atheism, but it's a religion for all practical purposes.This is simply bollocks.
It's like saying that the absence of any ailment is an illness in itself.
Or (on the converse, to give a non-negative example) that the absence of any virtue is a virtue in itself.
But there are some atheistic religions, I'll concede that.
The whole "woke" thing is a pet peeve of mine... Like so many other things, I don't believe it has any commonly understood definition other than trying to label someone/something as oppositional to the users conservative viewpoints. And I also find it ironic that people use a synonym of "conscious" as an insult, when the opposite meaning would align with "asleep" or "unconscious"...Quote from: Merriam Websterwoke : aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)
But, most of all, those tossing labels like 'woke' around seem to do so primarily to cause divisive reactions rather than any sincere attempt to convey ideas or constructive discussion.
Besides, the US political system is "far-right to right-wing" (Republican) or "right-wing to centre-right" (Democrat). There are very few mainstream left-wing politicians in the US, if we use the academic definition of left-wing. (You could apply some kind of political relativism if you want but I don't think it's really sensible because it makes it difficult to compare with other countries).
Atheism is the belief that there is no god, I'm atheist myself, I don't believe in anything supernatural, but I can't prove there is no god, I just believe there isn't, it's a belief like any other. Unlike some, I'm not trying to push my belief on others.
A wall is to stop people illegally entering your country. "illegal immigration" is not the same as immigration. No sane immigration policy formally includes illegal immigration.
Atheism is the belief that there is no god, I'm atheist myself, I don't believe in anything supernatural, but I can't prove there is no god, I just believe there isn't, it's a belief like any other. Unlike some, I'm not trying to push my belief on others.Perhaps you should look up the meaning of atheism. The "a" prefix means without. Being atheist means you have no beliefs about Gods or the supernatural. That's quite different from believing there are no Gods or that there is only the natural world.
Personally I don't care if they're coming from Mexico or Sweden or anywhere else, I don't want people pouring in uncontrolled, no sane nation does. It has nothing to do with race, it's simple space and resources.
Atheism is the belief that there is no god, I'm atheist myself, I don't believe in anything supernatural, but I can't prove there is no god, I just believe there isn't, it's a belief like any other. Unlike some, I'm not trying to push my belief on others.Perhaps you should look up the meaning of atheism. The "a" prefix means without. Being atheist means you have no beliefs about Gods or the supernatural. That's quite different from believing there are no Gods or that there is only the natural world.
Ok I just did, this is copied directly from the dictionary:
atheism [ ey-thee-iz-uhm ]
noun
the doctrine or belief that there is no God.
disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.
Is that not precisely what I already asserted it means?
Atheism is the belief that there is no god, I'm atheist myself, I don't believe in anything supernatural, but I can't prove there is no god, I just believe there isn't, it's a belief like any other. Unlike some, I'm not trying to push my belief on others.
Seems like I hear that argument all the time, and despite my liberal tendencies I probably agree with you more than disagree.
What bothers me is that's not the same argument that seems to get the loud voices going - we hear slurs against Mexicans specifically, brown skinned people of all races are yelled at in stores and told to "go back where you came from" (even when they're legal Americans) and told by right leaning media that the drug problem is a result of these people who are just looking to survive, when more Americans have likely died from greedy American opioid pharma companies. This is what we hear from the top and even our leaders. So it's no surprise to find supporters following suit.
Are you sure you are remembering this correctly
(Except when you are wrong, of course. )
The absence of a belief is not a belief.
Personally I don't care if they're coming from Mexico or Sweden or anywhere else, I don't want people pouring in uncontrolled, no sane nation does. It has nothing to do with race, it's simple space and resources.Seems like I hear that argument all the time, and despite my liberal tendencies I probably agree with you more than disagree.
Is that how people in the UK view racism in the US? That racism against whites is more of a problem than racism against blacks, for instance? Most blacks over here wouldn't agree with that view, at all. There's a very strong sense of white privilege here which whites often use to justify their racism towards blacks. Racism against blacks is so widespread and persistent that there's even a whole vocabulary grown up around it, like "DWB" (driving while black).
It depends on who you talk to I guess. The most openly and unashamedly racist people I have ever encountered have been black. That is obviously not to say that all blacks are racist, not even close, but in some circles "racism" has been redefined so that only whites can be racist, I know, it makes no sense, but I have actually had people tell me on more than one occasion that "he can't be racist, he's black" Meanwhile people of certain races get away with saying abhorrent things that would get someone of another race crucified and yet it is seen as acceptable.
Atheism is the belief that there is no god, I'm atheist myself, I don't believe in anything supernatural, but I can't prove there is no god, I just believe there isn't, it's a belief like any other. Unlike some, I'm not trying to push my belief on others.Perhaps you should look up the meaning of atheism. The "a" prefix means without. Being atheist means you have no beliefs about Gods or the supernatural. That's quite different from believing there are no Gods or that there is only the natural world.
Ok I just did, this is copied directly from the dictionary:
atheism [ ey-thee-iz-uhm ]
noun
the doctrine or belief that there is no God.
disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.
Is that not precisely what I already asserted it means?
On the other hand, systemic and institutional racism in USA affects blacks more than any other group, and whites are in a very privileged position in this regard. (Yes, there are many poor whites who are socioeconomically no better off, but they’re still infinitely less likely to experience systemic racism and the consequences and dangers that carries.)
The absence of a belief is not a belief.
True, the absence of belief is agnosticism, atheism is the belief that there is no deity, not simply the lack of belief. At least that is the definition I have always heard.
But, most of all, those tossing labels like 'woke' around seem to do so primarily to cause divisive reactions rather than any sincere attempt to convey ideas or constructive discussion.I don't, nor do the kind of people I like to interact with.
The concept is complex, but at the core its use boils down to "what you are doing will not have the effect you hope it will, and will instead just make things worse"; and the reason that specific word is used is exactly because of the inherent irony.
(Just as important at the core is the concept of being offended on behalf of someone else they do not even know.)
The absence of a belief is not a belief.
True, the absence of belief is agnosticism, atheism is the belief that there is no deity, not simply the lack of belief. At least that is the definition I have always heard.
No: agnosticism is saying "there might be a god, but I don't care if there is", whereas atheism is saying "I reject the idea of a god as described in most religious texts, because it is not falsifiable."
On the other hand, systemic and institutional racism in USA affects blacks more than any other group, and whites are in a very privileged position in this regard. (Yes, there are many poor whites who are socioeconomically no better off, but they’re still infinitely less likely to experience systemic racism and the consequences and dangers that carries.)
The (removed) **** out bits, was done by me. I find it too offensive and crazy to include in the quote.QuoteScott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comics, has received a serious backlash for suggesting that you should **** **** own son if he is “a danger to himself and others”.
I'm not entirely clear, if they genuinely have this opinion, and can't see the flaws in it, and dangers of it being misunderstood and/or incorrectly applied, in the wider-population. Who may not have the critical thinking skills, to be able to process stuff like that reliably and safely.
Alternatively, as at least one person in this thread, seems to have said, they have done it more to increase / boost their (presumably flagging) sales, rather than 100% believe in it.
In which case, I'd be disappointed in their business morals and morality in general. As it could (in theory), cause serious and incorrect, activities, by others. With terrible consequences.
The absence of a belief is not a belief.
True, the absence of belief is agnosticism, atheism is the belief that there is no deity, not simply the lack of belief. At least that is the definition I have always heard.
No: agnosticism is saying "there might be a god, but I don't care if there is", whereas atheism is saying "I reject the idea of a god as described in most religious texts, because it is not falsifiable."It's odd how things can change ones perception of whether there's a god or not. I used to be strongly atheist, but am now more spiritual/agnostic. I'm still no fan of organised religion, although Christianity is probably one of the least worst ones and is the foundation for many of the good things in western society. I wonder if it was being hit by a car doing 60mph, whist cycling last year, which has affected my brain? I wasn't that badly injured, considering, just a broken radius and ulnar requiring surgery and a mild pneumothorax.
The absence of a belief is not a belief.True, the absence of belief is agnosticism, atheism is the belief that there is no deity, not simply the lack of belief. At least that is the definition I have always heard.
The (removed) **** out bits, was done by me. I find it too offensive and crazy to include in the quote.QuoteScott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comics, has received a serious backlash for suggesting that you should **** **** own son if he is “a danger to himself and others”.
I'm not entirely clear, if they genuinely have this opinion, and can't see the flaws in it, and dangers of it being misunderstood and/or incorrectly applied, in the wider-population. Who may not have the critical thinking skills, to be able to process stuff like that reliably and safely.
Alternatively, as at least one person in this thread, seems to have said, they have done it more to increase / boost their (presumably flagging) sales, rather than 100% believe in it.
In which case, I'd be disappointed in their business morals and morality in general. As it could (in theory), cause serious and incorrect, activities, by others. With terrible consequences.
I'm not defending his opinion or quote, I have not heard that before, but I would bet money it's taken out of context.
As I've said, if you don't listen to his live shows then you don't undrestand what he's doing and how he explains things. He likes to put hyptotheticals out there and discuss them and a whole bunch of other techniques. This makes him incredibly easy to be taken out of context.