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Showing results 1 to 50 of 500
Search took 6.73 seconds. Search: Posts Made By: bruto
Forum: Religion and Philosophy Today, 07:05 AM
Replies: 33
Views: 449
Posted By bruto
A perfect and complete god would be changeless,...

A perfect and complete god would be changeless, boringly knowing everything about everything. Nothing can really happen at all unless he tells a story or makes a thing that is purposely not about...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy Yesterday, 09:06 AM
Replies: 33
Views: 449
Posted By bruto
I would imagine it depends on what we mean by...

I would imagine it depends on what we mean by "better" and how much better we require for it to count.

We have the usual argument that, bad as it is, this is the best of all possible worlds,...
Forum: USA Politics 17th August 2022, 06:24 PM
Replies: 74
Views: 1,152
Posted By bruto
Udderly false! Wyoming voters caught ruminating...

Udderly false! Wyoming voters caught ruminating are disqualified.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 17th August 2022, 03:37 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
Well, I'm sure our friend here would agree that...

Well, I'm sure our friend here would agree that we're just a bunch of prognathous bonecrunching knuckle-draggers, but hey, it's a good way to keep the aliens at bay. My goal in life is that when the...
Forum: USA Politics 16th August 2022, 09:50 PM
Replies: 1,900
Views: 96,121
Posted By bruto
I got it from the start. Everything Hannity says...

I got it from the start. Everything Hannity says is dotty and cross-eyed.
Forum: USA Politics 15th August 2022, 05:12 PM
Replies: 972
Views: 49,956
Posted By bruto
I might have missed it, but has anyone else...

I might have missed it, but has anyone else mentioned the latest Ted Cruz nonsense, this time about Whether Elizabeth Warren has a penis?...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 15th August 2022, 01:35 PM
Replies: 81
Views: 2,548
Posted By bruto
I would accept some mitigation there, if his...

I would accept some mitigation there, if his retraction had not been so mealy-mouthed and equivocal. He seems to have tried passing it off first as a bad joke, and then suggesting that if a court...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 15th August 2022, 01:27 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
Posted, we presume, from your usual position of...

Posted, we presume, from your usual position of utter ignorance. I mean, what are you, a rocket scientist or something? :rolleyes:
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 15th August 2022, 01:20 PM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
I suppose I'll have to hand it to you. In the...

I suppose I'll have to hand it to you. In the narrow sense of theory without consequence, voice without influence, action without history, an afterlife that doesn't count as part of our existence, ...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 15th August 2022, 06:26 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 2,548
Posted By bruto
My memory of this is dim, but as I recall he...

My memory of this is dim, but as I recall he explicitly approved of the Fatwa and the idea that Rushdie should be killed. He later tried to backpedal this, but his attempts were equivocal.

I...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 14th August 2022, 09:00 PM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
But I think you are saying just that, if you...

But I think you are saying just that, if you believe the voting machine example is not a violation of free will at least in spirit if not technically. If the decision is made before you've even...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 14th August 2022, 03:50 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
I'm more afraid of the skeeters. They really do...

I'm more afraid of the skeeters. They really do dig their probes in!
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 14th August 2022, 07:10 AM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
So I take it you're decoupling free will from...

So I take it you're decoupling free will from actual effects. It's free will if you think you're doing something, even if you're not?

In the voting scenario above, you freely choose to push one...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 14th August 2022, 06:37 AM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
I stepped out on the back porch last night, and...

I stepped out on the back porch last night, and the LED bug light was making almost exactly the same sound as recorded here. OMIGOD! they've landed here now!
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 14th August 2022, 06:23 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 2,548
Posted By bruto
Opinions seem to vary. I read it long ago and...

Opinions seem to vary. I read it long ago and liked it OK, though it's pretty heavy going. Don't miss Gibreel's dream of revolution, which I am convinced is one reason Rushdie was blacklisted, in...
Forum: USA Politics 13th August 2022, 08:20 PM
Replies: 1,900
Views: 96,121
Posted By bruto
I didn't bother with Paul but here's emptyG...

I didn't bother with Paul but here's emptyG getting applause from the usual deplorables....

Yes, she really said it. ...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 13th August 2022, 05:42 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
I have not followed every little detail here, but...

I have not followed every little detail here, but are we to assume that the camera in question is digital? The reason I ask is that, assuming a digital camera with auto exposure and also auto white...
Forum: USA Politics 13th August 2022, 03:49 PM
Replies: 1,910
Views: 42,170
Posted By bruto
I think it falls down also because abortion is...

I think it falls down also because abortion is not generally done alone, and the penalties for breaking the law are, I think, more severe than those of prohibition. There is, however, some merit to...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 13th August 2022, 03:47 PM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
Depends on whether you equate wrong with evil. ...

Depends on whether you equate wrong with evil. They knew it was wrong, in the sense that God told them not to do it, and we presume (lacking detail) that they knew God was God, and therefore the...
Forum: USA Politics 13th August 2022, 11:10 AM
Replies: 1,910
Views: 42,170
Posted By bruto
It's a freedom sandwich with mystery meat in the...

It's a freedom sandwich with mystery meat in the middle.
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 13th August 2022, 10:34 AM
Replies: 81
Views: 2,548
Posted By bruto
Catch Bull at Four, spread at five.

Catch Bull at Four, spread at five.
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 13th August 2022, 06:45 AM
Replies: 80
Views: 2,523
Posted By bruto
True enough, but I was sticking to the dubious...

True enough, but I was sticking to the dubious dualistic vernacular here, which is still not enough to make the bad argument good.

There are, of course, some aspects of our own nature that are not...
Forum: USA Politics 12th August 2022, 08:25 PM
Replies: 1,900
Views: 96,121
Posted By bruto
Also has trouble remembering which colors go...

Also has trouble remembering which colors go where. (https://media1.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Video/201808/n_hayes_t1t2TrumpFlag_180828_1920x1080.nbcnews-fp-1200-630.jpg)
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 12th August 2022, 06:34 AM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
I wonder if the golden age of orbs is waning,...

I wonder if the golden age of orbs is waning, though. One of the most common causes is on-camera flash. Many pocket cameras are designed to flash by default, and the flash right in line with the lens...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 11th August 2022, 03:15 PM
Replies: 1,441
Views: 103,259
Posted By bruto
Yes, plain and simple. I hope it ends her career.

Yes, plain and simple. I hope it ends her career.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 11th August 2022, 02:52 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
I am becoming rather amused by this thread. ...

I am becoming rather amused by this thread.

Our intrepid correspondent (props to him for persistence and consistent belief, a characteristic not common to trolls) continues to assert that the...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 11th August 2022, 02:18 PM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
Not quite. My assumption is that an...

Not quite.

My assumption is that an all-powerful god of the Jehovah sort, a creator who is, as many Bible followers claim, omni-everything, would be, at the moment of creation, eternal and all...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 11th August 2022, 07:17 AM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
I see no good reason why a fictional god, or a...

I see no good reason why a fictional god, or a real one for that matter, could not create people with free will. It seems fundamentally easy to do so. A god can promise anything and any god worthy...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 10th August 2022, 08:13 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
None of that improves your evidence even a tiny...

None of that improves your evidence even a tiny bit. It is unfortunate that you cannot seem to understand why this is so.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 10th August 2022, 05:44 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
If you believe you were abducted, fine, but to...

If you believe you were abducted, fine, but to expect anyone to consider the video you showed as evidence of this requires a credulity that goes far beyond mere gullibility.

This would be...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 10th August 2022, 03:58 PM
Replies: 80
Views: 2,523
Posted By bruto
Even if it were not untrue (since homosexuality...

Even if it were not untrue (since homosexuality is present in various other species), until or unless you exclude us humans, if human beings engage in behavior which is not culturally taught or...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 10th August 2022, 03:47 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
So you say, but in fact, to see anything...

So you say, but in fact, to see anything meaningful in that video requires much more preconception, and much more knowledge of circumstances, including all the possible malfunctions of equipment,...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 10th August 2022, 06:39 AM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
That may be but it has not yet happened. Saying...

That may be but it has not yet happened. Saying it will is not a substitute for that.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 10th August 2022, 06:30 AM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
The very theme here.

The very theme here.
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 9th August 2022, 09:09 PM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
I recognize the counter-argument. I just don't...

I recognize the counter-argument. I just don't agree with it. I think it would be quite possible for a god to grant free will. But to do that would require a kept promise not to intervene. It's...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 9th August 2022, 08:42 PM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
No to the second part. I am of the opinion that...

No to the second part. I am of the opinion that there is no god, and therefore there is no god impeding free will.
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 9th August 2022, 08:35 PM
Replies: 80
Views: 2,523
Posted By bruto
One might also note, while at it, that although...

One might also note, while at it, that although the word "phobia" alone generally denotes fear, as a suffix it is often and commonly and correctly used to denote not only fear, but hatred or...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 9th August 2022, 08:28 PM
Replies: 696
Views: 12,747
Posted By bruto
True enough, just noting hastily that you can...

True enough, just noting hastily that you can have a spectrum that is not a continuum.
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 9th August 2022, 08:17 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
Well, then, you are not using the word in its...

Well, then, you are not using the word in its more usually accepted sense. In photographic use, "raw" does mean uncompressed, or at least not compressed by lossy JPG algorithms, because of course if...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 9th August 2022, 07:50 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
You can't see its feet because it's facing the...

You can't see its feet because it's facing the wrong way, so only a little bit of a foot can be seen anyway, but what's the point of that? It's a cormorant for sure, but it's possible to zoom in...
Forum: Trials and Errors 9th August 2022, 05:24 PM
Replies: 2,252
Views: 117,269
Posted By bruto
Chauvin, the gift that keeps on giving.

Chauvin, the gift that keeps on giving.
Forum: USA Politics 9th August 2022, 05:12 PM
Replies: 1,910
Views: 42,170
Posted By bruto
Do you, though? What is criminalized is not the...

Do you, though? What is criminalized is not the absence of a vaccination, but the social interaction done by those who are unvaccinated. You can argue that the handicap here is so great that it...
Forum: Social Issues & Current Events 9th August 2022, 05:08 PM
Replies: 696
Views: 12,747
Posted By bruto
A discrete spectrum: motor vehicles, perhaps? ...

A discrete spectrum: motor vehicles, perhaps? Some have two wheels, some have three, some four, some 6 and so on, up past 18 for the big ones. But I think you will wait a long time for one with...
Forum: USA Politics 9th August 2022, 03:42 PM
Replies: 1,900
Views: 96,121
Posted By bruto
I heard a little snippet on the radio from a...

I heard a little snippet on the radio from a former Justice dept. official, suggesting that Trump could publish the contents of the warrant if he so wishes, but that the Justice Dept. will likely...
Forum: USA Politics 9th August 2022, 03:11 PM
Replies: 972
Views: 49,956
Posted By bruto
It's a common enough idea, it seems. Remember...

It's a common enough idea, it seems. Remember the great financial crisis of a few years ago, when greedy and ignorant financial wizards tanked the economy with complex derivatives and subprime...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 9th August 2022, 03:06 PM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
Cjdelphi, on a more abstract level than whether...

Cjdelphi, on a more abstract level than whether or not what you saw is what you think you saw, or whether aliens exist or not, I think you are making a serious mistake in evaluating how the skeptics...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 9th August 2022, 01:36 PM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
I would presume that the "people" in heaven are...

I would presume that the "people" in heaven are not the people we think of as people. Whether they have or need free will is irrelevant. The question is whether when they were people before they...
Forum: General Skepticism and The Paranormal 9th August 2022, 06:34 AM
Replies: 1,274
Views: 15,907
Posted By bruto
Maybe I'm missing something here, but he claims...

Maybe I'm missing something here, but he claims he can't even read the Raw file, owing to missing a codec, a problem so severe that, even though he is a skilled and experienced engineer recounting an...
Forum: Religion and Philosophy 8th August 2022, 05:48 PM
Replies: 277
Views: 4,855
Posted By bruto
I'm with you almost all the way. True enough...

I'm with you almost all the way. True enough nobody can stop them except when, according to some, a god that can actually step in and alter reality performs a miracle which changes the very...
Forum: USA Politics 8th August 2022, 05:30 PM
Replies: 1,900
Views: 96,121
Posted By bruto
Yes, it looks as if Mr. Garland is picking up...

Yes, it looks as if Mr. Garland is picking up some speed. I hope so. I would be very happy to abandon the sneaking suspicion that he's a do-nothing AG, and substitute evidence that he's thoughtful...
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