Which world do you live in?

[Peter]

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[richard]

this one

[maldoror]

A world in which web comics are usually retarded and half-assed.

[Peter]

I ask this question because many people genuinely believe that science doesn't work, and that they can levitate and shoot lightning from their hands if they want to enough.

[QuirkyCarla]

I like science, but I think it's as flawed as any other subject. Not sure if I believe in levitation and shooting lightning from hands though.

[Peter]

I like science, but I think it's as flawed as any other subject. Not sure if I believe in levitation and shooting lightning from hands though.

What's your definition of flawed?

[Alex179]

We just don't know everything yet.   Many discoveries to be made, much work to do.   I am more interested at how fast science advances during my lifetime than whether it "works" or not.    If it is a law, it works (even though we aren't really 100% about gravity even).    We have way too many theories and not enough laws, though there will always be new theories and some of them get to the point where they are laws.

I live in a world that should have roughly 95% of its human population destroyed.   A world where I escape into video games and other forms of entertainment to distract me from the shit that goes on constantly.    The bad unfortunately greatly outweighs the good in this world.

[Peter]

We just don't know everything yet.   Many discoveries to be made, much work to do.   I am more interested at how fast science advances during my lifetime than whether it "works" or not.    If it is a law, it works (even though we aren't really 100% about gravity even).    We have way too many theories and not enough laws, though there will always be new theories and some of them get to the point where they are laws.

I live in a world that should have roughly 95% of its human population destroyed.   A world where I escape into video games and other forms of entertainment to distract me from the shit that goes on constantly.    The bad unfortunately greatly outweighs the good in this world.

Theories are higher on the scale of scientific certainty than laws; a scientific law makes a statement based on many observations, but doesn't explain why it's so, while a theory explains the mechanism behind why something is always observed to operate in a certain way.  Laws tend to become theories over time, as a deeper understanding is gained of the phenomena they address.

[Lucifer]

I live in a world that should have roughly 95% of its human population destroyed.   A world where I escape into video games and other forms of entertainment to distract me from the shit that goes on constantly.    The bad unfortunately greatly outweighs the good in this world.

then get off the computer and do something about it.  nothing changes unless people make it change. if the world's shit, it's just as much your responsibility as it is that of the people who actively make it shit - doing nothing condones the shit, even supports it.

[Peter]

Real levitation: http://www.hfml.sci.kun.nl/froglev.html

[Christopher McCandless]

I live in a world that should have roughly 95% of its human population destroyed.   A world where I escape into video games and other forms of entertainment to distract me from the shit that goes on constantly.    The bad unfortunately greatly outweighs the good in this world.

then get off the computer and do something about it.  nothing changes unless people make it change. if the world's shit, it's just as much your responsibility as it is that of the people who actively make it shit - doing nothing condones the shit, even supports it.

What exactly are you suggesting people do, and more to the point how far have you taken your own advice...?

[Lucifer]

i'm suggesting people get active: find out about what's going on, get political (not party political, unless that's their thing), keep yourself informed, find out what youcan actually do to make a difference to something you care about/are interested in.

and it doesn't have to be frontline or requiring any social contact - there's plenty of behind the scenes stuff which needs doing.

me?  i'm been politically active (unaligned) for over 30 years, from issues ranging from the environment, to racism, sexism and disability issues, to student grants/loans, to nuclear power, etc., etc.  and i've done both frontline stuff and behind the scenes stuff, including financial support wherever possible - i still support various organisations financially, by direct debit.

ar present, my main focus is on the enivronment (always has been really) and AS advocacy and awareness stuff.

so, in short, i don't "do" stuff, it's how i live my life - my way of life, if you like.

so don't bother criticising - i'm quite happy with my track record, because i don't whine about things and then do fuck all about them - i get off my arse and make a fucking great effort.

[Christopher McCandless]

i'm suggesting people get active: find out about what's going on, get political (not party political, unless that's their thing), keep yourself informed, find out what youcan actually do to make a difference to something you care about/are interested in.

and it doesn't have to be frontline or requiring any social contact - there's plenty of behind the scenes stuff which needs doing.

me?  i'm been politically active (unaligned) for over 30 years, from issues ranging from the environment, to racism, P.I.ism and disability issues, to student grants/loans, to nuclear power, etc., etc.  and i've done both frontline stuff and behind the scenes stuff, including financial support wherever possible - i still support various organisations financially, by direct debit.

ar present, my main focus is on the enivronment (always has been really) and AS advocacy and awareness stuff.

so, in short, i don't "do" stuff, it's how i live my life - my way of life, if you like.

so don't bother criticising - i'm quite happy with my track record, because i don't whine about things and then do fuck all about them - i get off my AAARRSE!! and make a fucking great effort.

I only get off my backside when I know what i do will make a difference, and it has to be a worthy cause. As for politics, i might step into that soon, my issue is I am not sure where I stand yet. Just out of intrest are you an ecomentalist and anti-nuclear?

[Alex179]

I live in a world that should have roughly 95% of its human population destroyed.   A world where I escape into video games and other forms of entertainment to distract me from the shit that goes on constantly.    The bad unfortunately greatly outweighs the good in this world.

then get off the computer and do something about it.  nothing changes unless people make it change. if the world's shit, it's just as much your responsibility as it is that of the people who actively make it shit - doing nothing condones the shit, even supports it.

I am only on the computer at work really haha.   The world isn't worth the effort of changing or saving.   I can only control what is around me.    I do my part to be as decent as possible and helpful to people (decent people appreciate the help).   That is all I can do currently.    Maybe I will do more when I have the means.   My solution is mass death, the world would be a much better place with less people living in it.   Discriminating between who dies and who doesn't really isn't as important as ensuring the world is less populated by humans.

Laws are absolute in nature but are not complete facts.   Theories are closer to hypothesis than laws are, therefore they must be proven more to be concrete enough to be considered a fact (even though they are independent concepts).    We don't make many laws anymore, because we are nowhere near absolute about things.   Laws and theories are two different concepts anyways, they are really independent of eachother.   When theories can actually be observed and seen as absolute (not having numerous theories on one subject) then they will be closer to actual fact themselves.   Evolution occuring is usually seen as a fact for example, but there is much speculation on the details within that theory.   Basically I bet there won't be many laws being made in science anymore, the are too concrete in saying what happens.

[Calandale]

I ask this question because many people genuinely believe that science doesn't work, and that they can levitate and shoot lightning from their hands if they want to enough.

Many? Or just on here?

I do mostly believe that reality
is moldable. I'm not convinced
what the extent is though, but
I lean towards more so than even
what you state.