Why would sympathetic healing not be a natural part of nature? It's not a uniquely human behavior, and even if it were, are humans somehow outside of nature?lordpasternack wrote:Ah well, then, I suppose we won't bother dealing with neglected kids, and rape, and violent crime and all that shit... it's all part of nature, and the way of the world...FBM wrote:Have humans ceased being animals?lordpasternack wrote:So you view the human torturing the dog the same way you do the lion hunting a wildebeast?FBM wrote:I hate to see unnecessary suffering, but I humbly acknowledge that the way of nature isn't going to change simply to accomodate my sensibilities. To expect that would be the height of arrogance. Humans are animals, no matter how correctly sip our wine and how many electronic gadgets we can devise.
Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
And that's what I was kind of agreeing to in my response. One of the negatives of being a literate human in the technological age is that you get to hear about lots of suffering, everywhere, everyday - especially since it tends to sell newspapers, even though we think we don't like to hear about suffering...Robert_S wrote:I think FBM was talking about not letting the cruelty of the world overload the emotions and crash the empathy systems.

And often the natural human, animal response to such voluminous suffering is, well, callousness.

Then they for sudden joy did weep,
And I for sorrow sung,
That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among.
Prithee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can teach
thy fool to lie: I would fain learn to lie.
And I for sorrow sung,
That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among.
Prithee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can teach
thy fool to lie: I would fain learn to lie.
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
All to true and as I get older, it is increasingly easier to fall into that.lordpasternack wrote:And that's what I was kind of agreeing to in my response. One of the negatives of being a literate human in the technological age is that you get to hear about lots of suffering, everywhere, everyday - especially since it tends to sell newspapers, even though we think we don't like to hear about suffering...Robert_S wrote:I think FBM was talking about not letting the cruelty of the world overload the emotions and crash the empathy systems.![]()
And often the natural human, animal response to such voluminous suffering is, well, callousness.
Life is shitty, but we humans can consciously set out to make it less so for both us and beings that aren't us. It wasn't meant to be, but IMHO quite a happy accident.
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
I don't think I've demonstrated or defended callousness. All I've defended is accepting our animal status and the fact that there is nothing unnatural in the universe. No matter what we do, hurting or healing, it's a natural product of evolution.
"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
Let's all agree to disagree agreeably, please.
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
Incidentally, this is a picture of my cat - and it was taken a few days ago, before this thread was dreamt of:
Then they for sudden joy did weep,
And I for sorrow sung,
That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among.
Prithee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can teach
thy fool to lie: I would fain learn to lie.
And I for sorrow sung,
That such a king should play bo-peep,
And go the fools among.
Prithee, nuncle, keep a schoolmaster that can teach
thy fool to lie: I would fain learn to lie.
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
If everything is natural, then doesn't the word become useless?FBM wrote:I don't think I've demonstrated or defended callousness. All I've defended is accepting our animal status and the fact that there is nothing unnatural in the universe. No matter what we do, hurting or healing, it's a natural product of evolution.
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
- FBM
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It is therefore beyond reproach" - Contact:
Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPOEEsj7Dxo&NR=1[/youtube]
"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
- FBM
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
Yep.Robert_S wrote:If everything is natural, then doesn't the word become useless?FBM wrote:I don't think I've demonstrated or defended callousness. All I've defended is accepting our animal status and the fact that there is nothing unnatural in the universe. No matter what we do, hurting or healing, it's a natural product of evolution.

"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
- Robert_S
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
What word then, to point to the difference between stuff that is the result of blind evolution, climate and geology and the other stuff that is the product of intentional design by conscious, abstract-thinking critters?FBM wrote:Yep.Robert_S wrote:If everything is natural, then doesn't the word become useless?FBM wrote:I don't think I've demonstrated or defended callousness. All I've defended is accepting our animal status and the fact that there is nothing unnatural in the universe. No matter what we do, hurting or healing, it's a natural product of evolution.
I realize there is no clean border between the two.
What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
- Gawdzilla Sama
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
Constructed vs non-constructed?
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
The nature vs man-made distinction is a vestige of religious thinking, from back when we were Gwod's special creatures. It's an obsolete fiction. There is no scientific reason to distinguish the behavior of H. sapiens from that of any other evolved species as being somehow removed from or above nature. We do it because our ancestors did it, simple as that. The sooner we get rid of this fiction, the sooner we'll see things as they are, without antiquated moral filters clouding our judgement.Robert_S wrote:What word then, to point to the difference between stuff that is the result of blind evolution, climate and geology and the other stuff that is the product of intentional design by conscious, abstract-thinking critters?FBM wrote:Yep.Robert_S wrote:If everything is natural, then doesn't the word become useless?FBM wrote:I don't think I've demonstrated or defended callousness. All I've defended is accepting our animal status and the fact that there is nothing unnatural in the universe. No matter what we do, hurting or healing, it's a natural product of evolution.
I realize there is no clean border between the two.
Last edited by FBM on Tue Aug 09, 2011 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
- Robert_S
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
Accurate, but "non-constructed" doesn't roll of the tongue naturally.Gawdzilla wrote:Constructed vs non-constructed?

What I've found with a few discussions I've had lately is this self-satisfaction that people express with their proffessed open mindedness. In realty it ammounts to wilful ignorance and intellectual cowardice as they are choosing to not form any sort of opinion on a particular topic. Basically "I don't know and I'm not going to look at any evidence because I'm quite happy on this fence."
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
-Mr P
The Net is best considered analogous to communication with disincarnate intelligences. As any neophyte would tell you. Do not invoke that which you have no facility to banish.
Audley Strange
- Gawdzilla Sama
- Stabsobermaschinist
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
FBM, a bird's nest and the ISS are not comparable.
- Gawdzilla Sama
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Re: Slaughtering and eating cats (NSFW?)
"non-con"?Robert_S wrote:Accurate, but "non-constructed" doesn't roll of the tongue naturally.Gawdzilla wrote:Constructed vs non-constructed?
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