What If The Human Desire To Be Curious
kida
Join Date: 2003-02-20 Member: 13778Members
Join Date: 2003-02-20 Member: 13778Members
<div class="IPBDescription">wasn't hindered by relgion and whatnot</div> What if the human desire to be curious wasn't hindered by the thought that God was the explanation for everything. In the past many intillegent human beings were killed either by their fellow peers or relgious superiors for thinking differently. Today, we are still being restricted by law and whatnot. What if people had complete freedom and government support to produce ideas to support mankind? Also, the changes we see today are not very dramatic, we seem to be slowly upgrading, like we are afraid to try something risky and big. I think it is about time we invented flying cars and whatnot eh? Maybe that is too radical to happen in a short time span, but think about? Flying cars! Look at NASA, they got mil funding...
This discussion can be of anything related to this topic, be free to use any example to explain if it was good for freedom of thinking to be restricted, or if it wasn't, and if it is still happenning a lot today? Where would we be?
Also be free to bring in offtopic related stuff, just try to make it interesting and discussable. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
This discussion can be of anything related to this topic, be free to use any example to explain if it was good for freedom of thinking to be restricted, or if it wasn't, and if it is still happenning a lot today? Where would we be?
Also be free to bring in offtopic related stuff, just try to make it interesting and discussable. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Comments
Ackk..guess we are "only human." That phrase itches at my leg..."only human"...Can't we become more than, "only human?"
I wish our human nature wasn't so flawed, then we would actually accomplish many things without being hindered by laziness and whatnot.
/end's pointless rant about many things that have no relevance to reality.
-peace.
The Dark Ages where the Catholic church suppressed anything it held to be a challenge occured ONLY in Europe. And it wasnt that long either. The Islamic empire treasured knowledge, as did the Romans, the Greeks - the list goes on.
Lets have an end to this "religion is slowing us down" rubbish. People always oppose that which is different, whether they be religious or not. Remember, religion is often used only as the excuse or justifier for how people already think, not as the actual reason.
The Catholic church had little to nothing scriptural to base its attack on a sun centred universe, but it wanted to shut Galileo down.
I'd like to see Mars colonized. Once that's done, they should have worldwide examinations to determine the most logical thinking men and women, and have them live on Mars with no laws or government, then check back in a few years to see what's been done.
I'd like to check back on Mars to do a body count - morals and government is what keeps harmony amongst people, not rational thinking. Rational thinking says - he has a banana. I cant take it from him cause hes stronger than me. But if I strangle him in his sleep, then I can have his banana. And that is perfectly justified rationally.
The moral person - look frankly I shouldnt do that to him because thats the wrong thing to do. I should do the right thing by him simply for the right things sake.
Blanket labelling of another opinion as "stupid", "naive", "short sighted", "racist", "communist", "socialist", "liberal", "conservative", or what have you is often so close to flaming that it takes experts to find a difference. If you wish to express your personal opinion about another persons notion, try to stay away from valuing terms, and try to be as rational as humanly possible - you're treading on thin ice, and insulting the other side by calling it what it is not can't be in your interest.
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When you say religious or when people say Christian, I'm not entirely sure people really know what they're talking about, because it's funny to watch people make these statements about the church and religion and everything they say is proven false by my lifestyle.
I don't understand where religion has impeded thought, maybe zealous religious groups, but they aren't acting by scripture.
What does the Bible have to do with flying cars ?
Nevermind the fact that the church has commited decades to providing medicine to third world countries, thinking that, I'm sure the church is itching to find less effective medicine ? Right ?
I don't understand where religion comes in anyway, were speaking of the government, and practically everything you listed could be funded privately. You could even reverse the statement, what if "curiousity didn't impede religion" ?
That would be nice, people might actually not think I'm a crack-pot just because I don't believe in what they do, I have to live every single day of my life disagreeing with the "common opinion" just because I feel people would rather act independently and remain in control of their own life and create their own philosophies on life which ultimately give me grief because by saying that I disagree with their personally thought theism I get told that I'm not open-minded, and that I'm just a jerk and what not.
In fact, if anything, today, the government and special interest groups are trying to remove God from everything, they are practically trying to wipe out Christianity as they simultaneously demand more freedom for Muslims and other religions (Originally said Muslims, but there are other groups too, Note: I'm not trying to critisize these groups, even if I don't agree).
Or, in that case...
"He has a banana. He's stronger than me, but I can strangle him in his sleep and take his banana... However.. Doing so would reduce the population, which would reduce the ability to grow and gather MORE bananas. So if I don't kill him, he can help us get more bananas, and then I'll have a banana, too."
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Ok...so this big guy would give you a banana WHY? Without a moral code that tells him to give bananas to the weaker people, he would see no reason to. Without morals and religion, we are basically smart animals. Survival of the fittest kicks in. Mediocre people that aren't super strong or super smart get eliminated. Life becomes a struggle for survival, and humanity has no time to pursue science. Eventually, the people would realize that they have to work together-and form a code of some sort. In order to justify and/or enforce this code, they might introduce some sort of eternal punishment (ex. Hell, endless cycle of rebirth) for disobeying said code. Voila! religion!
Because you help get more bananas, so if you live, bananas will be obtained faster and easier, and then he will have more bananas to eat.
Or you could, you know, ask him to SHARE it with you?
The experiences of the atomic scientists clearly show the need to take personal responsibility, the danger that things will move too fast, and the way in which a process can take on a life of its own. We can, as they did, create insurmountable problems in almost no time flat. We must do more thinking up front if we are not to be similarly surprised and shocked by the consequences of our inventions.
My continuing professional work is on improving the reliability of software. Software is a tool, and as a toolbuilder I must struggle with the uses to which the tools I make are put. I have always believed that making software more reliable, given its many uses, will make the world a safer and better place; if I were to come to believe the opposite, then I would be morally obligated to stop this work. I can now imagine such a day may come.
This all leaves me not angry but at least a bit melancholic. Henceforth, for me, progress will be somewhat bittersweet.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Billy Joy's conclusions in his article <a href='http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html?pg=1&topic=&topic_set=' target='_blank'>Why the future doesn't need us</a>(long, but worthwhile).
Science needs restriction and relinquishment more than ever, considering how dangerous the discoveries are becoming.
In fact, if anything, today, the government and special interest groups are trying to remove God from everything, they are practically trying to wipe out Christianity as they simultaneously demand more freedom for Muslims and other religions (Originally said Muslims, but there are other groups too, Note: I'm not trying to critisize these groups, even if I don't agree). <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Awww. Poor religion. Always getting kicked around by those silly people who don't want to have the ideas of a several thousand year old book forced on them. Nevermind the fact that the church has been an overwhelmingly destructive force for an extremely long time and outlived it's usefullness long before the fall of fuedalism, but existed merely to enforce the idea of said fuedalism. The fact is, despite what the sripture says about peace and love, it also says a heck of a lot about enforcing your morals on others if they don't agree, and going to extreme lengths (ie, killing everyone) to keep your moral and religious code on top. And this goes for all western religions.