MSF Charity + Chance to pick my brain for 2 hours!

[hitballfootler]

Does anyone know where donexodus has been?

[Anghellik9]

Don's contributions to the show were awesome. Saw his evil side

[itsbizbuz]

It was a great day and I still am amazed by the achievement. I hope we will do the same thing each year.

[JamesCalico]

pick his brain... i would've loved that

[YeeshaOfMyst]

Will a recording of the show be put on Youtube? I didn't get to see all of it :(

[THEBEEF7054]

what was the final tally?

last I saw was ~$30,700 but I had to go.

it went to a really good cause

[AxezCore]

It's currently at $32,308.68 or £19,454.81 in donations.

[THEBEEF7054]

wow, that is amazing.

so when does all of this end?

I know they still had some ebay auctions going.

[AxezCore]

you can see the stats here at tr (dot) im/dprjones

there's still a few ebay auctions running, don't know whether there is an expiration date on the donation sites.

[NicosMind]

Congratulations Whit and good luck with the charity :)

[Thrifty032781]

What a strange event. A couple of random people who make Youtube videos... and Hayden Panatierre?

I would have watched, but 1) I forgot and 2) You didn't tell us where it was.

[owlcowl]

"What a strange event. A couple of random people who make Youtube videos... and Hayden Panatierre?"

Yes, they manged to contact her while she was in New York, exploring her interest in science by visiting the Hayden Panatierium.

[NotCaringJustRelaxin]

"exploring her interest in science by visiting the Hayden Panatierium. "

Holy shit, that's the funniest thing I ever read!

[poweredxbyxhope]

A couple? I can tell you weren't there.

Thunderf00t drunk and talking about his glowing nipple was the most epic thing I have ever fucking seen.

[5k4k1dhtp]

I love you too dad.

[TheLastCoolName]

:D Troll

[5k4k1dhtp]

Volunteering at a stupid place, it doesn't matter. But I think I'll just skip it.

[AZNGoSu]

are you not christian anymore?

[HylianPirate278]

he's agnostic.

[xxbarelyhumanxx]

its tool time

[TheCelticNinja]

Ooo, you should post a recording of the brain picking.

[MagnusIan]

You got Hayden? :D

[SuperAtheistBrothers]

Its legit.. I checked it on wiki :D

[5k4k1dhtp]

Damn, you got Hayden to come as well? Pretty cool.

I'll try and be there, but I might be busy doing something I don't want to.

[Geodge]

Thanks for everything you're doing!

Head's up tho:

Some of the links you've posted in the sidebar don't work.

And looks like the justgiving site has been down more than a day now undergoing "site maintenance".

[DeHerg]

"pick my brain" can anyone explain to me what that expression means?

sorry English is not my native Language and everytime I try to imagine what that Expression could mean, images of Brain-Surgery with a Hammer and a Bit are jumping into my Head

[paliut1992]

well it literally means. like he said 'you choose a subject and he will discuss it on video' if you win.

[greencap1]

I´m not English either but I think from the context that it means "asking questions"

[jesokingcryst]

Blasphemy! Fck yeah!

[ndjarnag]

I'm watching the discussion right now. I think Andromedaswake just called dprjones a dumbass. haaaa

[DonExodus2]

lol, I was shitfaced when I made this lol.

[HylianPirate278]

Speaking of which, I know I may have asked this on the other video, but might as well do it again!

What kind of beer do you prefer?

[PhilipWitte]

I really really hope someone records this thing, cuz i have to move to florida and will be out for three days.... ;'(

[Finiras]

did exodus turn atheist?

[DragonRomer]

No, but he was never a creationist.

[Finiras]

how can you be a christian and not a creationist anyhow? does this mean that you basically choose only the stuff that you like from the bible, and label the rest as symbolic? thats intellectually bankrupt.

[DragonRomer]

That's exactly what it means.

But being a Christian is already intellectually bankrupt.

[Alquanole]

Chatolics, Hussites and IRC Lutherans accept evolution. The Chatolic church is in the process of accepting abiogenesis.

Not all "flavours" of christianity are bound to a literal interpretation of the Bible. Many of the more "modern" interpret most of it as a methaphore.

[Finiras]

exactly. you pick what you like and the rest is metaphor. intellectually bankrupt.

[NwZ2]

masturbation is also intellectually bankrupt; you've made your point already.

[owlcowl]

'how can you be a christian and not a creationist anyhow?'

Easily. Rigid literalism is a fairly modern development in reaction to Enlightenment rationalism. For most of its history, the church recognized multiple layers of meaning in the Bible & never insisted it was inerrant in matters of science, history or geography. It was treated as divine revelation expressed in largely allegorical terms. Only fundys dogmatically insist on this one-dimensional approach to the complexity of scripture.

[DickensianDreams]

Well put.

[AngelicSnowGirl]

"how can you be a christian and not a creationist anyhow?"

It doesn't make any sense to me. To be a Christian is to believe in a Creator God. It doesn't matter what His Creative process was. I think some people automatically think of young earth creationists. But there are old earth creationists and some accept evolution.

[owlcowl]

'did exodus turn atheist?'

Don can speak for himself, but he now identifies as an agnostic, which is actually an epistemological stance rather than a metaphysical one, and is thus compatible with either theism or atheism.

I am myself an agnostic atheist in regard to some concepts of God like deism or pantheism, but a non-agnostic atheist regarding others, including the God of so-called 'ethical monotheism' (e.g. the Abrahamic faiths), since such a deity can be logically shown NOT to exist.

[hbgoddard]

Actually, he said in the comments of one of his earlier videos that he is an agnostic atheist now.

[maxbigwood]

"since such a deity can be logically shown NOT to"

You are mistaken...

[TritonAlias]

If he is mistaken, provide his mistake, including an explanation for why it is a mistake.

Otherwise, you're just vomiting up words and pretending they mean something. Do you try to divine your own future from your alphabet soup regurgitation?

Or, we can pretend we're eight years old again and have the following conversation:

You are mistaken...

Nuh-uh--you are!

Uh-huh--are too, an' am not!

Uh-huh! Mistaken!

You are!

... ad infinitum.

[maxbigwood]

he said he can logically show the non existence of any "ethical monotheistic" Gods.. Id like to see how this is possible

[TritonAlias]

Then ask him to do it and pick apart his attempt if it fails. An assertion that a mistake has been made does not a refutation make.

And, one proof for the nonexistence of a particular definition of a monotheistic god (one possessing all the attributes: omnipotent, omniscient, omni-benevolent) is the good ol' Problem of Evil.

If you give your particular version of God those attributes, you might as well say he's a square circle while you're at it.

[maxbigwood]

No? Not at all. The fact is the only thing that ever happens in the world that is somewhat "evil" is what certain humans do. And humans have free will, they are solely responsible for what they do..

[TritonAlias]

Show me my free will, please. Just because we're decision-making creatures doesn't necessarily mean we have this long-sought-after Free Will. A piece of iron is a decision-maker, too, when it encounters a magnetic field--if it's encountering one side of the field, it turns one way, and if it's encountering the other, it turns the other way. We're a bit more complex, but where's the "free" aspect of will?

A man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills.

[maxbigwood]

you really think free will doesn't exist?

[TritonAlias]

There are many degrees of freedom. As I said, a man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills.

You said that the only things that happen in the world that are somewhat "evil" are what certain humans do, and we are responsible for our actions because we have "free will." It really isn't that simple, though.

Animals eat other animals, even newly born/hatched ones. Is this not "evil?"

A mentally retarded person cannot be held responsible for some of his/her own actions. Why not?

[TritonAlias]

I recommend "Freedom Evolves" by Dan Dennett. It'll certainly give you a new perspective on the nature of freedom, if you don't dismiss it outright. Before you read it, you might consider watching the video on YouTube "atheism as congruence" by TheraminTrees to help you avoid dismissing the book without a good reason.

The book has little to nothing to do with atheism, but the video is about an aspect of the psychology involved in not having reality-reflecting beliefs (congruence).

[TritonAlias]

Another worthwhile book for helping to understand the nature of certainty and how it is almost certainly (?) not a thought, but an emotion, is "On Being Certain: Knowing You Are Right Even When You're Not" by Robert Burton. I don't agree with all his conclusions, but he convinced me to be skeptical of my own certainty for reasons I would never have dreamed.

[owlcowl]

Thanx for the reading tip re the Burton book, Triton. I'm certain i will find it quite fascinating... er, no, scratch that.

Regardless, i have certainly (oops) found the exchange between you and ExtantFrodo (great user name) to be quite fascinating & informative. I feel i really have nothing to add to it, but at least i'm free to compliment both of you for its high quality....oh, shit, i did it AGAIN!

[TritonAlias]

Yes, I realize this analogy is a bit off the mark.

Human experiences do have a huge impact on behavior, though, so a large portion of the freedom in free will is negated by our experiences (or lack thereof). And our capability to experience anything (and the limits to that capability) are genetic, again taking away some of the freedom in free will.

That's all I meant.

[ExtantFrodo]

I almost agree with you. We are learning that neuroplasticity is capable of remarkable achievements. Direct neural input to electronic sensors have demonstrated that the brain is quite capable of processing those data feeds and making sense out of them (Even when the sensor is completely different from any natural ones) Google Kevin Warwick Cyborg for more on that. We are building virtual environments that are limitless (Well, virtually limitless. hehe) Freed free will is our destiny.

[TritonAlias]

Well, I *do* agree with you. I didn't say anything about the future--only about now.

Even now we have some types of freedom worth wanting, but when someone pulls out the Free Will Card as if it is the trump of trumps, it is worth mentioning that we're not as free as some people seem to think.

[owlcowl]

"If you give your particular version of God those attributes, you might as well say he's a square circle while you're at it."

Exactly, T-A: This is the standard issue tri-omni, or "omnimax" deity which most theists SAY they believe in, but they really dont in practice, because they dont actually think that God is omnipotent; they imagine him to be just a little bit omnipotent, which is rather like saying Mary was only semi-pregnant with Jesus.

In which case, it was indeed a miracle, wasnt it?

[TritonAlias]

Indeed! It probably stems from the counter-intuitive nature of infinites. We humans can understand them generally (some of us better than others), but since they aren't finite we can't really grasp them. It's like trying to imagine a four-dimensional (spacial) object, or the expanding singularity that probably became the universe as we know it (you can't imagine it without some "space" outside it, which is nonsensical since it *is* space).

[ExtantFrodo]

In the trillion trillion neural paths for any given decision tree there are very few thermodynamic coercions forcing one path over another. Bear in mind that for any given thought process a recursive loop can dredge up as much energy toll on an alternate node so all paths are more or less at equal compulsion. Time pressure forces most decisions out of contemplative mode and into action.

[TritonAlias]

I probably misunderstood, but it seems like you're saying that we make hasty decisions even though any possible decision is as likely as the next. That's not really true, if it's what you're saying. "All possible decisions" is a far more inclusive group than "decisions this brain can make," and even though a person is capable of making a decision, that doesn't mean the pathways for that decision are equally likely to be firing as another decision's pathways.

Speculation isn't far away, either.

[ExtantFrodo]

hmm, how to elaborate and explain this more clearly...

Take a choice with two possible actions.

Take a bugs brain that is hard wired to avoid light. The action potentials are very clearly defined.

Take those same neurons and set the bug in a shadowless uniformly illuminated box.

Our decisions are like the state of those neurons in that environment. Except that we model virtual environments and explore possible courses of action within them. A deficient model will affect what decisions may result

[TritonAlias]

Interesting. I'd like to know more; could you suggest some reading?

[ExtantFrodo]

oh gosh. My reading on this ranges from Kurzweil to Goetz and tons of AI research, to long term studies on the behaviors of genetic algorithms and investigations of Scenarios where events with zero thermodynamic differences prevail. Like evolution.

[ExtantFrodo]

Where there is no thermodynamic difference(TDD) between two options, there is no entropic compulsion for either.

There is zero TDD between COPYING mutation A vrs copying mutation B.

There is zero TDD between CULLING mutation A vrs culling mutation B.

The environment pushes and life pushes back.

Complexity happens.

[ExtantFrodo]

this ZTDD notion hit me like a ton of bricks. It is applicable to evolution and it was also applicable to complex neural nets. When the TDD is below the noise level then an entirely different level of organization is at play than the common "path of least resistance" that rules much of the universe.

[TritonAlias]

Complex understanding usually takes a lot of time (and a lot of information); I didn't ask for the book that would bring me to your level of understanding; I just asked for some suggestions. :) Kurzweil and Goetz it is...

[LeopardFrogPilboxhat]

are you idiots seriously pondering the singularity. Ugghhh

[TritonAlias]

Are you seriously trolling YouTube (even rhetorical questions require question marks)? I'd spell out some grunting noise here, but some of have realized the inefficacy of grunting for communication; we use words now.

[LeopardFrogPilboxhat]

@TritonAlias How about a statement then

The singularity is the rapture for people who still hold the religious compulsion

[owlcowl]

Sharp observation, TritonAlias (son of NeptuneAlias?): Infinity is by its nature beyond human cognitive reach, so it really functions as a conceptual placeholder. So when theists describe god as "omnipotent", they dont really mean it, since in the interest of theodicy, they must perforce admit all manner of limitations & constraints on god's actions, automatically nullifying omnipotence, aseity, & the first cause argument. BUT THEY STUBBORNLY REFUSE TO ADMIT THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEYRE DOING!

[ExtantFrodo]

my omnipotent god is WAY stronger than any theists omnipotent so called god. :-)

My god makes gazillions of universes every freaking nanosecond . Billions and billions and billions of them. in fact there's no end to the universes he make because many of them are self replicating universes that make billions and billions and billions of universes. And all that before he even THINKS of moving. People don't know omnipotence for real. HEHE.

[owlcowl]

ExtantFrodo (well, of course, you must be extant - Frodo Lives!):

Yep, yours is a real kickass god, way more omnipotent than that piddling little upstart Yahweh. Its truly baffling how that puny tribal dipshit still has such a large fan club, when there so many more impressive deities to choose from.

But get THIS -- MY God makes a factorial googolplex to the power of e x pi of universes per every Planck Time interval!!!

Can YOURS do THAT?

Didnt think so!

na na na NA na!! [tongue out]

[owlcowl]

TritonAlias: Thanx for your helpful comment. Your description of a possible exchange is only a slight caricature of several that actually occur online when religious matters come up. Thankfully, few believers are mentally eight years old. Most of the fundamentalists that ive encountered online are around twelve to fourteen in their intellectual (and often emotional) development. Not so bad by the usual standards of cyberspace.

[owlcowl]

"You are mistaken"

OK, i'm mistaken. My apologies. Thank you for that most powerful refutation. I know when ive been beaten.

.

[owlcowl]

YouTube posts are hardly the ideal forum for debating complex intellectual issues, so i dont wish to incite a series of lengthy exchanges. My point was that "god" must be defined before questions of belief, much less proof, can even be addressed. Most concepts of god are simply not subject to proof/disproof, but some are & all of those have been effectively disproved by professional philosophers via logically rigorous methods. Not that that will make the slightest difference to believers.

.

[tommylehman]

How did y'all get Hayden Potier or however you spell her name to do this? That's pretty impressive.

[AtheosEthos]

Friggin' awesome...

[watergaia]

i won't donate to this venomfangx scam. donations won't make any difference anyway. there will always be starving people in the world, unless we fix the root problem of our corrupt society and money system.

[jzuidema]

vfx scam???? what the crap are you talking about? this is llittle bit more legit.....and honest

[watergaia]

got any proof that it's legit and honest? venomfangx had video proof that his donations were legit.

[EebstertheGreat]

This is absurd. I at least have a modicum of respect for people who are anti-reform, but anti-charity is insane. We cannot help everybody, therefore we should not help any? What is the disadvantage? Dependency? THEY ARE SICK. OF COURSE THEY ARE DEPENDENT. Justifying capitalism? Maybe, but repairing some of the harm our society does is necessary, even if some people try to use this to justify its perpetuation.

Really, you're just an ass who doesn't want to part with a cent of his precious money.

[vinak963]

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

[MooD22]

Your donation links on the right doesn't work. :I

[shadowsguise]

Win.

[ProcInc]

No doubt some eager female fans will be bidding to pick more than your brains ;)

[Deathgizmo]

Why did it have to be on today when I'm staying at a relative's?

[UppruniTegundanna]

Whenever I see the initials MSF, I can't help saying to myself "Monster spaghetti flying? What the hell's that?!" Great organisation though, and great that people are getting involved! Be generous!

[SSanf]

Thank you for converting it to EST. That makes it a tad bit easier than everyone having to look it up and trying to convert it themself.

[CiphersSon]

suck it youtube eLeetsISt you all are fundies 2

[patienceking]

ALL PROTEINS WILL GO 2 CHARITY!!1@

[TheHonestTheist]

lol? Would somebody actually want a signed photograph of you? Nothing personal, but you are just a youtuber lol

[RationalFuture]

It's for the money, that's all.

[ProcInc]

"Would somebody actually want a signed autograph of you?"

Its mainly a way to donate for charity

[sheburns12]

"And again, this is open to creationists"

Haha, what a privilege for them.

[turoturothegreat]

Denying those doctors their protein... shame...

[Killua2001]

Careful not to make people swoon too much, otherwise they can't give to the charity ^_^

[aimforcentermass]

Out of respect for AronRa, I must point out that you did mispronounce his name. :)

I wish you the best of luck in your efforts and I'll definitely be participating. Best regards!

[Sgagnot]

Great initiative!

[Southparker100000000]

Pick your brain you say? Will we be given choice of tools?

[WaxItYourself]

I know, or at least I think, this was done due to the VenomFangX fiasco and his falsely collecting money under the guise of giving it to charity. Correct? Anyone heard of anythign from VenomFangX supporters concerning this?

[hashthesun]

the gurl from heroes is going! i love that show and shes hot!

[LeafHuntress]

PIty, when i last checked this offer stil stood on less then 5 dollars!

Come on guy's and gals, a little bit of private time with the Don!

*sigh*

and swoons.......

[unbeliever1000]

you know what? this whole thing makes me not ashamed to be human again.

[nekedemus]

You know what ! It won´t be long.

Have you seen Glenn Beck lately ?

[unbeliever1000]

Can glen beck really be counted as human?

I mean he is a Fox news, Far right wing Mormon.

[nekedemus]

You are serenely onto something..

Moronsapiens.

A Subspecies or a group for it´s self ?

[garrywarney]

0:31 lol.

[hydroids]

all protein goes to charity

[MotionFur]

I might have some protein to donate.

[myjizzureye]

3rd, and I'm wearing a towel

[boxant]

Sounds interesting, good cause.

[thruthem]

Respect!