Oh no, they're after me lucky God

[kegg3]

ewwe shave that shit LOL but ur aweosme

[Spacemonkey2084]

Very cool line of thinking.

I think I've decided I like your videos..

[bewarethelizards42]

Ah, lucky rabbit feet.. not so lucky for the rabbit! :D

This video really reflects some concepts I was thinking about earlier on today. Thank you for being so clear and concise.

[TheTempusFugitive]

No problem, I know alot of people have pondered this subject, but I hadn't seen any videos on it. Except DarwinsGift (see above).

-TTF

[bewarethelizards42]

Just out of interest.. is the title of the video referring to a catchy line from a ?90s cereal commercial? :D

[TheTempusFugitive]

First person to spot it, your home made cookie is in the post :P

-TTF

[bewarethelizards42]

*grin*  And I'm all about the home made baked products! Splendid.. :D

[Darwinsgift]

A fine video, We seem to have made a similar video at the same time so I have linked mine!

[billyshake]

Okay, I'm totally with you on the whole "no god" thing, but you totally lost me when you poo-pooed the Rain Dance. That shit is for real. There have been MANY times in which I'd gone to the clubs or just danced a little in my backyard and within like 24 to 72 hours, it rained somewhere. Seriously, it's freaky. So, yeah. Don't dis the Rain Dance, amigo.

[TheTempusFugitive]

I'll take it under advisement. Might even change the whole thing :P

-TTF

[billyshake]

Good. Because though I certainly don't believe in a god or some crazy talking snake, I do know that any and all bullshit which might seem plausible to people in the 'healing massage with crystals' industry is totally true. (Of course not, but those new age chicks are GREAT in the sack so it's best to stay in practice for when you meet one outside a Jamba Juice...."Okay, sure, I'd love for you to help me get my chakras aligned. I like TOTALLY believe in that shit.")

[dewonthegrass]

Oh, now I get the end of the video. A suggestion - why not replace religion (which is basically a result of our supersticious nature) with disposable charms - they will do the same job, lol. A happy conclusion. I like it! :)

[TheTempusFugitive]

I thought it was a nice ending, give a little hope, that's what I say lol

-TTF

[dewonthegrass]

TTF, nobody is trying to invalidate the points that you are making in this video. What bdf2718 means, I think, is not that pigeons behave in the way superstitious humans do, but that the roots of this sort of human behaviour are deep-seated in our instincts as a result of our evolutionary origin in the animal kingdom.That's the way the correlation lies. See, the other way round.

R.

[TheTempusFugitive]

I might just make my voice higher pitched, if it's too low for people lol

-TTF

[dewonthegrass]

Do you mean like Geerup's voice on helium?

[dewonthegrass]

The sound. - I woundn't change a thing. I like it like it is. I don't think you need to speak louder.

As it is, your voice comes out calm, ponderous and all the more impressive.

But then, that's me. :D

[bdf2718]

Dude, look up B F Skinner's paper on "Superstition in the Pigeon." This crap is not unique to our species, it's present in most animals. The only difference is that we are capable of discussing it.

[TheTempusFugitive]

Even if this is total bullshit, I have to check that out. How could anyone not be drawn in by the siren call of a paper caled "superstition in the pigeon" :)

If this is real & I manage to find it. You have my eternal gratitude hahaha.

-TTF

[bdf2718]

BF Skinner is the founder of behavioral psychology, as witnessed by the eponymous "Skinner box." The paper is real. However, it could equally well have been titled "Religion in the Pigeon" - which is not only a more apt description, it rhymes.

psychclassics (dot) yorku (dot) ca (slash) Skinner (slash) Pigeon (slash)

[TheTempusFugitive]

Thanks, you're a gentleman & a scholar sir. I'll have to read that tomorrow & tell you what I though. If you wanted to know that is lol

-TTF

[bdf2718]

I understand why you don't have enough time - Vogter is here. Oh my fucking non-existentent entitity, can anyone turn Vogter off???? :) (Vogter, I liked your recent video - it's like Wales but without the hills.)

And yes, Mr Tempus, I wish to know your opinion on that scholarly paper. I think it invalidates parts of this video but that you can incorporate it into a much better video.

[TheTempusFugitive]

I read the paper, I'm not sure it invalidates any of the video as most of it seems like the animals were acting in a habitual manner but that's by the by. An enlightening read none the less. Thanks for sharing it.

-TTF

[bdf2718]

Think evolution. Think of surviving by noticing correlations between behaviour and results,

Yes God, if I nod my head like this you feed me. Thank you God.

Such behaviour has been documented in humans and is well established. We are ill-tuned to deal with random chance, and hence arises religion.

[dewonthegrass]

Yes, it's true. Pigeons display certain behaviour, that correlates to basic, primitive superstitious behaviour in humans. But the scientists explain it better. I've seen it on television documentaries.

[TheTempusFugitive]

I feel strangly out of the loop now lol

-TTF

[ExaggeratedElegy]

It is the ultimate fallback; the quintessential crutch, if you like (oooh, I think I just got me the title for a new poem); the way the idea of "God" has developed within the Abrahamic traditions, adherents can effectively praise him for the boons and serendipities of their existence whilst simultaneously absolving him of all responsibility for the bad (Satan did it, it's because of sin, it's all part of some wider cosmic plan, etc etc). Unfortunately, digging deeper in philosophical terms...

[ExaggeratedElegy]

...erodes the very foundations of this premise; assuming that god is omnipresent, ominscient and omnipotent (which one must assume if one attributes him with divinity), there is no reason for qualifying factors such as "sin" or Satan to exist. Furthermore, the notion of a divine "plan" becomes redundant, as god by his very nature exists in all eventualities and possibilities; he is not a linear being moving through time from point A to point B like the rest of us; he already exists at all...

[ExaggeratedElegy]

...permutations of both and comprehends all possibilities they suggest. Therefore the notion of tests of faith, morality etc become redundant, as do factors of reality such as human suffering, creatures that must prey on other creatures to survive, entire planets that are little more than lifeless wastes, etc etc. There is no reason why reality should not be immediately and irrevocably perfect by nature if it is the product of a perfect creator deity. this is a problem I have yet to see any...

[ExaggeratedElegy]

...advocate of a "perfect" creator deity handle or even half way explain. Excellent vid, and some interesting food for thought...5/5.

George

[TheTempusFugitive]

Not much more I can say than thanks. At least not after such a comprehensive comment.

-TTF

[TheDivineCellphone]

you should normalize your volume... its very low !

[TheTempusFugitive]

Any higher & you won't be able to hear me for the crackling of my webcam, I'm naturally inclined to speak quietly & my voice is certainly not what you would call high pitched so I'll have to try & talk louder from now on lol

-TTF

[Vogter2100]

NICE :) and there is a tag game going on started by dualranger.. and when I get tagged... hehehe

[TheTempusFugitive]

Oh sweet tap dancing christ on a bannana boat, not another tag :(

lol.

-TTF

[Vogter2100]

This game is actualy a positive one. :)

[BoundlessEyes]

You're a fantastic public speaker - your smooth and dulcet tones lull me into a kind of Stephen Fry-esque intellectual comfort...

=)

I'm depressed, AND more unlucky than other people. Coincidence, or perception?

[TheTempusFugitive]

Could one pay a higher compliment, Stephen Fry-esque, can't thank you enough for that.

Well for the bad luck, may I suggest a lucky horse shoe :D.

-TTF

[dewonthegrass]

I 5-starred it first! (If it works from my computer, which it doesn't always).

A good, consise summary of the arguments of reason against superstition, and the basic... beginning, inception of religion.

[TheTempusFugitive]

Thanks for the 5 stars :D.

We can always hold on to our superstitions as long as we don't organise them into a philosophy

-TTF