2008-08-05, 21:49 | Link #1261 | |
Mr. Awesome
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Underpants Gnome Factory
Age: 37
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Its based on the theory that any one matter can be transformed into another if exposed to proper elements which can rearrange the molecules. While it has largely been abandoned it still is not impossible, especially as technology advances. |
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2008-08-06, 05:10 | Link #1262 | ||
is this so?
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Gradius Home World
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However some groups are more volatile than others. I just quoted him because it appears (by my analysis of his post) that he's trying to have the effect that atheism is a major cause of being a murderer and that there are less/no killers in groups who have a religion.
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2008-08-06, 06:46 | Link #1263 | |||
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: England
Age: 34
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Apparently so...^-^;
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All I do know is that many people on this world would also like a realistic and scientific explanation for everything as opposed to just fairy-tales and myths about a naked man and woman, apples and something to do with a snake. If that were the real truth then why are snakes not offering us apples to this day? Quote:
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2008-08-06, 07:15 | Link #1264 | |
Silent Warrior
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Netherlands
Age: 38
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OT: whoever said alchemy is fake. The Sun shows a reaction that is considered Alchemy no? |
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2008-08-06, 11:24 | Link #1265 | |
Gregory House
IT Support
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Besides, alchemy tried to find the mystic Philosopher's stone, which was, besides turning lead into gold, also supposed to grant eternal youth. Which doesn't seem too concordant with modern physics.
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2008-08-06, 12:47 | Link #1266 | ||
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Location: 28° 37', North ; 77° 13', East
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Last edited by oompa loompa; 2008-08-06 at 13:18. |
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2008-08-06, 12:56 | Link #1267 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 67
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Before you get to science... you have pre-science, pseudo-science, baby steps, whatever. alchemy, astrology, phrenology, blahblahblah were all early broken attempts at thinking about things seriously -- but they were stepping stones to actual scientific endeavor once the crap was sheared away.
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2008-08-06, 13:22 | Link #1268 | |
Mr. Awesome
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Underpants Gnome Factory
Age: 37
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But was we all very well know, meteorites do on occasion fall from the sky. The point being that we tried to use logic to phase out the possibility of it happening. Many animals that science has determined to be extinct have been found living as well. While science is great and it has made our lives better over the years there are still some things it cannot explain. Like for instance why 40% of Americans report having some type of paranormal experience in their lives, but due to scientific reason and logic have trained themselves to ignore it or rationalize it. I believe alchemy is possible, we just don't know how to use it yet. |
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2008-08-06, 13:33 | Link #1270 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
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I on the other hand believe in ghosts...probably due to the fact that I have seen one myself. Yes, I was quite tired at the time but what I saw 'was' there. But it would not matter how much I and other people whom have experienced paranormal encounters expressed that we are certain of what we saw, because their is never enough sourses or proof in which a scientist can properly analyse or work from. The paranormal work in mysterious and un-identified ways, or so it would seem. |
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2008-08-06, 13:34 | Link #1271 | ||
Mr. Awesome
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Underpants Gnome Factory
Age: 37
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Thats what alchemy is in essance. Quote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWEXb...eature=related |
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2008-08-06, 13:53 | Link #1272 |
Senior Member
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Location: 28° 37', North ; 77° 13', East
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its certainly not impossible.. and has been done already (Seaborg - lead to gold). if, we define alchemy as rearranging the atoms of a certain element, into another, it has been done before already, and its been technologically possible for quite a while now , not to mention it happening in nature. theres modern alchemy for you. doing it with useable materials in a cost efficient manner is another story altogether
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2008-08-06, 14:05 | Link #1273 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 67
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I suggest a reading of Carl Sagan's "The Demon Haunted World" as a starter on how the mind creates a model of reality and how its "internal sketchbook" often creates sensory input to fill in the gaps.
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Last edited by Vexx; 2008-08-06 at 14:31. |
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2008-08-06, 14:15 | Link #1274 | |
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Location: East Cupcake
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As it is, this is not what Scientists have done to create gold from another element. Scientists "broke" a platinum atom down into a gold atom (this only lasted some 5 seconds). This is not alchemy at all (unless yo are using the broadest definition of the word that you can use). (btw, Seaborg won the Nobel Prize in Chemisty for finding the Transuranium elements, not "making" gold), i.e. elements with an atomic number greater than 92 (uranium); many of these elements do not exist on Earth.) Early Alchemy was mere chemistry (the combination of different materials in hopes of create a new better material). Alchemy, though, as it is known in Western society today (based off work collected from Middle Age till the early 19th century) sought to understand the metaphysical, not rearange the physical, world, believing that "organic and inorganic...[were] mere metaphors for spiritual entities, spiritual states and ultimately, spiritual transformations." (It should be noted that the "original" alchemy of the Greeks, Romans, etc. (which was not known as alchemy) was finally disproved by the Islamic nations some 1200 years ago (when they created the basis for modern scientific method), which is partially why the European nations switched over to a metaphysical approach to alchemy.) European Alchemists did not really want to turn iron into gold, they wanted to discover a way to turn an imperfect shell (called man) into their more divine metaphysical selves (a physical form of elightenment, which is blasphmeous no mater how you look at it). This is what made Alchemy so heretical to the various Christian churches. |
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2008-08-06, 14:19 | Link #1275 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: England
Age: 34
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There are other ways too, but I don't want to go too into it. A scientist would have to experience it for them to actually take interest. I think that they should get some scientists to go to these haunted places to check them for themselves. Ofcourse their are people that specialise in this kind of thing already, but they should give them a first-hand experience. |
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2008-08-06, 14:26 | Link #1276 | |
Senior Member
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2008-08-06, 14:28 | Link #1277 | |
Mr. Awesome
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Underpants Gnome Factory
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2008-08-06, 14:45 | Link #1278 | ||
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Alchemists were also shooting for eternal life. Is medicine alchemy? IIRC, silver nitrates were discovered by alchemists. Is photography alchemy? |
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2008-08-06, 14:50 | Link #1279 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: East Cupcake
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Added to that, we have even, briefly, been able to make gold from lead. All of these process for transmutation are extrememly cost inefficient, though, so they have never been used more than once or twice. You are talking about the "fusion fuel" used in the Teller-Ulam design (the H-Bomb). I know that the fusion fuel releases excess neutrons when heated and compressed, inducing additional fission. I, as well as most people, am unclear of how this fully happens (the best guess is that there is a plutonium "sparkplug" inside of a fusion fuel (lithium?), and when the fusion fuel starts reacting, it causes the plutonium sparkplug to go through a fission process, which in turn creates a secondary explosion, which starts a fusion reaction which creats an even larger explosion). Anything beyond that is currently unreleased to the public. But, you are correct, I mispoke when I said fusion was currently impossible for mankind. I meant that fusion as a means of energy source was currently impossible. Last edited by james0246; 2008-08-06 at 15:05. |
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2008-08-06, 14:50 | Link #1280 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: England
Age: 34
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Don't worry, many others were finding it quite hysterical...including myself. I kept explaining to him that it was just simply a means of Japanese entertainment. Then he started going on about how they should all be christian and believe in the same God as him. The guy was a complete na-na head.
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Yes. Chances are that if I told me grandfather some of my quotes from this he would probably have my head down a toilet or something. I have yet to experience a full-on row with a religious being in real life. It will probably never happen though. Oh well. ^^ |
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not a debate, philosophy, religion |
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