Might as well actually use this thing
I've been thinking...
Right away you can tell this is gonna be weird, right?
I never know how to answer generalized questions. What I mean by that is, for example, a question like a "Do you believe..." question. Like if someone asks me "Do you believe in God?" or something. My kneejerk response is "What do you mean by 'God'"?
That may as well be my slogan for communication: "It depends on what you mean."
Generally a question like that has a preloaded definition: "Do you believe in the deity of the Christian faith / Bible?" That still isn't specific enough, because I have ideas on what constitutes Godhood, and the Christian God may or may not exist within those ideas, along with many other deities. Now, another meaning to that question, which would be the better one to ask me, is: "Do you follow the Christian religion?" And to that I can give a somewhat definite "No." Somewhat definite. The tenants of Christianity i do follow are found in many different faiths and ethical models, many of them much older than Christianity, and could also easily be adopted without even these influences.
How about this: "Do you believe in a God?" That's getting more specific. I believe there are many gods, although not too many in circulation at this point in history. That begs another question: "What do you believe a God is?" That question brings up a whole welter of personal ideas about religion, metaphysics and what human minds can do to effect it. (That's a whoooooole other entry.)
I need specifics in order to answer questions like this. Other questions include things like "Do you believe in intelligent life on other planets?" Well, what do you mean by "life"? What do you mean by "intelligence"? The conditions on the Earth determined how what we know as "life" was formed. These conditions may not exist anywhere else in space. Different conditions could cause organisms as we know them to occur in an entirely different manner, and if they do not follow the same basic designs we do, does that mean they aren't alive? I personally believe the classic scientific characteristics of a life-form, but will these hold water elsewhere in the Universe? Who knows. And what is intelligence, really? The ability of an organic machine to program itself? To communicate with another organic machine? Are intelligence and sentience the same thing?
Define your terms and I'll say whether I agree or not.
I think of strange things this late at night. And at least I have the courtesy to give the predetermined short and direct answers if the real ones are not asked for. My Dad sure don't! Ask him a question like these and he'll give you the whole spiel without anasthesia.
Anyway. Yeah. It all depends on what you mean....
Right away you can tell this is gonna be weird, right?
I never know how to answer generalized questions. What I mean by that is, for example, a question like a "Do you believe..." question. Like if someone asks me "Do you believe in God?" or something. My kneejerk response is "What do you mean by 'God'"?
That may as well be my slogan for communication: "It depends on what you mean."
Generally a question like that has a preloaded definition: "Do you believe in the deity of the Christian faith / Bible?" That still isn't specific enough, because I have ideas on what constitutes Godhood, and the Christian God may or may not exist within those ideas, along with many other deities. Now, another meaning to that question, which would be the better one to ask me, is: "Do you follow the Christian religion?" And to that I can give a somewhat definite "No." Somewhat definite. The tenants of Christianity i do follow are found in many different faiths and ethical models, many of them much older than Christianity, and could also easily be adopted without even these influences.
How about this: "Do you believe in a God?" That's getting more specific. I believe there are many gods, although not too many in circulation at this point in history. That begs another question: "What do you believe a God is?" That question brings up a whole welter of personal ideas about religion, metaphysics and what human minds can do to effect it. (That's a whoooooole other entry.)
I need specifics in order to answer questions like this. Other questions include things like "Do you believe in intelligent life on other planets?" Well, what do you mean by "life"? What do you mean by "intelligence"? The conditions on the Earth determined how what we know as "life" was formed. These conditions may not exist anywhere else in space. Different conditions could cause organisms as we know them to occur in an entirely different manner, and if they do not follow the same basic designs we do, does that mean they aren't alive? I personally believe the classic scientific characteristics of a life-form, but will these hold water elsewhere in the Universe? Who knows. And what is intelligence, really? The ability of an organic machine to program itself? To communicate with another organic machine? Are intelligence and sentience the same thing?
Define your terms and I'll say whether I agree or not.
I think of strange things this late at night. And at least I have the courtesy to give the predetermined short and direct answers if the real ones are not asked for. My Dad sure don't! Ask him a question like these and he'll give you the whole spiel without anasthesia.
Anyway. Yeah. It all depends on what you mean....