Billie M Jones

So I’m devil’s advocate for both sides, now.

For believers in free will, I ask, do you believe you have power over determinism, or is determinism not even a thing?

For those arguing against free will, is there any harm in others believing in it?

I’m not on the fence. I don’t believe it exists in an absolute sense, but I’m happy to ride as if it…[Read more]

jakelafort wrote:
Somebody asks you do you believe? Have the integrity to say yes or no. And if asked for an explanation don’t go all cock and bull jive turkey circumlocution and obfuscation.

Seems to me that all JP was saying is that for him, stating a belief in God is hypocritical unless he can actually fully walk the walk of what a truly d…[Read more]

I like the feeling of free will. I enjoy some optical, and maybe some other illusions, too. Is believing in free will potentially harmful to one’s self or others? It’s not like believing in God, then forcing others to also believe.

Loopy thought: Must not the feeling of free will at least be a product of determinism? A legitimate product of…[Read more]

Unseen wrote:
How do you account for free will in a way that rescues the “free” part of free will and attaches it to the “will” part of free will without violating the scientific laws of the universe?

Absolutely. Nothing new here, not sure, did I misuse the word emergence? Free will couldn’t emerge, except as a theoretical or philoso…[Read more]

Here it is:

(Verse 1)
Yo, it’s the tale of determinism, science in the rhythm,
Where every cause is linked, no room for schism.
The universe, a script, no freestyle decision,
Every action’s locked tight like a prison.

But wait, we flip the beat, science enters the scene,
It’s the methodical method, if you know what I mean.
Hypothesize, test,…[Read more]

Unseen wrote:
Where does responsibility and morality enter in? Beyond, of course, “You did it. You were not under duress. Therefore, you’re responsible for it.

Can one just think of morality as an emergent thought process, with societal ramifications? In particular, people stating moral beliefs can and do influence others, and one’s sel…[Read more]

I looked for more detail on the “breakthrough with desalinization article”. The source is https://news.mit.edu/2024/solar-powered-desalination-system-requires-no-extra-batteries-1008 .

The gist of it can be summarized as a much more efficient method of desalinization through “flexible batch electrodialysis”, with “flexible” meaning that the pro…[Read more]

Throw in the other religions too, every which one defining God, Allah, and so on in their own way, usually dictated by traditionally purported authorities. The sureness they have seems particularly dangerous to me, e.g. with upsurgence of Christian Nationalism. I don’t think I ever really knew what populism was until the past few years, much less…[Read more]

Thanks, Reg!

@unseen Nice!  Thanks!  Great analogy. I support your position.

Your consciousness is like your digestive system. Where does that go when you die?

Had some sort of mental breakdown and now he’s running a church. Maybe Trump will appoint him as his spiritual advisor.

We heard it here first!

Thanks, Reg!

jakelafort wrote:
I like the distinction he makes about humans v AI with the former having free speech and the latter not.

Yes, I forgot to mention that! If only I had an AI implant… Oh, what I could do to for the world.

I have empathy for Hamas’s and other terrorist’s kids. Some Palestinian adults are also innocent victims, like gays who need…[Read more]

PopeBeanie’s setup

I pay $20/mth, directly to openAI for ChatGPT. I like them because they keep improving their features, although once in a while their servers respond slowly, I assume caused by periodic growth spurts. They started out prioritizing an ethical business model and operational awareness of ethical uses of AI, e.g. don’t teach how to…[Read more]

jakelafort wrote:
AI will control us by 2034?

I like his analogy of junk information to junk food; how they’re addictive and unhealthy. (I don’t remember his exact words, but that’s what I took away.) Taking this further, the agents are fast food sellers getting your lunch money, analogous to social network AI algorithms getting your clicks.…[Read more]