| Research method |
June 7, 2011 - January 5, 2012
Author: Bart klein Ikink
Introduction
|
I made use of message boards to test theories and findings in the hope of getting responses that pointed at errors in my reasoning or angles on the subject I had overlooked. Most message boards have people that are eager to prove you wrong and many of those people have been helpful in finding deficiencies in theories and findings.
The theory of Natural Money itself has been shaped by discussions on the message boards of IEX.nl between 2001 and 2003. Likewise discussions on the message boards of Maroc.nl between 2009 and 2011 were important in improving the theories about religion and the order of the universe. Without the Internet this would not have been possible. For the first time in history a vast amount of information has become directly available.
Hegelian dialectic indicates that conflicts between different viewpoints can be resolved. Things are the way they are and opinions do not change that. Most viewpoints contain a certain amount of truth. Considering that many scientific findings, ideologies, philosophies and religions contain an amount of thruth, there should be no conflict between them on a higher level.
Limits of thinking
People tend to believe only data that fits their views. When beliefs are challenged with facts, most people do not alter their opinions and do not incorporate the new information into their thinking. Instead, when convictions are challenged by contradictory evidence, the beliefs of most people tend to get stronger [+]. The underlying issue is that religions, ideologies and even conspiracy theories are models that describe reality.
Everyone has a tendency to take for granted what suits him or her. It is part of the survival instinct to have a worldview. It allows people to act in certain situations. A worldview is a model of reality and not reality itself. Reality is complicated. It takes time to analyse reality comprehensively, and then it may be too late. A good worldview is therefore a worldview that helps you survive. That worldview does not necessarily have to be a correct one.
For example: many Israelis take for granted that Iran is working on a nuclear weapon and that Iran intends to wipe Israel off the map. This need not be true, but for survival this may be a good assessment. On the other hand this worldview could also be bad for survival, because by this thinking Israel can become a danger to itself.
Crowds are often better at guessing than experts [+] and therefore crowd wisdom can sometimes be used to fill up the gaps of knowledge. Crowds may sense phenomena better than scientists and experts. Proverbs may sometimes generate a more profound insight than scientific research or expert knowledge as many things that are observed cannot be proven scientifically. If a position cannot be proven, it can still can be true. Crowd wisdom may sometimes be guided by survival instinct. If one has to act then one can be forced to act on the best available information. In absence of proof this can be the aggregated guess of a large group of people.
The existence of God
Religions, supernatural phenomena, unusual coincidences and scientific findings all indicate that we live in a non-material virtual reality [+]. The Duck Test is sometimes used to counter arguments that something is not what it appears to be [+], but the Duck Test also can be used to show that nothing is what it appears to be. According to the Duck Test:
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. |
If it looks like a virtual reality, and behaves like a virtual reality, then it probably is a virtual reality. Many scientists tend to ignore phenomena that cannot be explained. This is partially because scientific knowledge can only be achieved using a scientific method, which often fails to proof the existence of supernatural phenomena. Another handicap of scientists is that most of them hold a materialist world view and look for material explanations. Consequently many scientists tend to search for psychogolical explanations for supernatural experiences.
The existence of God can be proven beyond reasonable doubt as it is unlikely that by pure chance a religion of a small and often dispersed people survives for more than 1,500 years and then becomes the basis for three major world religions, while it has been foretold to Abraham that all the peoples will be blessed in him (Gen. 18:17-18). No other deity made such a promise, and no other deity presented himself or herself, while in the past thousands of gods and goddesses have been worshipped. Technology like the Holodeck appears to feasible less a century from now. It is therefore likely Holodeck technology has been invented long ago and that this world is a holographic one.
When confronted with this evidence, many atheists are not able to see their deficient interpretation of the laws of probability. There is much to say for atheism because our existence can reasonably be explained as a result of chance. We do not need a God to explain our existence. This also applies to God and in the eyes of God there most likely is no God. Many religious people ignore scientific evidence when it contradicts their religious views. To counter the evidence for the evolution theory, the theory of intelligent design was introduced. This theory is crap by any reasonable standard and The Bible contradicts it by explaining that we are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). This implies that we are copies and not designs.
No guarantee of correctness
Even though the work on this website started with suggestions apparently coming from God, this does not mean that the conclusions I have drawn from them are correct. God has a long track record of deception to begin with and She has Her own agenda. Because of our existence in The Program, in which all our thoughts are controlled, it must at least be that the conclusions I arrived at were intended by God. Clues should be considered with suspicion as it is logically impossible to know God's intentions [+]. For this reason I have used the words seem, appear, probably and possibly abundantly.
Acting on messages apparently coming from God may turn out to be a senseless enterprise, but this cannot be known on beforehand. Some people tend to act on suggestions, like the Dutchman who has built a replica of Noah's Ark after having ominous dream of 20 years ago [+]. He had no compelling reason to believe the dream was a message from God. I already had figured out that Natural Money can solve the crisis that is coming. It was also possible to conclude the concept of Natural Money comes from God [+]. I therefore concluded that, the situation was weird, but that not acting on the suggestions would be a mistake. To put it more bluntly: If this is not it then what is this or if it is not now then when?
I was not really interested in religion, conspiracies or the nature of our universe as it seemed impossible to know about these things. There were only a few years to prepare so I had to scramble for information to build and improve the theories I was working on. Such a timeframe may be too short to verify all sources used thorougly. Despite that the picture that emerged from the research leaves little room for doubt. The research method can best be compared with the work of a detective. A detective gathers evidence, and based on the available evidence, a detective builds a theory. The picture that emerges from the work of a detective can differ from the apparent truth seen by the casual observer.
The available evidence can be interpreted in a wide variety of ways. Philosophers may spend decades to write lengthy essays on all the possibilities if they have the time. The evidence presented and the sources used can be evaluated in lengthy discussions with expert. I have only chosen to show the most likely interpretation as I see it and used the best sources I could find in a short timeframe. In the end something is true or it is not. The way anyone sees something does not change what is fact and what is not. Some of the findings may therefore be modified if new information becomes available.
Assumption based causal reasoning
Scientific reasoning has gained predominance because it produces results. Assumption based causal or model reasoning is common in science. Any model is a limited representation of reality based on specific assumptions that may not be correct. The limits of causal or model based reasoning in science can be demonstrated with the following fictional example:
The community counsil was worried about the high number of drowning deaths at the lake and hired a consultant to investigate the issue. After some number crunching the consultant discovered a correlation between drowning deaths and soda consumption at the Lakeside Café. As drowning could not cause soda consumption, it must be the other way around, and therefore the consultant advised to close the Lakeside Café. |
The example demonstrates that acting on faulty assumptions combined with crappy reasoning can still produce the desired results. But when the assumptions are faulty, and the reasoning is crappy, applying the model in other similar situations may not work. A similar type of logic is the following:
When you drink vodka over ice, it can give you kidney failure. |
If this logic results in drinking orange juice without ice, it will bring better health and an affirmation that ice really is the problem. From a survival perspective this logic can be effective, and for this reason humans with faulty logic have survived the natural selection process. Simplistic reasoning saves time, and therefore it can be crucial for survival.
Practical use
Because of our existence in The Program, there is no real difference between obtaining knowledge via scientific research, discussions, divine revelation or interpreting facts using common sense. Any research should be judged by its results. Skeptics may find lack of proof some of the findings and theories. But in the end, the Natural Financial System will work or it will not. God does exist or does not. In the end, opionions do not change facts.
The Internet is a powerful medium in which people can share ideas. Valuable ideas, information and insights are passed along, together with crap and nonsense. Investigative journalism in most traditional media has waned and alternative websites have filled in the gap. Many of those sites are less reliable than the traditional media, but they provide links to useful information that is more reliable.
Many alternative websites are a mix of facts and fiction and it was a challenging job to investigate their claims and to retrieve the facts. Many claims made on alternative websites and conspiracy websites could be verified and consequently falsified or corroborated.
The theory of Natural Money should be valued for its practical use. History has shown evidence that Natural Money will provide a more efficient financial system than usury money. Theories about God and the order of the universe can be evaluated for the way they improve understanding of the order of the universe. Given the limited amount of time available for the research, the best thing I could do was to document the findings with as much verifiable sources as possible.