GrreatTeacher

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Posts by GrreatTeacher

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  10

  An excellent (and funny) example of Cognitive Bias

  by Slave4_38y in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i saw this and immediately thought about how this relates to us.

  once you've learned how to ride the ttatt-bicycle it's almost impossible to ride the "truth"-bicycle again.

  https://youtu.be/mfzdabzbll0.

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  GrreatTeacher

  This is not really an example of cognitive bias, which is about making irrational judgement, and more about learning, which is affected by neurons that fire together (or don't. )

  Neuroscience, which is the study of brain cells (called neurons) can help us understand how we learn. "Neurons that fire together wire together" is the concept that once we learn a skill, like riding a bike, the neurons wire together and pull that pattern up whenever we attempt to ride a bike again. Hence the belief that you can never forget how to ride a bike.

  However, neuroplasticity is the idea that our neurons are flexible. When we first try to ride the backwards bike, our brains call up the bike riding formula. When it doesn't work, it takes awhile, but we can learn the new skill. Our neurons now fire together in this new way and this becomes the new "how to ride a bike" skill set.

  "Use it or lose it" is another concept in neurology. Once those neurons start firing in this new pattern, the old pattern becomes increasingly difficult to access. The brain is undergoing "differentiation" in which the old patterns unwire.

  The interesting thing, though, was that he was able to access the original pattern (or algorithm as he calls it) after only 20 minutes. It is still there! He had replaced the "how to ride a bike meme" with the "how to ride a backwards bike" meme. Anything that looked like a bike, then, would pull up the new algorithm. The question is whether he could differentiate the 2 algorithms and pull them up at will to represent the bike at hand.

  I would like to see this experiment continue and see if his brain could continue to differentiate to the point that both algorithms are there and he could seamlessly switch between the 2 immediately after getting on a bike and noticing whether it was a regular bike or a backward bike. Neuroplasticity says he could do it!

  So, the bad news about our brains on "the truth": our brains wire in specific patterns.

  The good news: we can learn new patterns which can become just as automatic as the old. It just takes practice.
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  8

  Out of the Mouth of Babes - Bethel Gift shop?

  by 4thgen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  about a week ago i posted to ask for some suggestions on how handle my (pre-teen) sons upcoming trip with his father trip to bethel this summer.

  i got some wonderful suggestions.

  some of which was to leave him alone, as he will see through the bullshxt himself.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Nice find, OTWO. I like the handheld wooden doorknocker. I guess knuckles aren't good enough anymore.
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  8

  Out of the Mouth of Babes - Bethel Gift shop?

  by 4thgen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  about a week ago i posted to ask for some suggestions on how handle my (pre-teen) sons upcoming trip with his father trip to bethel this summer.

  i got some wonderful suggestions.

  some of which was to leave him alone, as he will see through the bullshxt himself.

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  GrreatTeacher

  That's some serious swag!
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  41

  Help? :(

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i apologize for how rantish this is but please hear me out.

  anyways i'm a 15 year old girl and i've never really wanted to be a jw.

  its just never been something thats made me feel happy or loved.

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  GrreatTeacher

  I think you should plot ways to make money. If you get resistance from your parents, promise to donate a certain percentage to the org. This seems to be the direction the organization is going nowadays.
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  55

  JWs and their views on Sex

  by campaign of hate in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the past i have read on this forum that the wt have a say in the "bedroom" of couples.

  i thought that was a bit overkill at first, but recently i have come to conclusion that this is true.. the control administered by the wt cooperation on ones sex life is not on only intrusive, its damaging.

  they control every aspect of ones thought and action, thus leading most down a path that said corporation wants them to tread.. this path is to get married young, and then eternal loyalty the the organisation.. so how can an organisation force you to get married young?.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Brock, your quote is from 1974, but they still raved on about this through the 1980s. I was a teenager and heard it from the PLATFORM all the time. Small children were exposed to this stuff.

  Maybe if you're in your early 30s or younger, it wasn't a big deal, possibly, but if you're nearing 40, then it was certainly a big deal made out of it in your formative years.

  Just to clarify, what happens in your bedroom is your business and your business only. You do only what you're comfortable with. But to mold your thoughts on the subject by repeatedly pronouncing that oral sex is vile is a violation of your volition (alliteration, anyone?) on the subject.
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  4

  Anthony Morris human hot dogs

  by Tornintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am in complete shock!

  bearing in mind i still class myself as 'doubting' and still have/had respect for some jw teachings, well i can't believe what i just listened to from a member of the governing body.

  im sure a lot of you have seen this but for anyone new like me, you have to see this.

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  GrreatTeacher

  It's definitely emotional abuse.
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  16

  No mention of DF in new brochure?

  by thedepressedsoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i went on my tablet today and clicked "yes" that i attended the convention (they probably tracked my ip and two elders will show up on my door step).

  i scanned through the new brochure on bringing those who have left back.

  i noticed that not once they mentioned anyone who was df!

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  GrreatTeacher

  I don't know, I think not mentioning disfellowshipped ones will just reinforce in the r&f's mind that being irregular is leaving Jehovah. It might serve to tighten the noose to those so susceptible.
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  37

  The flat earth conspiracy!

  by Truthexplorer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ok. let me first start by saying i am not a flat earther.

  i like most on here will have the same view most will have here about our planet.

  in saying that however, i am incredibly gob smacked by the book written by eric dubay called 'the flat earth conspiracy'.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Viv, loved the website. Followed the link to "Not even wrong," an argument that is so far from rational and shows so little understanding of the subject that it cannot even be evaluated.

  For example: 2+2=4 and 2+2=6. We can assert that the latter is wrong.

  But, 2 + zebra ÷ glockenspiel = homeopathy works! is 'Not even wrong!"

  This will now be my standard response to nonsensical pseudoscientific arguments from climate change deniers or evolution deniers.

  "2 + zebra ÷ glockenspiel = homeopathy works!"
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  37

  The flat earth conspiracy!

  by Truthexplorer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ok. let me first start by saying i am not a flat earther.

  i like most on here will have the same view most will have here about our planet.

  in saying that however, i am incredibly gob smacked by the book written by eric dubay called 'the flat earth conspiracy'.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Hey, Truthexplorer, I checked out your link.

  I have no idea what this guy saw when he said he still saw the entire boat at 6 miles. I have no way to verify his experience, but I think that 6 miles is a pretty short distance on an ocean horizon. You can easily see much longer than that. This goes against my own and others' reported experiences of seeing the mast first when appearing and last when disappearing on the horizon.

  As regards the argument that roads that are thousands of miles long and are entirely level proving a flat earth, what comes to mind is that 'level' is relevant to a specific point on the earth and subject to the gravity that exists on the surface of that particular point of a sphere. Thus, it would measure as level even though you travel around the sphere, curving as you go. I have no idea how scientific this explanation is, but it only took about 30 seconds to come up with a possible idea to refute the flat earth evidence.

  Good on you for sharpening your critical thinking skills. The standard for evidence we are conditioned with in the Truth is low. It takes practice to learn to be logical about acceptable evidence.
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  37

  The flat earth conspiracy!

  by Truthexplorer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ok. let me first start by saying i am not a flat earther.

  i like most on here will have the same view most will have here about our planet.

  in saying that however, i am incredibly gob smacked by the book written by eric dubay called 'the flat earth conspiracy'.

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  GrreatTeacher

  Ever watch a sailboat disappear into the ocean? The last part you see is the top of the mast. This is because the earth is spherical.