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raytrace
Stranger
Registered: 01/15/02
Posts: 720
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The "Brights" Movement
#1839767 - 08/22/03 07:00 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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?Bright? is the new (so-called umbrella) term coined for atheists, agnostics, naturalists, rationalists, skeptics, objectivists etc. The goal is to gain social and political recognition and power.
"A Bright is a person whose world view is free of supernatural and mystical elements.?
People like Richard Dawkins have already set out to spread the meme:
A triumph of consciousness-raising has been the homosexual hijacking of the word "gay". I used to mourn the loss of gay in (what I still think of as) its true sense. But on the bright side (wait for it) gay has inspired a new imitator, which is the climax of this article. Gay is succinct, uplifting, positive: an "up" word, where homosexual is a down word, and queer, faggot and pooftah are insults. Those of us who subscribe to no religion; those of us whose view of the universe is natural rather than supernatural; those of us who rejoice in the real and scorn the false comfort of the unreal, we need a word of our own, a word like "gay". You can say "I am an atheist" but at best it sounds stuffy (like "I am a homosexual") and at worst it inflames prejudice (like "I am a homosexual").
Paul Geisert and Mynga Futrell, of Sacramento, California, have set out to coin a new word, a new "gay". Like gay, it should be a noun hijacked from an adjective, with its original meaning changed but not too much. Like gay, it should be catchy: a potentially prolific meme. Like gay, it should be positive, warm, cheerful, bright.
- Expert from R. Dawkins article, ?The Future Looks Bright?
You can read more and sign up as ?a Bright? at www.the-brights.net
So, who is signing up? Who are the shroomery ?Brights??
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neutralizer
Spiritual beinghaving a Humanexperience
Registered: 06/17/03
Posts: 635
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: raytrace]
#1839786 - 08/22/03 07:15 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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-------------------- There are things known, and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors - Morrison
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero
Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: neutralizer]
#1839806 - 08/22/03 07:30 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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> "A Bright is a person whose world view is free of supernatural and mystical elements.?
Hmmm. I guess that makes me a Dim Person...
"A Dim person is a person whose world view is open to the possibilities of supernatural and mystical elements, or the lack thereof."
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
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Mystical_Craven
mentally illpsychonaught
Registered: 06/16/02
Posts: 439
Loc: Earth
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Seuss]
#1839963 - 08/22/03 08:54 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
"A Dim person is a person whose world view is open to the possibilities of supernatural and mystical elements, or the lack thereof."
So that must mean a dimwit is a lame derivative of a dim that attempts to incorporate senseless humor into their philosophies through the use of ungodly word-plays and pathetic puns.
-------------------- "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go..." T.S. Eliot
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Sclorch
Clyster
Registered: 07/12/99
Posts: 4,805
Loc: On the Brink of Madness
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In my view, mystical experiences are real... but there is no supernatural element to them.
-------------------- Note: In desperate need of a cure...
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Deiymiyan
I AM
Registered: 04/17/03
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Loc: Within the Realm of Imagi...
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Sclorch]
#1841256 - 08/22/03 03:51 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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"In my view, mystical experiences are real... but there is no supernatural element to them." --------------------- Interesting ..
-------------------- Dei Gratia de integro, Veni Vidi Vici: In Nomine Domini..
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domite
Puppet
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Deiymiyan]
#1841282 - 08/22/03 04:02 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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bright was meant to be a refernce to "illuminated"
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Amnesiac
Re-memberingcosmic wisdom
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: raytrace]
#1841366 - 08/22/03 04:28 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Great, yet another new label for people to slap on themselves and others so that they feel that they can relate to some group who shares something with them.
When are people going to learn to simply not use any mere word to identify, classify or define themselves?
It's bad enough we already have sub-labels within more general labels (ex., sects of Christianity:Catholics, Baptists, Adventists, etc.)... we don't need any more titles which encompass other views/opinions/beliefs.
People continue to attempt to define themselves with words. It's futile, give it up! Embrace No-labelism! (And yes, I realize the irony that No-labelism is itself a label
It's kind of a joke... am I funny? No... no, I don't think so, but I do try...
-------------------- Here we are, in these bodies, on this planet in an endless universe. This is not the extent of who we are... merely an extension of who we really are.
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Sclorch
Clyster
Registered: 07/12/99
Posts: 4,805
Loc: On the Brink of Madness
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Amnesiac]
#1841466 - 08/22/03 04:58 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Great, yet another new label for people to slap on themselves and others so that they feel that they can relate to some group who shares something with them. There is a balance between feeling appreciated and being elitist.
When are people going to learn to simply not use any mere word to identify, classify or define themselves? When everyone gets along.
It's bad enough we already have sub-labels within more general labels (ex., sects of Christianity:Catholics, Baptists, Adventists, etc.)... we don't need any more titles which encompass other views/opinions/beliefs. Hmm... it is true that clutter is bad... but why should this particular piece of clutter be discarded and not the others?
People continue to attempt to define themselves with words. It's futile, give it up! Embrace No-labelism! (And yes, I realize the irony that No-labelism is itself a label We're social beings... we communicate with each other... labels are convenient shortcuts that make this communication process more efficient. Otherwise, it might take us hours to tell someone where you're from.
Point understood... but the practical aspect of labels outweighs the issue of a possible miscommunication.
-------------------- Note: In desperate need of a cure...
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fireworks_god
Sexy.Butt.McDanger
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Amnesiac]
#1841507 - 08/22/03 05:07 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Amnesiac said: Great, yet another new label for people to slap on themselves and others so that they feel that they can relate to some group who shares something with them.
When are people going to learn to simply not use any mere word to identify, classify or define themselves?
People continue to attempt to define themselves with words. It's futile, give it up!
One word can't define an entire belief on its own, really, but a few to a collection of words can... and that's a lot less than all the words in the dictionary... and if there were no words at all, there would be no defining...
To share knowledge, some form of communication is necessary. Language is so far the definite best means of communication, and that is why it is necessary to come up with new words (and new meanings for them) to be able to accurately get across the knowledge being expressed... Motioning of hands and grunting just isn't what it used to be... Peace.
-------------------- If I should die this very moment I wouldn't fear For I've never known completeness Like being here Wrapped in the warmth of you Loving every breath of you
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Spokesman
The HighPhilosopher
Registered: 08/05/03
Posts: 847
Loc: New Jersey U.S.
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I think ever since apes ate hallucinagenic roots humans were ment to be spiritual. To me there is no supernatural exept for what you fabricate with your unconcious. Catholics see the virgin Mary, Pentocostals dont but they speak in tounges, Other religions have their god appear to them. Its all just our nature to bring the unconcious into our perspective once in a while. Im not sayin we should just face it and say "uh, were nothing but fongus and organisms growing on a piece of dust in this universe, lets kill eachother" Belief in the supernatural can bring alot of positives, but i dont need it. Does that make me a "Bright"....hmm... i dunno, sounds kinda..gay...............
--------------------
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Ped
Interested In Your Brain
Registered: 08/30/99
Posts: 5,494
Loc: Canada
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Spokesman]
#1843994 - 08/23/03 06:56 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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So this is a self-amalgamation which has acquired for itself the egoistic, pip-pip label, "Brights". As "Brights", these people have cast aside all physically abstract ideas without consideration. To top it all off, they've proclaimed for themselves the unreachable, self-perpetuating goal of the ego-centered: of "gaining social recognition and power".
A self-amalgamation of atheists, agnostics, naturalists, rationalists, skeptics, and objectivists. How fitting!
Oh Shiva, when will you come off it?
-------------------- Dark Triangles - New Psychedelic Techno Single - Listen on Soundcloud Gyroscope full album available SoundCloud or MySpace
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Earth_Droid
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Sclorch]
#1844016 - 08/23/03 07:03 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Sclorch said: In my view, mystical experiences are real... but there is no supernatural element to them.
Good poinr
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raytrace
Stranger
Registered: 01/15/02
Posts: 720
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Amnesiac]
#1844030 - 08/23/03 07:11 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Labeling seems to be a necessary evil. I don?t know about umbrellas though, raincoats are fine for me. Anyhow, in brief, here is my view: On one hand, inside the lab, the environment ought to be sterilized. I am an observing mathematical point. On the other hand, outside the lab, I am a conscious beast with a baggage of thousands of years of human experience. I am open to contamination. Why should I use only one hand, when God (hehe) gave me two? Well, it might be that I would like to tie one of them to perform some sort of acrobatics. Therefore, regarding "Brigthness", my position is actually a superposition, a quantum superposition.
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Spokesman
The HighPhilosopher
Registered: 08/05/03
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Loc: New Jersey U.S.
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Ped]
#1844085 - 08/23/03 07:38 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Ped said: As "Brights", these people have cast aside all physically abstract ideas without consideration.
Yeah, i know from my statement i might have sounded closed-minded towards religion, but i actually this wouldnt fit my personality because i take everything into consideration, Thats why i think there coulkd never be a lable on me, because i might belive something else tommorow, when i learn something new you know. Thats what being open minded is all about.
--------------------
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fireworks_god
Sexy.Butt.McDanger
Registered: 03/12/02
Posts: 24,855
Loc: Pandurn
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Spokesman]
#1845161 - 08/24/03 10:29 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Quote:
Spokesman said: Yeah, i know from my statement i might have sounded closed-minded towards religion, but i actually this wouldnt fit my personality because i take everything into consideration, Thats why i think there coulkd never be a label on me, because i might believe something else tomorrow, when i learn something new you know. Thats what being open minded is all about.
Ex-fucking-exactly. What was true tomorrow is not true today, a pattern only exists in the past, and has no control over what the next number is...
Flexibility keeps us open to new experiences, and we aren't killed with one hit.. Peace.
-------------------- If I should die this very moment I wouldn't fear For I've never known completeness Like being here Wrapped in the warmth of you Loving every breath of you
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Sclorch
Clyster
Registered: 07/12/99
Posts: 4,805
Loc: On the Brink of Madness
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So... I emailed the Brights:
Dear Brights- Overall I have to say that I fit the definition of a Bright quite well. Also I like the fact that you're not trying to be an organization, as they usually end up becoming corrupt institutions of power.
I do have a few thoughts and questions, though, and I'm sorry that they're organized so poorly.... Religious and supernatural beliefs don't always fall from the sky, nor are they always conjured up by some authority in order to control people. What I'm trying to get at is that the mystical experience cannot be ignored. These experiences happen, people have them all the time, I have had such experiences. I don't think they can be easily dismissed or written off as merely delusional. Unfortunately, the definiton of the word "mystical" includes the supernatural, the concept of god, and the like. Maybe a new term is needed to describe these experiences in a non-supernatural manner. So... my question: What is the position of the Brights on such experiences? -Sclorch
Sclorch- You ask probably the hardest question/comment that people have asked. If your mystical experiences are perfectly natural (no forces that are not open to investigation) than you fit the definition of Brights. If they are outside of the power of science to every investigate them, I guess your are not. You have to decide. The Brights' Net has no dogma that it is going to impose on individuals. So you have to read the definitions and the 9 principles provided on the home page, and make a decision whether or not you fit. Good luck. Write back if you have any other questions.
Paul ---------------------------------------- Paul Geisert & Mynga Futrell Co-Directors The Brights' Net
I hate it when people tip-toe around my questions, but anyways... The Brights' Net has no dogma that it is going to impose on individuals. ^^^This = good
-------------------- Note: In desperate need of a cure...
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raytrace
Stranger
Registered: 01/15/02
Posts: 720
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Sclorch]
#1850703 - 08/26/03 06:29 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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The Brights' Net has no dogma that it is going to impose on individuals. Yet, Brightness comes with the conviction that there is no mystical element in the universe.
Does this mean that everything is understandable? Are we not surrounded by mystery?
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Swami
Eggshell Walker
Registered: 01/18/00
Posts: 15,413
Loc: In the hen house
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Amnesiac]
#1850788 - 08/26/03 08:12 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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When are people going to learn to simply not use any mere word to identify, classify or define themselves?
Nonlabelist: *dials 911* Help I was robbed!
911 Operator: We will send a squad car right out!
Officer: What did the assailant look like?
NonLabelist: Well, it was of a certain, height, weight, race and gender...
Officer: Details! Was it a man? White or black? Short or tall?
Nonlabelist: I cannot put people in neat little boxes like you do, officer! People are much more than their descriptions.
Officer: *sigh*
-------------------- The proof is in the pudding.
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Rhizoid
carbon unit
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Re: The "Brights" Movement [Re: Swami]
#1851177 - 08/26/03 11:22 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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That's very funny, but it could also go like this:
Labelist: *dials 911* Help I was attacked!
911 Operator: We will send a squad car right out!
Officer: Can you identify the assailant?
Labelist: Yes, he was essentially a platonist with strong determinist leanings. He was also a typical Scorpio, and a baby-boomer. And even though I didn't see his car, it was so obvious that he was a BMW driver.
Officer: Excellent, now we'll catch him for sure, unless of course if he changes his identity.
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