Close encounter of the 5th kind in Monterrey Mexico

[Syne]

No, your subconscious merely picks up on cues from others that are strongly mimicked in your own subconscious or sympathies. Has nothing to do with any telepathy or mystical/spiritual connection.

5  experiments demonstrating telepathy:

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015...telepathy/

Considering 2 of them rely on the widely debunked Zener cards, and the one could not replicate his own result with proper methodological precautions:

"Once Rhine took precautions in response to criticisms of his methods, he was unable to find any high-scoring subjects.[9] Due to the methodological problems, parapsychologists no longer utilize card-guessing studies." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zener_cards#Overview

It's easy to dismiss them. Just wishful thinking that does not have the methodological rigor to rule out subconscious environmental cues.

[Magical Realist]

Years later I am very sure there are other explanations for bazaar thoughts, other than aliens, ghosts, and demons.  I just read too much copper in the drinking water can trigger bazaar thinking and when I struggled to maintain my sanity, we were drinking from a well with a lot of minerals in the water.  This might be something we want to consider when someone is having a bazaar thoughts.

Yes, an individual should especially reject belief in supernatural entities if such is leading to dangerous behaviors and thoughts. Acquire a solid understanding of how the natural world works, so that such extraordinary explanations are not necessary. Once one's life and psychological circumstances have become stable, then if any curiosity still beckons one can explore academic literature on the "supernatural" or whatever as a kind of recreational activity. Seek the stuff that's a product of critical thinking and also minus malevolence rather than arbitrary folk traditions with sometimes cruel customs.

Any serious-level belief in something transcendent to the sensible world should assimilate the natural world and the methodological study of it without damaging it and interfering in the scientific process. Adopt a philosophy which permits an empirical reality and a [sane] metempirical sidekick to conceptually co-exist peacefully with each other.

Yes..by all means trust unconditionally in science, which used to recommend lobotomies for gay people and "hysterical" rebellious women and delinquents and now prescribes a whole regimen of pills to suppress anything like an anomalous or transcendent experience. Not that we need necessarily invoke demons and aliens to explain the mystical dimension of the mind. But a half assed materialistic reductionism of the human psyche to brain chemicals works wonders in keeping us away from those "dangerous" beliefs. I'm a science experiment gone wrong and not
a soul embedded in a panpsychic dimension.

[Syne]

Years later I am very sure there are other explanations for bazaar thoughts, other than aliens, ghosts, and demons.  I just read too much copper in the drinking water can trigger bazaar thinking and when I struggled to maintain my sanity, we were drinking from a well with a lot of minerals in the water.  This might be something we want to consider when someone is having a bazaar thoughts.

Yes, an individual should especially reject belief in supernatural entities if such is leading to dangerous behaviors and thoughts. Acquire a solid understanding of how the natural world works, so that such extraordinary explanations are not necessary. Once one's life and psychological circumstances have become stable, then if any curiosity still beckons one can explore academic literature on the "supernatural" or whatever as a kind of recreational activity. Seek the stuff that's a product of critical thinking and also minus malevolence rather than arbitrary folk traditions with sometimes cruel customs.

Any serious-level belief in something transcendent to the sensible world should assimilate the natural world and the methodological study of it without damaging it and interfering in the scientific process. Adopt a philosophy which permits an empirical reality and a [sane] metempirical sidekick to conceptually co-exist peacefully with each other.

Yes..by all means trust unconditionally in science, which used to recommend lobotomies for gay people and "hysterical" rebellious women and delinquents and now prescribes a whole regimen of pills to suppress anything like an anomalous or transcendent experience. Not that we need necessarily invoke demons and aliens to explain the mystical dimension of the mind. But a half assed materialistic reductionism of the human psyche to brain chemicals works wonders in keeping us away from those "dangerous" beliefs.

False dilemma. There's no reason to give up critical thinking just because people failed to use it in the past. I am by no means a reductionist when it comes to the mind, nor do I take/advise pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary (and completely reject the efficacy claims of psychiatric drugs). But luckily these are not at odds with critical thinking skills, and actually a result of critical thinking.

Critical thinking is equally applicable to science as it is mysticism. Mystics just seek to make a bogeyman of anything that refutes their unsubstantiated claims.

[C C]

Yes..by all means trust unconditionally in science, which used to recommend lobotomies for gay people and "hysterical" rebellious women and delinquents and now prescribes a whole regimen of pills to suppress anything like an anomalous or transcendent experience. Not that we need necessarily invoke demons and aliens to explain the mystical dimension of the mind. But a half assed materialistic reductionism of the human psyche to brain chemicals works wonders in keeping us away from those "dangerous" beliefs. I'm a science experiment gone wrong and not a soul embedded in a panpsychic dimension.

The physical and biological sciences primarily, or how the universe works abroad apart from what falls out of human community interactions. The social and psychological sciences are always going to be flirting with questionable affairs.

[Magical Realist]

Years later I am very sure there are other explanations for bazaar thoughts, other than aliens, ghosts, and demons.  I just read too much copper in the drinking water can trigger bazaar thinking and when I struggled to maintain my sanity, we were drinking from a well with a lot of minerals in the water.  This might be something we want to consider when someone is having a bazaar thoughts.

Yes, an individual should especially reject belief in supernatural entities if such is leading to dangerous behaviors and thoughts. Acquire a solid understanding of how the natural world works, so that such extraordinary explanations are not necessary. Once one's life and psychological circumstances have become stable, then if any curiosity still beckons one can explore academic literature on the "supernatural" or whatever as a kind of recreational activity. Seek the stuff that's a product of critical thinking and also minus malevolence rather than arbitrary folk traditions with sometimes cruel customs.

Any serious-level belief in something transcendent to the sensible world should assimilate the natural world and the methodological study of it without damaging it and interfering in the scientific process. Adopt a philosophy which permits an empirical reality and a [sane] metempirical sidekick to conceptually co-exist peacefully with each other.

Yes..by all means trust unconditionally in science, which used to recommend lobotomies for gay people and "hysterical" rebellious women and delinquents and now prescribes a whole regimen of pills to suppress anything like an anomalous or transcendent experience. Not that we need necessarily invoke demons and aliens to explain the mystical dimension of the mind. But a half assed materialistic reductionism of the human psyche to brain chemicals works wonders in keeping us away from those "dangerous" beliefs.

False dilemma. There's no reason to give up critical thinking just because people failed to use it in the past. I am by no means a reductionist when it comes to the mind, nor do I take/advise pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary (and completely reject the efficacy claims of psychiatric drugs). But luckily these are not at odds with critical thinking skills, and actually a result of critical thinking.

Critical thinking is equally applicable to science as it is mysticism. Mystics just seek to make a bogeyman of anything that refutes their unsubstantiated claims.

Define critical thinking for me so I can distinguish it from normal thinking. I mean we're talking a pure content-free methodology here for determining the truth, right?

[Carol]

Wow, I step in here gingerly.  It appears you all are open to discussing things that fascinate me, and yet you stay grounded with science and remain respectful.  This is greatly appealing to me!  I feel like a volcano with backed-up issues I want to talk about that have been taboo in other science forums. The combination of  science and tolerance here is awesome!  

I don't want to start so many threads I can't keep track of them but this is kind of like being in a candy store and not knowing which piece of candy I want first.  However, I have started a new thread which is connected with many of the things that interest me and this thread prompted the memory of an old TV show.  I am not sure how open I should be with you and with the possibility of entities in other dimensions.  Not only would I rather avoid rejection here, but I don't want to open a box that might be better left closed.  

I love this statement- "There's no reason to give up critical thinking just because people failed to use it in the past".  Everything that interests me intensely right now involves awareness of things not learned through regular means.  That means it can not be validated by everyone agreeing that our experience is normal and nothing is extraordinary about it.  

Long ago, in an anthropology class, I asked the professor if our minds were continuing to evolve, and she doubted that, but now science is exploring the possibility that our genes carry more knowledge than we expected.  I am saying it may not have been possible for people in the past to become aware of some things  because they just did not have the genetic information necessary for being aware of the things we are aware of today.  What we know today is a matter of accumulated knowledge, and this might also be accumulated genetic information?

It is getting dark and I have to get dog out.  I look forward to responses.  

[Carol]

Years later I am very sure there are other explanations for bazaar thoughts, other than aliens, ghosts, and demons.  I just read too much copper in the drinking water can trigger bazaar thinking and when I struggled to maintain my sanity, we were drinking from a well with a lot of minerals in the water.  This might be something we want to consider when someone is having a bazaar thoughts.

Yes, an individual should especially reject belief in supernatural entities if such is leading to dangerous behaviors and thoughts. Acquire a solid understanding of how the natural world works, so that such extraordinary explanations are not necessary. Once one's life and psychological circumstances have become stable, then if any curiosity still beckons one can explore academic literature on the "supernatural" or whatever as a kind of recreational activity. Seek the stuff that's a product of critical thinking and also minus malevolence rather than arbitrary folk traditions with sometimes cruel customs.

Any serious-level belief in something transcendent to the sensible world should assimilate the natural world and the methodological study of it without damaging it and interfering in the scientific process. Adopt a philosophy which permits an empirical reality and a [sane] metempirical sidekick to conceptually co-exist peacefully with each other.

Yes..by all means trust unconditionally in science, which used to recommend lobotomies for gay people and "hysterical" rebellious women and delinquents and now prescribes a whole regimen of pills to suppress anything like an anomalous or transcendent experience. Not that we need necessarily invoke demons and aliens to explain the mystical dimension of the mind. But a half assed materialistic reductionism of the human psyche to brain chemicals works wonders in keeping us away from those "dangerous" beliefs.

False dilemma. There's no reason to give up critical thinking just because people failed to use it in the past. I am by no means a reductionist when it comes to the mind, nor do I take/advise pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary (and completely reject the efficacy claims of psychiatric drugs). But luckily these are not at odds with critical thinking skills, and actually a result of critical thinking.

Critical thinking is equally applicable to science as it is mysticism. Mystics just seek to make a bogeyman of anything that refutes their unsubstantiated claims.

It seems to me quantum physics radically changes our understanding of reality?   We have gone from animism where basically spirit is matter, through a supernatural understanding of reality that separates matter from spirit, to complete materialism, and now some of us are thinking in terms of waves of energy and energy taking material form.  To me, this appears a circle of consciousness?  I mean I am not seeing a big difference between animism and quantum physics.  

Chardin said, "God is asleep in rocks and minerals, waking in plants and animals, to know self as man".   Since the ultimate reality is energy and our understand of consciousness is not matter, how sure can we be about our traditional understanding of reality?   

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/ou...inking/411

[Syne]

Chardin said, "God is asleep in rocks and minerals, waking in plants and animals, to know self as man".  

I like that quote...very apt.

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False dilemma. There's no reason to give up critical thinking just because people failed to use it in the past. I am by no means a reductionist when it comes to the mind, nor do I take/advise pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary (and completely reject the efficacy claims of psychiatric drugs). But luckily these are not at odds with critical thinking skills, and actually a result of critical thinking.

Critical thinking is equally applicable to science as it is mysticism. Mystics just seek to make a bogeyman of anything that refutes their unsubstantiated claims.

Define critical thinking for me so I can distinguish it from normal thinking. I mean we're talking a pure content-free methodology here for determining the truth, right?

Critical thinking, when rigorous, is logical and/or evidentiary. Generally, it is the attempt to eliminate emotional/cognitive bias from clear, objective thinking. It very often does utilize objective facts.

[Carol]

Critical thinking, when rigorous, is logical and/or evidentiary. Generally, it is the attempt to eliminate emotional/cognitive bias from clear, objective thinking. It very often does utilize objective facts.

Critical thinking is off topic but it is a wonderful thing to discuss I will open a thread for that.

This thread is about the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe and possible contact with it. We might ask why would they choose Monterrey, Mexico? Puro has a better airfield if that is what all those straight lines are about. Is CSETI legitimate science? Wouldn't it be fun to attempt to discuss the original topic of this thread?

[Secular Sanity]

Chardin said, "God is asleep in rocks and minerals, waking in plants and animals, to know self as man".  

I like that quote...very apt.

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Chardin?  Do you mean Pierre Teilhard de Chardin?

I think that it actually came from Ibn al'Arabi

God sleeps in the rock, dreams in the plant, stirs in the animal...and awakens in man.—Ibn al'Arabi

It’s nice, though, and it falls right in place with Syne’s pretty little panentheism.  Poor guy laps that shit up.  Makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.