much i don't understand. I would perhaps regret it, but i would choose life. I wouldn't take paradise though. I would want life to take its natural course. If paradise was a necessity i would choose death.
It basically boils down to... Known vs. Unknown...
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/1/18/662148/0-21.jpg
Honestly though, your question comes from that of ignorance... or unknown...
We already do live forever and we just inherently choose to forget that...
That is because all dualistic principles are two sides of the same coin... Remembering vs. Forgetting... Wholeness vs. Emptiness... etc... etc...
This game we play with memory...
A little thing called samsara...
Live forever, don't even need to think about it.
I would only wish to live forever, if I stopped aging at a certain age.
I want to see what happens to the world when it goes boom :)
Forever is the only moment.
卐 卍
Indeed, this is an easy choice. I would also choose to live forever.Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoSun13
Do you wish to live in this moment?
HAHAHAHAHAHA
It's funny. :D
Do you wish to live?
Yeah me too, I love to see it blow, and stop aging at a certain point in my life like 21...Quote:
Originally Posted by slayer
I would gladly choose a mortal life where I eventually die. No that does not mean I want to die right now, and I don't really look forward to the whole dying thing, but a reasonably long life (say 100 years at most) where I was happy and able to enjoy life would be just fine.
Immortality is poorly thought-out and the result of greed and/or fear. Spout your "it would be in paradise" nonsense all you want. Eventually at some point it would get boring. And there would be no escape.
But that's not true you wouldn't get bored...Think of all the things you can do...
Learn alot of new things and invent alot of usefull things and whitness the world changing and met alot of cool and uncool people!
Do you wish to wish?Quote:
Originally Posted by really
Im guessing this means that being imortal is not live..But thats wrong in a sense.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
Yeah you might not be living like breathing and have the chose of death but you are still living like learning and loving.
Dying and living are the same thing...
The minute you are born you are already dying...
The perceiver behind each perception is the same though...
Thus... "You" are forever alive in the moment in one form or another...
I agree..Life is the same for everyone...
born grew learn die...But some detail are different like Tim has cancer or I play paino.
I am in no position to make such a decision.
You would learn everything in the world and then what??? Like Photolysis said, there would be no escape... You would be stuck... Try to think about how long forever is... Some of you are going about this live forever situation in a shallow way... You might be thinking, "Since I'm immortal, I'll be able to do everything that I've wanted to do because there are no time constraints and no consequences." Eventually, everything that you thought to be exciting would become boring and then you would have nothing to do... Try thinking about it this way... Your life would be a long and endless road with billions of exits and stops along the way... The beginning of the road would be loaded with exits... (Skydiving, finding cures, driving your dream car) Of course there would be billions of more things that you could accomplish... These stops could last for zillions and zillions of years... After zillions of years, I'm sure that you would get bored of driving your dream car and skydiving... Now all you have left is finding cures... Eventually, you would run out of diseases... Now, let's say that you've been driving down this road for 80000000000000000 billion years. Everything has already become boring to you... You've found all of the cures and there are no more stops along the road... What are you gonna do for the rest of time??? Some of you think that you would never want to die... Being immortal would be a fate much worse than death...Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoSun13
It boils down to whether this would be infinite lifetime in a finite world of finite possibility, or in an infinite world of infinite possibility, and also upon whether I would remain the same me, or if I could grow and become more and more forever.
I'm still thinking about it though, I could see becoming bored with the finite world and finite me, and possibly even an infinite world and a finite me, but with an infinite world and infinite room for growth of myself, I'm not sure.... Certainly an interesting thing to think about.
Uh huh, you would NEVER get bored? Hah.Quote:
But that's not true you wouldn't get bored...Think of all the things you can do...
Learn alot of new things and invent alot of usefull things and whitness the world changing and met alot of cool and uncool people!
Do you have ANY idea about the timescales involved here?
Anyone who says they do want immortality simply has no understanding of the numbers they would be dealing with. Even using conventional numbers a trillion, it would be agnonizing.
Well along with the infinite time of living forever, comes infinite possibilities. The two just seem to match up just right for me. Personally, I wouldn't get bored with infinite possibilities. And it's not like things just become boring to do after you do them. And if after a few hundred times they do start seeming ordinary, just step it up a notch... Do everything again, only high. Or on laughing gas. Also, I don't think sex would ever get boring, or love. I would probably end up just creating amazing music if I had an eternity. And that would never get boring. For me anyways, I love music. But even though I would have a blast living forever, I would choose death and whatever comes with that over living forever. Although I am not against prolonging life a few hundred years. Forever may be a bitch to some people, but what about 1000 years?
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Originally Posted by NightLife
I understand what you mean, but I honestly don't think that.
But it could be I think that and you don't because we are different..
But think of what we you would see, All the cool things and bad things that will change the world we see today...Quote:
Originally Posted by Photolysis
I'm thinking of this live forever thing in a different light. The OP simply stated that we would always be conscious, not that our actions were restricted to the activities of our current lives. I would choose immortality with the view to find out who i truly am in a spiritual sense. I would spend years devoted to meditation and things like that to see whether that could actually take me anywhere. Eternity is a long time, and my beliefs lead me to think that i could evolve my mind and live within an altered state of consciousness where life seems quite different. That's just a vague concept and i don't mean anything concrete by it, but that's the general idea i'm approaching this with.
In the extreme/fantastical i could even imagine myself eventually evolving my being to something that has little connection to this physical reality we commit ourselves to. Remember, all that was stipulated was consciousness, not the nature of this consciousness.
Basically what i'm saying is: think of all that we don't know about life and ourselves. Then think of what an eternity might uncover. Who knows, maybe choosing death would mean bypassing some kind of literal Nirvana. Of course, if you don't exist there's nothing to regret and it won't make any difference. But i for one would choose to experience life.
Do you wish to change your "name"?Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyclic13
I was asking the ridiculous question because there is no question about it. :D If you want to live forever, seek truth. If you want to live with the world (not live), then do not seek truth.Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoSun13
Eternity is Now, Life is Now. "You'll" remember at some point...
I still would love immortality..
The problem is: after the Earth is destroyed (which will most certainly happen within the next few thousand years or earlier) then what do you do? You wander around in space, and since we can't travel at the speed of light or faster, we wander around to lifeless planets. If we could live forever and be able to travel extremely fast, then we could visit new galaxies and find other Earths that are almost identical to ours, except not destroyed yet... and then we could have fun there. But if it was a question of simply living forever, after billions of years, and nothing left to experience, you will want to die and leave it all behind. But you can't, you're trapped forever, in a vast and possibly infinite universe. I would rather live to see the end of the world, and then die peacefully. But as for the question, I'll pick death.
In the context of spirituality, eternal life is beyond the mortal ego. Therefore, as eternal life and bliss, boredom and suffering are out of the question.
Given the current question, I don't know why anyone would pick mortality. One could always choose to live forever, and then decide at a later date to kill themselves if life got boring, or if they simply wanted to see "what death is like."
I can't see how mortality would not be an option even after immortality was chosen unless you really just want to make the question even more unrealistic than it already is.
Actually, you are choosing to live forever or not, all the time! Right Now! Every instant, you choose how you will live, and the reason you can realize eternal life at anytime is because you are always forgiven from your ignorance.
The way I interpreted it is that, if you choose eternal life, killing yourself is not an option. It also implies you cannot become paralyzed/contract illness and can breath in space/underwater, etc. Otherwise the question becomes moot because you don't, in fact, have to have consciousness forever.
I would choose life either in a paradise or in this life. If this life, I would gain knowledge and use that to benefit mankind. A wise immortal might even be able to help curtail all wars-- who knows. If in paradise, I could only say I hope the possibilities to do there are infinite.
If this life, and the time comes that the earth is destroyed, it becomes tricky. One would assume you'd simply float through space for most of an eternity, if not an eternity. Your only hope could be advancing human beings to such a stage that they can colonize space and move out from earth.
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Originally Posted by really
We all live in this moment, we just like to make plans, or think back.
Anyway, live forever...does that include ego? if so then i'll take die into nothingness...i could not stand living 100 years, even if everything was all paradise let alone forever. Lose the ego, and nobody would get bored...we get bored BECAUSE of the ego. The only thing is..lose the ego, lose the human.
I am afraid of death.
I think this question is the one I can answer the quickest without being mistaken : die someday, make everything stop.:banana:
I would choose to die, as long as I would be able to live for a long time ( lets say 95). I'm not afraid of death, I'm just afraid of dying when I'm still young. I'm 16 right now & it would suck really bad if I died tomorrow.
Plus it makes life more interesting when you don't know when your going to die. I do stupid things all the time, & I never know if something go wrong.
I'd get bored if I could lie forever, I'd rather be in Heaven with all my family & friends.
I never wanna die.
I would choose immortality. Not because I fear death, but because I love learning so much that I would gladly live forever if it meant I could see what happens beyond my mortal lifespan. And, once the earth was destroyed, even if I had to stay conscious the entire time I was in sace, even if I couldn't breathe, couldn;t move without oxygen to power my muscles, I could still find escape in madness. If I found a 15-30% oxygenated planet with liquid water, moderate sunlight, and seasons, the bacteria housed within my immortal body could eventually rise into a species that, if not physically similar to humans, could eventually communicate with me, or I with them. And once the universe died, either I would pass once again into madness, this time forever, and there seek solace and company, or I would find what it was like to live in a void of nothingness if it collapsed, possibly becoming the god of a new universe.
I feel really peaceful right now.
I as well, but I still fear death.
I think this question is the one I can answer the quickest without being mistaken : die someday, make everything stop.:banana:
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Forever is the only moment.
卐 卍
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is the only moment.
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the only moment.
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only moment.
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moment.
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CLOUD'S a Nazi!!!Quote:
卐 卍
So, wait, we live forever, not in another form of concioussness but the concioussness we have right now? Wow... Non-existance is a scary thought. But on the other hand, when I look at it logically, one way I'll regret it and one way I won't.
So....
If I was in a different level of conciousness or a different reality, I'd choose life. As the question, stands however, I think of this...
"The gods envy us. Because we are mortal. Everything is more beautiful, because we are doomed." ~Achilles, Troy
I fear what happens after death.
Yes, to extremes.Quote:
Originally Posted by LucidFlanders
The ego/human is mortal. You can live forever, simply because you are truly not human. The concept is, the ego naturally thinks it is the cause of everything it does and takes prideful credit for its life, when in actual fact, it functions of its own accord in the sea of infinite potentiality, in complete unison with everything else.Quote:
Originally Posted by LucidFlanders
It is safe to say, 95% of the worlds population thinks they do things, thinks they think, when in Reality, they are just being what they are. They go about their life for what it contains, and some might ask "Why am I doing this? What is life really about?", when truthfully, they already know everything, and they already know that they do nothing. But because of the ego, "they know not what they do", they just think they're doing it.
This is perfectly normal and understandable. You fear the unknown; you fear you'd become nothing. The truth is, you're afraid of what is illusion. For one thing, the only thing which dies, is not the real "you", and second thing, there is no loss from realizing this, possible. What is there to fear in infinite love? - The simple notion that you do not know what that is.Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoSun13
You're also afraid of dying because you believe you can, when actually, the illusions are all that dies. "Physical death", is not even death either, since life will change form, eternally conserved - as energy.
Why? I'm sure our bodies make great feasts for earthworms and maggots. :PQuote:
Originally Posted by EchoSun13
So you're looking forward to it? :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Jeff777
My body will no longer be useful and I won't be "there". So...sure why not. :P But that won't be for another 100 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
I think Echosun means, what will happen to "I" after death.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff777
Die and not have consciousness. In the end it depends what kind of existence it would be. The one like right now, without death, or some nirvana like, oneness experience. If it's the latter then I might choose life, but otherwise, no.
It's safer to die anyway. Who knows what happens in an infinite amount of time and how you'll feel. It might get pretty boring, and by pretty I mean by an infinite amount.
Because you can't kill yourself. At least that's how I understand the maker of this thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaqaria
Oh thanks...very helpful.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff777
Being afraid of death is for pussies.
Being afraid of death is one of the consequences of having an animal mind whose primary intention is to survive.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
That's what I said. Retarded pussies.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
I would die. Think about it. You would be living....FOREVER!!!!! You would live on eternally no matter what. Everyone else would eventually die, and the race could become extinct. You would eventually be alone and perhaps eventually be re-discovered billions of years later. What if you are jettisoned from a space ship? You'd float on forever and ever and ever, never to be found by anyone or anything for....EVER! Once you gain all the knowledge the universe has to offer, you would have the rest of forever. Anything that can be done can be measured by time. Forever is infinitely larger than any given amount of time whether it be 1 second or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years.
For me, there's just too much wrong with the concept of living forever. Death is your friend, not your foe.
Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
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Originally Posted by Neruo
Don't take it personally, Neruo's just projecting his negative images again.Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoSun13
I would choose death without a doubt. Having eternal life would be like a nightmare. Regardless of how many things there are for you to do, you'll eventually find no joy in any of those things. Even the most amazing of things will feel dull after a couple of billion years and infinity is something so incredibly large human mind simply cannot comprehend it. Even if you'd spend an infinity trying out things you want to do, once you've actually done those things, you still have an infinity ahead of you. I'm sure any person would eventually become insane during this infinitely long lifetime. Another thing I really don't like about the idea of immortality is watching everything I know and love slowly withering away as I alone remain in this world. Just the thought of living for an eternity after everyone I care for has died is enough convince me that immortality isn't all that great. I'd rather have a lifetime of experiences than an eternity of doing nothing. Seriously, what is there left to enjoy in life once you've experienced everything there is to experience and done everything there is to do?
So yeah, death for me. I'd even pick a slow, excruciatingly painful death over immortality any day because nothing can be worse than living forever.
You're welcome! Did you also notice I called you 'retarded' too? Don't mention it, no problemo.Quote:
Originally Posted by EchoSun13
Virtually everybody's afraid of death. Certainly everyone here. Unless you're autistic or something...
...oh yeah, maybe about half the people here then.
You are just so nice, you make me feel warm and fuzzy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
It's okay, Echo. I think that even Nerou will agree that he can be a serious Jack-Ass.
A jackass...Nerou..Never.
:roll:
Oh I am certainly aware of the fact that can be quite a jackass. But I am sure that's what they said of Gandhi too. And Martin Luther king, wasn't he a bit of a jackass too, just like me? So there you have it. Stop crying. Shush.
Comparing yourself to important figures in history. :P Narcissism for the win?
I wouldn't want to compare myself to Gandhi and Martin Luther King. I mean, I don't want to make them look bad.Quote:
Originally Posted by GestaltAlteration
Narcissism for the lol ^___^
If I could live in a perfect place for all eternity, I would like to live forever.Quote:
Originally Posted by NightLife
Though only if everything is perfect forever.
Also only if I can sleep.
People here seem to think eternal life would be boring.
Lolz you would be like highlander, forgetting entire centuries worth of your life untill someone reminds you hehe.
You can't make anything look bad, except to yourself. Live forever, or pretend you don't.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
Do you think you need to wait forever to see if you live forever? :D
You missed that 'Narcissism for the lol ^___^' part, didn't you? Stoo-pit.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
Yes, mainly because I didn't see it, as it is white. Don't call me stupid. :PQuote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
You missed my point, did you?
Your point?Quote:
Originally Posted by really
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You can't make anything look bad, except to yourself. Live forever, or pretend you don't.
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... except to yourself. Live .... you don't.
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yourself. don't.
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elf. Live on't.
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f. t.
I found two points!Quote:
. .
As for meaning or relevance, your post had none. Again.
Wow...Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
You brought the King into this,
My first point is that your perception arises from you, and not me or the world. You have a choice to change the way you think, and how what you see affects you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
My second point is that eternal life is Reality, simply because it is beyond time. You do not need to live forever to prove that you live forever, because that is impossible and misses the point. You live forever simply because the true Reality is timeless.
I disagree, I have seen people who were once alive be dead.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
So...you're insane. Joo are born, Joo live, Joo die.
The circle of death.
What did I say again? Oh yeah:Quote:
Originally Posted by really
Guess I was right.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
If I curb-stomp your face, and you lose function in the area of the brain you use for rational thinking, you lose an important part of what made 'you' you. If you curb-stomp you some more, and you lose brain function, you stop living, hence die. You stop to exist in all relevant way, by no being concious (or capable of being concious anytime in the near future).
What 'you' are, and experience is caused by neural activity. If I curb-stomp your brain, you fucking die and stop to exist. Since them fucking neurons can't communicate in a way to produce experiences and conciousness as they normally do, since they are splattered all over the fucking pavement. Get that into your fat skull for once. The matter that made up your brain that keeps on existing doesn't make it so that you keep on existing, in any relevant way, all it does it make the curb have a funny color until next time it rains.
http://www.carniola.org/photos/uncat...rb_stomp_1.jpg
(nazi's suck, but curb-stomping is just steven-seagal-like hilarious. It also is a great metaphor to illustrate the definiteness of physical death. Or something.)
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Originally Posted by Smarties
this idea has a point sooner or later you will have done everything you can do. . now being realistic the earth will get to hot or cold for life so then you would have to die. religious folks have it made though they dont have to worry about death because they have a illusion they'll live forever so theres a question since i take most of you beleive in god you will live forever anyway right? have fun in heaven ;)
If you lived forever couldn't you somehow MAKE yourself feel joy all the time, like somehow program your brain. That is of course assuming the universe has infinite possibilites.
What you see is what you see. There is the limitation of cause-effect; since you think you are your body, they must be too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandform
Even here, there is the limitation of cause-effect is demonstrated by thinking consciousness is a product of neuronal activity. While it may objectively appear so, there is far more in the picture of Reality than this. This is analogous to believing sunlight is a product of the sky.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
If you truly knew you lived forever, you wouldn't need to. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by TimeStopper
No, actually it isn't. You are just to dogmatic in your belief of sort sort of metaphysical nature of consciousness that you deny all empirical evidence and rational reasoning that point in another direction. You have no problem accepting Einstein's laws, because they don't clash with your dogmatic new-agey belief-system. However, like Christians, when it comes to science and philosophy of the mind, you stick with your irrational assumptions and call people that don't share your dogma's close-minded or accuse them of having a limited perspective.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
I don't deny evidence, but simply accept what it cannot reveal. How does brain neurology have universal and infinite qualities - the qualities of consciousness itself? Explain the relevance and/or the relationships.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
I've never said anyone is close minded, and if you think it is a bad thing to have low awareness than you have heard me wrong.
Nice dogmas you have there. 'Universal and infinite qualities'. Where did you read that? In one of your new-agey books? What does 'universal and infinite qualities' even mean? Come back if, thanks to your infinite qualities of your conciousness, you give me the 10^1000000th prime number. Good luck! Tap into that infinity o' yours, brotha!Quote:
Originally Posted by really
These are properties of consciousness, to name a few: Interconnected, infinite, nonlinear, eternal, formless, intangible, potentiality. These are properties which cannot be detected by instruments that deal with physical matter and form; thus can't be proven. However, the concept itself explains the seemingly miraculous, oneness, remote viewing, deep intuition, advanced awareness, chaotic/unpredictable realm (beyond time/space), law of attraction/intention, scales of subjective truth/consciousness, clairvoiyance. Commonly regarded as the (quantum) field of consciousness and links perfectly well with spiritual reality/truths.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
No, these are words you read in some quacks new-agey book.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
I mean, what are the odds a neuroscientist or a philosopher knows it better than you?
All those dogmatic things are philosophically bankrupt. Go get a course of philosophy of mind, and you will be laughed at.
We can do a shitload of tests that show the role of brain-areas on the conciousness, seriously, stop pulling words out of your ass. You are just making stuff up, idiot.Quote:
These are properties which cannot be detected by instruments that deal with physical matter and form; thus can't be proven.
Quote:
However, the concept itself explains the seemingly miraculous, oneness, remote viewing, deep intuition, advanced awareness, chaotic/unpredictable realm (beyond time/space), law of attraction/intention, scales of subjective truth/consciousness, clairvoiyance. Commonly regarded as the (quantum) field of consciousness and links perfectly well with spiritual reality/truths.
FUCKING BULLSHIT
Those things don't prove the mind is 'infinite', actually, those things arn';t even the case. Jesus fucking christ stop believing everything you want to believe. Remote viewing is utter bullshit. Just go to a spirtual convention, and look at all the motherfucking quacks. You're in great company there roger, jesus fucking christ.
Laws of attraction? Stop reading your moms ophra-books. It's fucking bullshit. They tested the hell out of these kind of nonsense, and it just isn't the case.
If I cumb-stomp you, and I wish someone did to get some rationality in you, you might lose certain brain functions. Gosh, you can't idenity faces anymore because that part of your brain is fried. How infinite is the mind then? A bit less infinite? How can something be less infinite? Are autists born a bit less inifite too?
And if I take one pat of your brain away at a time, you will be able to do less and less 'infinite' 'nonlinear' functions, and then you fucking die. Or do you get your visual cortex back somehow if you die? Oops! There goes 'eternal', out the fucking window.
You might like these, you can look at them:
http://www-physics.lbl.gov/~stapp/stappfiles.html
I am sorry it's all a bunch of nonsense. No actual quantum physicists endorse the insane ideas proposed by people that thought up that new-agey 'quantum' theory of yours. It is all a bunch of wishful-thinking nonsense. Sure you can look at things that way, but you can also look at the world seeing donuts as holy relics. And that would be complete bullshit, and equally so is the world-view you have adopted.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
Well thanks for the review, come back if you need to.. :PQuote:
Originally Posted by Neruo
I am not going anywhere. As are facts. You'll bash your head real hard on them one day.Quote:
Originally Posted by really
I've no problems with facts...
Neuro, this generalization is hypocritical in that it has it's dogma of it's own.Quote:
However, like Christians, when it comes to science and philosophy of the mind, you stick with your irrational assumptions and call people that don't share your dogma's close-minded or accuse them of having a limited perspective.
As all arguments against Reality.Quote:
Originally Posted by spockman
Though, the interpretations are relative; nothing wrong with this.