Total topics: 33
Who thinks nothing will be achieved by midnight Monday and there will be a government shutdown? Takin' bets, y'all.
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Politics
I honestly keep forgetting it's there. I've barely used it. Seems like 90% of the posts I see have 0 likes. The ones that do have likes usually don't seem to have more than 1 or 2.
What percentage of posts that you like do you actually bother to click the like button on?
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DebateArt.com
Well, that was unexpected. A grand jury apparently saw enough evidence to warrant indicting him on 16 charges. Then he goes into a room with the prosecutor and comes out with a deal and all charges dropped?
The deal being a $10,000 hit to his wallet and some community service. Sorry, prosecutors, but that is just so unequal to his crime. That would be like telling me I just have to give you ten dollars and mow some lawns. The city of Chicago says ten grand won't even cover the cost of the wasted investigation.
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Politics
I've been hearing people say that the music industry has been (unfairly) untouched by the #MeToo movement. Agree/disagree?
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Show business
Well, anyone here watch it? I finally heard enough people buzzing about it that I got around to it.
No new information really, and yet a new public response.
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People
Of Eden, of course. Christians and the western world say the Serpent is Satan, duh. But it's worth noting that Genesis was not written by Christians. It was written by ancient Hebrews who did not have the concept of the devil that we do now.
In the story, this one creature is responsible for the existence of all suffering. It literally ruins everything. And it knowingly and sneakily causes this to happen. Why? What did the authors intend this creature to be? Where did such malicious intent come from?
And was this supposed to be a real snake, or a representation of something else? Voltaire once wrote:
It was so decidedly a real serpent, that all its species, which had before walked on their feet, were condemned to crawl on their bellies. No serpent, no animal of any kind, is called Satan, or Belzebub, or Devil, in the Pentateuch.
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Religion
In severe cases of epilepsy, doctors have sometimes performed a surgery called a callosotomy. It severs the corpus callosum, the nerve bundle in the brain that allows the left hemisphere to communicate with the right. The idea was that if a seizure then occurred, it could not spread throughout the whole brain. The surgery has been quite effective in most cases.
But what are the consequences of walking around with a split brain? A neuroscientist, who later won the Nobel Prize for his work, set out to investigate that question. The results of his case studies taught us a lot about hemispheric specialization, but also led him and other neuroscientists to arrive at a pretty audacious hypothesis: that the left and right hemispheres of a split-brain patient are independently conscious.
... indeed a conscious system in its own right, perceiving, thinking, remembering, reasoning, willing, and emoting, all at a characteristically human level, and ... both the left and the right hemisphere may be conscious simultaneously in different, even in mutually conflicting, mental experiences that run along in parallel— Roger Wolcott Sperry, 1974
So the question: Are they separately conscious? Is that a reasonable theory to draw from Sperry's findings and the full case history?
This will inevitably come down to what the definition of "consciousness" is. And there is no agreed upon definition of consciousness. Therein lies the difficulty. It's a question that isn't even sure what it's asking. A recent study declared split-brain patients have "divided perception but undivided consciousness". Yet where does perception end and consciousness begin? And how is the brain able to create a unified consciousness after it has been completely severed in two?
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Science and Nature
I nominate this kid for Creepiest Teen on Fucking Earth. All in favor?
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Politics
The multiverse is a theory that many physicists today are seriously discussing. They remain divided on the issue, but if we assume for the sake of discussion that the multiverse is real, then to theists, I ask:
Do you believe there would be a different God in each universe, or one God over them all? If the latter, do you think God's values and commands would change from universe to universe, as befitting their fundamental differences? If you believe in an afterlife, would you expect to see souls from other universes there? Or would it be one afterlife per universe?
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Religion
There was always something transfixing about this. A man calmly hijacks a commercial plane, expertly uses his leverage to collect $200,000 dollars, parachutes from the plane and is never seen again.
His relaxation and politeness remained curious throughout. He paid for his drinks, told the flight crew that if they were hungry he could include meals in his demands, and released all passengers the moment he got the money. The crew all described him as a gentleman. It's like something out of a movie, not reality.
He was very specific in his flight instructions. He told the pilots to fly at 115 mph, maintain an altitude of no more than 10,000 ft, to lower the wing flaps by 15 degrees, to keep the landing gear deployed, and to let the cabin remain unpressurized. He understood refueling needs and planned refueling stops. All that aside, he did jump out of a plane at night wearing only loafers and a suit in the middle of a rainstorm and cold conditions.
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People
Thread primarily made with Wylted in mind, but much thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer this topic and open up about their personal beliefs. I've never met a Satanist. I grew up in an extremely Christian-dominant area and they're something of a curiosity to me.
What is it about this religion/ideology that draws you to it or makes you feel that it presents the best interpretation of life?
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Religion
I've been reading your posts and debates on the lookout for memorable quotes, generally one to three sentences long. I'll be collecting them here. They may be meaningful, humorous, make a good point, or paint a vivid self-portrait. Anything that jumps out at me, really.
My intent is to @ the people I quote. If you don't want to be @'ed in this way, or if you don't want me to quote you at all, tell me and I will stop immediately and permanently.
I may be quoting controversial members or members you don't like. Sometimes people you don't like say things worth quoting.
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DebateArt.com
I always understood it to be the last one: the product of a union between an angel and a human. Obviously the most interesting of the three as well, imo.
But I've recently been reminded that the Bible also refers to nephilim as "giants", and that the original Hebrew word, nefilim, apparently means "the fallen ones".
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Religion
I'm curious. I mean, we're just typing a bunch of words on a screen. It's not the same as your real life actions. Or talking to someone face to face.
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Religion
Debate rounds can have dreadfully long walls of text that can be very tedious to read. Do any experienced members have any tips or advice on how to make it easier to get through them?
In a full forfeit debate, is your style to award all points to the non-forfeiter, or to award the conduct point to the non-forfeiter but tie everything else? Why?
I've been doing the latter, but I'm debating it. The argument for the former is presumably that if a person forfeits they should get no points, not even tie points. And the argument for the latter is presumably that if no one made any arguments or posted any sources, no points should be given in favor of either side.
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DebateArt.com
This is, beyond a doubt, one of the strangest looking creatures I've ever seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FUccwdB65s
The video was filmed by a deep sea ROV that was inspecting a pipeline for maintenance. It had the privilege of sighting the rare deepstaria enigmatica.
Biology is endlessly fascinating.
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Science and Nature
The Dyatlov Pass incident refers to the unsolved deaths of nine ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union (now Russia) between 1 February and 2 February 1959. The experienced trekking group, who were all from the Ural Polytechnical Institute, had established a camp on the slopes of Kholat Syakhl in an area now named in honor of the group's leader, Igor Dyatlov. During the night, something caused them to tear their way out of their tents and flee the campsite while inadequately dressed for heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures.After the group's bodies were discovered, an investigation by Soviet Union authorities determined that six had died from hypothermia while the other three showed signs of physical trauma. One victim had a fractured skull; two others had major chest fractures. Additionally, another team member was missing her tongue and eyes. The investigation concluded that an "unknown compelling force" had caused the deaths. Numerous theories have been put forward to account for the unexplained deaths, including animal attacks, hypothermia, avalanche, infrasound-induced panic, military involvement, or some combination of these.
What's your theory?
You need:
- an explanation of the initial threat that drove them from the tent (avalanche, animal, etc)
- a timeline of events, fitting the clues and evidence, that explains what happened between their flight from camp and their deaths
I've always been in the "they heard an avalanche" camp. But figuring out the order of events that happened afterward is trickier, not to mention the counterarguments against avalanche.
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Miscellaneous
I hear:
- By the time you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated; thirst isn't a reliable indicator of dehydration.
- You need eight glasses of water a day. (Though this is supposed to include the water in your food.)
- If your urine is dark it means you're dehydrated.
These were things my high school nurse and health teacher told me.
I now hear people saying they're rumors spread by Big Sports Drink. So how much truth do they have to them?
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Science and Nature
Maybe "lied to" is overly harsh language to apply to every case. It can be a relatively harmless fib to make Christmas fun for kids.
I was never told Santa exists. I mean, my mom basically referred to herself as Santa. It was another name for "exciting holiday mom who gives presents if you're good".
So I never went through this whole moment where I found out there is no Santa. I'm interested in hearing what it was like for people who did, and if you have kids, whether you tell them Santa is real.
In today's day and age it really must be harder to get kids to believe in Santa. We've got eight-year-olds with phones and google search. "Says here on Wikipedia Santa is a fictitious amalgam of several cultural legends. Nice try, Dad."
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Personal
So I've been seeing a few people lament being unable to tell so-and-so he's an idiot, or tell everyone they're idiots, or, I dunno, strip naked and gallop around the room smacking their own ass and yelling "you like horsey? you like?". As one does.
On a few sites I've seen a separate subforum where some -- repeat, some -- of the rules were suspended. Mostly the ones prohibiting personal attacks, profanity, and adult/NSFW content. Threats, doxxing, all the serious stuff, still banhammerable. And every time you clicked on that subforum to navigate to it a box popped up asking you to input your age with a message something like "you're about to see some sh*t, don't say we didn't warn you".
Thoughts?
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DebateArt.com
To theists:
Do you talk to God? What's this experience like? Is it one-way, where you're sending God prayers, or does God ever touch your mind in response? If there is a response, what is it like? Does God respond in words? Is it just a feeling or emotion, like a wordless sense of wellbeing or reassurance?
Is there ever a doubting part of you that whispers that you're just talking to yourself? If so, how do you overcome it? Is there a quality to "God's voice" that is immediately and fundamentally distinct from your own inner voice, so that you can always tell when it's supposedly God and when it's just your own mind?
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Religion
Fogle first came to the attention of law enforcement in 2007, when reporter Rochelle Herman-Walrond told police in Sarasota, Florida, that he had made salacious comments to her about middle school-aged girls at a school health event she was covering for a local news station. She made recordings of Fogle's remarks and saved text messages between them, and then went to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where agents asked her to wear a wiretap during her conversations with him. Herman-Walrond befriended Fogle and, for the next four years, surreptitiously recorded her conversations with him as part of an ongoing federal investigation. She recorded him making several remarks about having had sex with underage girls and asking her to install a webcam in her children's rooms so he could watch them.
I don't understand why in the world he would just openly say these things to her. Knowing she was a reporter. And a mother. This story is several years old and I still don't get it. I'm sure he got off on talking about it to someone else, and I know a common trait of sociopathy (if he had it) is uninhibited boldness, but come on. Where's the basic slimeball self-preservation instinct? She looked and acted exactly like a watchdog soccer mom who was undercover to lure out a sicko, and he bought it from the beginning with no apparent suspicion.
If you want to see what I mean, listen to these recordings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7fywYUZqbk (Or don't, because they're disturbing. You are warned.) Is it just me, or is what she says from 0:25 to 0:48 basically "I'm wearing a wire, please incriminate yourself".
Fogle's psychiatrist said he had replaced his overeating disorder with "soft" pedophilia.
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People
I'm undecided about how to type the abbreviation. Obviously this is a huge issue that demands its own thread. Huge. Whether we succeed or fail as a forum depends on what we decide, here, today, in this topic. Think about how you will be remembered by posterity. Do you want your children to know you as the person who advocated for what turns out to be the unpopular abbreviation? Don't bring that shame on them.
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DebateArt.com
For example, the Catholic Encyclopedia states, "Formal dogmatic atheism is self-refuting, and has never de facto won the reasoned assent of any considerable number of men. Nor can polytheism, however easily it may take hold of the popular imagination, ever satisfy the mind of a philosopher."
Dawkins: "It is not clear why the change from polytheism to monotheism should be assumed to be a self-evidently progressive improvement."
I must say it isn't clear to me either. Do you believe polytheism is somehow less evolved than monotheism? If so, why? And if not, why do you think others do?
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Religion
Confession time. In the Purge universe, would you be one of the folks who battens down the hatches and waits it out without committing violence... or one of the ones who give in to their darker nature and inner crazy, and tear around the streets howling and hunting. Keeping in mind that *who* you hunt is completely your choice.
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Show business
Okay EV, I'm gonna start watching Alone on your recommendation. Any advice about which season to start with? Looks like there are five.
Recap for anyone else: Me and EtrnlVw are survival TV junkies and this is apparently a show about people who have to survive in complete isolation with limited survival equipment.
Isolation definitely does things to the mind. Humans are social animals, for the most part. Too long alone and you start withdrawing into yourself.
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Science and Nature
Can anyone help me out with a list of who on this site went by a different username on DDO, just so I can keep it all straight.
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DebateArt.com
I'm a progressive. I saw a Bill Maher piece recently that perfectly sums up my feelings about political correctness. Thought I'd post it here in case anyone wanted a laugh.
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Politics
Are there any serial killers or cases that have caught your particular interest or notice? They've certainly left their footprint on pop culture.
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People
Uh, "without feeling" is modifying exterminate, not human beings.
Every now and then I am reminded of the horrifying reality of the Holocaust, rather than holding it as a historical fact in my mind, and it kind of smacks me in the face all over again. I read the transcripts where the Nazis were first meeting to discuss the Final Solution as clinically as a business matter. I think about the many Nazis who had to be part of the genocide machine, who otherwise would've been normal individuals. I think of the people who had to look men, women, and children in the face and then pull the figurative lever that gassed them. And then went home and had dinner with their families.
How is it thinkable? How do so many people from what we might have called a civilized society come to behave like psychopaths?
Interested in your answers. Mine usually include mob mentality and dehumanizing the victim. Basically I think the Nazis are a cautionary tale about what can happen anywhere we let hate have complete power.
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Miscellaneous
All right dudes and dudettes. Pick a profile image you think would be fitting for a friend or member you know. Can be joking or semi-serious, but don't be hatin'.
Goal: Fun, snorts, unintentional farting, laughter, occasional comments like "actually that one's spot on" and "oh that's so him/her!"
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Personal
triangle.128k and I were discussing this in the incorrect grammar and spelling thread, and I didn't want to derail it.
Conversation history:
triangle.128k: Add fascism as a political ideologyCastin: You probably understand why an admin might not be too eager to do that.triangle.128k: Why not? Communism is added as a political ideology.Castin: That's true. But I think even communism doesn't have as many bad associations as fascism. My guess would be that D doesn't want it to look like he's supporting fascism (or National Socialism, as you also requested) by offering them as legitimate options on his site. I could be dumbass wrong, though.triangle.128k: How are you suppoorting any specific ideology to include it? Your feelings toward an ideology don't matter, it's still legitimate and deserves a place in an ideology drop-down. Is DebateArt supporting Communism to include it in an ideological drop down? That same logic would apply. Fascism may have bad associations, but this is a debate website.Castin: I think it's that if you include fascism or Nazism in the dropdown menu, you're saying, "These are all valid choices. Pick." It is indeed a debate site. I don't know, maybe you can talk to D and get him to think about it. It's his call.triangle.128k: Maybe not Nazism, but if you're going to include the ideology of Pol "Crush Baby skulls for Fertilizer" Pot, why is Fascism so big and scary to add?
@trian:
I get where you're coming from. And by raw kill count, communism beats fascism. But this is how I see it:
- Communism is a much larger and more varied overarching ideology with many more branches and forms, all of varying degrees of merit, some of which even have opposing ideas.
- While communist regimes have often become monstrous, communism as an ideology originally focused on the values of equality, liberation for the working class, and sharing without discrimination. Fascism focused on the values of totalitarian power and fanatic nationalism.
- There are over 1 billion communists in the world today. How many fascists are there? Policy decisions are based on how many people can be a pain in the ass for you right now.
Again, just how I see it. I have no idea what Michael's reasons are. Maybe you could ask him to replace the dropdown list with a blank input field we can type anything into. Although that would probably lead to a lot of users with ideologies like "bewbs" and "420".
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DebateArt.com
I'm hearing that millions of spam threads have been deleted on DDO, and I can see the forums showing signs of life. Will you be going back with any regularity?
I think I'll mostly remain here. I still have no reason to think DDO will be properly moderated from now on, or that the next wave of spambots will be dealt with in a timely fashion. Some of the spambots are still posting, so they haven't plugged all the leaks. Still only silence from Juggle. I've been wooed by the promise of improved features on other websites, and I don't want to go back to DDO's rather limited UI. And I just peeked into the religion forum on DDO and was reminded of how toxic the atmosphere of a completely unregulated forum can be. Also, I'll never have the creator's ear on DDO like we have justmichael's ear on this site. Here you can make requests and get feedback. Huge personalization value.
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DebateArt.com