Is This True?

[William]

I just got this of my FB feed. It made me wonder if it were true or not.


What do you think about it?

[William]

Is this true or not? What Do You Think?

[Zzyzx]

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Has anyone successfully addressed the world's problems of selfishness, greed and apathy?

Has organized religion shown the way by example?

[William]

Zzyzx : Has anyone successfully addressed the world's problems of selfishness, greed and apathy?

William: I think the meme is saying "no" and also "Scientists don't know how to do that"

Zzyzx : Has organized religion shown the way by example?

William: No. Apparently the meme is saying that scientists haven't either.

But is the meme true?

[Zzyzx]

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[Replying to post 13 by William]

What IS true is that society has NOT addressed the problems of selfishness, greed and apathy.

Science does not pretend to study the matter or offer solutions. Those are not its problem to solve -- not its area of study or expertise. Science solves the problems of putting a satellite in orbit -- not the problems of how it is used.

Some religions TALK about or against selfishness, greed and apathy as though they had answers -- but have not demonstrated a capacity to DO anything to bring about solutions.

[William]

Zzyzx: What IS true is that society has NOT addressed the problems of selfishness, greed and apathy.

William: True - and the meme touches on this point so that part is true...

Zzyzx: Science does not pretend to study the matter or offer solutions.

William: Science of its own is just a process. The process itself is an aspect of society.

Zzyzx: Those are not its problem to solve -- not its area of study or expertise.

William: Do You agree with the meme that Scientists cannot use science to solve these problems, even that scientist are an aspect of society.

Zzyzx: Science solves the problems of putting a satellite in orbit -- not the problems of how it is used.

William: Scientists use science for those kind of things. They cannot prevent others from using those things inappropriately...and since they must know this, then the question to ask is..."Why - if scientists know that the things they help to create which can be abused and be detrimental to the society in which they are an aspect of, do they offer their services at all?"

Zzyzx: Some religions TALK about or against selfishness, greed and apathy as though they had answers -- but have not demonstrated a capacity to DO anything to bring about solutions.

William: Perhaps the reason that they don't is the same reason that scientists don't.
Perhaps talking about it isn't enough and some other kind of action is required.
Perhaps too, one could ask why, if the brightest minds of society cannot figure this out, how anyone else in society could be expected to do so.

[William]

Is this true or not?

What do you think?

[Zzyzx]

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Science of its own is just a process. The process itself is an aspect of society.

Agree. So what?

Do You agree with the meme that Scientists cannot use science to solve these problems, even that scientist are an aspect of society.

An individual scientist can do whatever he wants socially; however, as a professional he is expected to perform within his area of expertise and not pretend to have answers to all questions beyond his area.

Scientists use science for those kind of things. They cannot prevent others from using those things inappropriately...and since they must know this, then the question to ask is..."Why - if scientists know that the things they help to create which can be abused and be detrimental to the society in which they are an aspect of, do they offer their services at all?"

Nearly anything can be abused. An arrow can be used to provide food and also to kill people. Pain killers can be used medically or used abusively. Explosives can be used in mining or used to kill and destroy. Airplanes can be used for transportation or flown into buildings.

Shall we prohibit development of such things – and/or hold developers responsible if their information is used negatively?

Some religions TALK about or against selfishness, greed and apathy as though they had answers -- but have not demonstrated a capacity to DO anything to bring about solutions.

Perhaps the reason that they don't is the same reason that scientists don't.
Perhaps talking about it isn't enough and some other kind of action is required.
Perhaps too, one could ask why, if the brightest minds of society cannot figure this out, how anyone else in society could be expected to do so.

Where, exactly, are ‘the brightest minds in society’?

Those who claim to address selfishness, greed and apathy can rationally be asked to actually DO something.

Fields of study which do NOT address selfishness, greed and apathy cannot rationally be asked to study such matters or to solve related problems. Would we ask chemists to solve problems related to greed? Geologists to address issues of selfishness?

[William]

William:So are you saying that the meme is true or that the meme is false?

[William]

[center][/center]

True or False?

[Zzyzx]

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[Replying to post 19 by William]

Christians have done much better in predicting the 'end of the world'

Here is a list of a hundred or two predictions:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_d ... tic_events

Also

Apocalypticism is the religious belief that there will be an apocalypse, a term which originally referred to a revelation, but now usually refers to the belief that the end of the world is imminent, even within one's own lifetime. This belief is usually accompanied by the idea that civilization will soon come to a tumultuous end due to some sort of catastrophic global event. These views and movements often focus on cryptic revelations about a sudden, dramatic, and cataclysmic intervention of God in history; the judgment of all men; the salvation of the faithful elect; and the eventual rule of the elect with God in a renewed heaven and earth. Arising initially in Zoroastrianism apocalypticism was developed more fully in Judaic, Christian, and Islamic eschatological speculation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypticism