Was there any way that Ottoman Empire could have save itself?

Well, in a way, the Ottoman Empire did save itself — it continued to exist as the state of Turkey. They did this, despite the wishes of the Allied powers, who wanted to totally wipe them off the map, after WWI. Ataturk, their leader, was involved in exterminating the Armenian Christians in Turkey, thus giving them cultural stability and unity. He then introduced Western reforms including using Roman script for the language, instead of Arabic, and making Turkey a truly secular society, instead of following Muslim Shariah Law. These changes allowed Turkey to Westernize and modernize, and to survive in the modern world. https://www.quora.com/Was-there-any-way-that-Ottoman-Empire-could-have-save-itself

What is the origin of ancient Chinese civilization and when was it established? Why is it considered one of the oldest civilizations in the world?

The unique aspect of Chinese civilization is that they maintained a stable Empire, more or less, anyway, for over 2000 years. This probably could be attributable more to their isolated geographic location, than anything else. The Chinese did not need to worry about being overrun by barbarians nearly as much as other civilizations because they were totally surrounded by impassible mountains, oceans and deserts. The one place they had to worry about — to the North — they controlled with an enormous wall, thousands of miles long. They still were invaded from the North from time to time, most notably by the Mongols, but, the Great Wall of China did contain things to a large degree. The first unified Chinese Imperial Dynasty — the Qin — was established decisively in 221 B.C., effectively turning all the independent states of China into a single empire. If you’re interested, here’s a stunningly beautiful, 81 episode series on the first Chinese dowager Empress, Mi Yue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzz5GMJjtF0This woman, born over a century earlier, lived to a great age, and was supposedly the mother of one of the most important Kings of the Qin, and ancestor of the first Qin emperor. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-origin-of-ancient-Chinese-civilization-and-when-was-it-established-Why-is-it-considered-one-of-the-oldest-civilizations-in-the-world

Want some fun? Watch the Quora moderation censors and Canadians scramble when I criticize the Canadian government on Quora!

https://mentalhealthresilience.quora.com/?__ni__=0&__tiids__=157237010&__filter__=all&__nsrc__=notif_page&__sncid__=52793487239&__snid3__=70767665313#anchor https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-Quora-moderation-team-go-along-with-Canadian-fascists-in-suppressing-any-and-all-criticism-of-the-Canadian-government/answer/Cameron-Fraser-4?__filter__=all&__nsrc__=notif_page&__sncid__=52794288501&__snid3__=70768950327 https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-Quora-moderation-team-go-along-with-Canadian-fascists-in-suppressing-any-and-all-criticism-of-the-Canadian-government/answer/Sandra-Streifel-she-her?__filter__=all&__nsrc__=notif_page&__sncid__=52794401161&__snid3__=70769097055 The original question was 'Why do Canadians, who encourage doctors to "terminate" the "mentally ill", and who sentence people to life in prison for "advocating genocide", present themselves as models of virtue and wisdom to the world, as a whole?' It was deleted twice, even after some people answered it, and agreed with me that Canadians were total hypocrites. It was taken up separately by one of their "spaces", mentalhealthresilience, which has independence from the central Quora moderators. Watch Sandra Steifel, a medical practitioner call me a liar, and then not answer when I politely ask her what I lied about! Canadians are priceless! They're so hypocritical and dishonest they have no concept how hypocritical and dishonest they actually are!

NATO's weird war in Ukraine

For the first two years of fighting in Ukraine, it was common for the Western media to refer to "Vladimir Putin's weird war in Ukraine". The idea was, that Russia was just a third world country anyway, so, how could he possibly expect to win against a large nation -- the second largest in Europe -- being funded with NATO weaponry? As it's become clear that Ukraine can't possibly advance an inch against Russian defenses, and that Russia is steadily absorbing and colonizing all of Ukraine, while advancing steadily against the best weaponry NATO has, our perspective has, of course, shifted a bit here. Now, it's becoming a bit unclear what NATO has in mind, in trying to defeat Russia in a territory it has mostly controlled for centuries, and in which the population is largely sympathetic to Russia. So, we see Europe gradually trying to escalate the situation further. We see French "military advisers" being sent to Ukraine. We see the Baltics and Poland talking about sending their military forces into Ukraine independently of NATO. We see France and Germany encouraging Ukraine to use their missiles to attack Russian targets in Russia, at the risk of major retaliation from Russia against their own civilian populations. So, what exactly is going on here? What does Europe really have in mind? What does NATO really have in mind? Up to a point, this all looks like just an enormous pissing contest on an international scale, at least from NATO's perspective. NATO wants to prove that it cannot be "pushed around", so, rather than simply letting the situation resolve itself peacefully, as it probably would have done if Russia had just been permitted to remove President Zelensky and put a pro-Russian government in place in Kiev, NATO feels the need to respond to each succeeding Russian success with further escalation, no matter how much damage this does to Ukraine, and, to NATO itself. So far NATO has wasted some 400 billion dollars in Ukraine, and, the only consequences are that Russia is colonizing much of Ukraine systematically, and that the Russian economy is stronger than it has ever been before. Apparently, NATO cannot grasp that its day is done, and, that it no longer can control, or even particularly even impress the world. NATO is flailing around, rather like Britain and France during the Suez Crisis, trying to prove that it is still a "Great Power", trying to assert its dominance over world affairs, when, in reality, NATO is just a joke by this time. I suppose, at some point, NATO nations will grasp that they no longer have much in common at all, and, that they are more of a threat to themselves, than Russia is. Until then, the people of Ukraine will have to pay the price of NATO arrogance and stupidity and greed.

If God didn’t exist, how do atheists explain what they do when they encounter demons, genies, and other evil spirits? There is nothing to do in atheism to be protected from them.

As a general rule, atheists are science idolators, they see science as all knowing and all powerful, so, they don’t believe in the supernatural, even when they are directly exposed to it. Atheists think they understand everything, or, that they soon will, anyway. https://www.quora.com/If-God-didn-t-exist-how-do-atheists-explain-what-they-do-when-they-encounter-demons-genies-and-other-evil-spirits-There-is-nothing-to-do-in-atheism-to-be-protected-from-them

Which civilization, China or Rome, has had the greatest impact on humanity?

https://www.quora.com/Which-civilization-China-or-Rome-has-had-the-greatest-impact-on-humanity Rome. China was too isolated from the rest of the world until a few centuries ago, for it to have much influence on humanity as a whole. True, a number of important technologies like gunpowder, paper, printing and the compass were developed in China, but, China’s isolated geographical location, largely cut off from the rest of the world by great oceans, deserts and mountains, narrowed China’s capacity to influence the world directly. It’s only now that China is fully integrated into the world as a whole, and, we’ll have to see the long term effects of that fundamental change. For most of human history, China existed as a kind of alternate reality, an exotic locale that had only indirect effects on the rest of the world. In contrast, Rome formed the basis for European culture, and, for centuries, Europeans ruled the world. Most of modern science, law, language and culture is derived from Greco-Roman society.

Why do atheists say that they don't believe in God, when the literal meaning of atheism is "afraid of theism"? Why would they be afraid of something that doesn't exist?

https://www.quora.com/Why-do-atheists-say-that-they-dont-believe-in-God-when-the-literal-meaning-of-atheism-is-afraid-of-theism-Why-would-they-be-afraid-of-something-that-doesnt-exist “Atheists”, in Western cultures, are usually people who are afraid of Christians, quite specifically. The Christian concept of an all-powerful, all-good God who one must have absolute faith in, or face eternal Hellfire, is simply not very appealing at all, to many people! This shouldn’t really be so surprising, should it? So, sure, atheists aren’t really afraid of the concept of “God”, per se. They’re afraid of Christians, and the Christian God. Often, “atheists” are perfectly comfortable with the polytheistic and pantheistic conceptions of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Einstein the salesman

Erik, being a good salesman does allow you to create a theory that is largely untestable, and that is going to be very, very difficult to test conclusively, in the foreseeable future. And, if the theory explains something very, very inconvenient for the entire field — light travelling as a waveform in a vacuum — people in the field will jump at the opportunity to fabricate evidence for it. Einstein knew people, and how to play them. People like you, Erik.

Can you explain the meaning of "theory" in science? Is it accurate to say that a theory is simply an assumption and cannot be proven to be completely correct?

This is, actually, a most interesting question, and has implications for all of science, currently, and historically. It is profoundly ironic that two of the most noted “theorists” in the history of physics — Galileo and Newton — expressed hostility to the very concept of theory, and did not consider themselves to be “theorists”, at all! Both Galileo and Newton profoundly disliked the ancient, clockwork, theoretical conceptions of the universe in which everything was completely understood, and had its own proper and inevitable place. They saw the universe as infinitely mysterious, and saw their work as simply adding certain observations of interest to it, not as providing comprehensive theoretical models, at all. Nevertheless, the field of physics did indeed treat their work as being a sacrosanct, all inclusive theoretical conception. All we can have in science is data from observations, nothing else. However, the powers that be rather like simple, all inclusive explanations of things. So, there is a tendency for honest, brilliant scientists like Galileo and Newton to have their observations and work twisted to meet the needs of the powerful, for simple explanations of everything, as a control strategy, to accomplish their political agendas. And, there is a tendency for “politicians”, like Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin, to have even their most ridiculous conceptions, like the theory of relativity and the theory of evolution, to be adopted as Gospel, simply because they appear to provide simple explanations for everything, and for “evidence” to be manufactured supporting them!

Have you ever had any misconceptions about women that were proven to be true or false? What do you think contributes to these misconceptions?

https://www.quora.com/Have-you-ever-had-any-misconceptions-about-women-that-were-proven-to-be-true-or-false-What-do-you-think-contributes-to-these-misconceptions?show_editor=True Sure. When I was a kid, I thought all women loved me, because my mother and female relatives all loved me. Boy, was that a mistake! One finds out pretty quickly that women are just as selfish and self-motivated as men are, and that they want very practical benefits out of dealing with men. Also, that women are less motivated by a need for sex than men are, and, therefore, that they use the male obsession with sex in a quite calculated and cynical way to manipulate men to their practical advantage.

Russian series on Marshall Zhukov, with good English subtitles!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kku8sDX8CLk An unusually intimate, detailed and accurate portrait of both Stalin and Khrushchev. Both are quite human and comprehensible here. The actor playing Stalin could almost be Stalin's twin -- small, pudgy, with a dysfunctional left arm, and a constant look of intense calculation on his face. Portrayals of Stalin, even in Russia, tend to lean to caricatures, one way, or another. He's either a saintly father figure, or, more frequently, a violent psychopath. This portrayal shows a man of intense, calculated intelligence, who reads and manipulates everyone like pawns on a chessboard. And, people respect and fear him for precisely this reason. Khrushchev, is, as usual, portrayed as a charismatic, bumbling, buffoon. But, a very, very charismatic, and very, very bumbling buffoon! As usual, Leonid Brezhnev is scarcely portrayed at all, a faceless bureaucrat who pulls the strings with some skill during his 18 years controlling the USSR. The invisible man. The torture interrogation scenes are realistically portrayed, the confusion and fear of the victims very vivid. Zhukov himself is portrayed as an upright, if somewhat simple soul. Much of the series is concerned with his relationships with his two wives, both of whom he loved. At one point, in discussing Zhukov with his KGB chief, Beria, Stalin compares Beria and Zhukov, noting how much Zhukov loves both his wife, and his mistress, who eventually becomes his second wife. Stalin accuses Beria of being incapable of love, of loving no one, of hating and fearing everyone, even Stalin himself. No wonder Stalin and Beria got along so well! Lavrentiy Beria is really the villain of the series. While Stalin is immensely perceptive and self-critical -- this is the man who coined the phrase "I trust no one, not even myself!" -- Beria is simply portrayed as a violent, vicious, power-hungry psychopath, Stalin's useful but very dangerous attack dog. This is probably the nastiest portrayal of Beria I've ever seen in Russian media, essentially consistent with how he's portrayed in the West, a technically brilliant monster. It's no wonder he barely survived the death of his master, Stalin, and that Khrushchev was able to persuade everyone, including Marshall Zhukov, to turn on Beria and destroy him at the very first opportunity after Stalin's death. Ultimately, in his final years, Zhukov is portrayed as a rather pathetic figure, crying over the illness of his beloved second wife, and dreaming of his glory days, when he thought he would be made the leader of the USSR. However, Josef Stalin had other ideas, and Josef Stalin always got his way, didn't he?

The CIA assassination attempt on Slovakia's duly elected Prime Minister calls for retaliation

https://www.yahoo.com/news/slovakian-leader-stable-serious-condition-070509313.html How much longer will the world tolerate the vicious rampages of the CIA against democracy worldwide? How much longer can the world survive the madness of this organization that threatens the survival of humanity itself? The martyrdom of a truly saintly man, Robert Fico, by these insane thugs shows just how dangerous the CIA is to the peace of the world, and, quite possibly, the survival of the planet. How can we deal with these ravenous beasts in the CIA, who will exterminate any and all political opposition, by fair means, or foul, at every opportunity they find? How can one deal with mad, rabid dogs, like those in the CIA, other than by putting them down? What choice does the world have now, but to defend itself by any means necessary, against CIA insanity, that could kill us all? I think everyone knows the true answer to this question, in their hearts. Sure, it's called a "lone wolf" assassination attempt, but, we know better, don't we? Who gains by this -- the CIA. Who would have the means to program its agents to do such a thing -- the CIA. Who has habitually threatened the safety of the entire planet, to further its own imperialistic agendas, wherever possible -- the CIA. The world must rise up and vanquish this beast, this animal that threatens the survival of us all. Don't wait! Tomorrow may be too late.

Why was nothing done about the relationship between Don Johnson the actor, 22, with Melanie Griffith when she was 14 and James Webb the songwriter, 22, with Patsy Sullivan when she was 13?

https://www.quora.com/Why-was-nothing-done-about-the-relationship-between-Don-Johnson-the-actor-22-with-Melanie-Griffith-when-she-was-14-and-James-Webb-the-songwriter-22-with-Patsy-Sullivan-when-she-was-13 Fact is, in the not too distant past, the attitudes to sexuality were much, much more tolerant, and flexible. To give a very high profile example, when Roman Polanski was convicted of statutory rape of a 13 year old, in the mid-1970’s, he was offered no jail time, and community service, as punishment. When it looked like the judge might change his mind, Polanski simply hopped on a plane, and left for France, where he had citizenship. It’s only in the last twenty years or so that the U.S. Justice Department has “weaponized” all sexuality and "sex crime" in the U.S.

Can you explain the differences and similarities between scientists, engineers, and doctors?

https://www.quora.com/unanswered/Can-you-explain-the-differences-and-similarities-between-scientists-engineers-and-doctors?show_editor=True Interesting question. The most obvious similarity, is that they are all in high profile, publicity sensitive professions. Thus, they must all be skillful at managing people, and public relations, regarding their activities. In general, they cannot readily admit error, because admitting error could get them in very serious trouble — most obviously doctors, who are dealing with life and death issues on a regular, daily basis. Engineers can also get in trouble, if their designs don’t work well, but, in general, this is more likely simply to get them fired, than to get them sued or put in prison. As for scientists, they rarely get into trouble no matter how useless they are, although they may tend to be ignored, or have trouble finding employment, since their work tends to be rather abstract, and without immediate application.

The Legend of Mi Yue, first dowager empress of China

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzz5GMJjtF0 https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E8%8A%88%E6%9C%88%E4%BC%A0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Mi_Yue This is a stunningly beautiful, 81 episode series on the first dowager empress of China, who may have lived to be ninety years of age, and laid the foundations of the Qin Empire, the first united empire in Chinese history. It gives a perspective on the complex political situation leading up to the end of the period of Warring States, and the commencement of the Qin Dynasty, that, although short-lived, laid the foundations for over 2000 years of relatively stable imperial rule in China. What we see here is the Chinese obsession with political stability and unity, and its costs, and benefits, in personal terms, to the people of China, even at the highest levels. Well worth dipping into, I think!

The Russians are starting to blow up facilities in Britain implicated in supporting the Ukrainian war effort

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-war-ripping-special-relationship-040000616.html Hey, if the Brits want to play rough, the Russians don't mind at all. While continually bragging about their open support of Zelensky's regime, the Brits probably didn't realize that the Russians would quite happily target relevant British citizens and buildings, in Britain itself, using their highly skilled intelligence operatives. Apparently, Britain still feels that the English Channel still protects them from the "land bound" Russians. I guess not, eh? And, the Biden administration is taking notice. Not wanting to get into a shooting war with Russian operatives on U.S. territory, the American government is, rather wisely, putting some very tight restrictions on what their rather over-enthusiastic CIA operatives would like to do in Ukraine. And, this is a very, very good idea, in terms of maintaining the safety of Americans, and America itself!

The GPS correction codes are classified. No one knows what's actually in them. So, why does everyone say they prove Einstein's theory of relativity is true?

I've noticed a strong tendency in dealing with the theory of relativity, and Einstein in general, to simply assume that it must always be true. And, all the evidence in favor of it, takes this form. This evidence proves the theory of relativity, because it must prove the theory of relativity, because the theory of relativity must be true. This is, actually, a classical logical fallacy according to Aristotle -- Tautology -- saying something must be true, quite simply, because it must be true. It is commonplace for everyone to claim these days -- but, most particularly, physicists and engineers -- that the GPS locater only works because of Einstein's theory of relativity, even though none of these people actually have the slightest idea how the GPS locater actually works, because the coding for it is highly classified information. And, indeed, if you point this out to these people, they see no problem with this at all! They will simply claim they "know" that it incorporates Einstein's theory, because, it has to! Does the absurdity of the Cult of Albert Einstein know no bounds, at all???

Is Russia, in reality, "The Borg"?

In noting the systematic advance of Russia through Ukraine these days, there seems a certain familiarity about it all. They're in no rush at all, their advance is extremely slow, but systematic, and, kind of inevitable. Their primary intention is to destroy any and all possible opposition in the form of Ukrainian infantry in their way, and any possible fortifications. They don't seem to have the slightest interest in rapid advance or conquest of territory, but, rather, the total and systematic absorption of territory, its colonization with Russian citizens, and the building of road and railway links to the Mother Country, Russia itself. The message is quite clear -- "We are the Russians, resistance is futile." Apparently, Russia is "The Borg". Really. I guess Vladimir Putin was a big fan of "Star Trek : The Next Generation", back in the 1980's when he was an up and coming KGB agent in the Soviet Union. And, the concept of "The Borg" made quite an impression on him. Now, it's quite common, I've noticed, to compare the Russians to the "Orcs", from Lord of the Rings, these days, in the Western media. And, indeed, I'm by no means sure that J.R.R. Tolkien did not indeed have Stalin in mind with Sauron, and that Mordor was not the Soviet Union, in the mind of the creator of the Lord of the Rings. However, I think in Vladimir Putin's mind, and in reality, the comparison to "The Borg", from "Star Trek: the Next Generation" would be much more apt. The Borg are a hive mind. They are not evil, but, actually, highly functional. It is a perfectly legitimate conception of society, although it sublimates the individual to the greater whole -- a conception that is anathema to the Western mindset. Of course, Westerners will submit to higher authority, if need be, for a time. However, they do so reluctantly. In contrast, in traditional China, in the Mongol Empire, and, in Russia, which learned so much from the Mongols, the conception of the hive mind is much more familiar, and much more acceptable. We really should bear this in mind, don't you think?

Erwin's song

I Whilst twilight shifts the blackened shore, To distant, wandering, sun-drenched gore, And hellish songs bestrew the wind, Within visions of goblins and demons and sin, I wandered along through evil and strife, And plunged myself into all that was rife With that wretched cadaver -- Mankind and his life! II He lied, he stole, he killed, he raped, His eyes aflame, his jaws agape, And all the while, his victims could see, His childlike face alight with glee! III 'Tis Erwin's song, we see, and hear! It's all we know, it's all we fear, Our lives are lived, we're all in thrall, We sing the song, we heed the call. For Erwin are our lives so long, It's all to hearken to Erwin's song. IV For Erwin loves the knives that sheen, He loves the blade, the bullet, he's mean! Erwin sees the bloodied forms, Exploding out of blackened dorms, When sugar-sweet Semtex sprays their charms, For terrorists' glorious grand alarums! V The date is set for all to see, When all are bound by Erwin's fee, To pay to Erwin what is due, In pain and suffering, yet, it's true, You can't escape your fate my friend, Erwin owns you in the end!

What's the real reason students are rioting on American University campuses? I don't really think it's Israel.

I've been puzzling over the reason students are rioting on American University campuses these days. Now, if these were mostly Muslim students, I suppose it might make some sense, in terms of Israel killing large numbers of their coreligionists in the Gaza Strip, lately. It might be over Israel, then. However, I don't believe these are mostly Muslim students. So, what exactly is the issue, or are the issues, here? Let's try to compare the situation to the riots in the 1960's, supposedly over the Vietnam War. It is significant that the rioting ceased completely in 1971, when the draft of young men for the Vietnam War ended, while the Vietnam War continued for another four years. So, really, the rioting wasn't over the Vietnam War, per se, it was over the possibility of being drafted for the Vietnam War, and of suffering, being wounded and dying in Vietnam, for no good reason that anyone could understand, at all. These are, of course, very practical issues. So, what exactly, are the practical issues that students might be rioting over today? 1. Abortion rights. Women in the Red States, mostly in the conventional American South, cannot get access to abortions anymore, since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. This is very, very threatening for young women, many of whom are in college. So, to some extent, some of the students may be rioting over this important right -- the right to having abortion on demand. 2. Transsexual Rights. The notion that everyone has the right to choose their own gender is a very recent concept, but, among a very large group of young people it's become a very important concept. Precisely what this right comprises is open to debate, and, indeed, is being debated all the time. At times, it appears that transsexuals are demanding the right to impose themselves sexually on anyone of either gender! 3. Black compensation for slavery. Many legislators throughout the U.S., but, particularly in California, have put forward legislation mandating compensation on the order of millions, or tens of millions of dollars for every single black person born in the U.S, forever. The notion is that black slavery from two centuries ago has put them at a permanent disadvantage, so, some tens of millions of dollars will be required for each black man, woman and child, for the indefinite future, so that each of them can "get back on their feet", as it were. Nice work if you can get it! 4. The "Me Too" movement, also known as the "I want some money too!" movement. All women and children now are very actively encouraged to make criminal accusations against any and everyone at the drop of a hat, for "sexual impropriety", which, these days, can mean, quite literally, looking at someone the wrong way. Supposedly, being "touched inappropriately" induces long term psychological trauma, that can be passed on through multiple generations of families, indefinitely, and forever. So, there's a huge industry now in terms of lawsuits against wealthy individuals, schools, institutions and even governments in the United States. Basically, a credible accusation of sexual assault of any type is the best route to fame and fortune in these, our great United States! So, many of these rioting students may feel they deserve a piece of the sexual misconduct pie, as it were. 5. These students are often paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for utterly worthless training from professors who are little more than professional, pathological liars. They realize they're simply wasting their time and money, and, they're frustrated about this. Wouldn't you riot, too?