[ExI] Religious Idiocy Triumphs Over Science Yet Again

[William Flynn Wallace]

The problem is, insights gained under such a state often turn out to be
illusory, critically flawed, or so mundane that most who are not tripping
would consider them obvious.  You are left with the memory that you had
some profound insight...but, in fact, all that you had was the memory of
that, not the actual insight.  Your memories yell and scream that you had
the real thing, but those memories were manufactured by the drugs.
External measurements show that no such insights were captured, even if you
were specifically trying to defeat this illusion by recording your insights
as clearly as possible so as to bypass any tainting of your memories.  Of
course, in most cases people do not do this, and so are only left with
those fabricated memories.
----------------
My own little experience is telling:  under the influence I had this
insight:  you can clean a tool with another tool!  Wow!  What an epiphany!
When I came out of it I thought:  you moron!  How could it be any other way?

A famous heroin-addicted drummer, Gene Krupa, from the 40s on, claimed that
he performed better when high.  His friends made recordings of his playing
stoned and straight and let him listen.  He admitted that he played better
straight.  Under many drugs things are just wonderful:  skin senses are
acute, making sex just heavenly; taste and smell are acute, making foods
wonderful (and it also seems that it turns off the satiety factor, so we
keep on eating because it continues to taste great); our thoughts take a
hike into lala land, and we experience all kinds of different thoughts.
And so on.

I don't think that is anything invalid about these, except that insights
regarding understanding of the universe usually turn out to be as Adrian
says:  nothing brilliant.
Often wacky.  Disappointing compared to our feelings for them when stoned.
Of course you will hear claims otherwise.

If Will's insights are so great and special, I invite him to share them
with us.

bill w


On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 8:42 AM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> *From:* extropy-chat [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] *On
> Behalf Of *Adrian Tymes
> *Subject:* Re: [ExI] Religious Idiocy Triumphs Over Science Yet Again
>
>
>
> On Thu, Dec 10, 2015 at 10:32 AM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
>
> In the USA we had our own attorney general recently threaten legal
> repercussions against those who would criticize a culture:
>
>
> http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton/loretta-lynch-actions-predicated-on-violent-talk-toward-musl#.uddAV5VNBN
>
>
>
> >…Just to dial back the hyperbole a bit: what she's talking about goes
> well beyond criticism.  She's objecting to calls for violent action - and
> to action based on said calls - against people who have not committed the
> offenses they are being blamed for…
>
>
>
> Ja OK.  Well then, if the AG thinks it is illegal to suggest violent
> action towards believers, then it should be illegal to suggest violent
> action towards unbelievers, ja?  If evidence surfaces of a religious leader
> quoting passages which contain texts such as “strike at their necks” that
> would certainly qualify, one would think.  If someone is found with a rally
> sign saying “Behead those who insult Joseph Smith” for instance, that is
> clearly calling for violence against unbelievers.
>
>
>
> The next task involves creating a list of passages within well-known
> religious texts which very specifically call upon believers to commit acts
> of violence against unbelievers.  Then our own AG must explain to religious
> leaders in this country that it is now illegal to quote those passages,
> which are found sprinkled liberally throughout the writings of some
> religious writers.
>
>
>
> Are we ready?
>
>
>
> spike
>
> _______________________________________________
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> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
> http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat
>
>
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