kwinter's Comments (910)

“kwinter, I wont profess to be certain about lechatnoirs' comment. However, I will comment on my interpretation of what he is implying in his criticism of Cenk not approaching the "9-11" topic.

In spite of frankly overwhelming evidence that the 9-11 Commission was a rather feeble whitewash. Many incriminating facts were ignored, rendered insignificant, or covered up. At the very least, there is substantial cause to reopen a more thorough and less corrupt investigation. No media outlet will touch upon this, with a 50 foot pole, held by someone else. It is considered "Case Closed."

I believe "lechatnoir" was making the point that perhaps Cenk is among those choosing to ignore the mountain of evidence begging to be properly re-investigated.

You gotta admit, any suggestion of complicity by people from the west is anathema for journalists. And maybe a bad career move. The issue has been put right out there with UFO's and grassy knolls.”

“ok

a senseless act of beauty is a poetic way of encouraging us all to bring more beauty into our lives

In joy,

ed”

“I think ....................................................................... I'd like you to answer JFC's question ... using words the way they are defined.”

“kwinter what do you think?”

“Myths exert a powerful influence. Therefore it behoves me to understand them. That lichens are symbiotic is relevant in the same way that your assertion that altruism or wisdom in plants or animals is silly is relevant. Animals can be altruistic and having studied soil, I can tell you it is certainly wise in a ecological sense because it is a living community of all sorts of organisms in a productive balance.”

“Certainly true of the Old Testament God. Not so much the Jesus of the New Testament. Of course they are not the same thing despite the conflation most Christians make. However algae and fungi are symbiotic at least in lichens.”

“Dear Friends, I didn't think this explanation was necessary, but I was engaging in HYPERBOLE! The Universe is not and will probably never be just.

SD Mendelson”

“I think you're more of a "spirited" atheist.

You know, I'd like some more information about what it means to commune with all that is. Do we even know what all is, how much all weighs, or where all is?

On a related note:
It seems a bit strange to commune with something like a bacterium, or a chestnut. Talk about small talk.”

“Spirituality is a quest for higher state of awareness, outreach for wisdom and communion with all that is.”

“*confrontation of DC not DP*”

“I see your trouble, you thought Deepak was saying woo woo was nonsense. Actually that wasn't his point at all. Perhaps that was your starting assumption. Let me break it down for you. 'Woo woo' is the willingness to consider new ideas, 'bad science' in this case is professional skepticism that is not willing to consider new ideas. To put is all together, Being open to new ideas is intellectually a step ahead of not being open to new ideas. Was that to fast for you? You can reread the above again more slowly if that helps.
By the way, "implausible" ideas were not mentioned in the article, nor was "pseudoscience" Never feel ashamed of being a special needs child, and remember it is always okay to ask for help.”

“We are going to have a difficult time advancing as a culture without better reading comprehension.

What the title means is "woo woo" is that which is understood , or clear or taken as a truth,
before science has had an opportunity to "prove it".”

“I'm not sure, since I have no idea what you are saying. Maybe you could restate it for people that don't already know what you're talking about.”

“Say it ain't so!”

“I think much but not all religion is synonymous with fanaticism. However sometimes I get the feeling that some of the people in religion don't really believe all the nonsense but are there for shared community or because they get a personal lift out of it somehow. My wife is like that.”

“The funny thing is that supernaturalists of all stripes label atheism or certain branches of science a religion in order to denigrate their epistemic value. Of course this is logically also an admittance of a lack of value in supernaturalist religion.

But here they've come up with a neat trick: they simply deny being religious themselves, but instead assert they have a mysterious "relationship" with the "ineffable". Which means exactly nothing but in their deluded minds gives them the high ground above people who actually care what's true.

They are clowns, and public discourse should treat them as such.”

“An editorial in the local paper called the "green movement" a "religion" because too many wind farms are being built in the area. This from a paper that ironically thumps a Biblical cause every chance it gets. I guess the point is that anything can be referred to as a religion today by those on any side of an argument. Maybe it is one of those words like socialism, liberal and conservative that is losing all meaning due to misuse and abuse.”

“Religious people are religious because they "believe". The "believing" is the religion, regardless of the particular beliefs, usually (but not always) supported by various rituals and incantations.

This is not so different from what might be said about atheists, depending upon how dedicated they are to their "believing not".

Agnostics come in various stripes. Using your phrase, "I don't/can't *know* if gods exist" as one way to describe it, even in "not knowing", there are those who see the spirit as half empty where others see it as half full.”

“Agreed. Liberal or perhaps populist, but certainly not libertarian.”