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I'm talking about all the people who are going to try to advertise their own YT channel.

Dont worry, i dont have any youtube channel of my own. unless you're talking about something else?

! Moderator Note Just a reminder of the relevant part of our Rule 2.7: Advertising and spam is prohibited. We don't mind if you put a link to your noncommercial site (e.g. a blog) in your signature and/or profile, but don't go around making threads to advertise it. Links, pictures and videos in posts should be relevant to the discussion, and members should be able to participate in the discussion without clicking any links or watching any videos. Videos and pictures should be accompanied by enough text to set the tone for the discussion, and should not be posted alone. Users advertising commercial sites will be banned.

! Moderator Note Thread closed.

The books that teach the spirituality say basically the same things, that you're flawed and deserve eternal torture and misery unless you believe the way they tell you. It doesn't need much corruption from there, does it?

How do i close a thread

Lewis Thomas had the biggest impact on me and really got me interested in science.

How to change everything? Just wait.

Heinz Sielmann and the Grzimeks were influential to me. Sielmann was a filmmaker and not an academic, but his expeditions and footage made me want to pursue biology as a career. The documentary from the Grzimeks is one of my earliest memories of the impact of humans on the natural world. Also challenged the prevalent idea of humans being something separate and above nature.

Significance to me, or to you ? A 'significance' is another of those subjective terms, it is obviously not the same for everyone. This being a science site, we should try to be more objective, or, at the very least, strive to define what a subjective term means to yourself. Not tell others what it should mean to them.

Is it the spirituality, or the people who corrupt it to their own ends that reduce other humans to garbage ? ( or is that the 'guns vs. people who use them' argument )

Indeed, just not sure you understood the significance...

I believe I already have. Not quite. Vaccines with slightly better than 50% effectiveness have eliminated diseases which used to kill thousands of people. It would be troubling ( stupid actually ) if you didn't go with the odds. I believe I said that. I believe I said that too Well, at least Eise reads my posts ...

Trust me, in online discussion, you want the conversations to be very specific. The probability of reaching some kind of consensus or meaningful stance is much higher when the topic is more focused. And as swansont mentioned, people responding to multiple ideas in the same thread is chaotic and hard to follow. If you want a better topic than moving away from capitalism, what about changing our education processes? I've heard some great approaches designed to better prepare children for modern life, and I've often thought we leave too much to parents in the early years, and then wonder why kids get so screwed up.

My stance, the stance of those I'm talking about, or something else? Never mind, I don't care what it's kinda like. It's what I said, what I meant, and you should feel free to be clearer in your responses. You think that's the point? That your concept of religion/spirituality should only lead to outcomes you approve of? You're asking why would the Abrahamic religions reduce humans to garbage, spread lies, and oppress so many folks? But you don't ask WHY ARE THEY doing it, like you're wearing blinders and can't see it happening all over the world?

Your assuming I don't want to be clear and dismiss my efforts on that basis, I'm not that clever...

For me, it's about the time and effort others put into their responses to make them as clear and meaningful as possible for the rest of the folks in the discussion. You often seem to be listening (and responding) to only what you're thinking instead of what other people said. You're even quoting yourself now, like we aren't that important. You also often seem to put special emphasis on the vagueness of your responses, like a guru claiming, "Life is a river". I mostly ignore it because questioning it only brings more vagueness. I have to admit it offends me for two reasons. First, it seems intellectually lazy for a science discussion site (which is probably the exact opposite of the way you think of it), because you can never be wrong if you're vague enough. Second, you often talk about how much you've had to drink while posting, and I'm over 30 years sober, and enough of a snob about it to think we aren't getting to talk to the real you. I'm not looking for arbiters, truths, or wisdom nuggets. I'm here to talk to folks about life on Earth, their experiences, and to share knowledge. I like that knowledge wrapped in transparent cellophane with a simple twist tie, not covered in opaque brown paper, glue, and duct tape.

That's kinda machiavellian. But that is the point, why would it?

Broad topics tend to spawn multiple lines of discussion. We prefer one topic per thread.

Yes, and we all know men who wouldn't assault a vulnerable woman, and we all know politicians we believe tell the truth, and we all know conservatives who aren't racists, but how do we protect ourselves from the others? By assuming they're all the same until they show us otherwise. I've heard enough stories about god-fearing, righteous people who did unspeakable things to their children in the name of their god to know that nobody who claims to be religious can be trusted. I've heard many religious people claim to be looking forward to when the bombs fall and the righteous are called to heaven, and quite frankly I wish they'd leave now, and let those of us who care about this life live it in peace, away from all those toxic judgements from those who truly believe God thinks humans are pieces of shit that deserve eternal torture. I don't deny spirituality. Wish it didn't have to reduce humans to garbage, spread lies, and oppress so many folks, though.

It's always Richard Feynman for me, he was so excited to explain; it was as contagious as a sneeze.

We need to trust the arbiter of truth, in order to be relaxed about it's output...

I know people from rather disparate spots on the belief spectrum who use religion to propel them towards positive social work and activism - Catholics, Unitarians, Jews. While I agree leaders have weaponized religion, or used it to manipulate, there are a fair number who use it as a fulcrum for helping others, pushing for a more compassionate and nurturing society, ending nukes, etc. These people deserve credit for moving their brand of faith past the torture/rape/murder history. Or, in a sense, moving it back to what sages like Jesus actually taught, i.e. the former spiritual core. The human craving for a spiritual life isn't going to go away, so maybe reforming religions makes more practical sense than just abandoning them.

Here are a few youtube channels i recommend: Rational Animations SciShow Techlinked NotJustBikes CGP Grey Kurzgesagt All Vsauce channels Veritasium 3B1B Primer I have more but it would be too much