Abstract thoughts.

[SANTAN]

If all the main problems in society never really existed and things had always been generally far, far better, would we all be much happier or would we think the more minor problems that existed were as big a deal as the bigger ones we face now?

ETA: UTN, not in my gaff it's not.

Too subjective surely? I'm happy as f**k.

[SANTAN]

Of course we know them. The laws of physics allow us to know what will happen with precision in the same way that we can predict exactly the orbits of the planets, when there will be a returning comet or when the next solar eclipse is.

We observe the births and deaths of solar systems around other star systems in the Milky Way.

Nothing is 100%

[SANTAN]

If there was a big crash in humanity and it took a few hundred years to rediscover current technology, I'd be really intrigued to see what they'd make of this time's social media (if it survived and was discovered). I often wonder what they would make of it as there's such a deluge of garbage information, everyone has an opinion on current events and culture, as well as shitey local events. Think how difficult it would be to piece together actual important events from pretty insignificant ones. Would Balloteli be thought of as some kind of demi-god? Would Katie Hopkins be thought of as some type of authority? What would they make of harlem shake/ice bucket challenges ect. Endless questions.

They probably wouldn't be reading shitehawks Twitters to be fair.. Major news outlets don't obsess over Hopkins and Ladotelli.

[SANTAN]

Why does true altruism exist when it does not have any evolutionary advantage?

Not everything that exists helps our evolution, if that were true there'd be no imperfections.

[SANTAN]

Back to the goat. I'd like a few things clarified;

- Does it need to be alive?

- Does it need to be conscious?

- Do you have to f**k it in a field or can you take it in to your bedroom?

- Can you dress the goat up?

- Can you tie the goat up?

- Does it need to be just you and the goat or can others join in?

Please leave my thread.

[SANTAN]

You can predict how successful a child, as young as three, will become merely from a marshmallow experiment.

Arguing with someone who already has firm beliefs, even with evidence and stats, can make them even less likely to agree with you.

Not sure if they count.

First one reminds me of the nature vs nurture argument. If you were beyond humanely smart could you look at DNA coding and map out someone's life?

[Elixir]

Yet we still don't know what came befoe solar systems, or before the things that made up solar systems anyway. We don't know what will happen after they die either.

We have very good theories supported by very strong evidence as to what came "before solar systems".

We also know that the universe will die and again there are multiple theories on this.

Nothing is 100%

Many things are, many things are not.

[Carl Cort's Hamstring]

First one reminds me of the nature vs nurture argument. If you were beyond humanely smart could you look at DNA coding and map out someone's life?

If you had some sort of infinitely powerful computer, which had everyone's DNA on file and huge amounts of data on everyone's lives, then it probably would be able to spot patterns and make limited inferences about the future yes. But so much of our lives are dictated by environmental/societal factors that it would never be that accurate.

My thought is basically one from a podcast I was listening to recently:

One of the main technological goals that people are pursuing is Artificial Intelligence, and this is something that is worrying quite a lot of people (including Stephen Hawking). If we had a time machine and saw that, 100 years from now, A.I had destroyed civilization as we know it, would we be able to stop ourselves from inventing it? Or would human curiosity be too powerful? You could do the same thought exercise with nuclear weapons.

[SANTAN]

We have very good theories supported by very strong evidence as to what came "before solar systems".

We also know that the universe will die and again there are multiple theories on this.

Many things are, many things are not.

Not something i can be bothered to argue but I would say nothing is 100%, that's being cocky. Many things are 99.9% though but I'm a firm believer that anything could happen.

[SANTAN]

If you had some sort of infinitely powerful computer, which had everyone's DNA on file and huge amounts of data on everyone's lives, then it probably would be able to spot patterns and make limited inferences about the future yes. But so much of our lives are dictated by environmental/societal factors that it would never be that accurate.

My thought is basically one from a podcast I was listening to recently:

One of the main technological goals that people are pursuing is Artificial Intelligence, and this is something that is worrying quite a lot of people (including Stephen Hawking). If we had a time machine and saw that, 100 years from now, A.I had destroyed civilization as we know it, would we be able to stop ourselves from inventing it? Or would human curiosity be too powerful? You could do the same thought exercise with nuclear weapons.

I believe unlimited, sometimes I think life is just a big sum of probability. I think we would be too curious, we're rather self serving.

[JogaBonito]

My thought is basically one from a podcast I was listening to recently:

One of the main technological goals that people are pursuing is Artificial Intelligence, and this is something that is worrying quite a lot of people (including Stephen Hawking). If we had a time machine and saw that, 100 years from now, A.I had destroyed civilization as we know it, would we be able to stop ourselves from inventing it? Or would human curiosity be too powerful? You could do the same thought exercise with nuclear weapons.

Mind if I ask which podcast that was? I love my podcasts.

[JogaBonito]

First one reminds me of the nature vs nurture argument. If you were beyond humanely smart could you look at DNA coding and map out someone's life?

That's certainly one interesting viewpoint.

I'm quite interested in the societal impacts though, i.e what can benefit the most people. It obviously shows nature plays a role, but nurture is vitally important too. Which making sure children and families, especially those most vulnerable, are given as much help and support needed, to ensure a smarter generation.

The current form of governance isn't the way forward.

[Carl Cort's Hamstring]

Mind if I ask which podcast that was? I love my podcasts.

It's called 'Common Sense with Dan Carlin'. It's generally more of a politics podcast, and it's quite American-centric, but he presents it well and does have some interesting ideas on things.

He also does another podcast called Hardcore History, which I'd recommend to anyone who has even a passing interest in history. There are only about 4 released per year, but they're worth waiting for as many of them are more like audiobooks rather than podcasts (the most recent one on WW1 was 4 hours long!).

[Mr Bairn]

If we all end up dead anyway, then does it really matter what happens when we're alive?

[Guest]

I sometimes wonder what I would do if I was offered the chance to start my life again from the start, but with the current knowledge, memories and mental development. It's a tricky one.

Pros:

You'd be considered extremely intelligent, to the point where an unbelievable amount of opportunities could arise

Every mistake could be reversed

You could write any song you like from your lifetime and create any TV show/film (possible con of guilt though)

Bookies.

You could predict bad things happening and become a heroic oracle

Cons:

Having to tone down your mental development as a baby to stop people freaking the f**k out

The utter tedium of doing everything twice

The frustration of the Butterfly Effect resulting in you being removed from the lives of people you know

The risk that preventing bad things could result in even worse things happening later

The utter horror of consciously being part of your own birth

It's a hard one. I've thought about it and still don't know what I'd do.

[Guest]

Would it be more preferable to shag a goat and nobody ever knows or to not shag a goat and everybody you ever meet is irrationally convinced you did shag a goat?

I'd f**k that goat and then tell everyone I did it anyway.

[forever_blue]

I sometimes wonder what I would do if I was offered the chance to start my life again from the start, but with the current knowledge, memories and mental development. It's a tricky one.

Pros:

You'd be considered extremely intelligent, to the point where an unbelievable amount of opportunities could arise

Every mistake could be reversed

You could write any song you like from your lifetime and create any TV show/film (possible con of guilt though)

Bookies.

You could predict bad things happening and become a heroic oracle

Cons:

Having to tone down your mental development as a baby to stop people freaking the f**k out

The utter tedium of doing everything twice

The frustration of the Butterfly Effect resulting in you being removed from the lives of people you know

The risk that preventing bad things could result in even worse things happening later

The utter horror of consciously being part of your own birth

It's a hard one. I've thought about it and still don't know what I'd do.

I dont think it would be as enjoyable. half the fun of childhood was the innocence and ignorance to half the things that was going on around you . the joy of finding things out and investegating new sort of things, f**k being 5,6,7 etc and whilst all yer mates are climbing trees , jumping in puddles, playing free for all football, building dens etc all the whilst you are wondering what is going on at the latest labour/libdem/tory conference and what cuts they have planned after the next general election and how it could effect your future employment oppurtunities.

[welshbairn]

If a tree falls down in the Amazon and nobody hears it, would it still happen if women were running things?

[SANTAN]

I sometimes wonder what I would do if I was offered the chance to start my life again from the start, but with the current knowledge, memories and mental development. It's a tricky one.

Pros:

You'd be considered extremely intelligent, to the point where an unbelievable amount of opportunities could arise

Every mistake could be reversed

You could write any song you like from your lifetime and create any TV show/film (possible con of guilt though)

Bookies.

You could predict bad things happening and become a heroic oracle

Cons:

Having to tone down your mental development as a baby to stop people freaking the f**k out

The utter tedium of doing everything twice

The frustration of the Butterfly Effect resulting in you being removed from the lives of people you know

The risk that preventing bad things could result in even worse things happening later

The utter horror of consciously being part of your own birth

It's a hard one. I've thought about it and still don't know what I'd do.

I like this one, of course as you say Butterfly effect would change everything. If you could rewind 5 years rather than the whole life would you make friends with your mates early?

"Umm in three years time we become best mates, now I know you've never seen me before but believe me"

[JogaBonito]

It's called 'Common Sense with Dan Carlin'. It's generally more of a politics podcast, and it's quite American-centric, but he presents it well and does have some interesting ideas on things.

He also does another podcast called Hardcore History, which I'd recommend to anyone who has even a passing interest in history. There are only about 4 released per year, but they're worth waiting for as many of them are more like audiobooks rather than podcasts (the most recent one on WW1 was 4 hours long!).

Excellent choice.

I'm a big fan of Dan Carlin too. His presentation style is a bit different and it did take me a while to get used to it, but they are both incredible. Just finished up on the ww2, just about to get stuck into the Romans.