There’s this dude at the gym who watches netflix on his phone between sets, taking 10+ minute breaks while people wait in line to use the machine.

I normally try to be charitable about these things. I have no idea if he has some type of fatigue issue or something along those lines justifying the long breaks, right?

But I need to actively push my thoughts in this direction, in some probably misguided attempt to cultivate kindness within my own life. Truth is there’s just something infuriating about watching a movie while sitting in the building’s only leg extension

Baseball cap! Been getting more into them lately after never really wearing hats. I started because a friend said they’re useful for hiking, but after getting compliments I started just wearing them in general as well.

Fair enough, yeah I’ll check back in on the thread too in case someone knows what it is. Very intriguing symptom

I have never experienced anything like this. Personally I would ask my doctor about it immediately, it sounds very outlandish, walking should not lead to pulsating of any kind

As graceful an exit as any troll can hope for. Cheers to you as well

I have already abundantly shared my understanding and specifically addressed your concerns. Now it is clear that you simply like arguing and care little about what is being discussed.

I think we are likely beyond the point of productivity, but the ‘scientific method’ isn’t capitalized btw. This error is perfectly emblematic of the error in your thought process as a whole

I myself am a physicist lol, I assure you that we do not believe in our work in the way you suggest. This is why it has been so outlandish and perplexing for you to continually insist that I “believe” in every science themed idea but irrationally hold religion to some even higher standard. I’m sorry my friend, but I stand by my conclusion that you have simply made some mistakes along the way while learning about all of this. It happens to all of us, the important thing is having a willingness to reexamine.

But yes, many of the hypotheses regarding ‘before’ the big bang etc. are currently on the same level as the hypothesis of a god (or prime mover). As I have continually affirmed over the course of our discussion that is all correct and definitionally compatible with atheism and the scientific method. I think perhaps we have reached the end of what we can discuss, unless you are willing to take into consideration how the scientific community actually thinks, rather than trying to insist they use your personal definitions of their words

Sure, and so as an atheist and an otherwise “scientific person”, I do accept that god is a valid hypothesis. And I will remain an atheist until any evidence pops up to support that hypothesis.

At some point I think you may have gotten confused by terminology. It is indeed similar to various other scientific ideas, which are believed only after being tested. You do not accept every hypothesis as being the truth until proven otherwise. That is the essential difference between conducting science and exercising one’s imagination.

I’m unconvinced by your claim that science and religion are the same. Can you prove that?

Yes, really! I endorse Azimir’s explanation fully.

To potentially address some confusion:

If you said there are no gods, that would be a claim that requires proof. You would then have the burden of proving that there are no gods. Exceptionally difficult, as one could be hiding anywhere.

If you claim there is at least one god, then you have the burden of proving that.

Where would you land if you believed neither claim could be proven? Well, it turns out, you could actually be either an atheist or a theist! All we have learned so far is that you are agnostic.

This is where the story ends for the agnostic atheist. They have no reason to believe either claim, and therefore they do not believe there is at least one god, and therefore they are an atheist.

The agnostic theist however has additional work they must perform in order to become a theist from this position. They must believe in at least one god to be a theist, but they have no evidence that would compel such a belief. So they must take it on faith.

This leads to additional questions such as: is faith a good reason to believe in things? Can’t you use faith to believe in literally anything, thereby making it useless?

This is generally why the atheist is involuntarily forced to withhold belief. I phrase it that way because often people forget how beliefs work, they are compulsions. They can’t choose to look past these thoughts and believe in a god any more than you could choose to set aside your better judgement and believe, and I mean really believe, in unicorns.

I understand if you also can’t choose not to be offended by the unicorn comparison, btw. I didn’t like hearing it the first time when I was young and involved with the church. It made me think “surely that’s a step too far, and these two concepts are incomparable. Billions of people worship, they can’t all be that wrong”. It inspired me to go look and see what all of my fellow religious people had to offer in that regard. And to be honest, I still love hearing from them, but the truth is so far nobody has any evidence whatsoever. Most religious people themselves will even admit that. So it really does just come down to faith in the end.

The overwhelming majority of atheists are agnostic. Actually I cannot say I have ever once heard of a gnostic atheist, i.e. someone who would want to “prove no gods exist”. You (and afaict, all atheists) agree that that would be absurd, because for all we know some god is hiding under a rock somewhere. We can’t claim certainty until we’ve checked under every rock.

Agnostic atheism is where people generally land when they realize that none of the theists have found anything, either. Why believe in something prior to the point of there being any valid reason for the belief?

To further illustrate, do you believe in unicorns? No, right? Does that mean you say you can prove there aren’t any? Also no, right? Same situation with agnostic atheists.

Sorry if I’m over-explaining, it’s a commonly misunderstood topic

I was unemployed for a bit, and also underemployed at various points in my life

Hiking/running/swimming is a great way to pass time. Looking for new spots to do these things, taking note of nearby restaurants and other things. Planning larger trips based on what I find. Sometimes just setting aside an hour for no purpose other than to walk by some shops or other parts of town I’m not familiar with.

Volunteering is good and also can help when applying for jobs just by the merit of giving you something to fill the time with. I’ve done trail cleanups, tabling, soup kitchen type stuff. Did some work with a mental health hotline.

It really all depends on your circumstances and what you want to get out of your time moving forward, you know?

IF ITS TOO QUIET MAYBE WE SHOULD TYPE LOUDER?