As an athiest, I think lucky and unlucky are subjective.
But in saying that, I also believe luck is a real thing. Which makes me think, maybe I'm not an athiest.
So am I really an athiest?
Select to expand quotemyscreenname said..
As an athiest, I think lucky and unlucky are subjective.
But in saying that, I also believe luck is a real thing. Which makes me think, maybe I'm not an athiest.
So am I really an athiest?
Define atheist?
How can you say something doesn't exist, when you have no knowledge of what that something might be?
Defining that something first and saying it doesn't exist makes no sense whatsoever.
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
Define atheist?
How can you say something doesn't exist, when you have no knowledge of what that something might be?
Defining that something first and saying it doesn't exist makes no sense whatsoever.
I thought I didn't believe in God. But if I believe in luck, I must believe there is a god. It's got me confused too.
I'll give an example.
Someone has an accident and people tell them they are lucky that they can walk. But you could easily argue they were unlucky.
But if you were born in Gaza 5 years ago, how could that be lucky?
Select to expand quoteremery said..
"The harder I work, the luckier I get."
Lucky for some, not others.
"The main gate to the Auschwitz I-Main Camp was the only one in the whole Auschwitz complex to be built by Polish political prisoners under German orders. These were prisoners deported from Wi?nicz in one of the early transports, in late 1940 or early 1941. The gate was erected at the same time as the installation of the permanent camp perimeter fencing, on reinforced concrete posts and under high voltage, in place of the earlier, provisional fencing consisting of barbed wire strung on wooden posts. The motto above the gate, Arbeit macht frei (Work Sets You Free), is one of the symbols of the camp. It was made by prisoners in the metalworking labor detail headed by Jan Liwacz (camp number 1010). The prisoners deliberately reversed the letter "B" as a camouflaged mark of disobedience."
Select to expand quoteremery said..
"The main gate to the Auschwitz I-Main Camp was the only one in the whole Auschwitz complex to be built by Polish political prisoners under German orders. These were prisoners deported from Wi?nicz in one of the early transports, in late 1940 or early 1941. The gate was erected at the same time as the installation of the permanent camp perimeter fencing, on reinforced concrete posts and under high voltage, in place of the earlier, provisional fencing consisting of barbed wire strung on wooden posts. The motto above the gate, Arbeit macht frei (Work Sets You Free), is one of the symbols of the camp. It was made by prisoners in the metalworking labor detail headed by Jan Liwacz (camp number 1010). The prisoners deliberately reversed the letter "B" as a camouflaged mark of disobedience."
I don't think they were lucky, but interesting story.
Select to expand quotemyscreenname said..
I don't think they were lucky, but interesting story.
Yes. I like their "camouflaged mark of disobedience". Very sad. But something to remind people. Timely with a number of elections coming up.
I stand with decrepit.
If you say you don't belive in God then you are saying you understand exactly what God is, such that you can make an assessment that it does not exist.
If your understanding of God is an old bloke with a big white beard sat on a cloud surrounded by angels playing harps booming decrees down to some Bishops in funny hats, then yeah, I'd agree not true. but that is a pretty dumb understanding of God, and just about the only thing I can believe God isn't.
But otherwise I cannot (and I have never heard anyone else) define what God is, thus I am unable to say that I don't believe that this thing does not exist. This of course doesn't default to saying I believe in God, just that I don't understand anyone who can say they don't. The only way you can claim to be an aetheist is to have faith that God has a potential to exist but you believe it doesn't. Which seems to me to mean you have far more faith in God than many people who claim to be believers.
Besides that, I don't know that luck and God must be mutually inclusive. Why can't they both exist as separate entities. If you believe God does not exclude individuals from have self-will then why would God exclude luck ?
Kinda interesting that luck is probably easier to define than God, yet many people would be more self assured about the non-existance of God, than the existance of luck.
Thus I'd conclude you can be an atheist and also believe in luck, not least because being an atheist means you are very lucky to actually be able to understand what is God.
That's an interesting take on the definition of atheism.
I wouldn't have thought you'd have to know all the intricate the specifics and mysteries of any god to be able to say "I don't believe in an omnipotent and omniscient being".
Select to expand quotemyscreenname said..
What car is this?
What about the hands? Something might have been edited just a little poorly.
Select to expand quoteD3 said..
I wouldn't have thought you'd have to know all the intricate the specifics and mysteries of any god to be able to say "I don't believe in an omnipotent and omniscient being".
OK, I'm quite happy that you can say, "I don't believe there is a GOD of any sort"
But that that is different to saying, "GOD doesn't exist"
The Earth is 4.5 billion years old. People who believe in creation are fools.
The universe is about 13.7 billion years old.
What went on before the universe? A god is as good an explanation as any at this stage. However I don't believe he/she/it has any current interest in what's going on here on Earth.
Select to expand quoteremery said..
The Earth is 4.5 billion years old. People who believe in creation are fools.
but the end is near if we don't buy an EV
We won't damage the Earth, just the environment that suits us. Once we wipe ourselves out, a new bunch or organisms will evolve. Maybe they will take better care of their environment.
Select to expand quoteD3 said..
That's an interesting take on the definition of atheism.
I wouldn't have thought you'd have to know all the intricate the specifics and mysteries of any god to be able to say "I don't believe in an omnipotent and omniscient being".
That's fine if you define God as an 'omnipotent and omniscient being' and then view that definition in terms of human scale and physical existance type.
As I said previously, I would not argue against the non-belief that there is single-entity life form ('life' as we interpret it), floating about in the physical universe telling Susan Carland what to wear and knowing what unclean thoughts you had last night. But this seems to be only one of a semi-infinite(#) number of definitions you are then using to conclude that all the other definitions must therefore also not exist.
Do you also believe Hopawacky does not exist ?
If there is a God, judging by the state of the world, it is certainly not that interested in micro managing human behaviour.
Select to expand quoteD3 said..
We're getting quite metaphysical here aren't we.
I'd assumed God, whatever it is, was metaphysical.
If you say you don't believe God exists you'd have to not only define God but also define what is meant by 'exist'. Can God exist as a thought in a person's mind ? What about a collective thought in multiple minds ?
I don't believe PCdefender has a personality. I don't believe personalities are things that can interact with any other matter / energy or force in the universe that is able to be measured. But I can't say that I don't believe personalities exist. And I can't say personalities don't influence society as a whole.
How about:
I don't believe our universe was created or shaped by an intelligence or entity
Select to expand quoteD3 said..
How about:
I don't believe our universe was created or shaped by an intelligence or entity
I agree. But at this time there is no better explanation than some old guy in the sky waving a magic wand an creating the universe. We have a choice whether to believe on not believe. Science on the other hand, works with evidence, data collection, analysis, peer review, reproducibility. Science is not a belief system. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
Select to expand quoteremery said..
I agree. But at this time there is no better explanation than some old guy in the sky waving a magic wand an creating the universe. We have a choice whether to believe on not believe. Science on the other hand, works with evidence, data collection, analysis, peer review, reproducibility. Science is not a belief system. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
Science doesn't explain luck.
Select to expand quotemyscreenname said..remery said..
I agree. But at this time there is no better explanation than some old guy in the sky waving a magic wand an creating the universe. We have a choice whether to believe on not believe. Science on the other hand, works with evidence, data collection, analysis, peer review, reproducibility. Science is not a belief system. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
Science doesn't explain luck.
Thats because luck doesn't exist. Therefore cannot be proven.
According to current science dudes now can be Sheila's and Sheila's can now be blokes.
Believe it or not?
Select to expand quoteremery said..
"The harder I work, the luckier I get."
If luck doesn't exist, what is the point of working hard?
Select to expand quotemyscreenname said..
Science doesn't explain luck.
There's a lot of stuff, that science can't get into. If you can't make a prediction about it, and prove that prediction, it isn't science.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There's some stuff that doesn't respond to experimentation.
I have proved things to my own satisfaction, but there's no way I can claim it to be scientific.
Select to expand quotemyscreenname said..remery said..
"The harder I work, the luckier I get."
If luck doesn't exist, what is the point of working hard?
It took me a while to try to figure out your response and I still can't get it.
You do understand the phrase 'the harder I work, the luckier I get'? It relates nothing to luck and suggests that hard work actually creates the positive outcome.
"Luck" is the same as arguing about "fate". It is meaningless. As someone has pointed out, if you knew the status of every single atom at one time you could predict the future; which suggests that we are all locked into a fate that we cannot control but merely react to. The reactions themselves are predestined.
Select to expand quoteYou do understand the phrase 'the harder I work, the luckier I get'? It relates nothing to luck and suggests that hard work actually creates the positive outcome.
Nope!
Working hard can establish a platform where luck is possible. Can't win a great contract without working hard to build a good business.
