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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 19th, 2023

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  • “Science” isn’t a monolithic entity like a deity is. It’s simply a belief in the natural cause and effect of the universe we live in. In other words, science is merely a way to describe and explain our world, derived from repeated observations. When people say they “believe in science”, it’s not blind worship- the idea is to present findings and observations in such a way that anyone could theoretically replicate the experiment, given the proper equipment.

    On the other hand, faith is the opposite- “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (“Religion” is a system of hierarchical institution based on spiritual faith or beliefs, btw.) Scientists ask questions about the world, and strive to find the answers, but religious folks are content to let those answers simply be “because God”.

    So, to disbelieve in science- rather, the scientific method- is purely a rejection of reality. You can, in fact, reconcile spiritual beliefs with scientific truths to an extent but ultimately, learning more about science leads to its own kind of spiritual understanding and beliefs that tend to reject religion. This is upsetting to diehard religious folks because hierarchies demand constant subjugation of inferiors, and to reject that “place” in the hierarchy is an act of major rebellion in and of itself.



  • In short, no. To explain: you have a bunch of beneficial bacteria living inside your digestive tract. These little guys help you digest your food, and in return they get a free meal. This basically means that the food you eat ferments into poo. Fermentation always results in gas being released (think how the plastic wrap on a bowl of dough can puff up as it proves.) So to sum it up, unless you drank a strict water-only diet, anything you eat can give you gas. (Even then, you would probably still naturally swallow some air with the water, and some would make it to the other end as a fart.)








  • I’m actually pretty interested in pixelfed, but for now I have three new social media I am trying to learn (kbin, lemmy, mastodon.)

    I mostly have instagram as a means of communication with a few key people. It’s also kind of my anchor into “mainstream” social media.

    I like microblogging but I prefer a text-first approach; I generally try to avoid using it other than as a messaging app. Lately I’ve been posting a lot on my side account (which is just pictures of my pet snails.) When I do scroll on my main I like my friends’ content (their selfies and art) and I follow a few of my favorite personalities as well (drag queens, local restaurants, Bake Off contestants, etc.)





  • Unfortunately money makes the world go round. Part of the meaning of “no ethical consumption under capitalism” means that no matter who you are, no matter what kind of service you employ, no matter what you try and do for yourself, somewhere along the line capitalism comes in and causes someone to suffer. It’s pervasive and insidious.

    If instances are completely supported by user donations, that’s great. But they will never match the billions of dollars that corps can toss around.

    The only real way to prevent corporate influence on anything is to abolish corporations and/or capitalism. In the meantime, though, we as users can take steps to mitigate their influence: discuss proactively, agree to defederate at a moment’s notice, and server admins can refuse bribes/offers/etc.


  • We say that we as humans have “higher reasoning” but most of, if not all of, our reasoning is predicated on animal instincts. People are capable of thinking through their actions and emotions and such, sure. Those same people also don’t always do so. How many times have you or someone you know let their emotions get the better of them, even if they are “aware” of them? That’s not really any different from a spooked horse running off or a hurt dog trying to bite the person trying to help.

    “Higher awareness” is much the same. In fact many animals have senses far greater than ours (like a dog’s sense of smell) or which we lack entirely (like sonar.)

    All mammals at least have similar brain structures with the same general set of glands and functions. Even the way humans think and feel and reason is different from one another, but we can still identify core emotions in one another. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that just because animals don’t experience the world exactly like us, doesn’t mean they don’t have similar feelings and reasons for feeling those things.