Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend

[Saint Guinefort]

How do they store the history of their ponderings?


We would need that for confirmation


Until then it’s not history

Doesn't matter how they "store" the information. They could, conceivably, still be having the thoughts. They are mammals with large brains not unlike ours, complex communities and apparently communication between individuals. Sounds like the idea that they couldn't possibly have the higher faculties Cypriss mentioned is little more than human chauvinism. Nothing more.

 

[Nomad]

We are the only life in the history of the Earth, the history of the solar system, possibly the galaxy that has ever transcended our base instincts to ask abstract questions about creation, time, matter, energy, and the meaning of life itself. Despite our litany of crimes, that itself justifies humanity. It's hard to fathom why an organizing principle and a mathmatical scaffolding were hung on the backbone of reality and no sentient conciousness was ever supposed to percieve it.

Einstein once said that the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible.

I'm guessing that, in the school of sentient consciousness, we earthlings are the freshmen.

At best.

Grade schoolers, maybe even.

 

[Guno צְבִי]

Past my bedtime, I'm going to have to enjoy the show a few hours before it hits the peak, still should be pretty good.

I am going to set the Alarm

 

[Dutch Uncle]

I'm guessing that, in the school of sentient consciousness, we earthlings are the freshmen.

At best.

Grade schoolers, maybe even.

Grade schoolers would be an apt description, IMO.

 

[Cypress]

I'm guessing that, in the school of sentient consciousness, we earthlings are the freshmen.

At best.

Grade schoolers, maybe even.

It's possible there are beings out there with intergalactic spaceships and exotic technology that would seem like magic to us.

I think it's just as possible that interstellar space-faring aliens are just a psychological expression of the human mind's affinity for superstition, myth, dieties, gods, and a magical supernatural facet to life.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

I think it's just as possible that interstellar space-faring aliens are just a psychological expression of the human mind's affinity for superstition, myth, dieties, gods, and a magical supernatural facet to life.

Agreed.

 

[Nomad]

It's possible there are beings out there with intergalactic spaceships and exotic technology that would seem like magic to us.

I think it's just as possible that interstellar space-faring aliens are just a psychological expression of the human mind's affinity for superstition, myth, dieties, gods, and a magical supernatural facet to life.

Of course what you suggest is a possibility.

Anything is possible.

It's possible that neither you nor anyone or anything else really exists and you're all just figments of my imagination because I'm God and you're all just creations of my mind.

I tend to believe that we are just one of **illions of civilizations which exist at various levels of advancement in an unimaginably and incomprehensibly vast universe or universes.

Nothing magical or outlandish about that.

It seems downright logical to me.

 

[Cypress]

I am curious why an avowed "agnostic" would enjoy making completely unsubstantiated ex cathedra positive claims without any evidence whatsoever. Even most hardened atheists don't make universal negative claims like that.

For all we know dolphins and whales could be doing that very thing.

Chimpanzees, squirrels, and lemurs don't have complex abstract language, music theory, astrophysics, theoretical mathmatics, or art.

 

[Cypress]

Of course what you suggest is a possibility.

Anything is possible.

It's possible that neither you nor anyone or anything else really exists and you're all just figments of my imagination because I'm God and you're all just creations of my mind.

I tend to believe that we are just one of **illions of civilizations which exist at various levels of advancement in an unimaginably and incomprehensibly vast universe or universes.

Nothing magical or outlandish about that.

It seems downright logical to me.

That hypothesis should be thoroughly tested within the next hundred years.

Our galaxy is a good testing ground for whether advanced civilizations are ubiquitous. There are 400 billion star systems in the Milky Way, and if we turn out to be the only civilization in this galaxy, there's no reason to be optimistic it will be found in abundance in other galaxies.

Firstly, if life is inevitable in the presence of liquid water and molecular chemistry we should find evidence of it in our own solar system, or at least in biosignatures of exoplanets

Any advanced technological civilization should leave a footprint in the radiowave frequencies of the EM spectrum. Radio and microwave energy is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can realistically be used for communication and navigation. Radio astronomy programs like SETI should hopefully be able to make a detection if alien technology is out there.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

Chimpanzees, squirrels, and lemurs don't have complex abstract language, music theory, astrophysics, theoretical mathmatics, or art.

Those aren't the ones I mentioned. Also, how do you know what sort of theory they have in their minds? Are you God?

 

[Cypress]

Those aren't the ones I mentioned. Also, how do you know what sort of theory they have in their minds? Are you God?

Whales are smart. So are chimpanzees and lemurs.

I leave it to you to believe whales are capable and are actively practicing astrophysics, theoretical mathmatics, and art.

 

[NiftyNiblick]

Keep your death wishes for YOU ONLY

Don't sweat it, vinny.

My wistful wishes don't make things happen.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

Whales are smart. So are chimpanzees and lemurs.

I leave it to you to believe whales are capable of astrophysics, theoretical mathmatics, and art.

I am still curious how you know what is going on in other minds you cannot communicate with.

Remember: you are an Agnostic because you cannot know if God is real or not. But you seem PERFECTLY HAPPY to draw a NEGATIVE CONCLUSION without any evidence for the content of other animal minds.

Do you see why one might find that a confused set of positions to take?

1) You can't be sure about something called "God" so you take the "I don't know" route
2) You can't be sure about the content of other minds you can't communicate with so you take the "I know they don't have that ability" route.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Whales are smart. So are chimpanzees and lemurs.

I leave it to you to believe whales are capable and are actively practicing astrophysics, theoretical mathmatics, and art.

I am still curious how you know what is going on in other minds you cannot communicate with....

Non sequitur, Perry, since that's not what Cypress said.

You're free to change your name as many times as you like, but it's clear you have a problem changing your personality as easily.

 

[Cypress]

I am still curious how you know what is going on in other minds you cannot communicate with.

Remember: you are an Agnostic because you cannot know if God is real or not. But you seem PERFECTLY HAPPY to draw a NEGATIVE CONCLUSION without any evidence for the content of other animal minds.

Do you see why one might find that a confused set of positions to take?

1) You can't be sure about something called "God" so you take the "I don't know" route
2) You can't be sure about the content of other minds you can't communicate with so you take the "I know they don't have that ability" route.

I'm not going to debate you about narwhales engaging in particle physics research and solving quadratic equations.

That's something you should discuss with mentally unbalanced people.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

I'm not going to debate you about narwhales engaging in particle physics research and solving quadratic equations.

Because you consistently mischaracterize my position. I understand it is a weakness of your position that you are unable to address the point.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

I'm not going to debate you about narwhales engaging in particle physics research and solving quadratic equations.

That's something you should discuss with mentally unbalanced people.

It reallly seems that you never had a philosophy class at all. Is all your philosophy "self-taught" through reading? No chance to ever debate your positions with others? That seems to be your biggest problem.

You don't seem capable of looking at someone else's point and understanding even the basics of the point if it disagrees with your position. That's a form of mental weakness wherein you can't debate because you don't understand your own position well enough and you don't listen to the other position sufficiently.

 

[evince]

Why do you constantly attack Cy?


What’s your problem?

 

[Saint Guinefort]

Non sequitur, Perry, since that's not what Cypress said.

It is not a non-sequitur. But kudos for trying to sound like you have something of value to add.

You're free to change your name as many times as you like, but it's clear you have a problem changing your personality as easily.

LOL. This really upsets you. I can't wait to change it again. Just to see you lose your shit over NOTHING.

 

[Saint Guinefort]

You come here to have stupid fights


Why?


What do you think you are gaining?

Cypress doesn't come on here for stupid fights. Cypress comes on here to show everyone how very smart and erudite he is.. Of course it is all for show so anytime someone actually engages with his "points" he is insufficiently prepared to discuss them and he has to run to insults or run away.

Cypress is what we call a POSEUR.