Morte on 4/9/2009 at 20:41
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
As a capital S Scientist, in my bones and my hair and my love juices, I have to believe in ghosts. And monsters. And aliens. And I LOVE IT :D
SCIENCE! THE OPENEST MINDS FOREVER!
ps also as a Scientist I must poo-poo all this irrational and superstitious mumbo-jumbo lol
being sciencey is confusing :D
Well, not to be the humourless skeptic, but no. You don't have to believe in that rubbish. At all.
You're required to acknowledge the
possibility of all that jazz, but given the complete and utter absence of evidence for it you're not required to
believe it any more than you have to believe in Russell's teapot. Of course, you're required to turn on a dime the moment someone drags in an actual bigfoot/crashed ufo/ectotoplasmic cum.
Because science follows the evidence.
And that's why it's awesome.
SubJeff on 4/9/2009 at 21:00
You know what's interesting about science?
Once you answer one question the answer only leads to more questions.
yeah
And.
And I also don't believe that following the evidence is awesome because the cops followed the evidence and thats how they found us out.
Adam Nuhfer on 4/9/2009 at 21:21
Quote Posted by Morte
Well, not to be the humourless skeptic, but no. You don't have to believe in that rubbish. At all. You're required to acknowledge the
possibility of all that jazz...Because science follows the evidence. And that's why it's awesome.
Well put! One of my science teachers summed it up this way " Nothing is impossible, it's just that some things are highly improbable".
So, while in some distant future aliens may go skiing on Europa, ice fishing with a ghost while mending a skiing related injury may fit a different degree of probability.
Mean while back here on our little home planet Earth, Sasquatch is busy buying into the political indoctrination of capitalistic ideals by way of Jacks link beef jerky. If only we could get him/her on these forums. :cool:
june gloom on 4/9/2009 at 23:32
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
Thing is, as a Scientist by Inclination, Philosophy, and Training, I believe and know and feel and am absolutely one hundred percent unfuckingshakably in my goddamn bones certain that -- all things being what they are --
I know nothing about the universe... The core of my entire intelligence is made of statements like "probability means never having to say never" and "unless your dataset is infinite, all you have is a guess" and "deductive reasoning seems to have worked well in the past, let's just assume it'll work this time" etc etc etc, and I know that I have to accept the possibility that ghosts are real.
I realize I've only been on TTLG for 5 years but this is the most frank and honest thing I've seen you say, ever. It's also a refreshing viewpoint.
Gingerbread Man on 5/9/2009 at 00:10
All the haters can go on without wonder and joy in their lives, of course. I know I'm not obligated to accept anything at all. It pleases me immensely to believe shit like that. Not believe IN, you understand. But believe.
I guess everyone else thinks there are points awarded after you die for being the hardest to fool or the one who got closest to guessing What's Going On. Or that you get to come back for a replay where you can forget about being So Very Seriose and just have fun instead. Me, I want to have it all right now, because there may not be an afterwards or a next time.
I have no idea to whom the quote should be attributed (nor do I much care), but I find that the more I learn about the world, the less I understand it. And the less I understand it, the more joy and wonder it gives me.
Tocky on 5/9/2009 at 03:42
My HS biology teacher once said knowledge is a bubble. The more you know the bigger the bubble is but so is the surface area where it meets all the don't know. Seems about right to me. Plus too there is that thing about the infinite branching of time but lets not put too many cats in a box. Sigh. I wish monkeysee would come back and berate me for misrepresenting Schrodinger. I would settle for misspelling his name.
Anyway, it's fun to keep an open mind up to a point, that point being when some seriously wierd shit happens and the mind fixates on it because it is a puzzle piece that won't fit and you have to keep trying that fucker on every open space only to realize that maybe this is the piece to another puzzle that got in this box by mistake only you don't know that for sure. Ah well. It is an interesting puzzle afterall.
Scots Taffer on 5/9/2009 at 05:59
Quote Posted by Stitch
It most certainly does not.
Uncle
Snark Stitch sure is a drag these days.
Enchantermon on 5/9/2009 at 11:17
Ah. Not a Simpsons fan, so...
That was...strange.
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
All the haters can go on without wonder and joy in their lives, of course.
I get those moments every now and then where I see the beauty of the world and just think, "Wow." If aliens were to exist, I'm sure I would think the same about them.
Though I admit we could be in it pretty deep if a sentient race of beings with advanced spaceflight decided to come and conquer us, I think we have enough to worry about as far as taking care of our planet and our species is concerned without wondering if we're in the sights of the Sarien's Destruct-O-Matic™.
But hey, whatever floats your boat. I don't believe sentient aliens exist, but I could be wrong.
Incidentally, anyone seen Google today?
CCCToad on 6/9/2009 at 16:45
Quote Posted by Tocky
Anyway, it's fun to keep an open mind up to a point, that point being when some seriously wierd shit happens and the mind fixates on it because it is a puzzle piece that won't fit and you have to keep trying that fucker on every open space only to realize that maybe this is the piece to another puzzle that got in this box by mistake only you don't know that for sure, Ah well. It is an interesting puzzle afterall.
He just kept talking in one....long...incredibly uninterrupted sentence.
Enchantermon on 6/9/2009 at 16:50
It was really quite hypnotic. ;)
