“Constitutive luck.”
Gassho,
Ryūmon (Kirk)
Sat Lah
Gassho,
Ryūmon (Kirk)
Sat Lah
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I know nothing. -
Perfect article!
“Constitutive luck.”
Gassho,
Ryūmon (Kirk)
Sat Lah
"Of course, we wouldn’t be here to muse on our good fortune if this chain of events had not occurred, and this “survivorship bias” means that it is philosophically challenging and, I believe, rather pointless, to talk about the probability of our existence. But perhaps the fragility of this chain should induce some humility about our self-importance."
_/\_
sat/ah
mattComment
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Wow. All these years, I thought that I was the only crazy one. Thank you. I will have to write the professor.
“Constitutive luck.”
Gassho,
Ryūmon (Kirk)
Sat Lah
But it is not about the fragility of the chain, but it's resilience through the billions of years.
Gassho, J
stlahALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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But here is where we might disagree. While there may be "survivorship bias," at a certain point, the series of events to one's personal outcome of self-awareness (as opposed to any general outcome) becomes so outlandish that someone thinking scientifically (employing that resultant self-awareness)might surmise that "something is afoot."Of course, we wouldn’t be here to muse on our good fortune if this chain of events had not occurred, and this “survivorship bias” means that it is philosophically challenging and, I believe, rather pointless, to talk about the probability of our existence. But perhaps the fragility of this chain should induce some humility about our self-importance.
For example, I wrote this version of the classic thought experiment ...
I think that, under such circumstances, any engineer should at least consider the possibility of tampering. In a recent example, if thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies explode, there is a good chance that someone tampered with the devices. One would not simply say that, well, things happen, and those folks were just unlucky!
. tsuku.jpg
... if facing a firing squad consisting of a trillion guns fired in sequence (representing all factors needed for your birth) all pointed directly at your heart, but surviving because every single gun misfired (without a single exception, for any one would kill you), then it could just be your lucky day! Or, perhaps, there was a cause as yet unknown which led to the surprising outcome, such as something amiss with the gunpowder, a common gun design flaw which would account for the strange event (i.e., an outcome loading factor in their physical properties which was undetected), if not an intentional act of sabotage by some agent. While raw chance is possible, it would be foolish not to suspect something like the latter scenarios as the more likely explanation, i.e., that something unknown shortened the odds and led to the ridiculously improbable result.
And does it show how "fragile" our life has been, or that we are truly the ultimate survivors? It reminds me somewhat of those game shows on TV in the 1950s, where it seemed like the fellow had all the answers plus a good deal of good deal luck, but had actually been tipped off in advance. Seems to still be going on. What seems "luck" may actually sometimes be a fix.
Yes, it could be luck.
Are you free for poker, Friday? I will bring the cards.
Gassho, J
stlahLast edited by Jundo; 10-08-2024, 11:42 AM.ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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I read “Bigfoot and Loch Ness” and OF COURSE I perked up…
I am open to anything ... ANYTHING ... even Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster ... if the same can be shown to exist with reputable, repeatable, verifiable evidence.
For example, on accupuncture, I use to write it off completely. Now good arguments are made, such as by this doctor, although the reasons it works are not so much the traditional reasons (more placebo and perhaps endorphin release than "meridians") and more limited than traditional claims (putting a needle in your foot will not fix your liver issues, although it might help a bit with arthritis pain for the foregoing reasons.) I watched this video awhile back, and the doctor makes a case for it. Also, unless I am misreading his charts, he is being a bit optimistic in interpreting what they say (e.g., at 8:45 mark) by saying that the accupuncture has more effect than the faked accupuncture, although it looks to my eyes like the results are all over the place.
Oh, I am all for people engaging in healthful and beneficial practices, old or new.
I am also for getting all the relgious woo woo and flim-flam, romantic and exaggerated claims, magical nonsense, hocus-pocus and quack medical claims out of Buddhism.
I think that there is a heck of a lot of the latter, although I try to keep an open mind looking for the former.
Gassho, J
stlah
Speaking as someone in the paranormal field… we’re tryin’! The problem with the paranormal and the scientific method is that in traditional science, everything is completely controlled in experiments. In the paranormal, one can’t control what a ghost or Bigfoot will do… so we control what we can, such as what we do with our equipment, different testing methods etc. But in the end, it’s rather chaotic. The other problem is that while strange phenomenon is VERY real from my experience, so are people who lie about it. Unfortunately there is an overabundance of hoaxers and pranksters out there…
BUT speaking as someone who’s had personal experiences with ghosts, Bigfoot, and UFOs… all I can tell you is that they are VERY real… for me.
Do you feel that “truth” is something external and absolutely verifiable, concrete and set, or do you feel that it’s based on the perception of the individual consciousness? A little of both? For instance there are cases in the paranormal field where two people will be looking at a UFO and one sees it while the other doesn’t. Why do you think that would happen? Why do some feel Buddhism is true, while some may feel that magic (or whatever) is? Just curious as to thoughts on this. (I’m very interested in consciousness and perception and how it affects and influences the paranormal experience.)
Gassho,
Jay
Sat/lah today
Last edited by ZenJay; 10-08-2024, 10:20 AM.Comment
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Well, you either have proof that Bigfoot exists or you don't. I mean, that's pretty simple.
Regarding UFOs, I wonder why, now that nearly every human in the world has a camera in their pockets, we don't see photos of them, other than grainy, blurry images. I know, I know, the aliens disable the cameras, right?
Gassho,
Ryūmon (Kirk)
Sat LahI know nothing.Comment
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You are more the expert than I am, but I would look for psychological explanations first. Next, I would attribute most to misidentified ordinary phenomena.
I read “Bigfoot and Loch Ness” and OF COURSE I perked up…
Speaking as someone in the paranormal field… we’re tryin’! The problem with the paranormal and the scientific method is that in traditional science, everything is completely controlled in experiments. In the paranormal, one can’t control what a ghost or Bigfoot will do… so we control what we can, such as what we do with our equipment, different testing methods etc. But in the end, it’s rather chaotic. The other problem is that while strange phenomenon is VERY real from my experience, so are people who lie about it. Unfortunately there is an overabundance of hoaxers and pranksters out there…
BUT speaking as someone who’s had personal experiences with ghosts, Bigfoot, and UFOs… all I can tell you is that they are VERY real… for me.
Do you feel that “truth” is something external and absolutely verifiable, concrete and set, or do you feel that it’s based on the perception of the individual consciousness? A little of both? For instance there are cases in the paranormal field where two people will be looking at a UFO and one sees it while the other doesn’t. Why do you think that would happen? Why do some feel Buddhism is true, while some may feel that magic (or whatever) is? Just curious as to thoughts on this. (I’m very interested in consciousness and perception and how it affects and influences the paranormal experience.)
Gassho,
Jay
Sat/lah today
Also, there are now verified films of UFOs, but most seem to be (sadly) next generation weaponry, specifically, hyper-sonic drones and such. The military denies it but, if one reads closely the latest UFO reports, it is typically in cloying language that would make a lawyer blush.
"AARO assesses that alleged, hidden UAP programs either do not exist or were misidentified, authentic national security programs unrelated to extraterrestrial technology exploitation," ... We assess that claims of such programs are largely the result of circular reporting in which a small group of individuals have repeated inaccurate claims they have heard from others over a period of several decades. "
Gassho, Jundo
stlah
PS - I just recalled one that I had recently. I recently saw an aircraft executing amazing turns in the sky, defying the law of physics. I watched it for a good minute, maybe 20,000 feet up there ... until I realized that it was a moth about a meter over my head in the porch light. The eye could not judge distance.
Last edited by Jundo; 10-08-2024, 11:40 AM.ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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… But are you sure it wasn’t Mothman?
I get it, but then you hear the contrary from Luis Elizondo former head of AATIP (Advanced aerospace threat identification program) who spearheaded the release of the navy UFO footage that ultimately led the government to admitting that UFOs (or UAPs as they are now called) are real. This doesn’t mean they are saying extraterrestrial, but they are saying they don’t know what they are or what their origin or intentions are.And the navy pilots that have come forward, as well as military whistleblowers… all saying they’ve encountered craft that executed impossible maneuvers according to laws of physics
He just released a book I hope to pick up soon…
It’s so frustrating because there is so much contradictory information as well as false information that is put out that it’s hard to sift through it all. But I DO trust my own experiences, especially when I’ve had others with me to verify what was observed. (And I’ve done this in controlled, scientific minded ways like not discussing what was seen, separating and writing down what we observed without influence from the other observer etc)
I totally agree that about 95% of the reports are misidentification of common aerial or celestial phenomenon. (For Bigfoot, bears are the most common misidentified “Bigfoot” reports) But it’s that other 5% that gets me… and all it takes is one story to be true… and I will tell you, I’ve had some incredible experiences, and not just by myself too! I can’t deny the reality of it personally… but I also respect the beliefs of others who may not be as accepting or open to it.
Gassho,
Jay
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You would think… but even when someone provides proof, such as a cast of a Bigfoot print complete with dermal ridges, or a EDNA test that comes back with an “unknown primate” conclusion… STILL the debate continues…
In regard to UFOs… I honestly think so many people are in shock when they see them that the majority don’t even think to photo or video it… those that do are so excited that they shake the camera all over the place. And… yes, in some cases, an energy field(s) around the ufo seems to cause the image to blur slightly (I have enhanced photos in the past to see this energy field)
Gassho,
Jay
Sat/lah today
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Hey Jay full disclosure. I have been ashamed to admit this but it stayed with me up to this point. When I was about 17, living in the Northwest Yerritories in Canada I saw three lights arranged in a triangle that flew at high-speed silently over my head and made a right angle turn. It was like -40 and I was in my snowsuit on the deck of an apartment building staring up at the next night sky....at first I was thinking it might have been some sort of Spotlight (like maybe from the airport) that was on the ground, but that seemed about as weird as having seen a UFO cuz there was nothing like that in this town of 20,000 people.... It is notable that there was a military base in the area... anyway, I've never been able to explain it...
I'm wondering are you familiar with and could you regale us with any tales regarding the estes method and/EVP stuff?
_/\_
sat/ah
mattComment
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I hate to do this. But, if you are talking about the DNA sample publicized by veterinarian Melba Ketchum ...
Geneticists who have seen the paper are not impressed. "To state the obvious, no data or analyses are presented that in any way support the claim that their samples come from a new primate or human-primate hybrid," Leonid Kruglyak of Princeton University told the Houston Chronicle. "Instead, analyses either come back as 100 percent human, or fail in ways that suggest technical artifacts." The website for the DeNovo Journal of Science was setup [sic] on February 4, and there is no indication that Ketchum's work, the only study it has published, was peer-reviewed.
Do you have some measurement of the "energy field" around the UFO because, if it has physical properties that cause blurring, one would think it could be measured in some way. Are there no other explanations for slight blurring around images??Dermal ridges can be faked in footprints with relative ease, at least under certain soil conditions. This experiment certainly does not prove that the specific tracks examined in May 198? were fakes, but it does suggest that any purported sasquatch prints containing impressions of dermal ridges need to be carefully evaluated for the possible presence of patching or other irregularities throughout the entire footprint. https://rex.libraries.wsu.edu/esplor...1101842#file-0
I used to love reading books about Big Foot and the Devil's Triangle when I was a kid.
In the book I am writing, by the way, I can make my case while staying well within accepted scientific knowledge. Case in point, today I am writing on how fortunate we are that Earth is located within the Sun's 'Habitable Zone,' enjoys 'plate tectonics' and a fully developed photosynthesis and 'carbon cycle' with ample liquid water present ... unlike Mars and Venus which lack all those things. I make the point that it is one reason that an Earthling can be writing my book, not a Martian or Venusian.
I do not need 'energy auras' and blurry photos to make most of my case.
Gassho, J
stlahLast edited by Jundo; 10-09-2024, 12:53 AM.ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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Hi Jundo,
I hate to do this. But, if you are talking about the DNA sample publicized by veterinarian Melba Ketchum ...
Do you have some measurement of the "energy field" around the UFO because, if it has physical properties that cause blurring, one would think it could be measured in some way. Are there no other explanations for slight blurring around images??
I used to love reading books about Big Foot and the Devil's Triangle when I was a kid.
In the book I am writing, by the way, I can make my case while staying well within accepted scientific knowledge. Case in point, today I am writing on how fortunate we are that Earth is located within the Sun's 'Habitable Zone,' enjoys 'plate tectonics' and a fully developed photosynthesis and 'carbon cycle' with ample liquid water present ... unlike Mars and Venus which lack all those things. I make the point that it is one reason that an Earthling can be writing my book, not a Martian or Venusian.
I do not need 'energy auras' and blurry photos to make most of my case.
Gassho, J
stlah
Oh no, I was just speaking generally, but thank you for the info! My apologies for jumping in… probably should have kept quiet about all the weird stuff…
Of course all and any “evidence” has to be scrutinized and reviewed by multiple eyes more qualified than mine. Like I said earlier, the debate will continue forever because the two “sides” will never agree or come to meet somewhere in the middle. People become so attached to their viewpoint that they don’t budge. And I don’t try to budge them… it’s pointless. I respect everyone’s beliefs. It doesn’t affect my beliefs or experiences, and vice versa.
I actually don’t know why I bother investigating the paranormal as it really is just a futile pursuit. Maybe just a personal pursuit then? In essence, neither “side” is going to budge, ever. Period. I guess I do it because I want to better understand the experiences I’ve had, and to help those who’ve had similar, baffling, confusing experiences best I can. Even if it’s just to be there as an ear for them and not treat them like they’re “crazy”. That’s what got me into it to begin with was to help others… proving it I could care less about honestly. That’s not the point.(I mean… it is, but that’s secondary… maybe even lower… as to a reason why I do it)
As much as I wish I had the instrumentation necessary to take measurements of energy fields around UFOs, I don’t at the moment. The equipment in this field doesn’t come cheap… maybe someday! I believe you would need something like a frequency analyzer, along with EMF detectors, Geiger counters, thermal/IR/full spectrum cameras, and probably more than I can even think of. And even then you’d have to be close, which of course you can’t control. I’m not sure if you can read an energy field from a photo, but maybe?
Other explanations for blurriness: movement of the object or camera while the photo was taken, obstruction, dirty lens, photoshop and hoaxing…
No worries, I’m not here to change any minds. My apologies again for bringing it up.
Gassho,
Jay
Sat/lah today
Last edited by ZenJay; 10-09-2024, 03:15 AM.Comment
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I tell you what is my personal take on this as someone who, as a kid, was into "Chariots of the Gods," the Florida Skunk Monster (Big Foot), ghosts and stuff ...
You want the really CRAZY wonders and unexplained phenomena?
The fine balance of the Carbon Cycle, how the periodic table came pouring out of the Big Bang and exploding stars and now flows through your veins, our balanced dance with the Sun and the radiation it produces, how a bunch of space rocks willy-nilly banged together and left a planet with such ideal resources for complex life (and every atom of your body right now), how every single twist and turn of evolution and human history somehow ended up with each of Jay's ancestors and Jay, never having once missed a beat.
In fact, if there is a Big Foot, he is made of those same atoms, and is the product of such a personal history too.
Now, that's an incredible story!
Gassho, JundoALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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Here is an example from the chapter I am working on today ... It is more incredible than all the UFOs and Zombies combined, if you ask me!
~~~
... The temperature and climate of much of the Earth, compared to other nearby planets, just happens to fit the bill [for maintaining ample water in liquid form on its surface].
Many substances can exist in liquid form under extreme conditions (for example, mercury or molten iron), but almost none can do so in the conditions of temperature and pressure naturally and widely present on our planet. That’s a special talent of water. In comparison to almost all other materials, water has a rather wide range of temperatures and pressures within which it remains liquid - pure water will freeze at 0°C (32°F) and boil at 100°C (212°F) at sea level. But, even though wider than other liquids, that range is razor-thin in comparison to all possible temperatures in our universe.
In comparison to the total range of temperatures existing in the cosmos, let alone on super-hot or freezing worlds, it is crucial to our lives that Earth’s regions and seasons permit surface temperatures that maintain liquid water’s needed range.
And conversely, liquid water’s needed range happens to match our planet’s temperatures in return. This is itself a happy coincidence: The planet could have been too hot or cold for liquid water, or water’s properties could have been not what they are at such temps. The water-world-sun dance must be just right. Our life is balanced upon this synchronicity.
...
Not only does water become liquid in a moderate and temperate climate, water helps moderate temperature and climate in turn, thus helping to keep itself liquid.
Liquid water is a heat storage device, helping to moderate the extremes of temperature across our planet. Water's wide liquid range and high heat capacity help keep the temperatures on the surface of our Earth's surface surprisingly stable. I’ve previously mentioned how, for example, liquid water can absorb heat in a manner more effective and efficient than any landmass, allowing large liquid water bodies to work as heat storage batteries, recharged daily by the sun. The heat of sunlight is absorbed each day in great quantities by the waters of the oceans, and is released when the sun sets, thereby serving to moderate swings in temperature between day and night. Water can do so because it possesses one of the highest ‘specific heats’ of any known substance, requiring great amounts of energy to be applied to it to raise its temperature but a few degrees. As the earth is over two-thirds covered with liquid water, those characteristics allow our planet to undergo extreme variations in temperature between night-time and daytime, summer and winter, without Earth’s water turning all to ice or boiling away. Thus, this ability of liquid water facilitates climates in which much of the water can remain liquid. Liquid water thus pulls itself up by its own bootstraps in this way.
The importance of this effect is shown, for example, by examining the deserts of our planet which, lacking the benefits of water, undergo blasting heat by day, and bitter chill at night.
Cowboys stranded in the desert might freeze to death well before dying of thirst.
... and don't even get me started talking about Venus and Mars ...Last edited by Jundo; 10-09-2024, 03:21 AM.ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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Indeed!I tell you what is my personal take on this as someone who, as a kid, was into "Chariots of the Gods," the Florida Skunk Monster (Big Foot), ghosts and stuff ...
You want the really CRAZY wonders and unexplained phenomena?
The fine balance of the Carbon Cycle, how the periodic table came pouring out of the Big Bang and exploding stars and now flows through your veins, our balanced dance with the Sun and the radiation it produces, how a bunch of space rocks willy-nilly banged together and left a planet with such ideal resources for complex life (and every atom of your body right now), how every single twist and turn of evolution and human history somehow ended up with each of Jay's ancestors and Jay, never having once missed a beat.
In fact, if there is a Big Foot, he is made of those same atoms, and is the product of such a personal history too.
Now, that's an incredible story!
Gassho, Jundo
It really is all amazing! Thank you Roshi!
Gassho,
Jay
Sat/lah todayComment
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