The Atheism Thread - Part 6

[KevanG]

A flower? I want $1 million. That would make me a believer.

A million dollars isn't much really. It's just money. A flower is special, it's alive and can help make more of itself, it's beautiful and has a pleasant smell.

Well it comes from a Star Wars book Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. I really like it as it's really well written. It deals with Yoda and Count Dooku and their shared history. Near the end of the book Dooku is trying to convert Yoda and have him join the Dark Side. Yoda asks him why he should. Dooku tells him he can have power, wealth, castles and so on. Yoda tells him he has power, doesn't need wealth and the Jedi Temple is bigger than almost every castle known to exist. He looks at Dooku and says that the Dark Side doesn't have anything that he doesn't already have. Dooku gets mad and tells him everyone wants something, to be feared, to be adored, to be safe. Yoda tells him that the universe is not a safe place, that it is cold, dark and eventually everything dies, but what he wants is a flower. Dooku tells him to stop mocking him and tell him something he really wants. Yoda insists on his flower as the Dark Side only takes and takes and takes while his Force is part of the light and in all living things. So he wants a flower and until he could do that he wouldn't believe that his side was better or stronger or right.

That's why I want a flower. I don't want a cut one or a potted one. Just make me a flower. If it's beyond your power then I can't believe you'd be a god. You'd just be some guy with a big mouth and a bigger ego.

 

[enterthemadness]

A million dollars isn't much really. It's just money. A flower is special, it's alive and can help make more of itself, it's beautiful and has a pleasant smell.

Well it comes from a Star Wars book Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. I really like it as it's really well written. It deals with Yoda and Count Dooku and their shared history. Near the end of the book Dooku is trying to convert Yoda and have him join the Dark Side. Yoda asks him why he should. Dooku tells him he can have power, wealth, castles and so on. Yoda tells him he has power, doesn't need wealth and the Jedi Temple is bigger than almost every castle known to exist. He looks at Dooku and says that the Dark Side doesn't have anything that he doesn't already have. Dooku gets mad and tells him everyone wants something, to be feared, to be adored, to be safe. Yoda tells him that the universe is not a safe place, that it is cold, dark and eventually everything dies, but what he wants is a flower. Dooku tells him to stop mocking him and tell him something he really wants. Yoda insists on his flower as the Dark Side only takes and takes and takes while his Force is part of the light and in all living things. So he wants a flower and until he could do that he wouldn't believe that his side was better or stronger or right.

That's why I want a flower. I don't want a cut one or a potted one. Just make me a flower. If it's beyond your power then I can't believe you'd be a god. You'd just be some guy with a big mouth and a bigger ego.

....does it count if I go to the store and buy flower seeds, plant a single seed, water it, make sure it gets light, and grows into a beautiful flower? Or do you literally mean *make* you one. like *poof*.

 

[KevanG]

Like *poof*. No ingredients required. None of that 'See that tree? I made that. That's all the evidence you need.'

 

[MrsKent26]

A million dollars isn't much really. It's just money. A flower is special, it's alive and can help make more of itself, it's beautiful and has a pleasant smell.

Well it comes from a Star Wars book Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. I really like it as it's really well written. It deals with Yoda and Count Dooku and their shared history. Near the end of the book Dooku is trying to convert Yoda and have him join the Dark Side. Yoda asks him why he should. Dooku tells him he can have power, wealth, castles and so on. Yoda tells him he has power, doesn't need wealth and the Jedi Temple is bigger than almost every castle known to exist. He looks at Dooku and says that the Dark Side doesn't have anything that he doesn't already have. Dooku gets mad and tells him everyone wants something, to be feared, to be adored, to be safe. Yoda tells him that the universe is not a safe place, that it is cold, dark and eventually everything dies, but what he wants is a flower. Dooku tells him to stop mocking him and tell him something he really wants. Yoda insists on his flower as the Dark Side only takes and takes and takes while his Force is part of the light and in all living things. So he wants a flower and until he could do that he wouldn't believe that his side was better or stronger or right.

That's why I want a flower. I don't want a cut one or a potted one. Just make me a flower. If it's beyond your power then I can't believe you'd be a god. You'd just be some guy with a big mouth and a bigger ego.

I haven't read that book, but this example makes perfect sense in this context. I also want a flower.

 

[enterthemadness]

Like *poof*. No ingredients required. None of that 'See that tree? I made that. That's all the evidence you need.'

...what if I make a GMO seed, would that be god like? check and mate.

 

[KevanG]

You'd still be taking something to make something else with. The *poof* part is just making something out of nothing, like how the universe was supposed to have been made. After all, a flower should be easier than the universe.

 

[enterthemadness]

You'd still be taking something to make something else with. The *poof* part is just making something out of nothing, like how the universe was supposed to have been made. After all, a flower should be easier than the universe.

........hmmmm.....What if I made a device that could make a GMO flower seed appear of of thin air? again, check and mate, balls.

 

[MrsKent26]

No flower = You're not a God.

I like it!

 

[KevanG]

........hmmmm.....What if I made a device that could make a GMO flower seed appear of of thin air? again, check and mate, balls.

If you could do that you'd have solved 99% of the worlds issues. Congratulations! But you're still not a god.

 

[enterthemadness]

If you could do that you'd have solved 99% of the worlds issues. Congratulations! But you're still not a god.

Is it wrong, if I could do that, the evil side of me would be like '' -_- hmmmm....could make money with this '' I am only human...


Also dammit man, it's a seed. oh **** you wanted a flower, close enough. Plant it. But don't water it after 2am, zombies issue.

 

[KevanG]

You'd have invented Utopia technology and therefore money would be rendered obsolete within a few decades. It's like Star Trek with the matter replicators. They could replicate almost anything with enough power except for a few things that couldn't be done but they still couldn't just make a flower. They needed the technology to do so.

 

[enterthemadness]

You'd have invented Utopia technology and therefore money would be rendered obsolete within a few decades. It's like Star Trek with the matter replicators. They could replicate almost anything with enough power except for a few things that couldn't be done but they still couldn't just make a flower. They needed the technology to do so.

*MIND BLOWN* They almost became GOOOOOOOOOOOODS.



With no money though, wouldn't people still work, but do so in a barter type way?

 

[KevanG]

It would be a totally different way of life. It would take at least a new generation to get used to it. I imagine people would go do things they'd like to do and if that meant working at NASA or just inventing new games or whatnot they'd figure it out. It's difficult to wrap your mind around a moneyless society.

 

[enterthemadness]

It would be a totally different way of life. It would take at least a new generation to get used to it. I imagine people would go do things they'd like to do and if that meant working at NASA or just inventing new games or whatnot they'd figure it out. It's difficult to wrap your mind around a moneyless society.

I read the ST:NG crew members were pricks in a way though....the whole VR machine for example...


I like money...but money can be evil....

 

[KevanG]

The holodeck was a bad idea after the third or fourth time it went crazy and tried to kill everyone. I figured they should have turned it into a rec room with a ping pong table and a deck of cards when it tried to take over the ship.

Like I've said before, no matter what happens in the future people will be people and even in a utopia some people will just be jackasses.

 

[enterthemadness]

The holodeck was a bad idea after the third or fourth time it went crazy and tried to kill everyone. I figured they should have turned it into a rec room with a ping pong table and a deck of cards when it tried to take over the ship.

Like I've said before, no matter what happens in the future people will be people and even in a utopia some people will just be jackasses.

No, no, no, silly, the fact the VR people thought they were alive and when a story or simulation ended or was it deleted, they were deleted.


Joke time. Why can't the borg take over the holodeck? It's already a simulation.

 

[KevanG]

Of course that just gives rise to the question of what is consciousness and how do we determine what is and isn't sentient? Of course ST had that issue in several episodes like Datas trial.

 

[enterthemadness]

Of course that just gives rise to the question of what is consciousness and how do we determine what is and isn't sentient? Of course ST had that issue in several episodes like Datas trial.

Does Data have a sex drive? if so, he's human or programmed to have needs.

 

[KevanG]

Like the song says "He's fully functional and anatomically correct!"

 

[enterthemadness]

Like the song says "He's fully functional and anatomically correct!"

I feel like I need a stiff drink now....

 

[KevanG]

[YT]dlbmi1hhV_0[/YT]

May I present: THE SEXY DATA TANGO!

 

[Breogan]

So apparently Oklahoma censored 15 seconds of Cosmos. They felt was pro-evolution.

The segment that was cut at the end:

"We are newcomers to the Cosmos. Our own story only begins on the last night of the cosmic year...
...Three and a half million years ago our ancestors, yours and mine, left these traces. We stood up, and parted ways from them. Once we stood on two feet, our eyes were no longer fixated on the ground. Now we were free to look up, and wonder.”

I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but that line reminded me instantly of Sagan's cosmos which I watched as a kid. And remember the cosmic calendar analogy being one of the most powerful moments, that stayed with me.

Sad if this is what they chose to deny people.

Sagan Cosmic Calendar- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln8UwPd1z20#t=212

That's pretty sad.

 

[Mightmitenot]

I haven't read that book, but this example makes perfect sense in this context. I also want a flower.

Nah, I'd prefer a beer...

 

[Breogan]

Oklahoma Fox network are saying it was an accident. And Tweeted. - http://www.okcfox.com/

EDIT:
Fixed link - https://***********/OKCFOX/statuses/443876438744506368

Now I'm actually disgusted.

Here is what they aired - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8K-LrJkEDc#t=12

 

[KevanG]

Oh please.