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Not much else I can think of that adds to the conversation here. Poor little guy, I'm glad he had happiness before he left.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pascals wager is garbage, it underestimates the time, effort and thought cost if there is no god. What sort of reflections would otherwise be meaningful? All the regrets they have? It's a kid, he had cancer, what could he have done differently?
Also Pascal wager is wrong because it assumes that believing in god is free or almost free, but if there's no god then the only thing you have is your life and by believing in god you are giving up the only opportunity to live your life the best way you can. Instead you taint everything you got with twisted and wicked thoughts like the one user 'sdegutis' presented: "Kid should suffer more before he died. Because sup…
edit - there would be much variation in approach however. The Greek gods would tend towards maximising poetic irony and unusual animal husbandry practices, whereas Jehova would probably just smite Pascal with boils.
Or alternatively, these are very important days in a person's life where serious thought and reflection might actually be needed, in the event that there really is something after this life, and our decisions in this life do actually have consequences on that. But instead, this person was offered constant distraction until the very end.
Great read, there are many other examples. One example I read in a Wired magazine many years back, of a World of Warcraft mass funeral and mourning in some place.
Or like the one from Norway from a few monthes ago, where the parents did not know he had friends until WOW players meet up in his funeral and a lot of players around the world mourned him in the game https://www.bbc.com/news/disability-47064773
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Also Pascal wager is wrong because it assumes that believing in god is free or almost free, but if there's no god then the only thing you have is your life and by believing in god you are giving up the only opportunity to live your life the best way you can. Instead you taint everything you got with twisted and wicked thoughts like the one user 'sdegutis' presented: "Kid should suffer more before he died. Because sup…
You presume that by believing in a God you're not living life in the best way you can, but is there really an objective (non-religious) "best way" to live life? I would assume that for the average religious person, the way they live their life feels just about right (barring any intrinsic human shortcomings).
So, the actual counter argument to Pascal’s wager is this. If there are some true god(s) that care they might have an actual objective scale, but as it’s unknowable any sacrifices for a specific religion are unwise.
In other words we don’t know if the objective scale is a specific belief, doing charitable works, sacrifices on a dark alter, or even maximizing the number of times we say purple on a given day. Further, without specific information you are equally likely to get the scale reversed as correct, possibly both suffering great long term harm as well as sacrifices in life. Thus, with the sum of all possible outcomes averaging to zero, the only net expected result is the sacrifice in life.
PS: I am positing this as a flaw in a logical argument, don’t take it out of that context.
Man... just woke up, checked HN as usual, and now I‘m up in tears. Communities like the ones from Elite Dangerous or EVE Online really tend to shine in such moments. I‘m... I don‘t know what else to write. Dang it. o7
The Eve Online and E:D communities are very supportive; players truly do care about each other underneath all the other layers. The communities have existed now for so long that they go deep. Also there's a fair bit of commitment needed to get into them, from a learning cliff perspective, so perhaps this is a factor as well? Common to both is how they are highly social communities.
(For others seeing this) look up "Broadcast 4 Reps", how Eve players encourage each other not to stay silent, but to call out when you need help. This is referring to the in game mechanic of letting logistics (a supportive fleet role) know to direct repairs your way, that you are in trouble. It's really an amazing thing to see the message spread that it is _ok_ to need help and talk about it.
o7
o7
https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/3sdixv/what...
When a close friend's body was starting to fail from lung cancer (and it was clear that it was his final days), I think we were very lucky that we both enjoyed video games. He was bedridden, slowly losing his motor functions, and it was hard to talk since breathing started to become difficult - but in a multiplayer video game with a controller and large buttons, he could be very expressive! There were goofy moments (…
Thank you.
Small edit: my partner in life is about to finish her Physician training to become specialised in Palliative care, her wounds motivate her to be a carer and lover for those who need her specialised care. I'm quite honestly humbled and grateful people like you and her exist in the world who can bring joy and love in moments of anguish.