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In the history of humanity, there are quite a few "paradigm shifts" that totally changed the course of history, a proverbial point of no return where what once was will never be again. In most cases, there was no record of such events, and the general psychological and mental state of people who experienced such shifts in history is forever lost to us.
First, let us start with the agricultural revolution. From hunter gatherers, we are told that we learned or discovered agriculture, thereby changing our behaviour, our physique, our diet, our social dynamics, almost everything. It is easy to think of agriculture as merely a change in the way we get food, but in fact it changed everything. Unfortunately, since this happened so long ago, in a time when homo sapiens was not even into writing, there are no records how the people think about this change.
Second, the industrial revolution. Fortunately this one, humanity was already fully literate and eloquent as there are a lot of records already about humanity's experience of this event. From the literature of the Victorian writers like Dickens we learn of the plight of London under the industrial revolution. From the Romanticist like Blake we learn than it was not all that glorious as many might think. From accounts of industrialists, engineers, pioneers, technocrats, historians we know the detail of how we humans experienced it.
Today, there is a great feeling, a looming specter, that we are again about to undergo a paradigm shift unlike any before. It is totally radical and revolutionary to those who do not expect or want it, but it is welcome and inevitable to those who see it coming. What we are talking about here is the global shift towards atheism. It is strange and exciting at the same time, as we know there is no way around it. Atheism will soon be the default status quo as scientific and general human knowledge will allow us to break free from traditional irrational beliefs. It will be a total break from the past. It might happen within the next 50, 30, 20, or even 5 years.
What do you think will be the next big paradigm shift? How do you feel being under this special period where, perhaps maybe even within our lifetimes, we will experience something truly revolutionary in terms of culture and human knowledge?
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This is hardly new and hardly revolutionary. Atheism and secularism have been trending for centuries, and religion is far from dying. Look at conversion rates and growth in Africa, for example.
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I think the next shift is towards quantum physics and nanotech, not religion/atheism. In the coming years it's probable that more and more human biological functions will be mechanized, that things like immune response will be designed by computer scientists, and such to a much higher level of self-customization. Maybe in a hundred years we'll have some kind of android which will change things drastically. I don't know, I'd like to get interested in the stuff but it just creeps me out.
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I like your optimism.
I'd think the change towards racial equality was a big deal. Although actually I feel most of the people that don't think races are equal still think that, they're just starting to die.
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athiesm is just one truth discovered from an infinite amount of irrational beleifs that we will be clouded in forever.
people can use reason to critisize other nations while not looking at their own irrational beleifs and this happens up until this day.
I think that irrational moral beleifs stem from social structure, which has come from farming. Jared diamond has pointed out that tribes dont have moral values in their religion.
the future looks bleak imo. We have global warming, and there wont be any secrets in the world for the powerful to find after this google glass thing takes off.
We have better technology coming out in the future but it will be used against us. Some of it will be awesome though, i dont buy into the singularity thing.
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i have always considered the belief that there is no god is as silly as the belief that there is a god. neither of which can be proven. agnosticism, i hope, will be the norm. people constantly questioning ideas rather than believing in unprovable positions that require leaps of faith on both sides of the spectrum.
that being said, on the whole, religion is better than worse for society. our world will not be better off without it. i also highly doubt your paradigm shift for religion is supported by cold hard numbers. we live in a very religious society globally.
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On July 30 2013 10:58 dAPhREAk wrote:
i have always considered the belief that there is no god is as silly as the belief that there is a god. neither of which can be proven. agnosticism, i hope, will be the norm. people constantly questioning ideas rather than believing in unprovable positions that require leaps of faith on both sides of the spectrum.
that being said, on the whole, religion is better than worse for society. our world will not be better off without it. i also highly doubt your paradigm shift for religion is supported by cold hard numbers. we live in a very religious society globally.
You have little to sustain your stance here as well. It's almost ALMOST, hear me out here, ALMOST like we're all wasting our time here.
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The next big paradigm shift will be a shift to thorium based Molten Salt Reactors, which will ensure inexhaustible amounts of energy at a lower cost than burning coal. While also eliminating the low risk - high impact disaster events of todays reactors, and producing far less, relatively short-lived, waste, as well as having the posibility to eliminate a lot of todays nuclear waste.
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It won't happen until centuries atleast. The strongest influence on people are other people with strong beliefs and charisma. Religions have their ways to convince people with charisma that their beliefs are true and that they should spread that truth as much as their influence allow it.
Some would like to think that with information being readily available for more and more people with the internet and other media, it would be easier to compare the local normal behaviour and belief with global behaviour and belief and that humans are educated enough to draw the conclusion they want.
Unfortunately we(as in globally) are not educated enough and no definitive conclusion can be drawn and someone telling most human beings that they are wrong while they( as in social group/country/religious friends) share their truth doesn't lead to a side being right and the other being wrong but both sides being wrong when looked from the other side.
I honestly think unless something is harshly done to control the human side in religion(or superstition like some calls it) nothing will evolve anytime soon. And I don't mean Blizzard or Valve soon, a not yet seen soon.
EDIT: I think we're fucked, one way or another the human race is going to a dead end, I think I would be torn if I had to choose to either see how it ends right away or have everything stagnate during my lifetime and enjoy it as I can like I'm trying to do now.
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On July 30 2013 10:59 MountainDewJunkie wrote:Show nested quote +On July 30 2013 10:58 dAPhREAk wrote:
i have always considered the belief that there is no god is as silly as the belief that there is a god. neither of which can be proven. agnosticism, i hope, will be the norm. people constantly questioning ideas rather than believing in unprovable positions that require leaps of faith on both sides of the spectrum.
that being said, on the whole, religion is better than worse for society. our world will not be better off without it. i also highly doubt your paradigm shift for religion is supported by cold hard numbers. we live in a very religious society globally. You have little to sustain your stance here as well. It's almost ALMOST, hear me out here, ALMOST like we're all wasting our time here.
For the people who think that way, there's always the option of plummeting into a hedonistic oblivion as you wait for your final breath to come. Fortunately, your life is whatever you make it, and many, many people (religious or not) would assert that no, they're not wasting time as a human on Earth.
You have little to sustain your stance here.
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On July 30 2013 11:04 Archas wrote:Show nested quote +On July 30 2013 10:59 MountainDewJunkie wrote:On July 30 2013 10:58 dAPhREAk wrote:
i have always considered the belief that there is no god is as silly as the belief that there is a god. neither of which can be proven. agnosticism, i hope, will be the norm. people constantly questioning ideas rather than believing in unprovable positions that require leaps of faith on both sides of the spectrum.
that being said, on the whole, religion is better than worse for society. our world will not be better off without it. i also highly doubt your paradigm shift for religion is supported by cold hard numbers. we live in a very religious society globally. You have little to sustain your stance here as well. It's almost ALMOST, hear me out here, ALMOST like we're all wasting our time here. For the people who think that way, there's always the option of plummeting into a hedonistic oblivion as you wait for your final breath to come. Fortunately, your life is whatever you make it, and many, many people (religious or not) would assert that no, they're not wasting time as a human on Earth. You have little to sustain your stance here.
actually, i agree with MDJ. reading his response is a waste of time. i think i will seek hedonistic oblivion.
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On July 30 2013 11:04 Archas wrote:Show nested quote +On July 30 2013 10:59 MountainDewJunkie wrote:On July 30 2013 10:58 dAPhREAk wrote:
i have always considered the belief that there is no god is as silly as the belief that there is a god. neither of which can be proven. agnosticism, i hope, will be the norm. people constantly questioning ideas rather than believing in unprovable positions that require leaps of faith on both sides of the spectrum.
that being said, on the whole, religion is better than worse for society. our world will not be better off without it. i also highly doubt your paradigm shift for religion is supported by cold hard numbers. we live in a very religious society globally. You have little to sustain your stance here as well. It's almost ALMOST, hear me out here, ALMOST like we're all wasting our time here. For the people who think that way, there's always the option of plummeting into a hedonistic oblivion as you wait for your final breath to come. Fortunately, your life is whatever you make it, and many, many people (religious or not) would assert that no, they're not wasting time as a human on Earth. You have little to sustain your stance here.
I kind of meant wasting our time in another atheist/religion thread, but okay, I'll play your game
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On July 30 2013 11:06 MountainDewJunkie wrote:Show nested quote +On July 30 2013 11:04 Archas wrote:On July 30 2013 10:59 MountainDewJunkie wrote:On July 30 2013 10:58 dAPhREAk wrote:
i have always considered the belief that there is no god is as silly as the belief that there is a god. neither of which can be proven. agnosticism, i hope, will be the norm. people constantly questioning ideas rather than believing in unprovable positions that require leaps of faith on both sides of the spectrum.
that being said, on the whole, religion is better than worse for society. our world will not be better off without it. i also highly doubt your paradigm shift for religion is supported by cold hard numbers. we live in a very religious society globally. You have little to sustain your stance here as well. It's almost ALMOST, hear me out here, ALMOST like we're all wasting our time here. For the people who think that way, there's always the option of plummeting into a hedonistic oblivion as you wait for your final breath to come. Fortunately, your life is whatever you make it, and many, many people (religious or not) would assert that no, they're not wasting time as a human on Earth. You have little to sustain your stance here. I kind of meant wasting our time in another atheist/religion thread, but okay, I'll play your game
Oh.
In that case, I retract my statement. Derp.
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Too late! I'm already offended!
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Even if atheism grew and became popular, it wouldn't be a revolution in any way that is close to the other examples. In Sweden it's not very common for people to be religious but the same old western/christian ethics are still there so it doesn't really matter. People would still form groups and have different beliefs regardless of religion.
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I was expecting "the internet", not "atheism" as the fundamental paradigm shift. I'll point to the fact that you, dear reader, have no idea who I am (nor I you), yet you've been able to read what I have to write. Just a few years ago it would have been impossible to share as many meaningless details of our lives with people we barely know. Seriously, try stopping for a moment and think of the logistical nightmare it would have been to gather around 700 of your closest friends and show them a picture of what you had for lunch, or to call them one by one and tell them what you last wrote on your facebook status.
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
OP had potential, but then went all religion vs atheism.
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EPT
