FormulaNova said..
"Luck" is the same as arguing about "fate".

If you believe they exist, then it's problematic to argue that you are also an athiest.

A better term that I should use to describe myself is agnostic.

For an athiest luck is subjective. But there is randomness and skill. So if you combine randomness with skill it is likely you will have better outcomes by working hard.

I don't get all the existential discussion. Luck is just a term created by humans to describe unexpected good fortune. There's nothing mystical about it.

myscreenname said..
A better term that I should use to describe myself is agnostic.

Probably a good move, if only for the fact you can spell that one

Subsonic said..
I don't get all the existential discussion. Luck is just a term created by humans to describe unexpected good fortune. There's nothing mystical about it.

Why are you excluding bad luck?

myscreenname said..

FormulaNova said..
"Luck" is the same as arguing about "fate".

If you believe they exist, then it's problematic to argue that you are also an athiest.

A better term that I should use to describe myself is agnostic.

For an athiest luck is subjective. But there is randomness and skill. So if you combine randomness with skill it is likely you will have better outcomes by working hard.

I don't think we agree on the meaning of the term 'luck'. To me it is a random chance of something happen. To you it sounds like an effect that positively or negatively affects the outcome of something than it would otherwise be.

I suspect that "luck" is more an observation. Someone could have a crappy life, but live a long life with plenty of rewarding friendships, and call themselves "lucky". (I think I am channeling AB Facey).

Someone else could be born into a wealthy family, do okay at business, get into politics, get caught out paying hush money, and then call themselve unlucky.

Which one is lucky and which one is unlucky, or is it just a viewpoint?


I think the argument of everything being 'preordained' is a possible one if you believe that everything in this world is a function of what happened before it. It can neither change or be influenced. But this should affect whether you do something or not as that has been preordained also.

Carantoc said..

D3 said..
How about:

I don't believe our universe was created or shaped by an intelligence or entity

meh.

If I may be so bold as to suggest :

"I don't believe in your God".

That way you can be doubly offensive to the protagonist.

Maybe if I suggested who/what I believed in as all alternative, for the that extra salt?

Like any of the ancient religions or the FSM?

FormulaNova said..

myscreenname said..
I think we do agree.

I think some people like that ignore the realities of luck..

You contradicted yourself also, you are an agnostic too.

myscreenname said..

FormulaNova said..

myscreenname said..
I think we do agree.

I think some people like that ignore the realities of luck..

You contradicted yourself also, you are an agnostic too.

How did I contradict myself? I cannot see it.

myscreenname said..

FormulaNova said..
I suspect that "luck" is more an observation.

I think some people like that ignore the realities of luck..

Is luck a human construct, that depends on the observers opinion - or is it a reality?

I believe luck could and likely exists.

You are not sure and have had an each way bet.

No, I think it is a construct of humans. Nothing more. People think they are lucky or unlucky but the way they think doesn't generally change the outcome.

If I lose my patio roof tonight, am I unlucky?

Or did I just not prepare well enough?

FormulaNova said.. >>>>I prayed to no one, so I can rule that one out.

Maybe, but could there be such a thing as subconscious praying?

After all what goes on downstairs is a bit of a mystery, and there could well be a better connection to him upstairs.

Maybe that's all luck is.
A better connection between upstairs and down stairs.

I'll have to think about bad luck, voodoo anybody?

There's no such thing as luck it's all causes and conditions.

From the internet...

Is spinning heads in a coin toss lucky?

A physicist with too much time and resources on his hands can calculate with what force and spin a coin needs to be flipped or tossed in order to fall down with the same or opposite side up as its initial position.

The actual question of luck is how come a person relies on such prohibitively difficult to calculate physical equations in order to use their outcomes as some kind of guide in life.

Flying Dutchman said..
There's no such thing as luck it's all causes and conditions.

From the internet...

Is spinning heads in a coin toss lucky?

A physicist with too much time and resources on his hands can calculate with what force and spin a coin needs to be flipped or tossed in order to fall down with the same or opposite side up as its initial position.

The actual question of luck is how come a person relies on such prohibitively difficult to calculate physical equations in order to use their outcomes as some kind of guide in life.

Well, if it's just a calculation, I can ask the all knowing AI to calculate what the lotto numbers will be next week.
Should I let AI decide the Powerball or create my own luck with a power pick?

I'm Lucky,
Yesterday 1st day of winter, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing, I didn't have a migraine and I got out for a sail.

How good is that!

actiomax said..
I think neil tyson degrasse summed it up best
If god is all good & all powerful and we look around at the misery and suffering.
well the god cant be all good but if he is hes not all powerful so the definition of god is wrong or it doesn't exist

That's assuming the human concept of good is shared by God.
That's taking a big liberty assuming mere mortals can know the purpose of the universe.

It just proves a GOD that shares Mr Degrasse ideas of what he/it/she should be doing doesn't exist.

That's why I said you need to define GOD before you can prove it doesn't exist. And by definition you can't define GOD, so it's existence can't be proved or disproved.