BBella: What if mankind as a whole did finally find out/discover without any shadow of doubt, there is or is not a UI? Then what? [...] Would life be any different for any of you personally? What about globally?
> 
> This is a great subject! You can imagine what a field day the Church would have if it was a yes (ah, but which Church?).-> Globally, I think the non-existence of a UI would make a huge difference. There would be a terrible escalation of depression among the poor and the oppressed. Religion, like it or not, is one of the very few things that bring them hope. The idea of a benevolent UI, which might give them peace and love and consolation in a glorious afterlife, has to be counted as a positive. And although I do not accept that religion has created a moral framework that society itself can't erect, it could be that some elements would feel even freer than they do now to trample over others. 
> -I would tend to counter that claim: Violent crime is less prevalent in Europe than it is in the Americas: by your own admission Europe leans much more towards raw materialism than does your neighbor across the sea. However, here in America, most of the violence isn't premeditated; most of them are crimes of passion. I would suspect, that the same is true on your side of the pond. -There's another thing I'd like to add: Hypnotists claim that the educated are easier to work on than the uneducated. Supposedly the educated are more likely to accept things they don't agree with wheras the uneducated "know what they know," and that's that. I've also noted that at least in the States, the poor follow more Calvinist types of churches that eschew scholasticism in favor for "pure unadulterated faith." I think your speculation about the poor wouldn't hold. -
> On the plus side, if there were no religion, out would go all the bigotry and oppression perpetrated in its name. The bigots and oppressors would probably find other outlets, but maybe there would be more of a movement towards humanism through education, since all moral values would have to be based on social codes rather than obsolete texts. I did say "maybe". 
> 
> If there was a known UI, the global effect theoretically would be unity. But if it made itself known, I don't think humanity would have a choice ... we would have to conform to whatever it wanted. In that statement lies a many-layered theology which is a subject for discussion all on its own.
> -This indeed would be interesting. Though some of us would want qualified reasons as to why we should do what it wanted, and the better question: "What can we do that you can't already?"-> Just in case the discussion should flourish, I'm taking this off the "Irreducible Complexity" thread.

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\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"