Or, rather than something we've never heard mention of in this world before, could it perhaps be the goddamn inter-dimensional portal that several people have told us about?
You really don't want this to be about gods, do you?
Someone makes a choice. Every time someone new comes along, someone somewhere made a choice to bring that person and not someone else. And they can reach beyond the grave to do it.
No, I think something made by people did this. Who knows what criteria it uses to pick us, or if it's all entirely random, but the thing that pulled us from another world is not a conscious entity. I suppose it could have some form of AI, but that's a grey area. Point is, it's not a person.
Yes well once again, we're not in your world. In mine they could, provided we had interdimensional portals. They can navigate between stars. In comparison, plucking random people out of other universes seems easier.
Why wouldn't a god be a person? How are we defining person?
A person is someone with free will. For the most part. Gods have... rules they can't break. They can't even bend them. Personality is another. Personality that isn't based on what worshipers think of you.
If they were really gods, they'd be the ones making the rules. And now you'll have to define free will. Does a slave have free will? Does a hostage? And yet their condition does nothing to change their personhood.
The Gods aren't being kept in Elysium against their will? I mean, they want to be there and besides, they like it there. They like the power and they like watching us. The younger ones. I don't think the Old Gods care enough about us to even be amused.
You know I'm going to say yes to all of that, but that doesn't mean that a God is a person. You're a person because you're you. You have personality and you have a will. Gods are something different.
I had a friend who was a God for a little while, and she told me that they're not like us. They don't have humanity.
Oh really? So gods don't have a personality or a will? Everything you've told me about them would seem to suggest otherwise. And now you're equating "humanity" with "personhood". There are plenty of people without a shred of humanity because they aren't human. Just because someone isn't "like us", it doesn't make them not a person.
Okay, I'll give you that people can be people without humanity, but only because history shows us just how inhumane some of us can be.
But you can't be a person without a personality. And Gods? They kind of get theirs from worshipers. I mean, they can change and they're fickle and the only thing that's even real about them it the spark of life, or magic or whatever they're made of. Everything else is just PLANTED in to them. By someone else.
Like, people might THINK their pet-rock is a person and has a personality, but it doesn't.
No, don't give me that "only because". You can't compare the worst humanity has to offer with the average non-human. They're people because they're people. That's it. We're not the metric by which the rest of the universe is judged. And I thought I was self-important.
I hate to break it to you, but there are plenty of people out there without a personality, and if you think personalities never change, I'm not really sure what to tell you. Are you telling me you're the same person you were when you were ten? Fifteen? Now we could get into an argument about how much of our personalities are our own choice and how much of them are the result of outside forces beyond our control, but I really don't think that's necessary, do you?
They're people because they're human. I'm not saying a centaur isn't human-LIKE, but they're not fully people. And still, they're more people than Gods are.
Yes, I'm the same as I was at ten and fifteen. Pretty much. I mean, I'm taller. And I'm wiser. But my personality is the same. Isn't yours?
What are you even saying, that we're not BORN with a personality? Have you ever raised a child? They're kind of born that way. Sure, you could probably torture someone enough to make them behave differently, but you can't change their personality. Because they're a person.
Not fully people? What part of "we're not the center of the universe" did you not understand? What do you think a centaur would think of you? "Oh, you know humans, they're centaur-LIKE, but they're not fully people." That's what you sound like. See how ridiculous it is?
And god no, I'm not nearly the same. I never would've gotten anywhere if I was. You can change a personality. Just because you've never been through anything strong enough that doesn't mean it can't happen. I'm not getting into a nature versus nurture argument with you. We're clearly not standing on even ground on this subject, so there's really no point.
Yes. Or, well, I don't think that they think that? They really do think that, and not all the centaurs are keeping it to themselves.
Oh, fuck you! Maybe not all of us need to change our personalities because there wasn't anything wrong with it in the first place. Maybe that's a you-problem.
I have never met you, no. At least I don't think so?
I never said you've changed for the BETTER, but you said it yourself that you changed your personality. I'm not even going to try and guess why you did that.
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Do you see any gods here?
Did I miss some sort of divine revelation?
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Dick gods.
I haven't seen one. Yet. But it's just a matter of time.
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Someone makes a choice. Every time someone new comes along, someone somewhere made a choice to bring that person and not someone else. And they can reach beyond the grave to do it.
And you think people did this?
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Who knows what criteria it uses to pick us, or if it's all entirely random, but the thing that pulled us from another world is not a conscious entity.
I suppose it could have some form of AI, but that's a grey area.
Point is, it's not a person.
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AI's in my world could never do this.
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In mine they could, provided we had interdimensional portals.
They can navigate between stars. In comparison, plucking random people out of other universes seems easier.
Why wouldn't a god be a person? How are we defining person?
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A person is someone with free will. For the most part. Gods have... rules they can't break. They can't even bend them. Personality is another. Personality that isn't based on what worshipers think of you.
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And now you'll have to define free will.
Does a slave have free will? Does a hostage?
And yet their condition does nothing to change their personhood.
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You know I'm going to say yes to all of that, but that doesn't mean that a God is a person. You're a person because you're you. You have personality and you have a will. Gods are something different.
I had a friend who was a God for a little while, and she told me that they're not like us. They don't have humanity.
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Oh really?
So gods don't have a personality or a will? Everything you've told me about them would seem to suggest otherwise.
And now you're equating "humanity" with "personhood".
There are plenty of people without a shred of humanity because they aren't human.
Just because someone isn't "like us", it doesn't make them not a person.
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But you can't be a person without a personality. And Gods? They kind of get theirs from worshipers. I mean, they can change and they're fickle and the only thing that's even real about them it the spark of life, or magic or whatever they're made of. Everything else is just PLANTED in to them. By someone else.
Like, people might THINK their pet-rock is a person and has a personality, but it doesn't.
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They're people because they're people.
That's it.
We're not the metric by which the rest of the universe is judged.
And I thought I was self-important.
I hate to break it to you, but there are plenty of people out there without a personality, and if you think personalities never change, I'm not really sure what to tell you.
Are you telling me you're the same person you were when you were ten? Fifteen?
Now we could get into an argument about how much of our personalities are our own choice and how much of them are the result of outside forces beyond our control, but I really don't think that's necessary, do you?
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Yes, I'm the same as I was at ten and fifteen. Pretty much. I mean, I'm taller. And I'm wiser. But my personality is the same. Isn't yours?
What are you even saying, that we're not BORN with a personality? Have you ever raised a child? They're kind of born that way. Sure, you could probably torture someone enough to make them behave differently, but you can't change their personality. Because they're a person.
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What part of "we're not the center of the universe" did you not understand?
What do you think a centaur would think of you?
"Oh, you know humans, they're centaur-LIKE, but they're not fully people."
That's what you sound like. See how ridiculous it is?
And god no, I'm not nearly the same.
I never would've gotten anywhere if I was.
You can change a personality.
Just because you've never been through anything strong enough that doesn't mean it can't happen.
I'm not getting into a nature versus nurture argument with you.
We're clearly not standing on even ground on this subject, so there's really no point.
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Oh, fuck you! Maybe not all of us need to change our personalities because there wasn't anything wrong with it in the first place. Maybe that's a you-problem.
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Or don't, I don't care.
My point is made.
Speaking of which, you continue not to know what the hell you're talking about.
You think I changed for the better?
Have you ever met me?
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I never said you've changed for the BETTER, but you said it yourself that you changed your personality. I'm not even going to try and guess why you did that.