romansh

It's not a question of debating, more concern for a friend injuring themselves.

I would have to read and understand in far greater depth the stats. Immediate question I have is this study replicable? Another, the people that succumb to meditation and yoga may have a certain personality type that leads to this type of thing. I am reminded of Campbell's question … who exactly is trying to quiet the ego? And I am sure I have read/heard somewhere on good theological authority that prayer and meditation are the same thing. Nothing wrong with egos; we all have them, I would not be me without mine: it's the universe's fault … ? But I have some ammunition to tease my wife who does both, yoga and meditation.

With the latest Trump policy, that passes as debacle in most of the Western world, do we in our communities support the policy, criticize the policy or do we stand by silently? Perhaps we wonder at Trump's wonderful negotiating skills. And how do we reconcile this with the views we hold important?

I don't have a clue … that's why I am asking.

Nice assertions by Hart … thanks. Do things like Being, Love, One require "more" or are they the "more". Enjoy your vacation.

Just a thought … what form is that data in, from a brain's perspective? It is in the form of electrochemical pulses … from all our senses. From those pulses the brain constructs what we call consciousness. Some of us reify, if not deify that consciousness. It gives us a an illusory sense of free will, and whole host of other emotions that are considered positive and/or negative. It gives us an "i" or ego, it give some of us an everlasting existence that will outlast a deep sleep. This might be true from a First Law of Thermodynamics point of view, but from the Second, I am far from sure. Do you think the universe winds down as it unfolds? SLoT would seem to indicate that it does. When we examine systems in a beaker it certainly does. My physical body (which for me is "I") includes things like our supposed consciousness is a product of the universe unfolding. We certainly are not aware of the details and components and that is fine or OK. We have a sufficient education to see that. If in actual fact there is a "more", then that too is part of the universe assuming this "more" has an effect. Just some thoughts on a couple of bits and pieces.

OK So Being is more than existence. Again what is this more? What influences this more? What does this mean?

So Being is more than its substrate. Again what is this more? Do influence this more?

Humouring me is always good ? If I may prevail … could you provide a 3 or 4 line summary please thanks

My point Possibility … my belief (or more accurately my world view in this case) was at least in part formed by my environment. If there was a sense of belonging it was not conscious. Not being true to yourself comes after the fact of realizing one no longer believes in something or another. There is a 'conflict' between your family/church/community when it comes to belief. How each of us deal with it is a different matter.

Yep it is an assumption of the analogy that there is an elephant. But in our case blind men are feeling the universe and some are claiming they are feeling things that might not be there. In my case, I don't feel these things and I think I can understand how one might be tricked into these imaginations … so to speak. I am quite happy to accept that pantheism as potentially true, or at least some versions of pantheism.

Thank Possibility … that is very kind of you. The blind men/elephant analogy gets a bit interesting though when one blind man says, "I think it feels like an elephant", and the others disagree. ?

Here is a foreigner and how he sees one aspect of the current administration. Of course this particular foreigner does have a dog in the fight. Having said that he does not get all his news from the CNN and MSNBC And Trump's response

I was describing how I use the word I … My physical body is doing the proximate typing. Phenomenon seems to have two meanings … in juxtaposition to noumenon and the more scientific observation. Not mutually exclusive … but? This reminds of the three weeks I spent in Mexico in February. For those weeks I was blissfully unaware of Trump's actions, but I was not outside (independent) of his shenanigans during this time. Being deeply asleep is not being outside of time and space. I am not independent. It is simply not being aware.

So what are the negative aspects of religion?

I agree here Joseph (sort of) ... it is just that we have multiple I s here, "i", I the physical - my arbitrary boundary, and I the universe that unfolds. The I is in a deep sleep not beyond time and space in some way, at least as far as I can tell. When I die, I will fade: my local entropy will increase. I will continue to unfold quite nicely thank you.

Did you watch the video?

Could be ... but we don't know. So again why would nothing be a default position? Not sure of your intent here ... but I agree with the final phrase. Yes ... lets be agnostic about it. And talk about things we can actually point to.

Did you watch it Joseph? Perhaps we should put hazard warnings/metaphors on some of those stepping stones?

It is also as far as we can see or perhaps understand Nothing could literally be a figment of our imagination. Then we can accept the possibility that nothing does not exist. The closest to nothing I get is when I am in a deep sleep. The blackness and me appear as I become awake. When I am deep asleep there is no I or "i", but the universe keeps on ticking in my absence as it will when I die. The nothing you imagine is totally in your imagination.

Some negative aspects of some religions

It could be that it is just a beginning? And yet it has implications for how we view existence. So the universe might be finite? So what? Again I suggest Krauss's video. Nothing is not what it seems. We think we can imagine nothing. But what do you envisage when you imagine nothing? Me? I can see a blackness and there is me perceiving it. Not exactly nothing. In Krauss's words (sort of) physicists deal with the real nothing, not some imagined nothing. Here's a nice video of Krauss explaining "nothing".

Personally I don't know how and if this universe is bound. It might be infinite is some shape or form, it might not. It makes no difference in the "now". But that energy has a reduced capacity to do stuff. Second Law of thermodynamics. Why is nothing the default state?

I watched this last night ... I thought it was interesting. Ten years with FOX if I understood right.

Possibly ... but the nature of that illusion is debatable. Does pressing keys on the keyboard cause letters to come up on my screen? Possibly it is all set at the formation of this particular universe?