1340 replies to this topic

[duke_Qa]

Well, MSpencer, mabye you're right. I don't want to click those links. I don't need to either. Go ahead, call me a coward and stuff, but I know I'm right.

"There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance"
- Ali ibn Abi Talib,(cousin of muhammed, one of the sunni-muslim first leaders. Is it ironic to be taught about knowledge and ignorance by someone that you most likely consider even more ignorant than yourself?)

[Calamity_Jones]

How do you use .ram videos?

Yeah... I couldn't figure that out either...

Oh, and good show duke... once again the idiot is rent apart by reason

[Paladin58]

Wow, Duke, that's an interesting, but true, saying. I won't think less of some of the Muslim faith in the future.

^Up there, is from the point of an agnostic American.

I have a feeling God said that before, as he does see all and know all. After all, he is omnipotent.

^The maniacal ramblings of a Catholic American.

Who likes number 1? Or, who likes number two?

[Athena]

@ Hybrid
I think use Real Player.

@ Cossack
What I ment was, if there is new arguments, discuss by all means. Repeating the old ones over and over is no use.

[MSpencer]

So you say. But certain people can't accept how they turn out. They register and then question the age old arguments. Therefore we might consider stickying this and in the first post, putting links to similar threads.

[Shine On]

And no offence Blaat if think its boring now then move on to another threead. Some of us still want to get our teeth in

[Athena]

I don't mean that. I ment that the repeating of the same arguments by the same people is pointless.

I'll lay it out for you. A few (strong?) religious people and Spence talk about evolution etc etc. Religious people mention God. Spence tells about evolution. The few people don't believe it. Spence calls them idiots.

It's been that thing for a couple of pages now and not just here. It's like.. make up more/new arguments, bring in other people or make up a new subject of discussion?

But fine, you may find out what I mean in the at this moment not yet existing further pages of this thread.

Xeno, by all means, if you have new arguments, post them. I didn't mean you.

[Mathijs]

Spence doesn't call them idiots, really. He just gets more cynical every time he has to explain the truth.

[Athena]

The truth differs per person. It's called being "open-minded."

About idiots:

That is the worst logic I have ever heard in my life. It is terrible. Flawed. Idiotic even. Stupid. Bad bad bad.

I have spent the last three months going up against the ignorant, the born-agains, and the idiots.

[duke_Qa]

well

"Idiot" was originally used in ancient Greek city-states to refer to people who were overly concerned with their own self-interest and ignored the needs of the community. Declining to take part in public life, such as (semi-)democratic government of the polis (city state), such as the Athenian democracy, was considered dishonorable. "Idiots" were seen as having bad judgment in public and political matters. Over time, the term "idiot" shifted away from its original connotation of selfishness and came to refer to individuals with overall bad judgment–individuals who are "stupid".

In Latin the word idiota ("ordinary person, layman") preceded the Late Latin meaning "uneducated or ignorant person".

so if we consider the original(or late latin version at least) meaning of the word idiot i would have no problems about agreeing with that

[Gamemate]

I do not see the relevancy to the topic, granted that atheism and god has been on the talks in ancient Greece as well.

Main point Blaat is trying to get across is that people are too close minded for a real discussion. It is like this, first person says things are like this, next person say things are like this and you are stupid, third person agrees with either second or first person and continue the name calling and degenaritive nature of the language.

I rarely contribute to these discussions because to be honest, people who are close minded will not change and become open minded. You can advice people but not change them, not only would it be wrong but it is far more easy to swing your head through a brick wall...

I can admit it is entertaining to see a bunch of people mudcast to a point where they make less sense than when they started the discussion. What is the point of proving that god exist or not, people have done that for hundred of years, does anyone here expect to prove it here and in their lifetime?

Before anyone says science has already proven that god does not exist, if that is true why is the arguments flying around in this thread.... and why are certain people on a crusade to convince people that there is no god? Why not just provide the "physical" evidence of the none existant god? I am an none believer myself but I am open minded and I try to avoid calling people "idiots"... in my opinion the true idiot is the one calling someone else that.

Then we have the second camp (believers), some are open minded and think science brings good things. There is however a minor amount that actually thinks that science is rubbish, evolution has not happened, humans are on top of everything and made out of gods own image. Well then god did a really bad job, why would he/she/it limit humans to the same level as animals, the only difference is that we humans can think and use tools. We reproduce like animals, we breath like animals, we have instincts like animals... we are not much different from animals, we are limited to some of the born instincts we have, so why are we limited by god then if we are made out of his image. Yes this is questioning some peoples beliefs but since I am questioning science why should I not question the second camps side?

Third camp, those that believe balance should be considered and that both sides can be wrong/right. I would say this is the most open ground for discussion about what is true or not true, unfortunately those people are outnumbered or do not care enough to reply as it feels like hitting your head against the wall time after time.

Where do I put myself when it comes to these camps, well you can figure that out on your own. I value every opinion that does not insult or invade on a other persons opinion, discussing is fine, insulting and mudthrowing is not.

I have probably bored half of you, that is if even half of you read what I just wrote.

[MSpencer]

The truth differs per person. It's called being "open-minded."

About idiots:

That is the worst logic I have ever heard in my life. It is terrible. Flawed. Idiotic even. Stupid. Bad bad bad.

I have spent the last three months going up against the ignorant, the born-agains, and the idiots.

Spence doesn't call them idiots, really. He just gets more cynical every time he has to explain the truth.

I love evolution as a topic. When people come up with what really is the worst logic I've ever encountered, and never bother to read the pages upon pages I have written, and when they decide to never even look up the simple word "evolution" before they come on spouting bible verses calling science the devil, I really can't be expected to keep this consistently moderated, stoic personality of a time-tested teacher who can put up with mounds of abuse. Idiocy is not stupidity. Idiocy is the lack of willpower to change ignorance. Ignorance can be fixed, ignorance is a temporary state, ignorance is simply the lack of knowledge, idiocy is being content with that lack of knowledge, idiocy is being content with knowing nothing, and perhaps also at the same time attacking those who are not ignorant.
I have offered on numerous occasions to ameliorate the plight of ignorance on this board. I have offered free lessons on evolution, full textual lectures placed in a specified open-dialogue thread where I would be absolutely more than happy to teach evolutionary biology to any interested persons. I have gone above and beyond on this board with making offers and trying to reduce the average ignorance on the topic of evolution, but each time I have been met with idiotic statements, statements made by people who are ignorant and wish to make ignorant statements and do not with to change this igorance, regarding my obvious incorrectness, clear heresy, and of course, the obvious personal attacks. I speak of idiocy in pure intellectual terms, it is the absolute lack of willpower to even learn anything, it is not a personal attack as some of these people have perpetrated against me, it is not any kind of malignant statement; it is simply a factual statement regarding the hatred directed towards any kind of knowledge.
And that is Spencer on idiocy.

[cdmtx(YR)]

Spencer if we are descendents from apes such as your first link stated. Then why are apes still present today? Haven't those apes evolved into us? And thus shouldn't be in existence.


Does it really matter that I typed in the wrong "are".

[Athena]

@ Spence
If people don't want to learn, they don't want to. Your offer is kind but you cannot force people. If people (whether they are strongly religious or not, whether from the first or second camp described in gamemate's post) choose to stay close minded, so be it.

people who are close minded will not change and become open minded. You can advice people but not change them, not only would it be wrong but it is far more easy to swing your head through a brick wall...

[Airman]

I gotta say, Spence, you're and ass when it comes to teaching. You call people "liars and damned fools" if they don't accept your ideaology. Well, guess what? People have different views of things.

[Cossack]

Spencer if we are descendents from apes such as your first link stated. Then why are apes still present today? Haven't those apes evolved into us? And thus shouldn't be in existence.

Australopithèque (sorry, I learned evolution in French), was the first ape to walk on two legs. I'm pretty sure it was a different species than most apes, and the only one that eventually evolved into homo habilis, homo erectus, and eventually homo sapiens (us).

I heard somewhere that scientists think they've isoloted the gene that made them start eveolving, but I lack a source on this one.

Long story short, one species of ape evolved, while the other remained the same, and thats why there are still apes now.

Edited by Cossack, 14 October 2006 - 12:45 PM.

[MSpencer]

@ Spence
If people don't want to learn, they don't want to. Your offer is kind but you cannot force people. If people (whether they are strongly religious or not, whether from the first or second camp described in gamemate's post) choose to stay close minded, so be it.

people who are close minded will not change and become open minded. You can advice people but not change them, not only would it be wrong but it is far more easy to swing your head through a brick wall...

My point was that I do not like to be quoted out of context by you, and I don't want you to try and publically condense my ideas into calling people idiots.
It's offensive really, and I'm offended.

By all three of you. The axis of evil now.
It is simply cdtmx(YR)'s ignorant comments which only prove my point. And the constant mudflinging from the self-loathing Christian. Yes, thank you for the justification.

Edited by MSpencer, 14 October 2006 - 01:22 PM.

[Airman]

I'm not a Christian.

I know I'm up against the odds, but I'll still hold on to my belifes. Go ahead. Try and shoot them down..

Edited by Demon of Razgriz, 15 October 2006 - 12:09 AM.

[MSpencer]

I really don't give a damn about your beliefs. You are unwilling to change, you are unwilling to listen, and whatever I say will not change the fact that you are more close-minded than a Nazi. At least they kept up the guise of a justice system where they pretended to listen to people. You simply say that you're not going to listen to me, you're not going to pay attention to what I'm saying, and that you don't care what I say, so why should I bother? Furthermore, when I do come up with a decent argument, one which you no doubt will not endeavor to understand, you simply roll out personal insults and say I have no life, then you complain when, as a result, I simply call you a neanderthal and move on.
If you're going to militarize the think tank, move on and get out. This is no place for bickering and self-righteous bullshit. I get along quite nicely with everyone else here except for you, and I think I can say with a fair bit of certainty that other people are pretty tired of it too. Unless you plan on making a contribution to this forum of intellectual debate, by ceasing to say "shoot the commies", and "you're wrong and you have no life", I would much prefer it if you found somewhere else to go troll. As I said before, I'm tired of wasting my time by coming up with an excellent argument, only to be beaten by the "I have big stick" argument.

And also, by even using the word neanderthal, you're endorsing evolution.

[Airman]

Nice try, buddy. Looks like you just insulted me. And, I never said I won't listen to you. Yes, I compare the ideas. No, I'm NOT a Nazi. NO, I'm not a neanderthal. Here's something funny...

http://www.MSpencer.justgotowned.com