OT: Some of mankind's toughest questions - Page 3

Hunpecked · #21 May 8th, 2006, 02:59 PM

AT: "Why do I always get all the [censored] bad luck? WTF God?

God: "Atrocities, there's just something about you that pisses me off!"

AT, for what it's worth, we all love you on this board; we just can't show it when God's around...

TurinTurambar · #22 May 8th, 2006, 04:43 PM

[PythonParaphrase]
"On second thought, let us not go to the Shrapnel Forum... it is a silly place."
[/Python]

Atrocities · #23 May 8th, 2006, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Hunpecked said:
AT: "Why do I always get all the [censored] bad luck? WTF God?

God: "Atrocities, there's just something about you that pisses me off!"

AT, for what it's worth, we all love you on this board; we just can't show it when God's around...

R O F L M A O

Kamog · #24 May 8th, 2006, 11:53 PM

Sometimes I hear people say that humans are sentient but other animals are not. I don't understand how we could possibly know this. How can you tell the difference, for example, whether a dog is sentient or not?

If we agree that humans are sentient, I would argue that other animals are sentient also. But then we have the problem of where to draw the line. Are fish sentient? Are insects sentient? Are plants sentient? I would have to say that viruses and bacteria are too simple to be sentient, so which organisms are sentient and which are not?

Part of the problem is that we don't have a good definition of what "sentient" means, but the other part of the problem is that you could never know what another creature is thinking, whether it is self-aware or not, what thought processes it is going through.

Baron Munchausen · #25 May 9th, 2006, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Kamog said:
Sometimes I hear people say that humans are sentient but other animals are not. I don't understand how we could possibly know this. How can you tell the difference, for example, whether a dog is sentient or not?

If we agree that humans are sentient, I would argue that other animals are sentient also. But then we have the problem of where to draw the line. Are fish sentient? Are insects sentient? Are plants sentient? I would have to say that viruses and bacteria are too simple to be sentient, so which organisms are sentient and which are not?

Part of the problem is that we don't have a good definition of what "sentient" means, but the other part of the problem is that you could never know what another creature is thinking, whether it is self-aware or not, what thought processes it is going through.

Actually, 'sentient' means 'having senses' -- that is, a creature capable of experiencing its environment. Guess what? Plants are sentient. They recognize where sunlight comes from and turn their leaves to face it. That is proof of 'sentience' ... What people think this word means is 'self-aware' or 'intelligent'. It doesn't.

And yes, animals are smarter than we generally believe. They have just managed to prove that dolphins use individual names, for example.

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsAr...E-DOLPHINS.xml

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n..._dolphins.html

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science...whistles_x.htm

Black_Knyght · #26 May 9th, 2006, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Hunpecked said:
AT: "Why do I always get all the [censored] bad luck? WTF God?

God: "Atrocities, there's just something about you that pisses me off!"

AT, for what it's worth, we all love you on this board; we just can't show it when God's around...

Too Hell with that !!! God's been pissin' on my shoes for years now, so I got your back, AT , anytime, anywhere, any reason...

Bring it on God !!!

Timstone · #27 May 9th, 2006, 01:35 PM

One of my favorite lines from a movie:
"God is going to sit this one out."
I don't remember what the movie is called, but it features that guy in the black t-shirt with a big skull on it (could be me, but I'm not as big and muscular as he is...

).

Anyway, back to the original question:
"42".

TurinTurambar · #28 May 9th, 2006, 02:08 PM

OK folks, let's simmer down on the God-bashing. I, who am not easily offended, am beginning to get offended. Just as it would be improper for those who have dedicated their lives to God to come in here and start preaching to the unbelievers, it is equally inappropriate for others to show such disrespect to God in front of the believers. Please be sensitive to those around you and recognize that this is a sensitive issue.

rdouglass · #29 May 9th, 2006, 04:27 PM

Quote:

TurinTurambar said:
OK folks, let's simmer down on the God-bashing. I, who am not easily offended, am beginning to get offended. Just as it would be improper for those who have dedicated their lives to God to come in here and start preaching to the unbelievers, it is equally inappropriate for others to show such disrespect to God in front of the believers. Please be sensitive to those around you and recognize that this is a sensitive issue.

Thanks for saying that in a nice way. And I agree wholeheartedly.

Baron Munchausen · #30 May 9th, 2006, 06:59 PM

And that after the awful 'fate' that Turin Turumbar suffered.