Outlaw that picture of a Spartan scares me, it is a while since I was in the arena.
THE GLADIATOR
JoinedPosts by THE GLADIATOR
-
-
-
-
159
CHOICE may be a mere illusion. FREE WILL a trick of the mind's ego
by Terry inthings are what they are.. everything acts according to its nature.. nothing escapes its own nature.. we cannot be other than what we are and our "choices" follow our nature.. consequently, can we not say correctly that free choice is merely our ignorance of the fact that all our actions and choices are predetermined by our nature?.
1. if you are offered either a handful of dog poop or a cold dove bar---is your "choice" really much of a choice?
2. offer a heterosexual male a night with a hot chick or a hot dude...is the outcome really "choice"?
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
I have read with interest the ongoing debate as I have many others on this very subject.
notverylikely I am wondering how much free will or control you have over the words you type? Behind all the words is a need to engage in this debate; the need is an emotional one. By the way I chose to be a gladiator because Napoleon was french and I prefer Italy.
gubberningbody The information you have provided shows that very little of what we do or refrain from doing is controlled by our conscious mind. Unconscious forces compel us to act as we do. Our conscious level of resistance is often mistaken for free will. Increasing our level of awareness can give us a better understanding of what motivates our decisions and perhaps increases our resistance but ultimately we will be ourselves. Who else could we possibly be?
Self observation is of great help. As I type I am aware of the remarks I have just made and ask what has motivated me. Why did I decide to add my two pennyworth to this debate? What need or emotion drives me. Am I trying to be friendly, controversial, clever or aggressive; perhaps I am just bored? The words are written to satisfy a need that goes much deeper than content of the subject.
-
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
It is true, we don't grow and change without experiencing uncomfortable, sometimes painful, feelings. They remind us we are alive and that life is a challenge, at times a fight.
Clinical depressed people do not feel anger until they start to recover.
-
1
Socrates and Jesus Christ (and the WTS) Part 11
by quietlyleaving ini think you guys might find this interesting.
please feel free to disagree.
an idea running through plato's thought and plato's socrates is that "nobody does wrong intentionally".
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
Wickedness is a subjective concept, there is no absolute benchmark. Something that is not to our personal advantage is often labeled wicked.
The heart doesn't reason. Emotion comes from the brain and is a result of protecting or promoting values we hold. Also we are genetically programmed to have emotions relating to survival which include sexual urges for survival of our species. The subconscious part of our brain contains all this information and more.
The bible was written with an agenda in mind. It is not a factual reference book, to be consulted on the workings of humans. The world has moved on from those times of ignorance.
-
35
A relationship question for middle aged men
by Magwitch inmy dilemma...i have enjoyed a very fun and active dating life these last four years of freedom.
most dates end by me moving on (always another fish out there).
last fall i started dating someone i really like (as in i would like a commitment).
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
My dilemma…
I have enjoyed a very fun and active dating life these last four years of freedom. Most dates end by me moving on (always another fish out there).
Magwitch, are YOU ready to settle down?
-
77
What is Truth?
by AK - Jeff inif one 'googles' the phrase, you get 167,000,000 hits!.
'bing' it, and you get 129,000,000 hits.. here is a sampling of opinion from just the first page of google hits.. 1] douglas groothuis, ph.d., teaches philosophy at denver seminary.
here is his 'take' on truth: http://www.leaderu.com/theology/groothuis-truth.html.
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
AGuest
Thank you for springing into action and clarifying things.
Until then we were all stumbling in the dark searching for an intelligent answer.
I bid you peace!
A Slave of that one, Caesar
-
159
CHOICE may be a mere illusion. FREE WILL a trick of the mind's ego
by Terry inthings are what they are.. everything acts according to its nature.. nothing escapes its own nature.. we cannot be other than what we are and our "choices" follow our nature.. consequently, can we not say correctly that free choice is merely our ignorance of the fact that all our actions and choices are predetermined by our nature?.
1. if you are offered either a handful of dog poop or a cold dove bar---is your "choice" really much of a choice?
2. offer a heterosexual male a night with a hot chick or a hot dude...is the outcome really "choice"?
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
Are we acting freely or are we programmed? Well, yes we are all programmed but to what degree?
How will we ever know to what degree because we cannot experience an alternative to what we are?
If we change and start to act out of character, how can we be sure we had any choice in the circumstances that conspired to change us?
Perhaps we think that we chose to change but how can we be sure?
I don‘t think anyone has ever come to a conclusion that all agree on because each new question leads to three more. This is why Terry has entered the arena, to lead us to pathways of righteousness.
-
35
What would you do if this site was shut down?
by dissed inalthough, unlikely, but what if jwn was shut down?
you came here and you got a message like....."the wts has seized this site".
where would you go for solid jw information and support?.
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
I went away for about a year or so when it went down to get reformatted the last time.
Same here JWoods. We are living parallel lives!
-
159
CHOICE may be a mere illusion. FREE WILL a trick of the mind's ego
by Terry inthings are what they are.. everything acts according to its nature.. nothing escapes its own nature.. we cannot be other than what we are and our "choices" follow our nature.. consequently, can we not say correctly that free choice is merely our ignorance of the fact that all our actions and choices are predetermined by our nature?.
1. if you are offered either a handful of dog poop or a cold dove bar---is your "choice" really much of a choice?
2. offer a heterosexual male a night with a hot chick or a hot dude...is the outcome really "choice"?
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
This is the old determinism versus free will debate.
The issue of whether we can accurately predict how a person will act in a given circumstance give all knowledge of his genetically and cultural background is an interesting one. It is impossible to know for sure. The only sure evidence we can rely on is reality. Our own history is a part of reality – that is to say it took place – in reality.
If each of us were again, in the same place, at the same time, with the same set of emotions as we had then, we would act in the same way again. We know that because when we were in that known situation, with the set of emotions we had at that moment that is how we did act.
Unless one of the variables was changed we would be ourselves - identically. How could we be anything else? We may act differently now because we have changed and we have the benefit of hindsight.
We may condemn the way that someone has acted because we would have acted differently, but we are not them. If we were we would act the same. We know this because when that person was put in that situation with his/her emotional state and cultural/genetically history, the result was a product of the reality of those factors coming together.
I know this suggests that we have no freewill and are therefore not responsible for our actions but reality is difficult to ignore. I like to think I am responsible for my actions but it could be that I am just a part of the life’s random game and my actions are all an unavoidable part of my conditioning and genes. Why do I post these thoughts? I had no choice.
-
77
What is Truth?
by AK - Jeff inif one 'googles' the phrase, you get 167,000,000 hits!.
'bing' it, and you get 129,000,000 hits.. here is a sampling of opinion from just the first page of google hits.. 1] douglas groothuis, ph.d., teaches philosophy at denver seminary.
here is his 'take' on truth: http://www.leaderu.com/theology/groothuis-truth.html.
-
-
THE GLADIATOR
Truth never changes only opinions change. Truth silently existed long before man appeared on earth and tried to represent everything with words and numbers. They are just symbols which are helpful in arriving at localised conclusions. They are not adequate in explaining the vast and deep truth of our universe and existence.