the "Science fiction hall of fame" series is very, very good short SF. I have four, and they are all excellent. A mix of classics, and stuff from authors you never heard of.
Where I live only the car insurance that covers your damage and liabilities to others is mandatory. I expect that is common. Collision (what we call own damage) and fire/theft/etc... is optional.
Or offer the cashier something other than a couple of big bills to avoid getting a pocketful of change, and watch the light turn on when your change is a twoonie instead of 13 coins.
I mean the scientific method when I say "science".
And when people embrace views not backed by evidence they are not being scientific, and science CAN say that your belief has no evidence backing it up. Furthermore, science then says you should give this belief with no evidence a very low probability of being true. The scientific method can be applied to any question that has real world effects.
I am not conflating science with epistemology. While many subjects in philosophy, including epistemology, are important, they are an interesting side show compared to the many real world result that we get from science every day.
Science doesn't claim that all beliefs must be justified by scientific evidence.
Actually, science does say everything you believe should be backed up by evidence. Science allows you to say "I don't know." It also allows you to say the evidence is weak, but the best theory is X. Science never says all you need is faith and/or an old book.
Seeing as he is asking for advice and not announcing he quit his job to become a street busker I think we can safely say he is not doing this "on a whim".
My advice:
Save some money. You want a cushion just in case.
Do the new thing part time to see if you like it.
Don't quit that well paying job until you are confident the new job will pay the bills.
Discuss with wife.
It is possible to change careers. My wife started out in advertising, decided it wasn't for her after ten years, saved some money, went to culinary school, and became a baker. Took a big hit in pay, but is much happier.
My brother was an auto mechanic for 15 years and decided to go into nursing. Didn't plan quite as well and is an orderly. Much happier with his life, but can't always pay all the bills.
Interpol is involved BY forwarding the Saudi request as a RED CODE. Interpol has rules saying they are supposed to stay out of politics and religions. They broke their own rules by forwarding this request.
Stalin did NOT collect stamps. This lack of stamp collecting was of course the main reason his leadership led to some much death and suffering. We must immediately promote stamp collecting to stop this sort of grievous crime from every happening again.
Some religions are worse than others. Pacifists generally don't run about murdering people. "Moderate" members of most mainstream religions don't generally murder people for saying they have silly beliefs.
But all religions promote irrational belief without any supporting evidence. All religions promote adhering to some beliefs no matter how barbaric, and then acting on those beliefs. All religions make it a virtue to ignore evidence, and promote stubborn pig headedness.
No, the moral of the story is NOT "don't use twitter". The moral in this story is that Islam is stuck in the iron age and still believes barbaric things. The moral of the story about the two English fellows getting sent back is that USA border guards have no sense of humour.
In the west the "not putting a price on your head" for blasphemy is fairly recent thing. From wikipiedia:
The last person in Britain to be sent to prison for blasphemy was John William Gott on 9 December 1921
and as late as 1977 a Briton was charged with blasphemy. So we in the west are two or three hundred years ahead of the middle east in moral development which shouldn't make us too smug. Just look at the USA and the number of people trying to get religion back into schools and courts. Don't be complacent. Superstition and hate needs to be constantly fought.
What makes you think I must fear death because I don't believe in an afterlife? I no more fear death than I fear the time before I was born. I am not sad that I do not have childish delusions. I am sad that you need these childish stories to sustain you when the real life we live now, here on earth, should be all it takes to want to lead a good, just, caring, and fufilling life.
If christians truly believe in an afterlife and heaven, why don't they all go there now? Why so sad at funerals? Could there be some doubt in their minds?
What if I prayed that God will make your life miserable, so that you will have something affect you. It would stop when you accept Jesus as your savior. Assuming I did such a thing and it worked (and God agreed to do it), God would be affecting you, but you would chalk it up to "bad luck", even if God gave you numerous opportunities to accept Jesus, because you would maintain that you don't want your life affected by gods (and thereby would refuse to accept Jesus), even though your life already would be affected by God to a great extent.
So you are saying the god you beleive in is a petty, spiteful, bully?
Its odd how all these miracle cures are not documented by anyone credible, but always some friend of a friend heard about it. There is not one well documented case of "miracle cures" that could not be explained by the bodies normal healing and immune system.
Lets take Lourdes as an example. Out of the millions of people who have visited there is not one case of a limb regenerating. Only disease that is known to go into remission on its own is every "cured".
Atheists do NOT rely on faith. The religious persist in many beliefs despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Atheists on the other hand would belief in god if there was strong evidence for his existence. Since this evidence is completely lacking the rational person is generally an atheist.
Look up Russell's Teapot to see another example of the fallacy of thinking being an atheist requires faith.
Lots of religiously motivated things are good, and they remain good despite the religious motivation. The problem is that religious thinking only leads to good things by accident, and can be used to justify the most horrible evil. Religious thinking means faith, ignoring evidence, reliance on authority, and belief in the completely implausible. This means that if a holy book says you should do X, even if X causes pain and suffering on a huge scale and is obviously evil to any rational person, the religious person is not swayed by any argument and persists in the evil beliefs and actions.
Religion give you BAD reason to believe some good things. Modern secular humanism that has arisen since the enlightenment, and the scientific method, gives you good reason to believe both facts about the world, and the answers to moral questions.
Most modern christians cherry pick the good from the bible using the same rational and reasoning as atheists. It is generally wrong to harm people who's actions are not harming anyone. Thus, most "moderate" christians no longer want to burn witches, kill disrespectful children, stone to death neighbours who do not observe the sabbath, or sell their daughters into slavery.
All the supposed good that comes from religions can come from secular sources without the many downsides.
Terraforming is not "silly fiction. We have the basic technology and science to terraform Mars now. We might lack the will to spend that much to do it, but it could be done.
We'll be able to make good use of our time much better if that time is longer. The Earth will become uninhabitable in anywhere to 500 million to two billion years if we let nature takes its course. Of course we should be thinking about what to do about it, and the science and technology we need to develop to stave off our doom.
Bad and evil government is the only reason there is poverty and easily avoidable suffering on the Earth now. We have the resources and knowledge to create the conditions for all of humanity to live well.
In city traffic a normal bike with a normal rider will make about the same time as cars, but spend a little less time waiting at red lights - if the roads are flat. Going uphill is hard work on a bike, but someone of normal fitness can easily ride along at 30 or 40km/h.
We don't teach the controversy about the theory of gravity schools. Why not? Because there is no controversy.
Evolution is a fact. The theory of natural selection is our best explanation of this fact.
The global climate is getting warmer. Climate is not weather. Out best explanation of this warming is increased CO2 in the atmosphere, and the evidence points to human activity as the main source of this CO2. Even if it isn't us, we still have to decide what to do about it. Maybe nothing is the right choice, but you can't discuss a problem if you won't admit there is a problem.
Some people are poor because they have mental health issues. They can't hold down jobs, but they are rational enough to say no to help, or there is not enough help to set their lives on an even keel.
Some people are poor because of bad luck. In the USA there is the unique situation among first world countries that a bad health issue can ruin you financially. Losing your job suddenly and not being able to get a new one quickly enough can be cause you to lose your home. If you are living cheque to cheque losing a job can cause very quick downward spiral.
Some people are homeless, generally the young, to escape abuse at home. Living on the street is better than being beaten and abused at home.
Some people enjoy the homeless lifestyle. They enjoy the freedom, they work odd jobs, collect bottles, dumpster dive, and get by. They don't complain much.
Some people are screw ups. They did not get an education. They can't hold down a job. They have a bad attitude. They do self destructive things. Many drug abusers are in this category.
So how many are in each of these categories? Depends where in the world you live.
Most people are homeless for short periods and get back on their feet. Good stats for the usa. More good stats and info.
Being homeless is not a simple issue with one cause. It is a symptom of many different problems that is a short term problem for most people, and a long term problem mainly for people with mental health problems, substance abuse problems, and youth facing abuse at home. Most others recover after a short time.
A few people have stated that they work for free because if they don't they might lose their job. It is this sort of short sighted, cowardly thinking that got you into this mess. If everyone refused to work for free then this abuse would stop. I was in an hourly job that paid overtime. I was "promoted" to a salaried position. If I worked normal hours it was a raise in pay. As I was no longer being paid for overtime I stopped working overtime except for the occasional emergency. I was not fired. Management asked me once why I would not do overtime and I told them I don't work for free, but would be happy to discuss over time pay. They never brought it up again.
In the USA there seems to be this myth that it is best for everyone to make their own way in the world without any help. The government should get out of the way and let people succeed. The reality is that USA citizens let big companies walk all over them and the reward this behaviour by voting in governments friendly to big business and the rich.
You might want to consider unions, and voting for a government or party that is for regular citizens not the mega wealthy. A party in favour of civilized labour law that includes no firing without cause after a probation period, paid annual vacation, paid overtime, and other laws that are simply fair and levelling the playing field between employee and employer.
Everyone involved in the tobacco industry is immoral. Tobacco is a product that kills one in three of its users, and has no benefits at all. At least heroin gives you a nice high for 15 minutes. This is why people take swipes at the tobacco industry. There are no redeeming features to the tobacco industry.
If I owned a tobacco farm I'd plough it under and grow something else. If I owned a tobacco company I would dissolve it.
Yet, I would not outlaw tobacco. If people want to poison themselves, slowly and expensively, that is up to them. I'm just not going to help them do it.
An embryo is not a person. I'm not sure when a foetus becomes a person, but I DO know a full grown women is a person with full rights. I value the rights of women much more than the rights of small clumps of cells.
Slashdot Mirror
the "Science fiction hall of fame" series is very, very good short SF. I have four, and they are all excellent. A mix of classics, and stuff from authors you never heard of.
Where I live only the car insurance that covers your damage and liabilities to others is mandatory. I expect that is common. Collision (what we call own damage) and fire/theft/etc... is optional.
Or offer the cashier something other than a couple of big bills to avoid getting a pocketful of change, and watch the light turn on when your change is a twoonie instead of 13 coins.
I mean the scientific method when I say "science".
And when people embrace views not backed by evidence they are not being scientific, and science CAN say that your belief has no evidence backing it up. Furthermore, science then says you should give this belief with no evidence a very low probability of being true. The scientific method can be applied to any question that has real world effects.
I am not conflating science with epistemology. While many subjects in philosophy, including epistemology, are important, they are an interesting side show compared to the many real world result that we get from science every day.
Actually, science does say everything you believe should be backed up by evidence. Science allows you to say "I don't know." It also allows you to say the evidence is weak, but the best theory is X. Science never says all you need is faith and/or an old book.
Seeing as he is asking for advice and not announcing he quit his job to become a street busker I think we can safely say he is not doing this "on a whim".
My advice:
It is possible to change careers. My wife started out in advertising, decided it wasn't for her after ten years, saved some money, went to culinary school, and became a baker. Took a big hit in pay, but is much happier.
My brother was an auto mechanic for 15 years and decided to go into nursing. Didn't plan quite as well and is an orderly. Much happier with his life, but can't always pay all the bills.
Interpol is involved BY forwarding the Saudi request as a RED CODE. Interpol has rules saying they are supposed to stay out of politics and religions. They broke their own rules by forwarding this request.
Stalin did NOT collect stamps. This lack of stamp collecting was of course the main reason his leadership led to some much death and suffering. We must immediately promote stamp collecting to stop this sort of grievous crime from every happening again.
Some religions are worse than others. Pacifists generally don't run about murdering people. "Moderate" members of most mainstream religions don't generally murder people for saying they have silly beliefs.
But all religions promote irrational belief without any supporting evidence. All religions promote adhering to some beliefs no matter how barbaric, and then acting on those beliefs. All religions make it a virtue to ignore evidence, and promote stubborn pig headedness.
No, the moral of the story is NOT "don't use twitter". The moral in this story is that Islam is stuck in the iron age and still believes barbaric things. The moral of the story about the two English fellows getting sent back is that USA border guards have no sense of humour.
In the west the "not putting a price on your head" for blasphemy is fairly recent thing. From wikipiedia:
The last person in Britain to be sent to prison for blasphemy was John William Gott on 9 December 1921
and as late as 1977 a Briton was charged with blasphemy. So we in the west are two or three hundred years ahead of the middle east in moral development which shouldn't make us too smug. Just look at the USA and the number of people trying to get religion back into schools and courts. Don't be complacent. Superstition and hate needs to be constantly fought.
What makes you think I must fear death because I don't believe in an afterlife? I no more fear death than I fear the time before I was born. I am not sad that I do not have childish delusions. I am sad that you need these childish stories to sustain you when the real life we live now, here on earth, should be all it takes to want to lead a good, just, caring, and fufilling life.
If christians truly believe in an afterlife and heaven, why don't they all go there now? Why so sad at funerals? Could there be some doubt in their minds?
So you are saying the god you beleive in is a petty, spiteful, bully?
Its odd how all these miracle cures are not documented by anyone credible, but always some friend of a friend heard about it. There is not one well documented case of "miracle cures" that could not be explained by the bodies normal healing and immune system.
Lets take Lourdes as an example. Out of the millions of people who have visited there is not one case of a limb regenerating. Only disease that is known to go into remission on its own is every "cured".
Atheists do NOT rely on faith. The religious persist in many beliefs despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Atheists on the other hand would belief in god if there was strong evidence for his existence. Since this evidence is completely lacking the rational person is generally an atheist.
Look up Russell's Teapot to see another example of the fallacy of thinking being an atheist requires faith.
Lots of religiously motivated things are good, and they remain good despite the religious motivation. The problem is that religious thinking only leads to good things by accident, and can be used to justify the most horrible evil. Religious thinking means faith, ignoring evidence, reliance on authority, and belief in the completely implausible. This means that if a holy book says you should do X, even if X causes pain and suffering on a huge scale and is obviously evil to any rational person, the religious person is not swayed by any argument and persists in the evil beliefs and actions.
Religion give you BAD reason to believe some good things. Modern secular humanism that has arisen since the enlightenment, and the scientific method, gives you good reason to believe both facts about the world, and the answers to moral questions.
Most modern christians cherry pick the good from the bible using the same rational and reasoning as atheists. It is generally wrong to harm people who's actions are not harming anyone. Thus, most "moderate" christians no longer want to burn witches, kill disrespectful children, stone to death neighbours who do not observe the sabbath, or sell their daughters into slavery.
All the supposed good that comes from religions can come from secular sources without the many downsides.
The parent is insightful. why still at zero?
Terraforming is not "silly fiction. We have the basic technology and science to terraform Mars now. We might lack the will to spend that much to do it, but it could be done.
We'll be able to make good use of our time much better if that time is longer. The Earth will become uninhabitable in anywhere to 500 million to two billion years if we let nature takes its course. Of course we should be thinking about what to do about it, and the science and technology we need to develop to stave off our doom.
Bad and evil government is the only reason there is poverty and easily avoidable suffering on the Earth now. We have the resources and knowledge to create the conditions for all of humanity to live well.
In city traffic a normal bike with a normal rider will make about the same time as cars, but spend a little less time waiting at red lights - if the roads are flat. Going uphill is hard work on a bike, but someone of normal fitness can easily ride along at 30 or 40km/h.
We don't teach the controversy about the theory of gravity schools. Why not? Because there is no controversy.
Evolution is a fact. The theory of natural selection is our best explanation of this fact.
The global climate is getting warmer. Climate is not weather. Out best explanation of this warming is increased CO2 in the atmosphere, and the evidence points to human activity as the main source of this CO2. Even if it isn't us, we still have to decide what to do about it. Maybe nothing is the right choice, but you can't discuss a problem if you won't admit there is a problem.
There is some grey in this world.
Some people are poor because they have mental health issues. They can't hold down jobs, but they are rational enough to say no to help, or there is not enough help to set their lives on an even keel.
Some people are poor because of bad luck. In the USA there is the unique situation among first world countries that a bad health issue can ruin you financially. Losing your job suddenly and not being able to get a new one quickly enough can be cause you to lose your home. If you are living cheque to cheque losing a job can cause very quick downward spiral.
Some people are homeless, generally the young, to escape abuse at home. Living on the street is better than being beaten and abused at home.
Some people enjoy the homeless lifestyle. They enjoy the freedom, they work odd jobs, collect bottles, dumpster dive, and get by. They don't complain much.
Some people are screw ups. They did not get an education. They can't hold down a job. They have a bad attitude. They do self destructive things. Many drug abusers are in this category.
So how many are in each of these categories? Depends where in the world you live. Most people are homeless for short periods and get back on their feet. Good stats for the usa. More good stats and info.
Being homeless is not a simple issue with one cause. It is a symptom of many different problems that is a short term problem for most people, and a long term problem mainly for people with mental health problems, substance abuse problems, and youth facing abuse at home. Most others recover after a short time.
A few people have stated that they work for free because if they don't they might lose their job. It is this sort of short sighted, cowardly thinking that got you into this mess. If everyone refused to work for free then this abuse would stop. I was in an hourly job that paid overtime. I was "promoted" to a salaried position. If I worked normal hours it was a raise in pay. As I was no longer being paid for overtime I stopped working overtime except for the occasional emergency. I was not fired. Management asked me once why I would not do overtime and I told them I don't work for free, but would be happy to discuss over time pay. They never brought it up again.
In the USA there seems to be this myth that it is best for everyone to make their own way in the world without any help. The government should get out of the way and let people succeed. The reality is that USA citizens let big companies walk all over them and the reward this behaviour by voting in governments friendly to big business and the rich.
You might want to consider unions, and voting for a government or party that is for regular citizens not the mega wealthy. A party in favour of civilized labour law that includes no firing without cause after a probation period, paid annual vacation, paid overtime, and other laws that are simply fair and levelling the playing field between employee and employer.
Everyone involved in the tobacco industry is immoral. Tobacco is a product that kills one in three of its users, and has no benefits at all. At least heroin gives you a nice high for 15 minutes. This is why people take swipes at the tobacco industry. There are no redeeming features to the tobacco industry.
If I owned a tobacco farm I'd plough it under and grow something else. If I owned a tobacco company I would dissolve it.
Yet, I would not outlaw tobacco. If people want to poison themselves, slowly and expensively, that is up to them. I'm just not going to help them do it.
An embryo is not a person. I'm not sure when a foetus becomes a person, but I DO know a full grown women is a person with full rights. I value the rights of women much more than the rights of small clumps of cells.
I'd settle for some good evidence. Currently there is no evidence that any gods exist.