zlacker

Well Nietzsche died in 1900 and was writing about forces he perceived as already under way, long before he was alive. So I don’t think using a hundred years ago as an example really works, and even then, gambling wasn’t the massive legal operation it is today.

And yes, most religions have weighed in on gambling as most societies have been shaped by religion. Secularism is a recent thing.

>>keifer+(OP)
If you think Nietzsche's writing are representative, then we've never been "close to God".

> Secularism is a recent thing.

Sokrates and Buddha would like a word.

>>tgv+A7
The death of God idea by Nietzsche is not about a real being actually dying. It is about the concept losing influence on society and what that means for things like ethics.

Socrates and Buddha were 2,500 years ago and I don’t think I’d describe them as being secularists. Secularism is something that came out of the Enlightenment, in the West at least. It is absolutely a recent thing for the purposes of the discussion.

>>keifer+(OP)

    > most religions have weighed in on gambling as most societies have been shaped by religion

Really? Except Islam, are there rules against gambling in Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, or Buddhism?

>>keifer+(OP)
But the other half of “God is dead” according to Nietzsche is that nobody has yet realized. I don’t think 100 years is outside the timeframe he’d predict the consequences to take shape.

>>throwa+ro
Yes, at least for Christians.

I don't know if it comes verbatim from the Bible, but there are many denominations that find that gambling is sinful. Direct prohibitions from the scripture aren't the only source of religious rules - especially for secular questions.

As another example, many denominations have strict rules against alcohol - despite the many positive stories about alcohol in the bible and the role of wine during communion.

>>nojs+Ep
Yes and I think that society at large still "hasn't realized," with actions like this removal of restrictions against gambling as a prime example of a consequence.

>>throwa+ro
"Ancient Jewish authorities frowned on gambling, even disqualifying professional gamblers from testifying in court."

"The [Hindu] text Arthashastra (c. 4th century BCE) recommends taxation and control of gambling."

"The Buddha stated gambling as a source of destruction in Singalovada Sutra. Professions that are seen to violate the precept against theft include working in the gambling industry."

Instead of asking a lazy question as a challenge, you could have spent 3 seconds looking this up. It wasn't particularly hard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling#Religious_views

>>tgv+A7
To describe Buddha as a secularist would be projecting our modern values onto a man 2500 years ago.

Reincarnation, the soul, karma, etc aren't exactly compatible with materialistic secularism.

>>throwa+ro
Baptists are strictly against gambling - GA introduced free college education funded by the lottery to legalize the state lottery (GA was losing a fortune to cross state gambling).

The largest Christian denomination, the Roman Catholic Church, teaches that, while games of chance aren't intrinsically evil (ie running an MC simulation), and low stakes gambling is allowed (raffle), gambling must be

- fair. That's obvious

- even odds for all participants

Presumably, no house advantage

- not be pathological

You cannot play if you're addicted to gambling, have an addictive personality, or often that an addiction could arise

- not involve very high stakes as the money would have been better spent on the poor

No $10 000/hand table.

>>cedill+Iq
Right, Gambling is an extension of greed and gluttony according to Christianity, which are both considered Sins.

>>fdfgyu+qx
Any claim a state in the US introduced "free college education funded" by a gambling measure is severely wrong. There is nothing "free" about collegiate education. US States simply reduce funding for education by diverting the money elsewhere then claim revenue from gambling is needed to fund education. In the event that gambling revenue is higher than expected, funds are furthered reduced until the status quo is maintained.

>>sidewn+kI
In GA, GA residents with B-ish averages get free tuition to attend GA universities.

Including GaTech, a top5 eng school, that requires an A average to get in.

Source: dealing with undergrads complaining about their grades and their effect on their scholarship.

EDIT: I agree with what you maybe claiming that "education" does not justify legal gambling. And you're certainly right that most states abuse this argument and the fungible nature of money to just slosh money around.

EDIT: the lotto money is put in a fund that goes to pre-K programs and scholarships. The average required to keep the scholarship is set by the fund's size.