[ExI] CRACKPOTS (was electoral college)

Tue Aug 21 16:13:53 UTC 2018

>… So we used to be very homogeneous and now we are about as diverse as we
could get.

These two comments are contradictory.  If diversity is good, then we have
fixed an incredible mess the world used to be in.  spike

The diversity consists of people who are still at the magic stage, people
of religion, and people who have left religion behind.  I think this
diversity hurts rather than helps anything.

Dogs - religion  1 - faith, 2 - prayer, sacrifice, other things done to get
the god's favor - I don't see dogs in #1 at all.  They have evolved to show
social behavior towards humans and we have rewarded it with food, shelter,
etc.  So, not religion.  And not superstition either.

for if everyone has a different religion, then any particular religion is
less dangerous than it would otherwise be.  spike

I don't get this.  If all people were of one religion it would seem to
facilitate interaction - now we have all kinds of wars and other negative
interactions between religions

It surprises me how many American young people are trending back toward
wearing a modern metal equivalent of a nose-bone.  spike

I have really wanted to do this, but never will - probably:  Going up to
girl with big earrings:  "You are right.  Those earrings really do hide the
incredible ugliness of your ears.  Without them people would run away as
soon as they see you.  And those rings on your nose do the same thing:
take away from the brute-like appearance of your nose - you really have a
great fashion sense."     And then just laugh and laugh.

In that same vein (or vain) - I get the Sunday NY Times and have concluded
that the funniest thing (no comics) in there is the supplement on fashion.
Page after page of just ridiculous prints, color clashes, 10 inch high
shoes and so on.  Thumb through it one day.  My theory is that the women's
designers hate women and try their darndest to make them look stupid.  They
know the women will go out and buy $10k pants and wear them to some soiree'
where they will meet other rich morons (I just hate to call women morons,
but hey - egalitarianism has no bounds) and compare clothes, which they
will then diss behind each others' backs.

Nah, I disagree.  Some form of religion, magic, superstition goes back to
way before a few kyrs I would suppose. spike

He isn't saying that magic and superstitions don't go way back - it's
religion that doesn't.  Of course that is impossible to prove.  His theory
is that there is a transition from magic to religion.  By the way, he says
that magic and science are alike:  a belief in the way the world works,
which is that one thing reliably follows another, and that to produce the
effect all you have to do it produce the cause.  However, in magic, they
often use illusory correlations - assuming that contiguity of things means
cause and effect.  Loud noises (thunder) precede rain, so make loud noises
and you will get rain (if not, the rain god is killed and replaced.  If
they are right, then it's not magic or illusion, it's science.    Many folk
remedies turn out to be scientific fact and not just superstition.
(Substition - believing in things that are absolutely true - Terry
Pratchett). What term do we have for not believing in things that are
true?  I need help here - all I can think of is Republicans.  or obliviots

bill w

On Mon, Aug 20, 2018 at 12:58 PM, <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:

>
>
>
>
> *From:* extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> *On Behalf
> Of *William Flynn Wallace
> *Subject:* Re: [ExI] CRACKPOTS (was electoral college)
>
>
>
> >…Hope you don't mind my starting at the top…
>
>
>
> Nah, we were strict on the protocol of not doing that in the long agos,
> but I never saw the harm in it, so I never enforced it.  Rules need
> justification and periodic rejustification.  Laws should come with
> expiration/renewal dates.
>
>
>
> >…Just a few thousand years ago, if Frazer is correct, we had no
> religions - just magic (totally different as he defined them).
>
>
>
> Nah, I disagree.  Some form of religion, magic, superstition goes back to
> way before a few kyrs I would suppose.  Even dogs have a kind of religion
> sorta.  They worship us, they try to do magic incantations by going thru
> some kinds of motions we like, and thus influence us to help them.  We
> might see that as an incantation or prayer.  Hey, it works.  We feed them,
> we house them, we…take them to the vet (see there, dog hell exists too.)
>
>
>
> >…What an incredible mess we have made of the world.
>
>
>
> >… So we used to be very homogeneous and now we are about as diverse as
> we could get.
>
>
>
> These two comments are contradictory.  If diversity is good, then we have
> fixed an incredible mess the world used to be in.
>
>
>
> I tend to see it that way, for if everyone has a different religion, then
> any particular religion is less dangerous than it would otherwise be.
> Morality would be loose but within reasonable legal guidelines (no letting
> your goat go out and steal cars, etc.)
>
>
>
> >…Now we have thousands of religions (see Oh Gods, from Atlantic Monthly
> a while back) and two new ones every day…
>
>
>
> There ya go, solving problems, two at a time.
>
>
>
> >…"Those folks over there, with their different religion, food, dance,
> etc.  They are the causes of our problems and we need to wipe them out, get
> their stuff and their women."
>
>
>
> See how far we have come?  Now we make our own stuff, and their women come
> over to us willingly and eagerly if our stuff is sufficiently cool and
> advanced.  Such a deal!
>
>
>
>
>
> >…FYI, goats and other animals have been brought to courts of law - been
> found not guilty, been found guilty.  In France!!  I wonder if all of this
> is just excuses to kill something and eat it…
>
>
>
> Ja perhaps.  I would still love to catch either of the Nigerian bastards
> who really did steal the car, put him in the tank, take the goat back to
> whoever they stole her from (who you know wouldn’t say anything for fear he
> would be accused of stealing the car) then when he finds her back, he still
> wouldn’t say anything because good chance the Nigerian goat farmer is also
> superstitious and isn’t entirely sure she didn’t do it.  He has seen her
> eyeballing his car and vaguely suspects she is going to sneak out and go
> for a joy ride.
>
>
>
>
>
> >…Is this the modern world?  Yeah, in some places.  Many have gone to the
> Moon and many wear bones in their noses.  LOL
>
>
>
> It surprises me how many American young people are trending back toward
> wearing a modern metal equivalent of a nose-bone.
>
>
>
>
>
>  >…  You gotta admit it's entertaining.  bill w
>
>
>
>
>
> Oh how I do.  I really do: I laugh so hard at us.  We humans are so crazy,
> dogs must be puzzled as all get out.  Maybe that’s why they do that
> sideways head thing.  They are thinking: whaaaat in the human-damn
> hellllllll????
>
>
>
> In our modern world we have all this leisure time, and all this access to
> hilarious news about goats stealing cars and the inherent goofiness of a
> world in which modern science and tech exists alongside ancient witchcraft,
> sheesh is it any wonder I sit around plotting how to play gags on the
> superstitious goofballs?  Ethics schmethics, the laughs we could get out of
> it would more than compensate for a guilty conscience, I would laugh my way
> thru my penance.
>
>
>
> spike
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 20, 2018 at 11:56 AM, <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> *On Behalf
> Of *William Flynn Wallace
> *Subject:* Re: [ExI] CRACKPOTS (was electoral college)
>
>
>
> >…John, if you want spiritualism and witchcraft explained… The only
> evidence here was of the beliefs themselves.
>
>
>
> >…Evidence has been sought …
>
>
>
> HAH!  Unbeliever!  Here’s yer evidence:
>
>
>
> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/nigeria/
> 4325377/Nigerian-police-hold-magic-goat-over-attempted-car-theft.html
>
>
>
> >…Hasn't been found and won't be, I say…  bill w
>
>
>
> Oh ye of little faith.
>
>
>
> You just wait pal, that goat might confess before it’s over.
>
>
>
> {8^D
>
>
>
> Oh man, wouldn’t it be cool, we could play some terrific gags.  We get the
> cell keys, somehow distract the constables, sneak in there with an actual
> (human) car thief who is under heavy sedation, doesn’t know what’s going
> on, switch them, get on out of the police station undetected with the goat,
> watch what happens next morning at breakfast after the thief sobers up.
> They would be talking about a car theft, which he knows he really did, but
> would be unable to explain how he turned himself into a goat and how the
> spell wore off.  Any skeptical locals would have their faith reinforced.
> Oh that would be a total hoot.
>
>
>
> spike
>
>
>
>
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