John C
We are stars and manure, imbued with spirit- magical water light beings with work to do.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKjla2DwYSz16VLi4mHk-HQ/playlists
Download the free ebook top right in the image
Location UK
Activity
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Like I said to @JanDeurwaarder, the idea of being a soul is consistent with my definition.
It takes consciousness to ascribe 'soul' to something, whilst consciousness is not requisite for soul, for reasons I hope are obvious.
The religious idea of an eternal soul is not one I share insofar as I do not think each being's soul remains...
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Characteristics- demeanour, quality, disposition, height, pressure, colour, appearance, context...etc.
Experience- happenings affecting characteristics
As I have said, 'soul' does not necessitate consciousness or awareness. A place can have soul. Music can have soul. A poem can have soul. A look or an impression may have soul. ...
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In order for any characteristic or experience to be had, there must be some source- the fountain.
In order to shape a particular experience or characteristic, there must be a stimulus- the direction.
When we think of a soul, these are it's definition, it seems to me.
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I am attempting scientific methodology by defining what (a) soul is. I have not defined the soul in abstract, metaphysical, or religious terms, but in practical understandable relatable objective terms for the sake of empirical discussions.
You, @PeteG., are responding to your own thoughts, not mine- unless you can explain how...
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..what good is a soul.. without consciousness?
If you take my definition, then yours is a redundant question. Consciousness is not essential.
I regard 'the soul' as the direction of the fountain of the totality of all possible characteristics and experience. Happy soul, lost soul, etc.
That must be common to everything, theoretically. ... -
"the existence of a soul is beyond me"
I regard 'the soul' as the direction of the fountain of the totality of all possible characteristics and experience. Happy soul, lost soul, etc.
That must be common to everything, theoretically.
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John C made a comment
Thank you to everyone involved in preparing and presenting this course- thought-provoking and stimulating, helpful and positive to the greater extent.
Thanks also to the cohort of my fellow learners. Your stories, opinions, reports, and observations have been greatly appreciated.
Bonne chance, and arrivederci, tout le monde! A...
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@PeteG. The devil? ;-)
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Then
..islam does not believe in conversion by force. The people say that to trademark Islam as a barbaric religion. If you have ever seen people converting live on tv or in an open meeting, the person converting them actually asks if they have been forced or in proper state of mind or questions that are something similar in...
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I found a couple of pointers- first a Christian perspective from an Egyptian fellow.
Muslims do “evangelism.” It is a duty in Islam, and is called da’wa. In Islamic dogma, da’wa means “to invite people to Islam.” It is the act of making an appealing message, calling people to embrace the faith proclaimed by Muhammad, as described in...
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John C replied to Shaun Humphries
It strikes me that global catastrophe should be enough of a catalyst for change, but judging by global responses thus far it appears many have a different idea of our future.
If I hold my hands palms out to the world, and shout, "STOP!!! Look what's happening. Let's do something about it" and others say, "what's your problem, fool",...
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John C made a comment
I think it's a bit daft. We have different ideas so the world vision is not a uniquely defined documented summation.
However, the mountain is only the one mountain, whether home to gods or just a big rock.
I'd rather keep it simple and say we disagree, or have differing understandings- so let's talk.
However, how to resolve such problems is a...
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Further, beings without brains display awareness, foresight, planning, building, and regeneration and nurture within their built structures. They can orientate, navigate, relate and imitate. They make alliances, may take advantage, or can be altruistic. Not so different from ourselves.
For example-...
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You seem quite certain that consciousness is in the brain only.
Yet, you say that when the brain is dismantled that consciousness disappears. This, as far as I see, is impossible; it's a contradiction.
I don't see how consciousness can be an emergent quality of certain amalgams of material without it first being an inherent quality of the...
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John C replied to Mary Gormley
Children's visions. Got me thinking. And remembering. Fatima, Portugal.
Between May and October 1917, three ten-years old children- Lúcia, Jacinta and Francisco- reported visions of .. who they believed to be the Virgin Mary .. near Fátima,
The children said the visitations took place on the 13th day of each month at approximately...
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John C made a comment
Not sure this exactly answers the brief, but,
"American model Halima Aden says she is quitting runway modelling as it compromises her religious beliefs.
She says she's compromised her religion many times as part of her job - including missing prayer times set out in the Islamic faith or agreeing to model without a hijab on, using another item of clothing...
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If, as quantum theory suggests, energy=matter=energy=matter, then bodies and brains are expressions of energy.
Each material has its particular properties, but these properties do change with pressure, temperature, and various other conditions.
Our brains may be 'the seat of our conscious being' but in what sense?
Neil Donald Walsch's God...
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John C made a comment
I would agree.
However- considering planetary and human predicaments, I believe the time is now for reviewing our separate religions, ideologies, and so forth. Unless we agree on some fundamental issues- as a global species- to arrest the decline of those things which sustain us and which we destroy- we will suffer the consequences of our inaction.
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John C made a comment
I don't have a problem with religious music or activities as entertainment, nor religious buildings being places to visit. What's not to love?
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John C made a comment
I and my friends and family are festival-goers- a tradition harking back to time immemorial.
I never went because it was a tradition. I went because I used to enjoy them.
That said, Mrs Thatcher's war on Stonehenge Free Festival in 1985 (Battle of the beanfield)- a despicable act, in my opinion- marked the decline of people's festivals in UK in the...
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John C replied to Samantha Jones
@LiciaVitali Hi. I don't think Samantha meant to say 'compromising safety', but meant what she wrote, "without compromising safety".
However, she implied "without compromising..harm, injury, and risks" which I don't think was her intention.
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John C replied to Samantha Jones
@SamanthaJones @LiciaVitali
Aren't you both a bit confused?
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John C replied to Simon Heath
Each Anglican Church belongs to the Anglican Communion because it is in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and seeks to uphold the catholic faith and reformed order inherited from the Church of England.
http://www.anglicansonline.org/resources/essays/whalon/AngRC-diffEng.htmlPaul VI then took Ramsey’s right hand and placed the green and gold...
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John C made a comment
Religion must stem from individual thinking, and coalesce around shared or similar beliefs.
Spirituality becomes religion. One's spirituality will impact on one's behaviour, and culture, and society at large.
One may act against particular beliefs whilst holding to the over-arching concept.
Two examples- I am irreligious, but have a store of personal...
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John C made a comment
I am aligned with Theo's vision, but I find activism distasteful despite his requirement for respect. Maybe there has to be activism and I am unrealistic?
Celebration and protest are an understandable pairing. Every thing is what it is and what it is not. Protest is not celebration, and celebration is not protest, but without one, the other can not be. ...
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John C replied to Jan Deurwaarder
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@VickieKennish France is a secular country with freedom of religion. I think terrorist activity there goes back to colonial times. Some claim France is trying to eradicate Islam where it has or has had power.
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Prince Charles - the defender of all faiths, not the head
The monarch claims to be ordained by God (dieu et mon droit), so it follows that the queen heads the church.
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John C made a comment
I've no directly personal experience, but I know of ex-Plymouth Brethren members who became disillusioned and left, which cost them in terms of relationships lost.
The Brethren is a young institution (c200 years) but it has experienced schism and division, and some groups regard others as cultish and 'strident'. There are many sub-groups now.
Fuller...
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John C replied to kathy French
@RobBuxton ... I think it is conceivable that the issue has had its effects.
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John C replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
@LiciaVitali Oh, it was warm encounter.
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John C replied to kathy French
The series of sex-abuse scandals within the church has changed many people's attitudes to the church, methinks.
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John C replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
@LiciaVitali
I remember from somewhere being told that the French do not like being asked what they work as- reason being that a job does not define the person, the person is bigger than their job-title. I hope I don't misrepresent the facts here- I don't know for sure.
An aside... I was speaking with an Egyptian man, and he asked me if I was Muslim. ...
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John C replied to paula banyard
I moved to Cornwall from a huge conurbation which included dozens of nationalities, ethnicities and languages and skin colour.
Whilst Cornish culture has a strong pull- and I love the spirit of its people- I do miss the diversity I once enjoyed- but at least I have had that experience.
As @JBKent says, "Not seeing difference as...
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John C made a comment
I am a white Brit who has been to India and Morocco, both non-Christian, non-westernised countries.
I have also been to France, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and Italy, which are Catholic, and Greece which is Eastern Orthodox.
In India and Morocco I was treated very well. In Europe and closer to home I have been treated very well.
There doesn't seem to...
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Your comment made me wonder what my belief system is doing to my health.
Bruce Lipton, unsupported by the scientific community (wrongly, in my estimation) posits 'the biology of belief'- how what one believes affects one's biology.
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John C replied to Samantha Jones
" intolerance and blinkered perspectives are the reason for violent atrocities"
Would you expound?
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John C made a comment
I'll go for panpsychism/animism.
Everything has 'spirit' (a self-knowing energy)
and thus some awareness (some form of consciousness),
and nothing ever dies.
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John C replied to Ingrid A.S
Aren't observations of subjective study areas bound to be subjective themselves- necessarily biased and incomplete? Do you know of a totally objective and complete study of any religion?
Where something is definitive, there can be objectivity, but whilst religions may claim to be definitive, there are often different interpretations of the...
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John C made a comment
I used to be surrounded by Christians. Plymouth Brethren, Catholic, and Methodist.
Whilst each was evangelical, none wished to share the other's rites and rituals.
I think us Brits are scared of difference and the unfamiliar, so we like others to keep themselves to themselves, generally speaking.
Nationally we identify as Christian, but I don't think...
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Alas, such atrocities do understandably undermine confidence. However, don't you think that if the western coalition partners were not so disruptive themselves when on their own foreign excursions, there might be less reciprocal ill-feeling and suchlike cold acts of bloody revenge?
I don't think we can take particular issues into account...
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Why not just embrace travellers as neighbours?
I've travelled a bit, and with the odd exception I have found people to be warm and welcoming and helpful everywhere I have been.
Why am I welcome if the migrant is not?
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John C made a comment
Thanks to all involved in building and presenting the course,and fellow students for their contributions..
Thanks to the reviewers of my assignment- I am pleased you found it worth the read.
Spare a thought for those inhibited by a lack of academic freedom, or freedom of speech and action; for the hungry, the destitute, the displaced; for those whose...
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Why should inhabitants of our own country be 'very much in the foreground' regarding health and wellbeing?
You are only looking at the immediately visible.
What drives migration?
If migrants already had what we have, would they seek to come to our shores in such numbers? They come for advantage, and to share with us our good...
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John C replied to Paul Jones
I have suggested a radical overhaul of democratic protocols to negate such problems.
The Baha'i faith organises in groups of nine.
Taking this idea- the group to which we belong.is our first government- our peers.
Disputes not settled therein may then be adjudicated by two other groups in the same circle so that a best of...
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@RachaelRead
https://youtu.be/vdb4XGVTHkEWatch it ☺️
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@PaulJones
I appreciate your position.In a general sense-
The carbon market – a free market – encourages sellers to maximize their profit by finding the cheapest way to offset greenhouse gases (e.g. by burning methane generated by oil wells) instead of finding the best solutions to safeguard our future.
Cheap carbon credits, in turn, give...
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John C replied to Ian Mackenzie
I would question whether dominion means having the ultimate right/might.
In some sense, it is undeniable, because humans can avail themselves of it- because we have more power in a general sense than other species.
Is might right?
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I think that needs research. I think it's more complicated.
Culture inclines people to behave in certain ways.
If many share basic values and moral sensibilities, behaviours will generally reflect them, as we can see in our own cultures.
UK had the death penalty until the mid-late C20th, but it didn't stop some people from criminal...
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I feel like I may be labouring the point. Sorry if that's the case.
Since @DianeSchwartz asked about freedom of thought, I have seen numerous references to it in articles I have come across.
Another one here- "over a timescale of several hundred milliseconds, our physiological state determines in a fundamental way how we experience the world as a...
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Algorithms are beginning to change the face of warfare.
Taken at face value, recognising human control as a process rather than a single decision is correct and important. And it reflects operational reality, in that there are multiple stages to how modern militaries plan attacks involving a human chain of command.
But there are...
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I can't find the source, but I remember reading not long ago that algorithms employed to serve our needs will learn to know us much better than we know ourselves, and will make decisions for us in our 'best interests'.
In the advent of 'man-machine'- integrated flesh, machinery, robotics, and technology, I foresee algorithms will make all...
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This.
We do not know whether we have it or not, so nothing's different.
Are we in paradise, or slaves on a prison planet? Are we subject to fate, or masters of our own destiny? Are we pre-determined, or happenstance?
Are we free-thinking, or just manipulated into believing it?
We choose freedom, yet work for money. We...
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John C made a comment
El sendero de la anaconda
https://vimeo.com/342141381Good stewardship advice from tribespeople of the Amazon
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To be accurate, the statement I made is historical.
“..there is .. crime..but the number.. is.. lowest here” .
The worst three cities for crime were all in Central or South America..
https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/abu-dhabi-is-the-safest-city-on-the-planet-with-lowest-crime-rate-numbeo-com-1.70632Things change. A...
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I see carbon off-setting as a bit of self-deception insofar as it then seems perfectly ok to do something damaging.
Fuel isn't just burned. It requires extraction, processing, transport, delivery, etc., and all these components leading to its final use have their own respective impact.
By not flying, we speed up the recovery process...
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I think some will go for eugenics. It's almost inevitable now. Man machine is coming, so genetic modifications will be automatic- algorithms in the new beings will decide such things.
Cannibalism? Pragmatic, but people don't, generally eat each other now as far as I know. Given that some used to, I guess there are some who...
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If the best of all possible solutions rises to the top because we argue, then why are we facing global catastrophe?
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If the suggestions I have drawn attention to were taken up, I suppose it would be because they were thought to be worthwhile attempts at restoring planetary health.
One of these ideas is an overhaul of democracy- I see the current parliamentary system is skewed by the powerful so is really not democratic.
The 'new democracy' would be a...
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Ok, gotcha.
Now imagine a future with 2bn humans, and those problems are reduced.
There is already a computer for everyone, and a washing machine, etc., etc.
It's a simplistic proposition for the sake of brevity, but the point is that we have resources present for 8-10-12bn allready available, so we thus need to focus on re-use and...
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On the basis that the world is not just for humans, and that our numbers and lifestyles mean catastrophe for our futures, it would seem imperative to prioritise the security of all by reducing the human population and adapting to realities before any more damage is done.
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John C replied to Rachel Dineley
That scenario is an authentic possibility.
It raises a legitimate question.
Is might right?
From the perspective of one in the water, it's understandable that the survival instinct kicks in.
Given that all beings' greatest drive is to remain alive, then is it not the case that 'winner takes all' is obeying the laws of...
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John C made a comment
Paying... with money, or service?
We all (ideally) need a healthy planet, so we all are responsible for ensuring that we have one.
We can not expect any particular entity to 'pay' because we are all implicated in the fact of CC, but perhaps remote tribes- desert-dwellers, mountain people, forest people, island people- shouldn't have the same obligations...
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I stumbled into realising this morning that any philosphical question applied to a given scenario is likely to yield non-sensical premises, because there's no context we can apply to achieve life-like complexity, so it remains necessarily (according to format) simplistic.
Following through on that, I now think ethics is at best a 'best...
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Why would, "Addressing climate change.. cause pain, [and] suffering"?
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I don't think we have an ethical obligation to procreate.
Perhaps in this era we have a duty to do the reverse, though once we do produce offspring, I believe we do have obligations to preserve them and their future environment.
Spartans of old may have disagreed, fathers of daughters in some places even now, ditto.
Generally, I...
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John C made a comment
In my ebook (follow my profile to youtube and download from there), I suggest we aim for the maximum sustainable numbers of each species to achieve abundance for all beings- including human beings (maybe 2 billion?)- so that each species has enough habitat and resources.
Straddling Spain and Portugal is a project which is reintroducing bears and wolves. ...
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John C made a comment
There are things I have done, and do, to mitigate CC- with mixed outcomes.
18 months a vegan, but associated issues mean I no longer follow a vegan diet.
I no longer fly, but pragmatism means I keep my diesel van.
Hard as I try, I still generate too much waste (packaging, mostly- cardboard and sellotape and labels for postal items, cartons,...
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John C made a comment
In my opinion-
It doesn't matter who is responsible.
You and I do have duties to future generations.
We all should pay for climate change, and to ensure we henceforth observe, and act without stressing, planetary boundaries.
We should care more about the continuation of humanity, but not as a dominant global species- we must integrate with the...
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John C made a comment
Clandestino
Solo voy con mi pena
Sola va mi condena
Correr es mi destino
Para burlar la ley
Perdido en el corazón
De la grande Babylon
Me dicen el clandestino
Por no llevar papel
Pa' una ciudad del norte
Yo me fui a trabajar
Mi vida la dejé
Entre Ceuta y Gibraltar
Soy una raya en el mar
Fantasma en la ciudad
Mi vida va prohibida
Dice la... -
John C made a comment
It's a nonsense.
1. Tax pays for nothing.
2. Scandinavia is relatively rich at the expense of the relatively poor would-be migrants who only wish a share of what is rightfully theirs.
3. There is no good reason, but political will (or lack of), for any society to 'break down' from excessive demand in terms of numbers versus...
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John C made a comment
I am seeing the impossibility of philosophy (competing philosophies, philosophies taken in isolation, ...)
I last said that we can not know all outcomes, over time, of any decision or action. We can but 'adjust' or attenuate any subsequent decision more, as we perceive it, accurately than we did previously.
Weighing the comparative benefits and...
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John C made a comment
Why no transcripts of audio?
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John C made a comment
No. Despite an empathetic understanding of notions of cultural nobility, every culture is not universally seen as noble.
Taking Abrahamic faith-based states as a focus, Islam is set against both Judaism and Christianity, and a ceaseless war continues the divide.
Therefore, each, in my opinion, should (that word again) perhaps re-imagine the true state...
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John C made a comment
Utilitarian reasoning, at least as described here, falls short in so many ways.
It is not possible to assert that overall well-being increases as a result of action or inaction, except in limited quantities in limited circumstances. (A rescued drowning man might be glad of his rescue, etc).
To do so would mean weighing the comparative benefits and...
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John C replied to Ian Mackenzie
If I understand you correctly, that's my point. Incomers upset the apple-cart for the established locals. However, just because that is so, does it make it right to stop others coming in?
Further, if others wish to cram in, how and at what point do we say enough is too much? How do we apportion resources, except to sell to the highest...
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And how would you know you had freedom of thought?
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John C made a comment
It is not ethical to restrict freedom of movement.
There are no actual borders. Mountain ranges and great oceans may seem like barriers, but they may be overcome.
Men suppose borders for fear.
There are no countries. One may walk from the English Channel to the gulf of Arabia, or the South China Sea, or sail from Israel to Antarctica. Except upon...
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John C replied to Ian Mackenzie
Because I was born here, should here necessarily be mine?
I gave my dad as an example in another course-
He was born in a picture-postcard rural/coastal idyll, at a time of poverty and hardship. He was born into the same circumstances as his peers, and lived a humble, if relatively comfortable life.
To gain work and...
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John C made a comment
I have never migrated, though I and my wife did spend two successive winters out of the country.
We lived in a van for about 5-6 months at a stretch, mostly in Portugal where it is warmer than the rest of Europe at this time of year.
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Two courses which cover migration in greater detail...(I found them very worthwhile)...
Why Do People Migrate? Theories European University Institute (EUI)
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/migration-theoriesand
Why Do People Migrate? Facts European University Institute (EUI)
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/migration-facts -
John C made a comment
Thanks for an interesting course.
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John C made a comment
If we're discussing justice here, didn't we ought to agree to take no more than any of our neighbours, and to ensure that we all had agreeably comparable circumstances?
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John C replied to Brian Hughes
If I thought tax was legitimate, I might counter by suggesting that it's immaterial how much tax one pays, rather it is central to things what is bought with it.
I don't think tax can pay for anything, since it can not even meet the national debt.
If you went to a supermarket, and were told that your bills paid for child exploitation,...
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John C made a comment
2. (and in the UK- https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/17/exploitation-migrants-way-of-life-immigration-business-model)
Factor in the citizenry who avoid their obligations to the system by utilising illegal immigrants' labour, and the associated benefits they would be obliged to bestow on comparative legal workers, and the overall burden...
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John C made a comment
1. America's working population is around 205 million (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LFWA64TTUSM647S). Welfare costs to support illegal immigrants is $103 billion- around an average $10 a week per worker. Even if only the full-time workers covered these costs, it would mean losing less than $17 per week. Does that constitute a 'crisis'?
Median...
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John C made a comment
I have argued each is responsible for the poor (however one defines 'poor').
It may be, and is the case that I have limited ability to change things. That does not negate my responsibility.
I may not have caused misfortune, but I can and am able to make some effort to improve the lot of those (fingers in throat) 'less fortunate' than myself as a...
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John C replied to Stephen Hill
Isn't emotional reaction likely to be at least influenced by culture, if not defined by it? If one were compelled to follow an edict which went against cultural expectations, wouldn't the reaction carry different emotions?
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John C replied to Brian Hughes
I fear I may seem critical, but I'm looking to understand you. Bear with me?
If we have learned what is 'morally correct', how is it that we are in such a mess? Who are the 'correct'?
How do they differ from the 'well-intentioned', who can not be 'correct' according to your logic- when the consequences of their actions are negative?
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John C made a comment
Isn't it necessary to look beyond the 'duties', and learn from such analysis of not just the duties as described, but the context and considerations which brought them about.
If someone exhorts you to action, is it not wise to investigate why they might be doing that?
The world is a curious and beguiling place.
Shouldn't diligent application of...
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I would strongly argue that we are absolutely personally responsible for the fate of the poor so long as we have not ensured parity of circumstance for them.
I approach from that direction because we the 'rich' have power over the 'poor', and thus it falls to us.
Helping the KIng to win a war may have afforded an ancestor a swathe of land...
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John C made a comment
It strikes me that in discussing 'aid' we may be diverting from a more important question.
I get that helping others is the focus, but should we not ask why someone might need that 'aid' in the first place?
Perhaps we needn't concern ourselves with rescuing migrants from the waters so much as making sure no-one feels it necessary to risk life and limb to...
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As a sixteen year old eejit greenhorn, I ran joyously out of school on my final day thinking, believing, that all my troubles were now over, and my life, henceforth, would not be hindered by stupid people with stupid ideas that I had to take notice of if I wanted to get anywhere...
A major difference is that I now count myself among the...
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John C replied to Mike Hambach
@MikeHambach I didn't mean to accuse you, Mike. I did say 'some people', referencing your included link. No offence...
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John C made a comment
As is always (well, often, then) the case, we are not truly going to the fundamentals, are we?
Why are we here? What are we here for- to do, to see, to think, to listen, feel, touch, taste, provide food for the lions? What are we doing on planet Earth?
What is our role, our function, our purpose, our mission, our obligation, our raison d'etre?
Until...
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John C made a comment
From what I know, which isn't much, I wonder why this guy is getting so much attention. I'm a gonna have to check him out more fully, and hope he ain't wasting my time.
