Reverse Engineering

Danial Dennett, in his book "Breaking the Spell" does a job on reverse engineering parts of religion. In his book he makes the point that there is no physical evidence for a god, but there is a preponderance of evidence for a "belief in a god." This is like the SantaClaus of childhood. the mythical unicorn. Well, perhaps, less people believe in unicorns, but the existence and belief of those who belief is the same thing as with a god that there is no physical evidence of existing.


It is the belief in the concept of a god, without realizing that it is just the belief of a concept of an imaginary thing that is offering the comfort. It is the certainty of though, the community of like believers, and the constant reinforcement that provides the confidence necessary for a peaceful life without knowing the truth; there is no god, only belief in a concept of god. This is the confidence trick of religion.

And that is where I leave Dan... and go on my own. The Buddha claimed that delusions were the cause of suffering. I think this is not quite right, and it should be the belief of the delusion is the root of the suffering, or is that what was said and lost in translation.

I have come to understand religion as just a confidence trick. I feel sorry for those who do not see through the trick, and are so deluded by the illusions into believing. Saving of a non-existing eternal soul or life after death, well... these to are imaginary. Forgiveness for imaginary sins against the religion is just fine, but what about abuse or crimes against humanity? Lying, misleading... these are serious events of life... going half way through life, believing false stuff... wasting lives keeping this religious hocus pocus alive. Religion is the greatest conspiracy ever perpetrated on mankind. It was a system of thinking that got us through the stone age, iron age, but we are now into the information age, and it is time to learn truths, not fiction.

We need a great sorting and purging of wrong information. Only the science can do this. Know truths, recongnise myths as myths, and abandon fiction as fiction. Fiction can also be entertainment, but how much entertainment should the human have? How much of religion was just entertainment? Or is all of religion just entertainment and fill a social need? Are the entertainment and social need enough redeeming value to make some religion useful or at least benign? Once we know there is no god, and only belief in belief of a god, can religion still function? Only for those so inclined. 

It's All About Belief, Belief, Belief.

The science is quite clear, there is no physical god, and no physical evidence of one of any kind. Religion is all about belief in a god that does not exist. When we do not acknowledge that no god exists, but stick to a belief in one, the actions and cognitive function can be consistent. Reverse engineering of religion makes this quite clear. All religion is based on a falsehood, and as such is a form of fraud. Now, what moral high ground do they have? I do believe that the concept of gods exist, in the mine of believers. So there is a lot of belief in the "belief in god." But that does not change there is no god, no physical god.

Moral action is a basis base description of action. The word moral is a concept opposite to sin, that is religion based. It is a religion based term for right actions, right behavior, but is religion based. As an atheist, "moral" is just a concept, so to be atheist and to be moral is a UME, use meaning error, to miss use an English grammar term. It is our behavior that must be judged, yet not with religious based terms.

In Iceland almost all Down Syndrome fetuses are aborted, because there is a reliable test, and to test and appropriate action to be taken is the right thing to do. It is the society that must be accepted, and to bring a Down Syndrome child into life is a burden on the society. Now watch all the Christians get up about that. Religions like to reproduce and spread their fraud downstream to the next generations. It is a more sure spread that laterally, where reason can prevent the spread. We could eliminate a tremendous burden on the medical system by eliminating all nonviable children. It is a mater of defining what is right for our society.

There is more peace in homogeneous culture than in multiculturalism. Canada and the US are headed for ongoing strife, just like Israel, and now Europe. Africa is so badly overpopulated and starving. Oh well, the whole world is over populated when we use Co2 level as the indicator. The human population is in for a rough ride the next while. The earth will survive but will humans?         

What defines a "Quality Life"

A quality life for all is a fine guide, but what exactly is a quality life? This is reminiscent of the Stoic guide to live virtuously and naturally or by nature. Sounds good, but what exactly does it mean? Actually, when we unpack the Stoic virtuous life, it is a quality life, and would also be approximately what Buddha would have recommended or allowed. Buddha did not address seventeen issues, as the proper answer would violate other directions, necessities of life, or prevailing society believes in his time and location. These are only the issues that he refused to address.

No life is without drama; however, some people just create needless drama. Drama that is the result of an long list of thins, delusions of how life of the world should be, delusions of how others should act, our expatiation's, our unfulfilled desires, and our aversions all cause us emotional misery, and that is up to us to let go of. We may, at the same time need to let some people also go, or detach from them.  The Mangala Sutra defines what a good life is, looking from the tail end. Having reached retirement, I can say that I have lived a quality life, with a few exceptions each way. Oh well, in the end we all just die anyway.

The Stoics do likewise, but they also define it by characteristics to practice, which they hold as virtues, but do not get around to defining what they think those named virtues consist of. Justice for example changes with society and with time. So in the end we have a list of conflicting concepts which we can pick from, which gives us enough room to be disgusting people, and be within there definition of leading a good life. Oh well, in the end we all just die anyway.

The US has its Alt Right, which would likely not be tolerated in Canada; with our in-sighting hatred laws. We, Canada, are not any longer a "christian" country, but a multicultural one, which implies multi-religion. The rights of others to impose there beliefs on others has not been tested in a big way, but is coming. We have just seen those uppity natives object to some road names, building names, and a few historical monuments. These needs to be resolved, otherwise our society will continue to fragment further, rapidly.              

Quality Life for All

What is the ultimate objective? A quality life for all is the likely answer in general. This does not say government handouts, but gives the opportunity for effort, not money.

So we all have delusions, and it is not what happens that bothers us, but what we think about those things. Human misery is caused by our thinking. Now there are many people who just want to live quietly, not demanding great amount of support, just enough to live. That is not right while the the rest of us work to support the services that those who just wish to live draw on those services.

The only solution is for all to "just live a quiet life" and pile onto the system, until it breaks. We can demand medical services for every acne and pain, or we can get on living until we die. It does not matter, for in the end we all just die anyway.

It is tough to live around people who live in a delusional state, it is difficult to associate with them in any form. Of course that is all in our head, as it is not what they think that bothers us, but rather what we think about their beliefs. Ok, so they are ignorant of reality, and why should that bother me? I have been forced to learn and struggle all my life, alone, and these ignorant groups of my relatives live off each other, on historical family lands, and get by happily.

Here is one area that I do not agree with Richard Dawkins. Much if not all of the kinship bond is learned behavior in human, not genetic. Richard claims it is genetic for the animals, and it may be for animals, but I see no evidence for that among humans. There is no reason for humans to hang with kin that are dissimilar in attitudes, beliefs, values, or the like. Abusive and ignorant relatives can go fuck themselves.      

When their culture is the problem

https://freethoughtblogs.com/anjuli/2017/08/11/criticising-muslims/

So what is our responsibility when it is their culture that is the problem. Islam is a delusion, as is the historical native way of life. Living those delusions condemns the people of those societies the problems that they have, and insures conflict with others of different delusions. Religions are delusions, cultures are largely delusions. What is not a delusion is real life, living reality. 

Trump-Un battle is about to start, and those two both need a taste of reality. Ideology is also delusion. As the Buddha said, the cause of all misery is delusion. It is not the things, but our thinking about those things.

So we humans are allowing those two people with grand delusions of their own self worth, to dictate the future; one of which is so deluded that he denigrates climate science. People and there activities are producing more carbon dioxide than the world is capable of dealing with; hence, Co2 concentration is rising. We are now doomed to severe climate change, polar ice melt, and similar issues. It is coming. The earth will survive, but will humanity?

Personality like Trump

Personality like Trump?

http://www.businessinsider.com/kim-jong-un-life-2017-8

Are there personalities similar? Should they both be just ignored? Twitter has become trump's flagpole. Rum something up it, and see if anyone salutes. Ignoring the bombastic trump is one option. 

And then once we realize that they are living in a delusion of personal grandeur, how should they be perceived? 

What is the proper greeting to those who insist that there is a god? There is no god man!!! Man, are you deluded. I need some of what you are smoking. I do not know.

Trump has divided the media into what he accepts and what he does not. So to him anything he does not want to here is fake news. It has nothing to do with reality, just his opinion of reality. And that is what the US has for a President. Oh well, they got the government that they elected. He was a vote for change, a vote for shake up, a vote for living in a world where the rose classes are always on, for a life of reality TV, where life is lived in a delusion.

Trump has removed any semblance of  the US being a great nation, and has turned the US into a flailing nation without a sound foundation and living a delusion of grandeur. Living the dream, like so many of us (you) do, but what do I know. There is no god, no absolute guide to right and wrong; however, that which most agree is wrong, is likely wrong. We are all equals.  

Climate Science

Climate Science makes several things clear; it is an iterative process of learning. Not only is it iterative, but it is step-wise. Too much population, using too much carbon has produce more carbon dioxide than the earth can handle, the co2 has effected the oceans turning them into acid, which the fish cannot live in; reducing the oceans capacity to absorb Co2, and we humans are screwed unless we get off carbon very soon. We are just through one more iteration. Changes need to be made for the next generations. Religions and political systems need to be replaced with big group values, and the like. The values must be frequently stated so that understanding for the efforts can be developed. It will be interesting time ahead.

As the Co2 rises, the climate warms, with the extreme storms, and rising seas. Food will become an issue, but so will other things, like clean water. We will need to store sufficient water for one year. Sky burial will become common. It is the most environmentally friendly. Or shallow, no formaldehyde, no box burial. No long term respect for the dead.    

Storage of energy will be the big thing soon. Refrigerators that freeze ice over daytime when power is available from solar arrays, and operate as ice boxes at night. Deep freezes that do likewise, but well enough insulated to remain cold all night. Gas for cooking and heat, short term. Perhaps daylight electric cooking, from solar arrays. Transportation, short distances... electric. Long distance trains, boats, all electric.

And most important, population control. The medical industry may need permission to provide services to any but the select groups. Life will not be worth much. Civilization will go into rapid decline. Communist, well socialism at least, will rise. It is going to become survival of the fittest, the richest, the political astute. Not a nice place at all. Oh, well, in the end we all just die anyway. We will be beyond reach, beyond caring. All this for not listening to the science soon enough.

Religion must be abandoned for reality based decision processes. It should be fun times ahead.