What is a man?

[babybottomfeeder]

I mean philosophically. Explain what you think a man is and I'll argue or agree with you, depending on your stance.

"Come children, come and look into the eyes of man. He is a caged creature but he has his wits about him" - Leo Tolstoy

[sgt.null]

a man is the male gender of human beings.

[Holsety]

I steal men's souls, and make them my slaves.....(perhaps the same could be said of all religions).

[Richter shouts from the distance: "His words are as empty as his soul! Mankind ill needs a savior such as this!"]

What is a man?
*Throws his wineglass at babybottomfeeder, staining his/her shirt with blood red wine*
A miserable little pile of secrets. But enough talk...have at you!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3uj5dBE6Yc&feature=related

EDIT: BTW, I suggest you ask a mod to move this thread to the close or gen disc, it really doesn't fit in announcements and suggestions.

[Worm of Despite]

"Come children, come and look into the eyes of man. He is a caged creature but he has his wits about him" - Leo Tolstoy

Not true.

Man is an electro-mechanical machine composed of organic molecules, nothing more. When that electricity--the spark of life that powers his mind--goes out then he, unlike a computer, can not be turned back on.

Yet he has his strengths: he is a moving computer and quite adaptable. It is only a matter of time before we create a computer that creates a language in its own head that adapts, evolves, and builds its own answers and observations. These are called thoughts. When we encase these thinking computers in stronger capsules than our degradable, biological shells then we will have obsoleted humanity

So what is a man? A stepping stone to something greater--currently the most advanced being we know of that will one day ironically obsolete itself.

[lorin]

A miserable little pile of secrets.
Dracula

[babybottomfeeder]

I intended for this to be an ANNOUNCEMENT, NOT a religious pursuit of philosophical quandary.

This is the philosophy of the everyday; an announcement to pursue PHILOSOPHY as a secular event DAILY.

I believe in the pure pursuit of philosophy, as much as I believe in the cogent arguments for God. Rightly, some of you misinterpret this to be some kind of winking nudge toward religion but it isn't.

We must ardently deny the existence of God when announcing the trappings of man. Only then can we establish post evaluation that their is a place for God in the pursuit of the questions of man. But NEVER BEFORE.

I must make clear to anyone that does not know me that I walk with the knowledge that God is the truth behind everything; therefore, putting the philosophical question of man into the RELIGION index marker is invalid. It is absurdly and borracholy unfounded.

This is why:

God is everything and everywhere

Man is part of God

Man creates the secular

God is therefore the secular

Leave the pursuit of man out of the Religion index marker please

[Holsety]

A miserable little pile of secrets.
Dracula

Hey you stole mine!

I intended for this to be an ANNOUNCEMENT, NOT a religious pursuit of philosophical quandary.

Announcements is for posts relevant to Kevin's Watch as a forum and Stephen R Donaldson (or his books, probably). Your post was a question and a centuries old quote. What was being announced? Everyone here has a soapbox and a fair chance of being listened to, but there needs to be at least some topical organization.

As for this being a religious pursuit of philosophical quandry, my post was the only post which referenced religion at all, and was primarily satirical so I'm surprised you reacted (apparently) rather strongly to it.

It may be worth clarifying that the close is not just a forum dedicated to religion and spirituality, but also to philosophy, and also to self help (and possibly other topics).

We must ardently deny the existence of God when announcing the trappings of man. Only then can we establish post evaluation that their is a place for God in the pursuit of the questions of man. But NEVER BEFORE.

I must make clear to anyone that does not know me that I walk with the knowledge that God is the truth behind everything; therefore, putting the philosophical question of man into the RELIGION index marker is invalid.

"I must make it clear that I hold forth my opinions as facts; therefore, I expect everyone to abide by my opinionfacts in a discussion with me, since I believe I know the proper order of reaching an understanding of God."

It seems like you are absolutely confident you have all the answers, so I wonder why you're bothering to engage in discussion.

Leave the pursuit of man out of the Religion index marker please

In the preceding sentences, you essentially asserted that man was part of god and that what man creates is also part of god, and that man is god. Therefore, religion, which in many cases attempts to establish doctrine about man and god and the relationship between the two, is also part of man and god and is a major aspect of pursuing the understanding of man. Note that I am not arguing that understanding religion is essential to understanding man; I am simply that such an argument follows from what you have said (aside from your statement of the exact opposite).

borracholy

Hah, that "word" is quite borracholic/borrachic, or whatever you would prefer. Perhaps it is filled with borracholy?

[babybottomfeeder]

A miserable little pile of secrets.
Dracula

Hey you stole mine!

I intended for this to be an ANNOUNCEMENT, NOT a religious pursuit of philosophical quandary.

Announcements is for posts relevant to Kevin's Watch as a forum and Stephen R Donaldson (or his books, probably). Your post was a question and a centuries old quote. What was being announced? Everyone here has a soapbox and a fair chance of being listened to, but there needs to be at least some topical organization.

As for this being a religious pursuit of philosophical quandry, my post was the only post which referenced religion at all, and was primarily satirical so I'm surprised you reacted (apparently) rather strongly to it.

It may be worth clarifying that the close is not just a forum dedicated to religion and spirituality, but also to philosophy, and also to self help (and possibly other topics).

We must ardently deny the existence of God when announcing the trappings of man. Only then can we establish post evaluation that their is a place for God in the pursuit of the questions of man. But NEVER BEFORE.

I must make clear to anyone that does not know me that I walk with the knowledge that God is the truth behind everything; therefore, putting the philosophical question of man into the RELIGION index marker is invalid.

"I must make it clear that I hold forth my opinions as facts; therefore, I expect everyone to abide by my opinionfacts in a discussion with me, since I believe I know the proper order of reaching an understanding of God."

It seems like you are absolutely confident you have all the answers, so I wonder why you're bothering to engage in discussion.

Leave the pursuit of man out of the Religion index marker please

In the preceding sentences, you essentially asserted that man was part of god and that what man creates is also part of god, and that man is god. Therefore, religion, which in many cases attempts to establish doctrine about man and god and the relationship between the two, is also part of man and god and is a major aspect of pursuing the understanding of man. Note that I am not arguing that understanding religion is essential to understanding man; I am simply that such an argument follows from what you have said (aside from your statement of the exact opposite).

borracholy

Hah, that "word" is quite borracholic/borrachic, or whatever you would prefer. Perhaps it is filled with borracholy?

It's spelled quandary btw, unless you are talking about the latest advancements in quad laundry and you are trying to popularize the phrase for the medical cleaning industry. Do not call out my use of a word if you are not versed in Latin syntax and grammar. I studied for years at Classical languages.

"Find a thing you are good at and do it every day." Paula Poundstone

[sgt.null]

"Qui luy a persuadé que ce branle admirable de la voute celeste, la lumiere eternelle de ces flambeaux roulans si fierement sur sa teste, les mouvemens espouventables de ceste mer infinie, soyent establis et se continuent tant de siecles, pour sa commodité et pour son service ? Est-il possible de rien imaginer si ridicule, que ceste miserable et chetive creature, qui n’est pas seulement maistresse de soy, exposée aux offences de toutes choses, se die maistresse et emperiere de l’univers?"

[babybottomfeeder]

"Qui luy a persuadé que ce branle admirable de la voute celeste, la lumiere eternelle de ces flambeaux roulans si fierement sur sa teste, les mouvemens espouventables de ceste mer infinie, soyent establis et se continuent tant de siecles, pour sa commodité et pour son service ? Est-il possible de rien imaginer si ridicule, que ceste miserable et chetive creature, qui n’est pas seulement maistresse de soy, exposée aux offences de toutes choses, se die maistresse et emperiere de l’univers?"

"Salue? Iterum? Iterum? Manere. Manere? Haerent circa dum ... Dum caelum sit amet ... perstiteris. Jesu Deus adiuvet magna. Omnes aliud auxilium vos omnes ... omnes facere beatus, facere omnes beatus, esse comoedum?"

[Avatar]

Somebody just tell me when it gets annoying and I'll kill it.

--A

[sgt.null]

"Qui luy a persuadé que ce branle admirable de la voute celeste, la lumiere eternelle de ces flambeaux roulans si fierement sur sa teste, les mouvemens espouventables de ceste mer infinie, soyent establis et se continuent tant de siecles, pour sa commodité et pour son service ? Est-il possible de rien imaginer si ridicule, que ceste miserable et chetive creature, qui n’est pas seulement maistresse de soy, exposée aux offences de toutes choses, se die maistresse et emperiere de l’univers?"

"Salue? Iterum? Iterum? Manere. Manere? Haerent circa dum ... Dum caelum sit amet ... perstiteris. Jesu Deus adiuvet magna. Omnes aliud auxilium vos omnes ... omnes facere beatus, facere omnes beatus, esse comoedum?"

To be recognized.
To be in charge.
To determine events and dictate changes.
To conquer, to expand, to colonize.
To wage war, to plunder, to pilfer, rape and destroy.
To sow upon himself all manners of ill yet still lack the fundamental truth that there is more in less.
To sojourn afar, only to return to the very place where he departed from, and to proclaim that he has rediscovered it anew.
To be foolhardy even to himself.

[lorin]

A miserable little pile of secrets.
Dracula

Hey you stole mine!

Sorry, late nights and blurry eyes.

Perhaps it is filled with borracholy?

Personally, I prefer cauliflower.

[Iolanthe]

Perhaps it is filled with borracholy?

Ah, purple sprouting?

[babybottomfeeder]

"Come children, come and look into the eyes of man. He is a caged creature but he has his wits about him" - Leo Tolstoy

Not true.

Man is an electro-mechanical machine composed of organic molecules, nothing more. When that electricity--the spark of life that powers his mind--goes out then he, unlike a computer, can not be turned back on.

Yet he has his strengths: he is a moving computer and quite adaptable. It is only a matter of time before we create a computer that creates a language in its own head that adapts, evolves, and builds its own answers and observations. These are called thoughts. When we encase these thinking computers in stronger capsules than our degradable, biological shells then we will have obsoleted humanity

So what is a man? A stepping stone to something greater--currently the most advanced being we know of that will one day ironically obsolete itself.

I agree with many of these placements of candor on the likeness of man to a chemical machine.

Yet, I believe you have left out one fundamental piece of the puzzle: the mind. It's all good and well to establish the processes by which the brain functions and man endeavors to motor through the world of bipedal, like minded land mammals, to a point.

I speak freely of the concept of the ghost in the machine and the life of the mind: dualism on whole. For how could this precious crocus body be all there be?

Take a calculator for instance; where does the spark for the spark come from? Where is the background that breathes life into the solar powered adding machines? I know many of you will hold that the calculator and the brain are a different matters entirely but I conclude that they have the same functionality and end result.

You can explain away the atomic components that create and chemically power brains and "calcs" but you cannot grasp any further as to how both truly associate with the world.

I in no way mean that calculators have a consciousness; I simply mean they are powered by a force that can only be explained at the atomic level and no further. The ganas behind the power cannot be associated yet by modern science.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

It's spelled quandary btw, unless you are talking about the latest advancements in quad laundry and you are trying to popularize the phrase for the medical cleaning industry. Do not call out my use of a word if you are not versed in Latin syntax and grammar. I studied for years at Classical languages.

Only then can we establish post evaluation that their is a place for God in the pursuit of the questions of man.

It is spelled "there", by the way. Please do not play the "grammar Nazi" card unless you want it played on you, as well.

borracholy

The Oxford English dictionary knows of no such word.

ganas

Again, the Oxford dictionary knows of no such word,

You're trying too hard to impress us. I do not know why that is but you don't have to. Settle down and just be yourself.

That is, of course, unless this is you being you, in which case I know all about you that I need to.

[aliantha]

...

I agree with many of these....

Why am I not surprised?

[Ananda]

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[lorin]

Somebody just tell me when it gets annoying and I'll kill it.

--A

now?

[babybottomfeeder]

It's spelled quandary btw, unless you are talking about the latest advancements in quad laundry and you are trying to popularize the phrase for the medical cleaning industry. Do not call out my use of a word if you are not versed in Latin syntax and grammar. I studied for years at Classical languages.

Only then can we establish post evaluation that their is a place for God in the pursuit of the questions of man.

It is spelled "there", by the way. Please do not play the "grammar Nazi" card unless you want it played on you, as well.

borracholy

The Oxford English dictionary knows of no such word.

ganas

Again, the Oxford dictionary knows of no such word,

You're trying too hard to impress us. I do not know why that is but you don't have to. Settle down and just be yourself.

That is, of course, unless this is you being you, in which case I know all about you that I need to.

MISEROR cum me, quidem! Heu, non! Misit tua miserationem in frigore fluctus malis; proiiceret in oases futura; offendas contra petram rumoribus; aut, melius, patitur manere in falsum et infidelis sinu sepultus contemptus.

Ita pauca de Irene ut pedibus suis metatum litore de limitata libertatem, solus et indefensos. Miserationem potest percutientes pectus calcavit patientia, habet non aemulum ad praecavendam affectus nos possidere, nisi de dolor.

Tristis mansionem stat firmiter in hederas opertis, fortiter-muros de Dunfern, ingens in proportionem et magnifica in propono. Fuerit aedificavit super tres centum annis, et structura stat honeste ab hodierna incrementis, et in aliqua gradus posset gloriari architecturae X consilia raro, si, conatus cum eius constructionem.

In introitu pulchra domum Hugo Dunfern, praesens dominus, est cogitavit in maxime antique principia; nihil nisi ingenti ferrum portam occurrit aspectum visitator, qui ad primum est an omnes publica rumores ad eius magnificentia sunt solum voces de iactantia et vana; nec usque intra curvis semitas mundissimo calculus, bullis hic et cum saxis de impolitis lapidis, posset animum momento concipere vel hospitalitatem in defecisti idea de eius quaint amplitudinem.

Pulchra tamen Dunfern domus anxia oculum intuentis videatur, non tamen est omnino secretum est. Dum multi eius mansiunculas, cum muros crystalli, sunt regaliter et profusius stratum, alii clausum incessanter contra pedem cautus intrusus, habens in eis paucis traditum reliquias non materia momenti, vel etiam interest, ad extra patrio linea possessoribus.
Eam saepe principes de comment inter paucos insignis visitatores excepit XI intra spatiosam conclavibus, quid videtur mundissimo mansiunculas in mansionem possederat semper clausa eorum cupidus et scrutando aspectum; vel quid, cum ad per eorum, res agitur, semper silentium.

Furthermore, you need to look in a LATIN derived dictionary for ganas or watch the film Stand and Deliver

I misused their much like Quentin Tarantino does within his scripts. He sometimes randomly picks between their, there, and they're. It's to wake up the crowd and see who is paying attention. [/quote]

Lastly, this is me and only me. I'm the numba' one original Weary Dreamer ... a polarized and ready speaker of philosophy (if you'll have me that is )