Cyberbuddha

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My favorite place to drink (100 taps, full fridge of bottles) The Mayor of Old Town in Fort Collins, CO. by Gen_Jack_Ripperin beer

[–]Cyberbuddha 0 points1 point ago

This is convincing me all the more that I need to move to Colorado.

Bishop John Shelby Spong on 3 biblical misconceptions by Cyberbuddhain atheism

[–]Cyberbuddha[S] 1 point2 points ago

In a sense he did.

I'm sort of left wondering, after reading his twelve points on Christianity, what's left after he pares away all the chaff.

Bishop John Shelby Spong on 3 biblical misconceptions by Cyberbuddhain atheism

[–]Cyberbuddha[S] 1 point2 points ago

While I admire his almost "literary criticism" approach to religion, as well as respecting the man himself, I don't subscribe to his ideas (I remain an atheist). That being said, the world would be much better off if more Christians subscribed to his ideas.

An amazing family photo. by Brittanneein pics

[–]Cyberbuddha 3 points4 points ago*

I take a more libertarian approach. If I don't have sovereignty over my own body & consciousness, then I don't really have freedom at all. Same with prostitution, home illegal gambling, polygamy and all other sorts of social "deviance". The state has the authority to regulate commerce and prohibit sales, I can accept that, but why should possession or home manufacture ever be a crime (the right of the state to say what's bad for society ends where my body begins)? I mean trans fats and sugary sodas are horrible for society; they lead to obesity, heart disease, poor nutrition all of which puts a large strain on our medical system but you don't see anyone being sentenced for 25 to life for eating a Big Mac. Seems to me that the state takes on more than its due there but let me put that aside.

The better question to ask is: Taking into account all the negatives, existing or possible, that go with drug use, is there any policy that could better minimize those harms than what we are doing now? (with the corresponding question being are there any positives with drug use that could be enhanced with a different policy). The answer is a resounding and unequivocal yes. If minimizing harm is the main goal for US drug policy, we've taken the most ass backwards approach possible. Criminal sentences instead of drug courts/boards, lack of needle exchange programs, the branding of drug offenders with a felony (try to get a legal job in this economy with that on your record), the contempt for the law felt by users, the restrictions on medical research, the hundreds of thousands of deaths (both in international cartels and by gangs at home) via the violence inherent in the illegal trade, etc... All these negative externalities could be for the most part ameliorated if not ended outright by a program of harm reduction and decrim and/or legalization. The current system is punitive, has horrible incentives, and ends up destroying and degrading the user just when he or she needs society most.

TIL that there are four people in the US who not only can get legal marijuana, but the federal government sends it to them, free. by MrDNLin todayilearned

[–]Cyberbuddha 4 points5 points ago

It'll happen eventually, I can guarantee you that probably with major change in 2012 or 2016 at the state level. This will always be a bottom up movement; the federal government isn't going to give an inch on the issue. It'll be up to the states and local actors to put forth change and push legalization forward. True the federal government could (and likely will) step in once the first state legalization effort passes, but that's going to lead to whole lot of state people getting majorly pissed off at the feds. It'll come to a head eventually and state pressure will force the feds to relent. Then tourism and other losses in state revenue will force other states to do a reevaluation of their own policies. You don't have 50% of the populace wanting a change in policy and that policy going absolutely nowhere.

tl;dr - Major change in 2012/16. Marijuana will be legal somewhere at the state level by then. Feds will have to give in eventually.

There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But this is an ending. by SiON42Xin books

[–]Cyberbuddha 0 points1 point ago

I don't know whether you should thank me or curse me. http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/

For what it's worth, I thought the first 6 books were the best (#6 might even be my favorite in the whole series). Seven starts to get a bit slower, 8-10 (10 is particularly brutal) move at about sloth speed. Haven't read past that.

There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But this is an ending. by SiON42Xin books

[–]Cyberbuddha 21 points22 points ago

sniffing and looks of disapproval

The whole world is watching while the USA collapses by spiderfarmerin politics

[–]Cyberbuddha 0 points1 point ago

I largely agree that a lot of the OP's points are blown out of proportion but I have to take issue with two of your points in railing back the hysteria.

your government detains without trial

It is a dangerous line that is toed here- agreed. Thankfully, when that line is blatantly crossed, it gets noticed, and fixed (the vast majority of the time).

Like Ashcroft v. Iqbal? Or Ashcroft v. Al-Kidd? Plaintiffs against the government have a very high standard of proof to bring, something that disqualifies people who have legitimate complaints. There's just about zero accountability for any actions justified under the flag of anti-terror by the US government.

our media outlets cannot be trusted

I assume you're referring to Fox? Or the interwebs? Let's not get carried away with generalizations.

Just about all American media plays into the governing game. The media is in the business of setting the dialogue artificially and essentially predetermining the allowable choices of public opinion before any facts are brought to the table (e.g. drug policy, Ron Paul's candidacy). We can likely thank the abolition of the fairness doctrine and the fact that all major news outlets are held by 6 major corporations for this. Think about the last time you've ever been well informed (and I mean really well informed, not just surface level awareness) on an issue thanks to the mainstream media.

I would love to hear more of your thoughts about the state of American healthcare. It's something I know relatively little about. I'd appreciate an educated person's take on it and Obama's recent bill.

Legalize 2012 Initiative in Final Drafting Stage by lukewarmmizerin Marijuana

[–]Cyberbuddha 1 point2 points ago

These people seriously piss me off. They're advocating for the same nonsense that helped derailed prop 19 in California back in 2010. Now as it so happens, I've read the bill that Legalize 2012 decries. It's solid, fair, and exactly what you would expect in a legalization bill. They're seriously living off in la la land if they think they can get a system of marijuana sales established without regulations or controls. It blows my mind that activists with the same values are able to so willfully ignorant and unpractical on this issue.

IMO, we shouldn't give these people any media attention or credibilty at all. We need to circle the wagons and stand united behind the bill that has the support of DPA, NORML, and MPP who I think may have a little bit more knowledge and know how when it comes to drug policy than some random blokes from the Colorado sticks. In reality, almost any step forward on drug liberalism, no matter how small, is a positive . This bill is more like a giant progressive leap forward and is actually very close, if not identical, to the sort of legislation I would want to see passed. All the more reason to be even more vociferous in its defense.

Are shrooms a try at least once in your life kind of thing? by breakfasteatrein AskReddit

[–]Cyberbuddha 0 points1 point ago

Eh that's not really accurate. As long as you have your life sorted out relatively speaking (not worrying about a new job or interview, moving, huge project at work/school, things not working out with SO, etc...) then you should be good to go. Best to do it, if you're going to, on a day where you have zero responsibilities and can just relax (would be good too if you have the next day off). A certain amount of apprehension is not bad; unmitigated fear is bad. Be open to the experience. Go in without preconceptions on the right day and you'll be great.

Best and worst movie you've watched while tripping? by kevindrosarioin Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 0 points1 point ago

Lol Holy Mountain? Jesus.

I went into that movie cold, didn't know anything about it. Was bored and stoned at a friend's house. He had a long list of movies he'd downloaded and just started that shit up randomly. I can't imagine what it would be like tripping.

Druggit, What are the Most Profound/Interesting Things You've Learned About The World? by wcc445in Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 1 point2 points ago

Apparently I didn't lose my massive wall of text. I hope I addressed your key points, it makes sense, and that it's not too long.

Caveat: When I start talking about big ideas or math, I feel it would be disingenuous of me to not include a warning that what I say cannot be held against me. There's a kernel of truth in the idea that mathematical rigor isn't something physicists do well (that goes for philosophy for me as well). "That's a small step for a physicist, but a big leap for a mathematician" etc... Some or even most of what follows may be in fact be complete nonsense.

Just so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle below you'll likely find this paper extremely interesting and relevant. I would probably be closest to the fundamentalist position as strange as that is for me to say. I would never offer proof of this claim or that it is wholly secure from being dethroned. It remains a somewhat unsubstantiated belief arising from my own experiences, education, seeing the at times breathtaking and insane effectiveness of math in application to reality, the aesthetic quality of mathematical elegance/beauty etc... Is it just subjective delusion? I don't know (a key theme in this response).

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail"

But if everything we can meaningfully say about a reality relates to the nail, in what sense is it independent of the hammer? I'm stretching the metaphor here but I think you get my point. If math provides the far and away best description of reality & something like a perfect theory exists somewhere (maybe not even accessible to humans but inductively deduced so as to be written in the language of math), would it be possible to speak only in math and reject all other talk as superfluous?

But I don't believe that the formulas we use currently are the only means through which we can reach mathematical "truths".

What else? What other modes of thought or approaches could come as close or do better to help us reach "truths"? If all encountered phenomenon is necessarily subjective, including perception, is it really meaningful to discriminate between so-called objective reality and our subjective experience of it? If math remains supreme in the subjective realm, does it not make sense to also consider it supreme in the objective sense?

Maybe a good test of this idea would be if we were to encounter some phenomenon completely resistant to mathematical modelling. But then how would you definitively know that math is disjoint from the phenomenon? We invent (discover?) new math all the time. When would it be appropriate to say that existing and all possible new areas of math remain incompatible with this reality? The last thing I would want is to degenerate in reasoning and say 'I believe because I believe' but in some sense I wonder if these are unanswerable questions. It certainly would be interesting to see how other forms of life model reality provided we (and they) survive long enough to encounter them.

It seems to me that the universe is wholly deterministic, we just have yet to determine the determinate of these seemingly probabilistic functions.

A longstanding debate in QM was whether it was really a complete description of reality with it's probabilistic framework or whether there exists some underlying determinism that lies undiscovered. You're likely familiar with Einstein's somewhat misleading quote "God does not play dice." Well QM has advanced somewhat since his death and it's not looking too good for his side. Bell's inequalities contain one of the most disturbing results in the whole of the scientific literature. QM remains mysterious and counterintuitive.

If all of higher-physics rests on the foundation of the Theory of Relativity and (hypothetically) it is found to be flawed; yet, we still get seemingly valid results with inherently flawed formulas, what does that mean? (I'd honestly like to know)

This is an interesting point. Consider that Newton's laws still work very well in most everyday cases. Of course nowadays we know that Newton's laws are metaphysically untrue (whatever that means) but it doesn't change the fact that they were successfully implemented for over 2 centuries to explain phenomenon with my favorite example being the prediction of the existence of the planet Neptune. We had to go to the limits of Newton's gravitation to find fraying edges that required further explanation. If some fundamental theory of physics is overturned (like relativity) it would simply mean there exists some further extremum where it doesn't hold. Actually much of what's done in physics is approximation; there's very few experimental systems that are exactly solvable so we have to work in some approximate framework where we try to refine theory more and more by pushing experiments further. With that said are the current theories of physics "metaphysically true"? I don't know. I doubt it and a very open question that's been echoed by other scientists is whether we can ever really arrive at such theories.

If, in your original comment, you had changed "math" to "logic", then I would have agreed with you immediately.

There is a philosophy of mathematics called Logicism that actually believes math is simply logic. I don't really know enough about these philosophies or math in general to have an opinion on the school I'd subscribe to.

But I don't believe that the formulas we use currently are the only means through which we can reach mathematical "truths".

This may have been a deeper point than you were intending but Godelian incompleteness (that any formal system as strong as arithmetic can't be both consistent and complete) may have some implications about the limits of our knowledge. That there exist mathematically true but unprovable propositions about such a formal system. I know some mathematicians who say that incompleteness isn't as profound as I make it out to be but I don't know. I would definitely need to read more on the topic before being able to even come close to articulating a coherent answer either way.

Also also, consider the [3] Double-Slit Experiment. The results hint at the possibility that we, as observers, play some role in the structuring of reality. Or in the very least, that our discoveries about reality are relative only to the specific "tools" which we used

Again some of this relates to the fact that QM is very poorly understood
in terms of physical processes: what is an observer? what really is the wavefunction? does it make sense to talk about collapse of the wavefunction? Part of my own naive and at the time (maybe still) uneducated objection when I first started studying QM was that these concepts weren't rigorously defined. Of course there are some today who think we need a better understanding of QM fundamentally before we can formulate more advanced theories but again that's by no means accepted by all scientists who may consider such questions more philosophical than scientific. Just as an aside, you may enjoy reading about the delayed choice quantum eraser experiment as it's the source of a few good 'wtfs' concerning QM.

Also, consider that the results from CERN have been [2] replicated.

That's true but only replicated on the same instrumentation. I know some of this is written in the article but just to reiterate, there was some question as to the statistical method used by the neutrino team in timing events. When you have such a long pulse time, it becomes just about impossible to say when an individual neutrino (given how weakly they interact) leaves CERN and arrives at Gran Sasso. As a result the team uses statistics to arrive at the time difference. All this repeated experiment did (using a much shorter pulse length tying each neutrino detected to a neutrino leaving) is rule out that statistical method being a source of error. There are still a bunch of potential sources for error in the experiment (e.g. problems with GPS measurement, slight change of the index of refraction of the photomultipliers). It's the same sort of idea behind trying to accurately measure a table. If you use a ruler that's 13 inches long instead of 12 inches to measure your table, your answer may hover consistently around some number but that number may in fact be off from the true value. These sorts of experiments require a lot of things to work accurately in conjunction and it isn't necessarily surprising that there's some niggling problem that hasn't been found. If Fermilab or another facility reproduces the results that would be very interesting (very doubtful IMO but I'm watching with interest). I'm actually hoping for such a result despite it's relatively low probability. It would really throw a good & interesting curve ball into theory even if it doesn't require a scrapping of SR.

I would very much like to continue my discussion with you, even beyond this topic. You seem like a very knowledgeable dude/dudette and I would love to pick your brain.

Let me return the compliment and say that I too would be interested in talking more. You seem to have a great aptitude to picking out relevant arguments about some very weighty topics. You're wasted in psychology; come join us on the dark side of the hard sciences :P.

Druggit, What are the Most Profound/Interesting Things You've Learned About The World? by wcc445in Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 1 point2 points ago

Links are the bane of long text. I unfortunately had a good volume of content written which I just stupidly lost. Believe me I'd like to continue the discussion as well but I don't have the heart or time to retype what I just wrote at the moment. Give me a day or two.

Druggit, What are the Most Profound/Interesting Things You've Learned About The World? by wcc445in Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 0 points1 point ago

I definitely will. Thanks for the suggestion!

Drug policy is "like slavery, the arguments for reform were won decades before it actually happened" by ducredditin Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 1 point2 points ago

And just like slavery, all the arguments against drug legalization will ring hollow and arguments for it will be so painfully self-evident that people will wonder why things didn't change earlier. I can't wait for 'conventional thought' to catch up with reality.

Druggit, What are the Most Profound/Interesting Things You've Learned About The World? by wcc445in Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 0 points1 point ago

Math as the base in the sense of it being the "language of reality". You can best understand (at times only understand) any physical system purely by considering the math behind it. If you dig deep enough behind any phenomenon you'll find math which must then be subsequently made consistent and logical under some axiomatic formal system. This is part of my interest in set theory (and by extension the foundations of math) where you can formulate just about any mathematical object using its language.

It's really quite eerie how seemingly pure fields of mathematical inquiry, formulated only as interesting queries, will suddenly and unexpectedly find applications in the physical world. I've really done a poor job explaining the above so if you're really interested I can try to make a better response later. Other works that might interest you include Godel Escher Bach along with the work of Max Tegmark and Roger Penrose (especially the Road to Reality).

Druggit, What are the Most Profound/Interesting Things You've Learned About The World? by wcc445in Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 2 points3 points ago

Not to be argumentative but just to continue the discussion.

I would submit that quantum mechanics is actually a very good counterexample to a breakdown of rationality. It's results may be vastly counter intuitive but the theory itself actually makes a good deal of sense if you just follow the math (David Mermin's phrase "Shut up and calculate" comes to mind). Consider that QED, a modern theory that incorporates QM, is responsible for the most accurate predictions in all of physics (don't quote me here but its results are somewhere close to parts per trillion in terms of predictive power). If reality is probabilistic instead of completely deterministic (at least from a scientist's perspective) does that necessarily make it unmathematical? Math can give very good descriptions of stochastic processes.

Now it is likely true that chaotic systems probably aren't as well understood now as other systems but work in the field is progressing (caveat, not my specialty) and I think it's certainly within the purview of math. I mean, something as simple as the weather patterns are being more successfully modeled now using lattice points and a sort of monte carlo style method.

As for the faster than light particles, that experiment remains a sample of 1 in an otherwise uniform field of evidence affirming special relativity. Even if FTL neutrinos are duplicated elsewhere (very unlikely) they may be able to be accommodated to certain modifications to existing theory and not a total scrap. I'm somewhat at a loss as to how that confirms a "random" make-up of reality.

Again the role of observers goes to our still fundamental confusion on the physical explanation/processes behind QM (even though the math is still clear as day). Just to cite a counterexample to my own case if you have an affinity for science and math, you may be interested in the work of the physicist Roger Penrose. He holds a similar view, not the majority view by any means but he remains a respected scientist, that human minds are 'special' in a certain sense (maybe somehow ontologically different?). He sees all of reality as fields of mind, math, and matter that refer to each other.

Druggit, What are the Most Profound/Interesting Things You've Learned About The World? by wcc445in Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 1 point2 points ago

Very interesting. Do you have a particular fondness/draw to set theory & the works of Russell/Godel/Hilbert?

Druggit, What are the Most Profound/Interesting Things You've Learned About The World? by wcc445in Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 0 points1 point ago

Axiomatic in the sense that all knowledge comes from making certain assumptions. There are no revelatory/definitive truths that permeate and transcend all formal systems. To know or proceed anywhere in terms of knowledge, axioms must be formulated; assumptions must be made.

Druggit, What are the Most Profound/Interesting Things You've Learned About The World? by wcc445in Drugs

[–]Cyberbuddha 7 points8 points ago

Math is the base of all of existence. All knowledge proceeds axiomatically.

"A beautiful story of faith and unquestioning love..." by RollerDerby88in atheism

[–]Cyberbuddha 26 points27 points ago*

I still think as an atheist that the Bible can be appreciated as a work of literature, morality tales, and is open to literary criticism. I always preferred the somewhat esoteric Jewish interpretation which saw this episode as a failure of Abraham, not a positive story about his faith. God never talks directly to him again following the whole Issac debacle. This interpretation sees Abraham's lack of objection, especially when he earlier challenges God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah ("will you destroy the city if you can find 50 righteous men? 40 righteous men? 30? etc..."). God wanted to be challenged; God wanted Abraham to do as Socrates does and ask constantly, especially against authority, what is the good? What is moral? What is just? Abraham didn't do that here so the story is about the supreme failure of Abraham and not his triumph by blind faith. In fact I was reading somewhere that this may be a more original interpretation (for whatever that's worth) than supposed. There is some evidence that the text showing approval given by God (after the angel stops Abraham) for Abraham's blind faith is actually a later insertion by another author. Just some interesting trivia.

Edit: Just in case it's unclear, I place stories like this on equal footing with the Upanishads, The Quran, Greek myths, etc.. in terms of metaphysical truth. I just happen to think the above retelling is much more compelling and interesting.

From: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/civil-religion/hyim-shafner/did-abraham-fail-the-ultimate-test/article_d5ebdeae-1090-11e1-9012-0019bb30f31a.html

"I would like to suggest perhaps a new explanation. I am led to this possibility by the abundance of questions the story leaves us with and the dearth of satisfying answers. Perhaps the real test was for Abraham was to confront God as he did at Sodom, thus teaching his children “righteousness and justice,” and ultimately to say “no” to God. Perhaps, on some level in this narrative, Abraham failed the test. I would suggest this is why God never speaks to Abraham again after the binding of Isaac. In the end of the story an emissary angel speaks to Abraham - but where is God? Why doesn’t God just speak directly to Abraham? Perhaps Abraham’s leadership and God’s relationship with Abraham has ended. Perhaps if we begin to see this narrative as a test in which the right answer is to protect an innocent child rather than sacrifice him in obedience to God, our world, one in which millions of religious people trace themselves theologically back to this story, might be a bit less violent."

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