Is it the Moon?

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

LazySod

Need to contact Admin...
Oct 18, 2007
435
0
61
Oldham
Personally I've rather enjoyed it both for the cut and thrust and trying to keep up with Duncs (always articulate) arguments. If a little "debating society" discussion causes thread drift or offense - sorry for those who don't enjoy it (and indeed to Wayland for thread hijack- although his familairity with Descartes' 17th century foundation of modern philosophy leads me to believe he could probably outwit me in campfire philosophy if not Dunc - although of course in the original Discourse on Method it was "Je pense donc je suis" and only changed to the Latin in the subsequent Principles of Philosophy)

Red

"Woooooooosh".............Straight over my head :confused: :)

(why can't i edit the space out of the word 'straight'?)
 

firecrest

Full Member
Mar 16, 2008
2,496
4
uk
actually, I personally do find it offensive for one simple reason - its acceptable to critique science (and rightly so, science progresses by critique) but I would equally like to critique religion, especially christianity and the bible. Unfortunately you once expressed offense at me using the phrase "god damn" so I had assumed the same kind of critique would be unacceptable for you. If it isnt then fine,and Im sorry to have misunderstood you, but truly, this is not the thread for it, and not really the forum unless the mods give a thread of the subject a go-ahead (we can always ask I suppose) until then, this isnt the place.
 

Prawnster

Full Member
Jun 24, 2008
806
0
St. Helens
actually, I personally do find it offensive for one simple reason - its acceptable to critique science (and rightly so, science progresses by critique) but I would equally like to critique religion, especially christianity and the bible. Unfortunately you once expressed offense at me using the phrase "god damn" so I had assumed the same kind of critique would be unacceptable for you. If it isnt then fine,and Im sorry to have misunderstood you, but truly, this is not the thread for it, and not really the forum unless the mods give a thread of the subject a go-ahead (we can always ask I suppose) until then, this isnt the place.

I think you'll find that most people who are confident in their religion don't mind some debate about it, most probably welcome it. In my experience the people who don't want to entertain debate are the ones who believe science has all the answers. They remind me of the church in the middle ages ie any opposing view is heresy. Just my opinion.

I've also noticed a lot of people are able to mock and ridicule those whose beliefs lean towards creationism but it is not so acceptable for those beliefs to be defended (check my previous posts). Just my opinion.

This has been a very entertaining and interesting debate.
 

ecobandit

Tenderfoot
Dec 28, 2007
94
0
northumberland
to be spoken in ascottish accent "you,re aall madd! tootally mmaadd!!..don,t tell them your name pike!, I,m lost I need a map and a compass Oh no I don,t there,s the moon,aawhooo!
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,961
Mercia
Not at all unacceptable to me to offer a critique, Christianity is not my belief system or religion of choice so I have no particular mandate to defend it or otherwise - I am respectful towards others religions naturally (although not particularly or exclusively towards that one). I have no recollection of you using that phrase curiously enough (and can't find it by searching) but thats by the by - if you can PM me a link I'd be grateful

Personally I do see a subtle distinction between religion and science in that science proclaims itself as a matter of fact and not faith and therefore opens itself to challenge on that very basis.

That said if this discussion or debate annoys you, then that alone is enough of a reason to leave it alone.

Red
 

firecrest

Full Member
Mar 16, 2008
2,496
4
uk
I think you'll find that most people who are confident in their religion don't mind some debate about it, most probably welcome it. In my experience the people who don't want to entertain debate are the ones who believe science has all the answers. They remind me of the church in the middle ages ie any opposing view is heresy. Just my opinion.

I've also noticed a lot of people are able to mock and ridicule those whose beliefs lean towards creationism but it is not so acceptable for those beliefs to be defended (check my previous posts). Just my opinion.

This has been a very entertaining and interesting debate.

Ive Pm`d you
(edit) I crashed again, will have to repost it in the morning
 

firecrest

Full Member
Mar 16, 2008
2,496
4
uk
actually Red, I suspect I just mixed you up with John Fenna. My apologies. Like I said, i do like a debate, but in doing so, I will offend people.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,961
Mercia
Well I consider it a complement to be mixed up with JF ;)

No worries - no harm done

I like a debate too :D

Red
 

Glen

Life Member
Oct 16, 2005
618
1
60
London
To add a further question (or throw oil on the fire:rolleyes: ) - do people see science as a subject or a method of investigation?

I'm not sure I quite see it as either. I guess I see pure science as more a refining of models of reality[1], though that refining may indeed involve showing that a particular model is not valid for anything thing other than the most granular viewpoint.

As flat earth has been mentioned as a theory here I'll take that as an example. For many things a flat earth model is enough a lot of the time as a working model of reality, crossing the road, rolling a ball etc, whereas if you want acurate flight navigation over long distances it no longer is.

A roundish earth with gravitation is a better model for accuracy but it has to be said cumbersome for crossing the road, until you've appreaciated the scale that your working with, which allows you not worry about the round bit until you get to the other side and can carry on planning your navigation points and journey times for your round the world yatch race.

As such I guess I see it as amoral almost by definition and the application of those models is where any moral of ethical concerns are to be applied. That does extend to the moral and ethical consequences and collateral of any experiments that a scientist should use to refine their models.

Though it has to be said that many times it's almost imposible to know just how someone in future would use it. eg I doubt the person who invented the engine envisenged it being used in tanks, whereas the man who invented the gun must have had a good idea that it could be used equaly on humans and animals

Putting it another way Scinece strives explain why boiling your water makes it safe to drink, it doesn't actually do it and you don't actually need to know or believe it.
A religious belief that the dieties of the fire kill the bad deities in the water could also do the same thing.

One, seems to me, a better more refined model than the other.
I guess there are ethical and moral questions to destroying the bactera that may be present though ;)

Relating this back to my previous posts, please note I've only said gravitaional influence on water in the human body is not a good model to explain any luna influence directly on human behaviour during the full moon.


A question.
Is a full moon always closer to the earth than a waxing or waning one ever is?



[1] Yeah I know it's a biggy, very vague and open to all sorts of interpretations, the nearest I can find without taking up several pages is "what actually happens"
 

Lithril

Administrator
Admin
Jan 23, 2004
2,590
55
Southampton, UK
Havent had time to read the entire thread yet so apologies if this has already been made, but this happens about the same time every year, its almost as if people start getting depressed as soon as the weather starts turn and take it out on here.

Should settle down in a few weeks :p
 

Shambling Shaman

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 1, 2006
3,859
5
55
In The Wild
www.mindsetcentral.com
Christianity is not my belief system or religion of choice so I have no particular mandate to defend it or otherwise - I am respectful towards others religions naturally (although not particularly or exclusively towards that one).
Red

That is my view as well, the whole "defend it" bit all ways get me started so as firecrest said this is not the place so I will bite my tung.

"Science explain why boiling your water makes it safe to drink, it doesn't actually do it"
I do like to know why some thing happen and why, But theres a lot of things I'm happy not to know. The simple Knowledge that It Dose is more than sufficient for me most of the time.
 

Wallenstein

Settler
Feb 14, 2008
753
1
46
Warwickshire, UK
Cogito, ergo sum ?
Descartes actually reaches a bit too far with this statement.

Instead of "I think, therefore I am" it should be "Something thinks, therefore something is". Moving from the existence of a thinking being to identifying that with a "self" needs a few more philosophical somersaults. ;)

A case of putting "Descartes before the horse", as it were.
____________________

Descartes walks into a bar.
Barman say, "Would you like a Bacardi Breezer... they're on special today?"
"Hmm," replies Descartes, "a Bacardi Breezer? I think not."
And promptly vanishes.

Arf!
 

Tadpole

Full Member
Nov 12, 2005
2,842
21
60
Bristol
Descartes actually reaches a bit too far with this statement.

Instead of "I think, therefore I am" it should be "Something thinks, therefore something is". Moving from the existence of a thinking being to identifying that with a "self" needs a few more philosophical somersaults. ;)

A case of putting "Descartes before the horse", as it were.
____________________

Descartes walks into a bar.
Barman say, "Would you like a Bacardi Breezer... they're on special today?"
"Hmm," replies Descartes, "a Bacardi Breezer? I think not."
And promptly vanishes.

Arf!
Descarte was merely explaining in laymans terms that which Aristotle had written a couple of thousand years before.
".....whenever we perceive, we are conscious that we perceive, and whenever we think, we are conscious that we think, and to be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious that we exist."
Sub sole nihil novi est:D
 

scanker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 15, 2005
2,326
24
52
Cardiff, South Wales
Well I've only skimmed the last couple of pages, as philosophy isn't really my bag, but I think it's a credit to the main posters that this debate has continued politely and eloquently over 6 pages. I know it's gone a little off topic, but that's the nature of threads sometimes.

:You_Rock_
 

gregorach

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 15, 2005
3,723
28
50
Edinburgh
Well, this has certainly come a long way from its beginnings... While I largely agree with the various points that have been made about the important distinctions between descriptive knowledge and prescriptive knowledge, between truth and right, etc, etc, I completely fail to see what bearing any of that has on the simple empirical question of whether people behave differently when it's a full moon or not. That is a proposition which is either true or false, and is entirely susceptible to rational investigation. There is no moral dimension to that question.

If you want to know how the world works, science is the best tool for the job. It can't offer any insights as to what you should do, and nobody in this thread ever claimed that it did. Certainly not me - that would be the most fundamental kind of category error.
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,135
2,872
66
Pembrokeshire
actually Red, I suspect I just mixed you up with John Fenna. My apologies. Like I said, i do like a debate, but in doing so, I will offend people.

What did I do now?:D
I have been following this thread with interest.
I know I share quite a few opinions with Mr Red, but you have made my day confusing the two of us - I am some what honoured!
I too like a good debate, but as some of my arguments and statements have in the past been mis-taken I have been keeping quiet on this one;) :)
Keep the debate running folks!
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE