[OT] Plato's Pub and Philosophical Society

Fyron · #1 March 28th, 2003, 09:20 PM

Predestination only determines your fate in the after life. It does nothing else. This is why it and determinism have nothing to do with each other.

Kamog · #2 March 29th, 2003, 06:05 AM

If our consciousness comes from chemicals in the brain, then there can be no afterlife. Once the brain stops, that's the end.

QuarianRex · #3 March 29th, 2003, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamog:
If our consciousness comes from chemicals in the brain, then there can be no afterlife. Once the brain stops, that's the end.

Not necessarily. The chemical processes of the brain could merely be the interface through the soul interacts with physical reality.

Chronon · #4 March 29th, 2003, 07:40 AM

Not that this discussion of determinism isn't fascinating - which it is - but I was inspired by Dogscoff's futuristic vision thread to think about my race creation in SEIV in terms of what kind of society I would like to live in (let's leave aside the question of what the future will actually look like - that's for the other thread).

So, what kind of future society would you like to live in if you could choose? The Galactic Empire of Star Wars? The Federation of Planets? The Galactic Empire of Dune? A warrior culture? An emotionless scientific culture?

Personally, I'd go for a peaceful, cosmopolitan culture, with heavy emphasis on science and knowledge (no deeply religious trait for me!), perhaps with a touch of maintenance expertise, and organic technology (or at least eco-friendly).

Kamog · #5 April 1st, 2003, 06:27 AM

I would prefer to live in a Federation of Planets type of society. Technology, science, and medicine are advanced, space exploration and colonization are rapidly progressing, and the society values peace, cooperation, fairness, and freedom. It seems like a pretty much ideal future society. One thing I don't understand, though, is how economics is supposed to work. Supposedly, they don't have money anymore? Or do they?

Fyron · #6 April 1st, 2003, 07:43 AM

When you have a replicator, money means nothing. You can replicate anything you need.

Suicide Junkie · #7 April 1st, 2003, 06:14 PM

Given power and time, of course.

The first things you should replicate are some power plants, and some type of refinery to gather the fuel you need.
A hawking reactor would probably be cheapest, assuming you can get your hands on a really small black hole (borrow one from a romulan ship).
Random matter in, energy out, E=MC^2. Much more unsafe than a Fed style matter-antimatter reactor, but much cheaper to run.
You'd just need to set up camp in an asteroid field, or a trek-density nebula, and you'll be set for life.

[ April 01, 2003, 16:24: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]