Someone with a fresh mind, one not conditioned by upbringing and environment, would doubtless look at science and the powerful reductionism that it inspires as overwhelmingly the better mode of understanding the world, and would doubtless scorn religion as sentimental wishful thinking. Would not that same uncluttered mind also see the attempts to reconcile science and religion by disparaging the reduction of the complex to the simple as attempts guided by muddle-headed sentiment and intellectually dishonest emotion?...Religion closes off the central questions of existence by attempting to dissuade us from further enquiry by asserting that we cannot ever hope to comprehend. We are, religion asserts, simply too puny. Through fear of being shown to be vacuous, religion denies the awesome power of human comprehension. It seeks to thwart, by encouraging awe in things unseen, the disclosure of the emptiness of faith. Religion, in contrast to science, deploys the repugnant view that the world is too big for our understanding. Science, in contrast to religion, opens up the great questions of being to rational discussion, to discussion with the prospect of resolution and elucidation. Science, above all, respects the power of the human intellect. Science is the apotheosis of the intellect and the consummation of the Renaissance. Science respects more deeply the potential of humanity than religion ever can.

Belief is a wonderful way to pass the time until the facts come in.

truth heaven inspirational reality philosophy trust wisdom facts humor faith inspiration living god religion freedom intelligence time reading need intellect life-quotes spirituality values psychology angels morals philosophical wonderful expression humans divinity doubt deep-thoughts worship church sarcasm belief spirit evolution science wonder christianity morality laws atheism lord helping-others brain motivational-quotes wisdom-quotes theology evolve quotes believing opinion thinking needs cynical philosophy-of-life living-life viewpoint greatness immortal opinions ideas skepticism creator pessimism conviction debate loving-life stupidity law consciousness jokes human-beings truism heaven-and-hell aetheism nihilism idiots religious great-quotes satan savior quotes-to-live-by critical-thinking freedom-of-thought determinism free-will truth-of-life convictions humorous-quotations stupidity-of-man agnosticism pessimistic brainwashing arguments humorous-quotes atheist philosopher skeptic pragmatism theologians intellectuals blind-faith critical-thought religious-faith agnostic thinkers pragmatic religious-beliefs moral-philosophy intellectualism intelligent-men philosophy-of-religion science-vs-religion debates discourse moral-law intellectual truth-quotes original-sin religions skepticism-of-religion hell-on-earth philosophy-quotes atheists brainy-quotes wonders thinker factual allah discussion atheist-argument supreme-being nihilistic press brainwashed faith-quotes believers-in-god cynical-humor quotes-about-life almighty divine skeptical religion-and-science deity saviors worshipping faith-in-god believers the-lord belief-in-god reliance believe-in-god religion-and-philosophy the-creator atheism-quotes cults atheist-arguments informational values-in-life facts-of-life facts-wisdom life-quotes-and-sayings ideas-quotes quotes-on-life thinking-quotes doubts wisdom-quotations avatar agnostic-atheism agnostic-quotes agnostic-theism agnostics atheist-quotes belief-in-humanity believing-in-god brainwashed-religion brainwashed-society brainwashing-brainwashing-quotes celestial-being conviction-quotes critical-consciousness cults-of-personality cynical-quotes cynically-honest debates-about-religion deep-thinker deep-thinkers deep-thinking deity-of-christ divine-being doubts-about-religion doubts-quotes evolution-of-consciousness evolution-vs-creation evolution-vs-creationism evolution-vs-religion expand-your-mind expanding-evolving-consciousness facts-and-ideas facts-and-information facts-and-truths facts-of-the-matter facts-quotes facts-to-live-by facts-you-dont-want-to-know factuality faith-quotations free-will-quotes freedom-of-opinion freedom-of-the-press great-minds great-philosophers great-quotes-of-the-21st-century great-thinker great-thinkers great-thinkers-of-our-times heathen heathens heaven-on-earth heaven-quotes hell-quotes hobbies humor-and-belief humor-and-religion humor-quotes idiotic idiotic-people idiots-in-life idol info intellectual-quotes intelligence-quote intelligent-people jokes-about-religion laws-of-life legal legal-quotes monotheistic-religions moral-authority moral-quotes morality-quotes morality-without-religion need-to-be-true need-to-know nihilism-quotes nihilist nihilist-quotes non-believer non-believers non-believing opinions-about-religion opinions-of-people opinions-on-religion opinions-quotes pass-the-time passing-time peasants people-that-think pessimism-quotes pessimist popular-belief quotes-about-belief quotes-about-faith quotes-about-religion quotes-about-time quotes-by-great-minds quotes-on-religion religious-discussions religious-diversity religious-extremism religious-humor religious-tolerance rubes savior-quotes silly-beliefs skepticism-and-religion skeptics smart-people smart-quotes stupid-people stupidity-of-religion superhuman-being the-almighty the-godhead the-maker theology-quotes things-to-do things-to-live-by thinkers-of-our-time thinking-quotations truths-about-god truths-about-life truths-of-life want-to-be-true world-religions worship-god worship-of-god worshipping-god

Property taxes' rank right up there with 'income taxes' in terms of immorality and destructiveness. Where 'income taxes' are simply slavery using different words, 'property taxes' are just a Mafia turf racket using different words. For the former, if you earn a living on the gang's turf, they extort you. For the latter, if you own property in their territory, they extort you. The fact that most people still imagine both to be legitimate and acceptable shows just how powerful authoritarian indoctrination is. Meanwhile, even a brief objective examination of the concepts should make anyone see the lunacy of it. 'Wait, so every time I produce anything or trade with anyone, I have to give a cut to the local crime lord??' 'Wait, so I have to keep paying every year, for the privilege of keeping the property I already finished paying for??' And not only do most people not make such obvious observations, but if they hear someone else pointing out such things, the well-trained Stockholm Syndrome slaves usually make arguments condoning their own victimization. Thus is the power of the mind control that comes from repeated exposure to BS political mythology and propaganda.

Casting a curious gaze down on planet Earth, extra-terrestrial beings could well be forgiven for assuming that we humans are programmed in every move we make, by a palm-sized, oblong, slab of glass. More perplexing than that, who on earth could convince them otherwise ?

humor despair humanity intelligence human-nature humour intellect universe life-quotes worrying life-philosophy mankind life-lesson curiosity humans slavery evolution earth forgive machine perception brain manipulation fake-friends extraterrestrials assumption satire assumptions human-condition satirical curious prediction robots humanity-and-society universal-truths galaxy futuristic fake-people brainwashing dumb-people programming persuasion slave watching movements glass planet big-brother perceptions humourous skills reversal reverse universe-quotes artificial-intelligence homo-sapiens society-denial convincing quote-of-the-day brainwashed assume otherworld convince move humourous-quote quotable quotable-quotes quotes-about-life skill-sets skills-quote society-quotes future-prediction intelligent-design automaton watchers extraterrestrial-life manipulate robot satire-quotes quotes-on-life intellectual-capacity brainwashed-society conviction-quotes humor-quotes intelligence-quote universal-truth despair-quotes forgiveness-quotes skill-quotes future-quotes assumptions-quote universe-quotations move-forward glass-half-full earth-quotes worry-quotes galaxies artificiality contrary losing-it lost-souls perplexity globalization persuade convinced cellphones mobile-phone mobile-phones cell-phone quotology earthly-possessions perception-of-life palm perception-of-reality human-revolution perception-and-reality predictions subservience society-problem curiosity-quotes lost-generation persuasiveness regression dumbing-down dumbness cell-phones worrying-about-the-future life-on-earth planet-earth device devices planetary virtual-reality evolutionary-process palms robotic planetary-shift programming-quotes programming-your-mind backwards perplexed mobile mobile-device moves manipulation-quotes slavery-quotes earth-citizen monitoring artificial-life assumed backward-step brain-drain brainwashed-generation convinced-that-we-re-living convincing-ability convincing-others deskilled device-set-up device-sync earthlings earthly-task earthly-things galactic glass-slab global-warning globalisation governed homogeneity homogenous human-regression human-weakness humanoid impersonal impersonal-world laugh-at-yourself life-beyond life-on-other-planets losing-yourself machine-autonomy machine-man manipulation-of-others manipulation-of-the-masses manipulative manipulative-people mobile-app-development mobiles move-backward neanderthal neanderthal-marries-human oblong obsessive-compulsions obsessive-compulsive-disorder obsessive-interests other-world other-worldly other-worlds overrun perception-of-others perplexing persuasive planetary-exploration powers-of-persuasion programmed-to-receive programmers quotation-collections reverse-worlds robot-world robotic-humans robotic-machinery satirical-humor satirical-quotes slab slate slave-to-the-machine subservient telcos telecommunications telecoms to-the-contrary tongue-in-cheek virtual-cubicle virtual-world watcher

I emphasise it now; I had little-to-nothing in common with other people. Their values I did not comprehend, their ideals were to me a living horror. Call it ostentatious but I even sought to provide tangible proof of my withdrawal from the world. I posted a sign in the entrance to the building wherein I dwelt; a sign that indicated I had no wish to be disturbed by anyone, for any purpose whatsoever.As these convictions took hold of me and, as I denied, nay even repudiated, the hold that the current society of men possesses over its ranks, as I retreated into a hermitage of the imagination, disentangling my own concerns from those paramount to the age in which I happened to be born, an age with no claim to be more enlightened, significant or progressive than any other, I tried to make a stand for the spirit. Tyranny, in this land, I was told, was dead. But I contend that the replacement of one form of tyranny with another is still tyranny. The secret police now operate not via the use of brute force in dark underground cells; they operate instead by a process of open brainwashing that is impossible to avoid altogether. The torture cells are not secret; they are everywhere, and so ubiquitous that they are no longer seen for what they are.One may abandon television; one may abandon all forms of broadcast media, even the Internet, but the advertising hoardings in every street, on vehicles, inside transport centres, are still there. And they contain the same messages.Only the very rich can avoid their clutches utterly. Those who have obtained sufficient wealth may choose their own surroundings, free from the propaganda of a decayed futurity. And yet, and yet, in order to obtain such a position of freedom it is first necessary to have served the ideals of the tyranny slavishly, thereby validating it.("The Tower")

In 1953, Allen Dulles, then director of the USA Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), named Dr Sidney Gottlieb to direct the CIA's MKULTRA programme, which included experiments conducted by psychiatrists to create amnesia, new dissociated identities, new memories, and responses to hypnotic access codes. In 1972, then-CIA director Richard Helms and Gottlieb ordered the destruction of all MKULTRA records. A clerical error spared seven boxes, containing 1738 documents, over 17,000 pages. This archive was declassified through a Freedom of Information Act Request in 1977, though the names of most people, universities, and hospitals are redacted. The CIA assigned each document a number preceded by "MORI", for "Managament of Officially Released Information", the CIA's automated electronic system at the time of document release. These documents, to be referenced throughout this chapter, are accessible on the Internet (see: abuse-of-power (dot) org/modules/content/index.php?id=31). The United States Senate held a hearing exposing the abuses of MKULTRA, entitled "Project MKULTRA, the CIA's program of research into behavioral modification" (1977).

Modern industrial civilisation has developed within a certain system of convenient myths. The driving force of modern industrial civilisation has been individual material gain, which is accepted as legitimate, even praiseworthy, on the grounds that private vices yield public benefits in the classic formulation.Now, it's long been understood very well that a society that is based on this principle will destroy itself in time. It can only persist with whatever suffering and injustice it entails as long as it's possible to pretend that the destructive forces that humans create are limited: that the World is an infinite resource, and that the World is an infinite garbage-can. At this stage of History, either one of two things is possible: either the general population will take control of its own destiny and will concern itself with community-interests, guided by values of solidarity and sympathy and concern for others; or, alternatively, there will be no destiny for anyone to control.As long as some specialised class is in a position of authority, it is going to set policy in the special interests that it serves. But the conditions of survival, let alone justice, require rational social planning in the interests of the community as a whole and, by now, that means the Global Community. The question is whether privileged élites should dominate mass-communication, and should use this power as they tell us they must, namely, to impose necessary illusions, manipulate and deceive the stupid majority, and remove them from the public arena. The question, in brief, is whether Democracy and Freedom are values to be preserved or threats to be avoided. In this possibly-terminal phase of human existence, Democracy and Freedom are more than values to be treasured, they may well be essential to survival.