Skeptic Project

There's a difference between "can" and "will". I come here to have fun after work, not to spend hours discussing positions that will have no influence whatsoever on my life, no matter how the discussion goes.

If you're interested in why I think making people think less critically is very much in the interest of corporations as well as governments, watch "Century of Self", read Bernays' Propaganda, Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent", the less known "Persuasion Power" by Blair Warren or simply spend a few months in marketing.
Selling stuff or making people support ideas that they shouldn't have any interest in (like death tax for little/no net worth right wingers) becomes so much easier when people don't question everything you say, but "trust" experts or charismatic leaders.

And as capitalism basically advocates me competing vs everyone else - a system where my material well-being is in no way related to my impact on other people (at most it is related to my perceived impact, if they're my customers), I'm indirectly encouraged to use these skills as best as I can - to increase profit for my shareholders.

Nah, I'll go wash my crotch. Attack anything I just said and I'll reply later.

Srsly - If you don't bring an argument, there's not much to do for me. I've given the basic strategy - I'll give one example - a few weeks ago the german TV channel RTL aired a fake documentary on anti-electrosmog services, it's not the first time, so it's probably bought space. It's intelligently targeted at the same people who watch fake court shows and will buy this shit. If I now go out and promote critical thinking, I'll hit resistance of anybody who is in the high profit markets, whether selling ringtones, running "win money now" shows, or promoting fraudulent pseudo-science.

You argue that this has nothing to do with capitalism allowing people to get rich by increasing profit - which is, as I see it, easier to do when people don't realize how high your profits actually are and how low their gain is. Go.

Nice show of not giving any argument yourself, while ignoring mine. I'll save this one for my swipe file, so it's not a complete waste of time.

I built a solar car!

But CJ is right.

If I wasn't so busy myself I'd join in, but as I'm already fighting of the hoards of angry fat rich people on another forum, so I'll pass on this one too myself, or I'll never get back to answering you about my solar vehicle!

Its not fun is it when someone takes the ball away you want to play with..

Nah, you pissed me off with your sweeping generalization about "simple people" when you are just some damn kid with a big mouth.

Sometimes you remind me of that Scott Winter guy on the Facebook group. Parroting any crapola as long as its anti-establishment. Its garbage and its tiresome.

Nobody made you post the statement I started this thread with and it wasn't even relevant to the discussion at hand. You don't need to fling anti-establishment rhetoric all the damn time, especially when its absurd, insulting and unsubstantiated.

This thread was an opportunity for you to defend that statement or retract it. You've made it clear that you have no intentions of doing either therefore I see no reason to view you as anything but another dogmatic woo spewer willing to swallow any bullshit as long as its anti-establishment.

That's not skepticism.

"You're just trying to frame me as some kind of anti-all punk w/o posting any content at all"

Am I trying to frame you or do you frame yourself?

I'll repeat myself - bring your argument why my position or my examples are wrong.

I've explained myself in a very simple way - and I've stated why I'm not interested in a longer debate - while you're accusing me of parroting crap and being insulting. That's just hypocritical when you don't bring any argument yourself.

CJ If you're not even gonna defend your own statement then simply retract it because not defending it is making you look kinda sloppy.

Intellectual dishonesty at its finest.

He would have to prove that capitalism allows for people to be more easily governed.

"But I still think that capitalism promotes superstition and propaganda to a high extent, not only because it's easier to sell to and govern simple people."

superstition ? how what is so that capitalism can create a credulous belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge. How can something that is merely a system of transferring resources about via medium create this ?

Likewise not only because it's easier to sell to and govern simple people, how can you say that using superstition and propaganda is easier to control stupid people? Do you know how many people have PhD's and are all part of the capitalist system and beleive that its function works perfectly?
Do you have the tenacity to call these people stupid, easily controllable, superstitious ?

How can you validate this claim?

There is a set of starting questions please validate your stance.

Im not even interested in the answers I am just doing what CJ requested present an argument.

All I know is I dont give much of a fuck lately about peoples opinions, theyre meaningless. Not to be taken rudely or personally I just mean this in general about all these people who want to fix the world.

Anyone for after dinner coffee and mints? we can retire to the living room and continue the debate there.