(2019-01-28, 08:02 PM)tim Wrote: As I recall, it (stuck on stupid) was more often used (by Alex Tsakiris) when calling out certain idiotic explanations for veridical near death experiences claimed by certain prominent sceptical members on his discussion board.
For example, claiming that the two heart surgeons accidentally fed the patient the information (he later reported) about the post it notes. A completely ridiculous, cynical and dishonest tactic to avoid admitting the bleeding obvious and damned infuriating to boot!! Why...because the members who defaulted to that position are not actually stupid but they are making stupid proposals.
I see this as an impasse. While proponents may agree AND disagree (both with skeptics and with each other) about many aspects of the things we discuss here, the reason we even have a "Skeptics vs Proponents" sub-forum is because of the intransigence of skeptics. I don't expect the skeptics here to concede a single issue that might suggest that the proponent view might have merit. Not ever. This is blanket denial and precisely why it is hived-off to a sub-forum (the exact same reason it was separated on the Skeptiko forum). I can't help but return to the Lewontin admonition: " ... materialism is absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door." In a single line he ties materialism to atheism and makes it an ideological imperative. That's why we have an impasse.
I do not make any clear distinction between mind and God. God is what mind becomes when it has passed beyond the scale of our comprehension.
Freeman Dyson
Freeman Dyson