Taktiq

Phi...doubt I can understand. Because, even though I believe in the possibility of claims, I do doubt 99% of the stories of psi, paranormal, etc. It still can't hurt to read the book.

Anyway, I tried reading the book and while I find the subject matter fascinating, the book itself is rather dry. I read only about a third of the book but, would like to pick it up again later when I have more time. As far as not finding people who have read the book, I wonder why. Is it because it's about this subject? I mean I have seen the hostility this subject elicits from people here but, c'mon it's just a book. It won't hurt ya. I just wonder what people who do have a background in science (unlike myself) think about what the author claims (if they've read the book).

If you haven't read this book, please refrain from posting. I don't want this discussion to devolve into another, "well, I don't believe in such 'n such" because frankly I don't care what you believe about psi phenomena. I just want an honest discussion about what people think about what the book contains.

Really?! That's pretty cool and fascinating no matter how they consider it.

Has anyone here read this book? If so, what are your thoughts? "This myth-shattering book explains the evidence for the veracity of psychic phenomena, uniting the teachings of mystics, the theories of quantum physics, and the latest in high-tech experiments. With painstaking research and deft, engaging prose, Radin dispels the misinformation and superstition that have clouded the understanding of scientists and laypeople alike concerning a host of fascinating oddities. Psychokinesis, remote viewing, prayer, jinxes, and more--all are real, all have been scientifically proven, and the proof is in this book. Radin draws from his own work at Princeton, Stanford Research Institute, and Fortune 500 companies, as well as his research for the U.S. government, to demonstrate the surprising extent to which the truth of psi has already been tacitly acknowledged and exploited. THE CONSCIOUS UNIVERSE also sifts the data for tantalizing hints of how mind and matter are linked. Finally, Radin takes a bold look ahead, to the inevitable social, economic, academic, and spiritual consequences of the mass realization that mind and matter can influence each other without having physical contact. Director of the Consciousness Research Laboratory at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and twice president of the Parapsychology Association, Dean Radin, Ph.D., has done cutting-edge parapsychology research for AT&T, Stanford, Princeton's Engineering Anomalies Research Lab, the University of Edinburgh, S.R.I. International, and the U.S. Government. He lives in Las Vegas, NV." (from Amazon.com)

A better question would be why some people find it attractive to dress up as or dress someone else up as a horse (besides the obvious dominance issues).

Thank you, Sisyphus. The fact of whether God does or doesn't exist or whether it could or couldn't be proven, was beside the point. Unfortunately it seems, aside from a few (thank you for your thoughts), that people cannot avoid arguing that. So, can the mods lock this discussion please?

No Geeez, where's your sense of humor?

I see what you're saying there, and I agree, but what of the people who did believe in God/afterlife and listen to science? Humans overall are emotional creatures, do you think there would be a rational reaction to learning that God is dead?

Let's see...A few here have offered their opinions (good) and I found them interesting. A few are still debating whether God could or could not be proven (moot in this case). And others are debating everybody else's opinions without offering their own (pointless for this discussion). So, let's start over shall we? 1. Let's say, for the sake of argument, science HAS proven that the layman's idea of God and an afterlife DO NOT exist. There is no debate anymore on this. It's been proven beyond a shred of doubt. Period. Done. 2. What impact do you feel, think, believe, theorise this would have on humanity as a whole. I don't want data, just shoot from the hip. 3. I don't care if ANYONE has data to back them up either way. Nor do I care if someone's opinion here has basis in scientific fact. It is an opinion after all.

You're welcome

I completely agree. I was just pointing out that I was accepting opinions as well as any hard data about this question.

Since this thread is about speculation and the fact that I did originally ask, "what affect if any do you feel..." personal opinion has just as much to do with this subject as does any data you wish to bring forth. I'm asking for thoughts, opinions, feelings, beliefs, etc...speculation, if you will.

Uh huh. Yes, I see what you're saying there...but ummm, when I asked her, while we were casually sitting around watching TV, she didn't readily have any available data on hand. My theory, and this is also just speculation, is she was just offering her own opinion.

Hmmm...ok, fair enough. I guess I should have said that I meant the standard layman's definition of God (ie..yaweh, allah, jehovah, the big guy upstairs, etc). I posed the question to a co-worker (staunch Christian) last night at work and he says that there'd be a loss of hope, while my fiancee thinks suicide rates would rise. Merged post follows: Consecutive posts merged Good point, and I tend to agree. Would that be a form of cognitive dissonance? In regards to your question, I don't know. Let's just say science found a way and did it. Lol.

1. Which drug? Can you be more specific? 2. Different social trends/beliefs/codes. etc...this discussion could get long and ugly. 3. As someone who's worked in law enforcement, I won't go into this. In regards to the second part of this question...take a ride along with a cop one night then visit a rehab and watch people detox. Just a suggestion, please check your spelling.

I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but I figured it'd be a fun discussion: If science were able to prove beyond a shred of doubt that God (any definition of) and the afterlife did not exist, what affect, if any do you feel that would have on humanity?

Why is that?

As someone who works at a mental health center currently, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that this theory is false. An alcoholic or drug addict undergoing withdrawls can experience florrid psychosis (ie..A/V & tactile hallucinations, distorted thought processes, etc) due to nothing more than the substance leaving the system. Lack of sleep can also cause psychosis. I know this first hand from being kept awake by my petty officers in boot camp. Even water intoxication can do it.

Ooook...well anyway, as i said I was just thinking aloud. The reality is I've been working in jobs that deal with social problems already, and I'm burnt out so, I figured I'd finally go to school, get some education and move on to something that's worthwhile (to me, at least). The problem I suppose is I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.

...nm

Ok, so I'm just finishing my first semester in college and I was just screwing around on google and decided to see what sorts of jobs a sociology degree could get me. Needless to say, I was unimpressed. Now while I've always enjoyed the thought of doing research like Wade Davis and others, I've always found fields such as astronomy fascinating. The problem with that is I'm terrible/terrified of math, but I'm finding that unlike when I was in high school 15 years ago I'm not doing so bad. I'm almost 34, could I try for a degree in that? Would I be wasting my time? If not that, what interesting things could I use a sociology degree for (beyond social work...I don't want to graduate only to end up doing what I'm trying to get out of now)? Where could it lead to? Should I have just gone to clown college after all?

Yeah, I suppose I should have worded that better. I meant to say, I feel that those who are labeled as mentally ill are overmedicated. I am wondering if I should argue that Americans in general are overmedicated, but in my opinion, that debate's been beaten into the ground. I was hoping to aim for something more specific. I do intend to try and steer clear of the argument that psychiatric care is more harmful than helpful, as I sometimes do side with that opinion. My general argument is that the mentally ill, or those diagnosed as such are generally medicated to alleviate the symptoms without much focus or aftercare on the cause, and then they're shuffled out the door until they return to start the cycle all over again. It seems that any claim is usually met with, "Oh well you have such and such. Here's a pill for that."

My English professor has assigned us an argumentative essay to write, and considering that I work in mental health, I would really like to argue that most of the patients I deal with are heavily overmedicated. I'm still searching the web, but could anyone here point me toward articles that I could utilize or that you feel may be useful or worth a read? Thanks

Well, the problem there is that sleep, in my experience, doesn't consistently lower stress levels nor help with respiration (I'm asthmatic) the way focused meditation does. Also, I'd have to point out how many times I've had restless sleep vs. the calmness I've always felt from meditating. Maybe, I answered my own question but, still I do recall reading something about meditation being as good as sleep, in some instances and I'm wondering if there were any studies that supported that or not. Dang, I need to start meditating again...