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Good point, yeah I didn't think of the social cost that would still be present without marriage. I guess I was operating on the modern Western mindset, which is now quite liberal about single parents. There is a lot less of a stigma attached to being a single mother, for a child born out of...

I guess I am being idealistic in some sense. I'm also operating under the assumption that a society with no legislation for marriage, where a person can leave unhindered at any point from a family, would have a higher instance of single parent children than our current society. I don't know...

I am starting to see more benefit to marriage. I always used to think it was a bit weird to get the government involved in your relationships, but I've started to see the points raised by people who are more conservative on that front. As I understand it, people from single parent families are...

I think the getting in shape thing is important for sure. I always used to carry a lot of weight, this affected my self esteem and confidence, and it also led to an attitude of feeling like I had to dig my claws in on any female attention I got because I didn't know if I'd have another chance...

Interesting. I'm personally sceptical of whether our current trajectory would reach such utopian heights, but it's interesting to speculate. It would answer a lot of questions about the extent to which a serial killer is pre determined by their genes. Also how do you enforce it? Say for...

I agree. I think perhaps these people equate a relationship with cohabitation with someone who will feed you and let you bang them on demand. Lots of emotional infants out there sadly... Which leads to the second point. Absolutely people ought to be taught to manage their emotions, and control...

I'm not certain. I mean I'm no psychologist, but I think there is an over emphasis on their entire emotional satisfaction resting on attaining a relationship. When these people inevitably project desperation to the women in their lives and end up being rejected by them they start to blame women...

I think these people are caught in a cycle of negativity, and decide to blame women for their failings rather than themselves. If you view yourself as incomplete without a loving woman, you are going to come across as desperate. If you fixate upon the goal of being with someone you'll...

Just finished Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It documents his psychological experiences in Auchwitz and other concentration camps. There's a great quote that goes like this: "We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others...

I don't have Carrier's book to hand for reference but I believe his point about John the Baptist is something along the lines of his cult being a Messianic sect that at some point merged with Christianity hence his inclusion in the story. I'm certain he goes into more depth and I'm positive I...

Well there is no contemporary sources that mention Christ. Both Josephus and Tacitus are questionable in terms of whether or not they were redacted by later Christians. It may have been the case that just as Christians now do not believe Jesus was a mythical figure, by the time people started to...

No but they had a framework of interpretation that tied them all together. There are ancient historians who believe Christ was a myth Richard Carrier is one of them Sent from my LG-H840 using Tapatalk

You seem to misunderstand Richard Carrier. The apostles did not sit down and think "okay we need to design a character for this new religion we want to make." That is a complete misunderstanding of his thesis. First century Palestine was occupied by the Romans. This created theological problems...

Such a profound loss to science. Such a profound influence not just in that field but to anyone looking for inspiration to overcome adversity. Rest well Stephen, long may the brilliance of your intellect shine into the future of humanity. Sent from my LG-H840 using Tapatalk

Not at all, as I said read Carrier's book or at least watch some of his lectures to get a more complete picture of his argument. The Dead Sea Scrolls show rampant mysticism and messianism in 1st century Palestine. Extracting a dying and rising messiah called Yeshua from the scriptures. The...

Hallucination or lies is a false dichotomy. I'd say the resurrection is a myth. I won't lay out the entire argument in this thread, but I would recommend looking into Richard Carrier's arguments. He states that 1st Century Jews needed a theological solution to the Roman control of their...

What is your goal in being an advocate of veganism? What would your ideal be? Do you think it's attainable? In my view, with the best possible intentions, it would be extremely unlikely that the world will adopt veganism. Even if 70 percent of the population adopted it there would still be a...

I think the problem of evil is one of the best arguments against a benevolent, omipotent deity. It strikes right at the heart of the philosophical conundrum of suffering, which as the Buddha said is universal to everyone. The one thing that is sure in your life is that you will suffer. The...

I am formulating a lengthy reply but I have to go to work so I will just ask a quick question for the vegans out there: Do you check the products that you consume for Palm Oil? Sent from my LG-H840 using Tapatalk

First off I don't claim to know that farming is bad for animals, merely that the case could be put forth for examination and a conclusion might be drawn about whether or not a life in the wild is worse. My current reasoning would be that ethically sourced meat may not be so bad, but factory...