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Claim: However self-consciously aware we are, as we deliberate and reason, every act and operation of our mind happens as it does as a result of features and operations for which we are ultimately in no way responsible.
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If I were the prince of darkness, I would want to engulf the whole world in darkness.
I'd have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would clearly be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — thee.
So, I would set about however necessary to take over the United States.
I'd subvert the churches first, and I would begin with a campaign of whispers.
With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: "Do as you please."
To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince the children that man created God instead of the other way around. I'd confide that what's bad is good and what's good is square.
And the old, I would teach to pray after me, "Our Father, which are in Washington ..."
Then, I'd get organized, I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting.
I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could. I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I'd tranquilize the rest with pills.
If I were the devil, I'd soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves and nations at war with themselves until each, in its turn, was consumed.
And with promises of higher ratings, I'd have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.
If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellect but neglect to discipline emotions. I'd tell teachers to let those students run wil. And before you knew it, you'd have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.
With a decade, I'd have prisons overflowing and judges promoting pornography. Soon, I would evict God from the courthouse and the schoolhouse and them from the houses of Congress.
In his own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I'd lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls and church money.
If I were the devil, I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.
What'll you bet I couldn't get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich?
I'd convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun and that what you see on television is the way to be.
And thus, I could undress you in public and lure you into bed with diseases for which there are no cures.
In other words, if I were the devil, I'd just keep right on doing what he's doing.
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Some biological things go further than birth. You will always be somewhat guided by your biological side of things, your temperament and your personality. Some 40 to 60% of the Big Five personality traits are explained by your genes. Your biology may guide you to environments that help you express yourself but your environment can also give you the thought that there is something wrong with you just because your temperament fits poorly with the environment. Poorness of fit can lead to suppression of your "real" personality. Ultimately it is about making the best out of your genes and environment. The question you propose is clearly entirely philosophical, but also psychological and biological. Instead of nature vs nurture, it's more a matter of connections between your genes and your environment. Drunk gn8
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You Think I Ain't Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire