happy today?

Blitzkrieger

You should be.

There was some show on the other night about happiness and apparantly everyone has a pre-disposition for happiness. Not only that but it also stated we have a genetically pre-programmed level of happiness. Events like winning the lottery or losing our job can effect our happiness in the short term but we will "bounce back" to norm.

So if you work like a ******* and succeed at everything you'll be just as happy as if you worked like a ******* and failed at everything. In fact, since you won't be any happier anyway, why bother at all!

What a load of nonsense. This was presented in the style of a factual documentary and at no point did anybody say "My theory....." or "Our theory....", and that's all it was, a theory. They might have all sorts of test results and factual observations to support their theory but there's absolutly no way they could prove it.

What ****es me off is not that I don't agree with them but that they never said that they might be wrong. They never said that it was a theory they were presenting and not facts. What the hell are broadcasting standards for?

TwoShedsJackson

Sounds like cobblers to me. Did they explain how depressive disorders and such fit into this wonderful vista?

Baz_

i imagine they make you less happy...

just kidding, but yes it does sound a little dumb, what about homeless people do they bounce back on o'connell street bridge on a freezing cold night to a state of happiness no I don't think so. Unless they meant that you must be in a stable environment, but then thats an easy claim to make, that's like saying when you are happy and loved you will be happy. plonkers!!

C B

You ain't seen nothing yet smart ass

C B

i think what they were trying to say is that people have a neural predisposition of mood.
in the case of depression these people have a predisposition to unhappiness (though obviously they will be elated from time to time)
i think if you look around you you will see that this theory does hold and peoples moods generally stay quite constant. i.e. there is somebody in your office who is always grouchy regardless of what has happened to them and vice versa.

[This message has been edited by C B (edited 12-01-2001).]

Jak

I can personally vouch for that one ...

Baz_

I take it you guys work together, and that possibly CB is da Boss. tehe..

Bard

Seems like an overly simplistic theory and view of humanity to me - whether its that we all have a natural predisposition to happiness (which, IMHO, is complete b0ll0cks) or that we just all have a natural predisposition to be one way or the other (which is a bit more credible) - the idea is far too underdeveloped and simplistic to really hold much weight with me- especially if they are just, as you say, presenting this viewpoint as 'fact' and not just a theoretical possibility.

I get like this sometimes. I guess I have a natural predisposition to philosophical thought and debate and thereafter, all things literary and thought provoking... (hence my nickname I guess) ... just a pity that I don't generally get the time to put it into practise as much as I'd like to

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C B

On the issue of presenting theory as fact.

Fact is a myth!! In reality we can say very little with absolute certainty and to constantly reiterate that our beliefs may not be 100% fact would be unbearably boring as this would constitute half of all our conversations.

Blitz your a third level student (I think) at this point in your life you should be capable of listening to other peoples points of view without them having to add disclaimers to the effect that they may not be entirely true.

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Warning: The opinions expressed here are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of the moderators of boards.ie or it's sponsors. Nothing expressed above should be considered 100% fact.

[This message has been edited by C B (edited 15-01-2001).]

Bard

If you present some theory and tout it as complete fact, the inference is there that anything to the contrary of what you are presenting is incorrect as opposed to simply another point of view or an opposing 'theory'.

In presenting something purely as fact rather than saying that it is a theory or idea, you are attempting to make up the listeners mind in advance and close off other theoretic possibilities.

You shouldn't necessarily over-estimate your audience's intelligence by presuming that they'll see that theories are just theories no matter how they're presented.

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C B

Bard,
I think you missed the main thrust of my last post.
Allideas are theories. We all have theories on a range of subjcts and we all present them as truth (because thats what we believe them to be).
If you spend your life accepting other peoples word as truth you'll be very confused.

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Warning: The opinions expressed here are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of the moderators of boards.ie or it's sponsors. Nothing expressed above should be considered 100% fact.

Bard

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by C B:
Bard,
I think you missed the main thrust of my last post.
Allideas are theories. We all have theories on a range of subjcts and we all present them as truth (because thats what we believe them to be).
If you spend your life accepting other peoples word as truth you'll be very confused.
</font>

That's all well and good, C B ;- I don't think I missed your point - but then again, nobody exactly said I was replying directly to your last post rather than what I was doing: - just generally adding to the thread.

[This message has been edited by Bard (edited 15-01-2001).]

Excelsior

ooooh, bard got you good cb.

i could talk for hours about whether all facts are just theories that are extremely likely.

can we talk about that instead?

Blitzkrieger

it's an opinion

C B

Amm....
Since I was the only other person discussing fact and theory and your post came directly after mine and presented a contrary position I think it was resonable to infer that it was a reply to me. Or at the very least that my post played some small part in the way you posted your thoughts.

Excelsior I don't think you need to ask permission to post your thoughts (If you do then: "Permission Denied !!!" )

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Warning: The opinions expressed here are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of the moderators of boards.ie or it's sponsors. Nothing expressed above should be considered 100% fact.

Bard

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by C B:
Amm....
Since I was the only other person discussing fact and theory and your post came directly after mine and presented a contrary position I think it was resonable to infer that it was a reply to me. </font>

Reasonable- perhaps. Accurate- no.

I was discussing fact and theory. You were discussing fact and theory. That doesn't mean I was discussing fact and theory with you.

Like I said, it was just a general comment - an addition to the thread.

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Blitzkrieger

Of course I realised that it was just a theory without them spoon-feeding me, but like Bard said - don't over estimate the intelligence of the audience. I think it was shown on RTE so this was largely the same people who thought buying shares in eircon would be a good idea.

If it is a theory they sould be forced to say it is a theory.

C B

Is that a theory or fact?

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Warning: The opinions expressed here are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of the moderators of boards.ie or it's sponsors. Nothing expressed above should be considered 100% fact.

Blitzkrieger

k, it's an opinion based on the theory that most people are morons

TwoShedsJackson

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Blitzkrieger:
k, it's an opinion based on the theory that most people are morons </font>

It's a fact that most people are morons

Bard

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Castor Troy:
It's a fact that most people are morons

[/B]</font>

That's your opinion


(and ever downward spirals the thread!)

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[This message has been edited by Bard (edited 16-01-2001).]

Excelsior

bring it back up!
bring it back up!
teach me about hume and the empiricists and naturalists and the concept of inductions fatal flaw.

how do i know that bread will nourish me?!?

C B

Yes I know it's an opinion, but is it based on a theory or backed up by fact?

C B

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Bard:

(and ever downward spirals the thread!)
</font>

I would respectfully contend that the thread is moving in a more linear fashion, as opposed to a spiral.

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Warning: The opinions expressed here are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of the moderators of boards.ie or it's sponsors. Nothing expressed above should be considered 100% fact.

[This message has been edited by C B (edited 17-01-2001).]

Baz_

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
Originally posted by C B:

I would respectfully contend that the thread is moving in a more linear fashion, as opposed to a spiral.

</font>

is that a theory or a fact...

What I think is that if a programme is broadcast on tv, with a possible viewership of millions, and if the programme discusses topics which are merely theoretical possibilities, and have not been proved beyond a shadow of a doubt to be fact, or at least agreed upon by the vast majority of experts in the topics field, then the programme should at the very least once say that the topic is based on a theory, or stuff like "it is believed...", at least once remember but moreacceptably a great number of times.

Sorry about the lack of full stops and paragraphs, if you don't like you can sue me.

Bard

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by C B:
I would respectfully contend that the thread is moving in a more linear fashion, as opposed to a spiral.
</font>

Fine! It started well, but took a nose-dive. The spiral analogy was with a plane that does that... I'm sure you got the point.

happy?

Excelsior

i would contend that your theory that this is pointless is flawed and should be replaced with the theory that this argument is useful without being relevant.

and if this isnt a spiral, i have never used spirographs.

Canaboid

FACT: Most morons are people.


I have no sig.

C B

bard,
i'm in the midst of a meaningless arguement
of course i'm happy!1

C B

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Excelsior:
i would contend that your theory that this is pointless is flawed and should be replaced with the theory that this argument is useful without being relevant.

and if this isnt a spiral, i have never used spirographs.</font>

I never proposed a theory that this was pointless. I said meaningless. And it is entirely relevant while remaining utterly useless.

(I think it just became a spiral )

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Warning: The opinions expressed here are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of the moderators of boards.ie or it's sponsors. Nothing expressed above should be considered 100% fact.

sixpack's little hat

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Castor Troy:
It's a fact that most people are morons

</font>

i noticed a slight problem with your theoretical fact. if you're correct you 're probably a moron and if you're wrong that would also make you one.