"Has Skeptiko gone completely wacko?"
I don't think so. The direction in which Alex has taken it seems valid to me, and I still check in regularly now that I am back online after several months away, although it's been a while since I was a regular listener to the podcast itself.
That said, I do find some of the political views of some of the posters on the forum to be objectionable, and I am disappointed to see those views expressed there, although I accept Alex's implicit support for a kind of free speech on his forum in that respect. I would like to see the context in which one such poster was required to apologise to the Woolley Stannoth - and kudos to him for standing up to that offensiveness.
I don't really go there anymore either but I do, to an extent, get why he shifted. I do think there can be a danger in obsessing too much and too long over the questions of whether psi or any sort of phenomenon exists or not. At some point you do just have to decide it's real or not and move on based on that foundation. I personally do think there's more than enough evidence to warrant belief in certain effects, but that also comes from my own research and experimentation. The only thing I ever got annoyed about with Alex was his continued belief in an objective form of morality and it was always a little annoying when he'd bring it up to various guests and have them reason through it and disagree that it could be baked into physics like he seems to want to believe. I do think that belief is likely what is sending him down the path you guys see, I don't know because I haven't watched anything recent or even read the forum, as moralists almost universally become the "evil" they seek to vanquish. It's one of the more practical reasons why its important to understand that there's no objective morality, I've seen the pattern so many times its outright predictable.
(2019-07-21, 01:35 AM)Mediochre Wrote: [ -> ]I don't really go there anymore either but I do, to an extent, get why he shifted. I do think there can be a danger in obsessing too much and too long over the questions of whether psi or any sort of phenomenon exists or not. At some point you do just have to decide it's real or not and move on based on that foundation. I personally do think there's more than enough evidence to warrant belief in certain effects, but that also comes from my own research and experimentation.
I think there is a broad interest in the reality or otherwise of PSI phenomena. In that respect Skeptiko had a very wide appeal and the possibility of having a wide impact on the outside world.
Since then it has become a personal journey, which for each of us is necessary, but there's no obligation that each of our individual journeys should be in any way similar to the path arbitrarily selected there.
(2019-07-22, 07:23 AM)Chris Wrote: [ -> ]Couldn't help smiling at this:
http://www.skeptiko-forum.com/threads/an...ost-131693
Yes. Typical of David’s lack of...something, or maybe it’s an excess of something? I think everyone else saw the funny side.
Ironically, I seem to recall Andy sometimes showing similar traits.
(2019-07-21, 01:35 AM)Mediochre Wrote: [ -> ]I don't really go there anymore either but I do, to an extent, get why he shifted. I do think there can be a danger in obsessing too much and too long over the questions of whether psi or any sort of phenomenon exists or not. At some point you do just have to decide it's real or not and move on based on that foundation. I personally do think there's more than enough evidence to warrant belief in certain effects, but that also comes from my own research and experimentation. The only thing I ever got annoyed about with Alex was his continued belief in an objective form of morality and it was always a little annoying when he'd bring it up to various guests and have them reason through it and disagree that it could be baked into physics like he seems to want to believe. I do think that belief is likely what is sending him down the path you guys see, I don't know because I haven't watched anything recent or even read the forum, as moralists almost universally become the "evil" they seek to vanquish. It's one of the more practical reasons why its important to understand that there's no objective morality, I've seen the pattern so many times its outright predictable.
I’ve been meaning to reply to this post since I first read it and it resonated with me.
The first sentence I highlighted because I came to a similar conclusion after putting in three or four years of solid investigation after I had my stroke. That’s why I sometimes see some conversations here as ‘Zombie tennis’ that are going nowhere but exciting the egos of those involved. I say that knowing that I am just as capable of exercising my own ego in similar ways.
As most of you know, I am keen on keeping a more practical or ‘down to earth’ aspect of the forum open. I do so without having a great argument to show, it is more a feeling - maybe in the wrong direction, I’m not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I’ve moved on from ‘zombie tennis’ of a type seen here, perhaps I’ve skipped to another form of the same ? I’m learning a hell of a lot by trying not to be definite about anything. Listening to David Icke this morning as I sometimes do, it occurred to me that he states his opinions as though they were facts, as many people do. It’s amazing how many things are stated as factual without the person being able to provide any real evidence. I happen to think this often applies more to the newsreader reading a dubious article than to the mother of an autistic child who’s trying to convince others of the reason why her child became that way. I’m trying to find out if this type of thinking is a flaw in my own psychological makeup - or a strength?
The second bit I highlighted has been shown to be ‘true’ by seeing how both the Labour Party In the UK and the Democrats in the US have become totally twisted in much of their thinking. I can’t understand it, but I see it and have to believe what I see. Don’t I?
One thing David Icke and I seem to agree about, is that love is the answer.
What do you think about that statement Mediocre?
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Are the zombies anywhere near the final-set tie-break yet?
(2019-07-22, 10:17 AM)Typoz Wrote: [ -> ]Are the zombies anywhere near the final-set tie-break yet?
They haven’t brought in the new rule yet, so it’s around 1000000 to 1000001 with no end in sight.
(2019-07-22, 10:32 AM)Stan Woolley Wrote: [ -> ]They haven’t brought in the new rule yet, so it’s around 1000000 to 1000001 with no end in sight.
Quite right too. There's no way 1000000 to 1000001 can be statistically significant.
(2019-07-21, 01:34 AM)Laird Wrote: [ -> ]"Has Skeptiko gone completely wacko?"
I don't think so. The direction in which Alex has taken it seems valid to me, and I still check in regularly now that I am back online after several months away, although it's been a while since I was a regular listener to the podcast itself.
That said, I do find some of the political views of some of the posters on the forum to be objectionable, and I am disappointed to see those views expressed there, although I accept Alex's implicit support for a kind of free speech on his forum in that respect. I would like to see the context in which one such poster was required to apologise to the Woolley Stannoth - and kudos to him for standing up to that offensiveness.
Have you forgotten his take on pizzagate?