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[Zangi]

You are all socially unadjusted depraved people.

* Zangi gets off soapbox and wanders off to read MLP fanfics.

[Sordid]

"I am happy to report that I now realise there are wonderful things in the world you just can't explain, but that doesn't necessarily make them any less true."
-Twilight Sparkle at the episode end

So yeah, I don't see how this could mean anything supernatural. Could be interpreted either way though, so there is no real solution to this arguement.

The problem with it is that this exact phrase is probably the most often-used phrase by people who peddle quackery and pseudoscientific bullshit to deflect criticism. If you're at least tangentially familiar with the skeptical movement, it immediately sets off bullshit alarms in your head. It doesn't help at all that to help convey this message of wonder at the world they chose a phenomenon that is demonstrably non-existent in the real world (ie. psychic powers).

[Pjoo]

What is this madness? I've read like 7 pages of pony and not a single hate. Maybe it's the lack of pictures, but anyhow, that is just *insert Rainbow Dash saying "so awesome!"* Seen these threads on many different forums, this is certainly one of those with the least hating and just generally more mature discussion. Not really suprised though, DF doesn't really appeal to people who judge things too fast.

Got looking here again through EquestriaGaming, having played DF before, came to check out the MLP mod. Seems great, starting on it tomorrow I guess.

Sure pseudosciences can claim "it isn't neccessarily false just because you cannot explain it." Then again, the morals are supposedly for kids'. For them "It isn't neccessarily false just because you cannot explain it" works as an argument for Global Warming or Evolution as well as precognition. Just because you don't have the tools/knowledge to explain it doesn't mean it's not true.
 
In the show Twilight as Ms. Science "loses", but she is also closeminded when it comes to precognition. And this is in world with unicorns that cast magics from their horn. Does the episode actually encourage kids to be closeminded and ignorant? Atleast from my viewpoint Twilight was curious and eventually openminded, no matter if she "lost" or not, how she wrote the letter could've emphasized that though(and not how Pinkie was actually right).


This post needs more everypony/somepony/nopony so I am adding them here.

[Sordid]

Sure pseudosciences can claim "it isn't neccessarily false just because you cannot explain it." Then again, the morals are supposedly for kids'. For them "It isn't neccessarily false just because you cannot explain it" works as an argument for Global Warming or Evolution as well as precognition. Just because you don't have the tools/knowledge to explain it doesn't mean it's not true.

Oh that's an altogether wrong attitude to educating children, IMO. I still vividly remember how pissed off I was by people telling me that I'm too young to understand something, that I should just accept it. Rather than an "it's true even if you can't explain it" approach, I'd take "let's see if we can find an explanation for it" approach. Kids can understand surprisingly much if you take the time, problem is most people are just lazy.
 

In the show Twilight as Ms. Science "loses", but she is also closeminded when it comes to precognition. And this is in world with unicorns that cast magics from their horn. Does the episode actually encourage kids to be closeminded and ignorant? Atleast from my viewpoint Twilight was curious and eventually openminded, no matter if she "lost" or not, how she wrote the letter could've emphasized that though(and not how Pinkie was actually right).

I don't think she was closed minded at all, she immediately set out to perform some observations and experiments. That's a very open minded, scientific approach. The problem I have is that through this method she didn't find some alternative, natural explanation of the psychic stuff, as would be the case in reality. Yeah, the show's supposed to teach kids. That's precisely why I'm offended by the message "psychic powers are real even if nobody can explain how they function, least of all their user, nor is there any plausible natural mechanism by which they could function".

[Glowcat]

I don't think she was closed minded at all, she immediately set out to perform some observations and experiments. That's a very open minded, scientific approach. The problem I have is that through this method she didn't find some alternative, natural explanation of the psychic stuff, as would be the case in reality. Yeah, the show's supposed to teach kids. That's precisely why I'm offended by the message "psychic powers are real even if nobody can explain how they function, least of all their user, nor is there any plausible natural mechanism by which they could function".

Except she wasn't being scientifically minded at all. We don't understand a lot of underlying mechanics behind things but we don't pretend those don't exist. Since Pinky Pie's so-called psychic tick would work consistently, and I would assume this would continue under a controlled experiment, she would be eligible for Randy's Million Dollar Prize. It's not even clear what Twilight could be looking for with her bizarre gizmos. What was her hypothesis? That magic beams would emit from Pinky's mane whenever she got a tick?

Twilight shouldn't have just accepted that some things cannot be known, but ignoring something because "it can't exist" isn't how one goes about being scientifically minded. She should have been hypothesizing her brain out once it was vastly unlikely for the predictions to be flukes or confirmation bias.

[Bohandas]

I don't think she was closed minded at all, she immediately set out to perform some observations and experiments. That's a very open minded, scientific approach. The problem I have is that through this method she didn't find some alternative, natural explanation of the psychic stuff, as would be the case in reality. Yeah, the show's supposed to teach kids. That's precisely why I'm offended by the message "psychic powers are real even if nobody can explain how they function, least of all their user, nor is there any plausible natural mechanism by which they could function".

Except she wasn't being scientifically minded at all. We don't understand a lot of underlying mechanics behind things but we don't pretend those don't exist. Since Pinky Pie's so-called psychic tick would work consistently, and I would assume this would continue under a controlled experiment, she would be eligible for Randy's Million Dollar Prize. It's not even clear what Twilight could be looking for with her bizarre gizmos. What was her hypothesis? That magic beams would emit from Pinky's mane whenever she got a tick?

Twilight shouldn't have just accepted that some things cannot be known, but ignoring something because "it can't exist" isn't how one goes about being scientifically minded. She should have been hypothesizing her brain out once it was vastly unlikely for the predictions to be flukes or confirmation bias.

Completely agreed!

[Sergius]

I don't think she was closed minded at all, she immediately set out to perform some observations and experiments. That's a very open minded, scientific approach. The problem I have is that through this method she didn't find some alternative, natural explanation of the psychic stuff, as would be the case in reality. Yeah, the show's supposed to teach kids. That's precisely why I'm offended by the message "psychic powers are real even if nobody can explain how they function, least of all their user, nor is there any plausible natural mechanism by which they could function".

Except she wasn't being scientifically minded at all. We don't understand a lot of underlying mechanics behind things but we don't pretend those don't exist. Since Pinky Pie's so-called psychic tick would work consistently, and I would assume this would continue under a controlled experiment, she would be eligible for Randy's Million Dollar Prize. It's not even clear what Twilight could be looking for with her bizarre gizmos. What was her hypothesis? That magic beams would emit from Pinky's mane whenever she got a tick?

Twilight shouldn't have just accepted that some things cannot be known, but ignoring something because "it can't exist" isn't how one goes about being scientifically minded. She should have been hypothesizing her brain out once it was vastly unlikely for the predictions to be flukes or confirmation bias.

That's because she was being a Strawman Scientist. We could have had somebody else do all the "that's impossible" stuff. A scientist would have observed that this thing happened over and over and at least document (if he was unable to document the source of cause) instead of whining (pardon the pun) about how unscientific predicting the future was.

The problem is that a Strawman Scientist still gives us a moral saying that somehow trying to understand things in a scientific way is wrong, and just "leaving it alone" is the best approach.

I know that kids don't understand everything. And we can suppose that they shouldn't disbelieve stuff just because THEY personally can't understand them. But the message is terrible, because of the use of a strawman (strawpony?) and fantasy don't deliver it well. It's like, if I want to preach that "Christianity is GREAT" I make a TV show and instead I make it about an evil catholic priest who's trying to destroy a rock made of alchemy or something that grants wishes, and the priest bashes it with a cross. But the rock represent Jesus, and the cross represents humanity's intolerance to religion... so it's actually a pro-christian message... WHAT?

[Glowcat]

That's because she was being a Strawman Scientist

That's probably a fair assessment.

[Sergius]

Anyhoo, I'm glad that I was right about toning down the whole "show is for girls only" thing before that cutie mark episode. There are more males in secondary roles, so at least now I don't have to assume that the entire pony town is a harem to a single stallion

I would have been ok with just non-talking males that aren't being complete doofuses... doofusi? But this is even better. It's good that they're keeping their focus on females and stuff like they set out to, but it started too extreme to be believable.

[Leonon]

I made an AMV/PMV. What do you guys think?

[Nikov]

Generally very good, liked the choice of songs, but the end was a little flat. It didn't really tie in to the music. The clip of Rarity elaborately putting herself into bed would have closed better. I did really like speeding up the film to match the changing mood of the song though.

[ETV]

Ren and Stimpy

I agree, stuff like http://youtu.be/QMn1M02ouyU

Is pretty much why I love the 90's Cartoons over any other generation right now.

[Sordid]

The entire pony town is a harem to a single stallion

Oh, so that's where the massive appeal to male audience comes from.

[FunctionZero]

I made an AMV/PMV. What do you guys think?

Just PMV, not AMV. PMV means (Youtube) Poop Music Video, AMV means Anime Music Video.
Anyway, seems good, though could some better synching vocals with characters.
Otherwise, it's just music, set to a mildly relevant video.

See Pony Polka [Weird Al Yankovic] for a good example of how it's done well.

Hope I'm not coming on too harshly here. And besides, you know, just my opinion.

[Leonon]

Just PMV, not AMV. PMV means (Youtube) Poop Music Video, AMV means Anime Music Video.

I thought PMV meant Pony Music Video?