There are no soothsayers. Not in the distant past, and not today. All the technology in the world can't change that.
The polygraph was invented by an absolute nutbag and cop.
It is just a hodgepodge of measurement devices taped together. It is only effective as an interrogation tool if the person you are using it on BELIEVES that it works - otherwise it just measures the individual things (heart rate, anal sphincter clenching etc.) and is meaningless beyond that.
Hard to say about god, but in general terms of morality, that's not quite how psychopathy works. Hollywood movies and superhero comics may like to use it as some kind of shorthand for "eeevil", when writers can't create proper motivations for characters, but in actual fact, most the time it's found in victims of abuse, not the actual abusers.
And vice versa - there are countless examples, from barbarian conquerors to modern day suicidal jihadists, who exhibit the full range of empathy and emotion, while committing the most heinous of acts.
The operative word is feedback - if you've been raised to believe something is "good", and have always received positive reinforcement for doing it - no matter how violent and destructive it can be to people outside your social circle, tribe, clan etc. - you'll be able to do it without compunction. And in turn, if you were taught that something is "bad", regardless of the lack of practical evidence, and punished, often violently, for even talking about it, you'd need a considerable effort of will to go against this sort of programming - which can result in psycho-pathologies, regardless of the actual moral merit of the thing in question.
As for whether the alphabet agencies look for that when selecting operatives - it's not too likely. Actual psychopathy is debilitating when it comes to empathy and social awareness, which are essential qualities for intelligence work. The image of the suave and stylish psychopath is just as much a movie myth as that of the violent lunatic.
Instead, oftentimes it's actually something that comes after joining, simply because that's the nature of the job. You'll find similar symptoms and pathologies in many high-pressure professionals, from ER surgeons and paramedics, to firefighters - people whose work involves working under extremely harsh conditions and schedules, who sometimes need to overcome even their own survival instincts to get the job done. So if the alphabet agencies really are screening for that sort of thing, it's more of a way to see who'd work better under pressure, than just looking for the most evil emotionless bastards they can find.
There was a time when Judaism, Christianity and Islam were the new religions - and I dare say, they also overcomplicated things compared to the old ones. I mean, looking at the state of the world, it's far simpler to acknowledge that there are many gods, some benevolent, some malicious, a lot of them powerful but none omnipotent - as opposed to claiming there is only one omnipotent and benevolent god, and then looking for excuses as to why bad stuff happens anyway. Never mind the habit of blaming natural disasters on people's sins, which feels like a global-sized version of the "look what you made me do" line uttered by countless abusers.
You can even consider Buddhism, which attests that gods are irrelevant to one's own enlightenment, and morality - that is, karma - is inherent in one's actions and intentions, rather than determined by any god. Which again reduces the need for excuses for all the evils in the world, since in the Buddhist view, these evils stem from disharmony, and are an expectedl part of an already imperfect world.
Bear in mind, even in the Bible, there are explicit passages saying that following the rules has the chance of getting you to heaven, but there's no obligation for it on god's part. This is the sola fide doctrine, which Calvinism further develops - or twists, depending on your view - into the concept of predestination - that some people are inherently bound for heaven, others or hell, and there's nothing to be done about it. I mean, I'd prefer it if it was as you said - that your life decisions determined where you end up - but it's just not supported in Christian religious doctrine. As opposed to Buddhism again, where this is very much the case, and following the Noble Path does lead to a way out of the cycle of suffering.
Hard to say about god, but in general terms of morality, that's not quite how psychopathy works. Hollywood movies and superhero comics may like to use it as some kind of shorthand for "eeevil", when writers can't create proper motivations for characters, but in actual fact, most the time it's found in victims of abuse, not the actual abusers.
Psychopathy like the type that you exhibit?
"And I'm sure he just so happens to be in complete agreement with your own views, down to the smallest detail. Ain't that a convenient coincidence - out of billions of people, both today and through history, the grand creator of the universe just happens to agree precisely with you. And even though there's been thousands if not millions of people with the exact same idea - that the creator agreed with them instead - it's you who really has it right, isn't it?
Now, if the OP focus is to have your own echo chamber, nowadays you can actually create your own sub for that. Some guys already have. Sure, nobody else really visits those subs, so the "echo" isn't too loud, but you have the freedom to try anyway. You know, freedom - that thing where you don't need to always follow somebody else's orders or plans. Feel free to think on that concept one of these days. Namaste."
There are no soothsayers. Not in the distant past, and not today. All the technology in the world can't change that.
The polygraph was invented by an absolute nutbag and cop.
It is just a hodgepodge of measurement devices taped together. It is only effective as an interrogation tool if the person you are using it on BELIEVES that it works - otherwise it just measures the individual things (heart rate, anal sphincter clenching etc.) and is meaningless beyond that.
Hard to say about god, but in general terms of morality, that's not quite how psychopathy works. Hollywood movies and superhero comics may like to use it as some kind of shorthand for "eeevil", when writers can't create proper motivations for characters, but in actual fact, most the time it's found in victims of abuse, not the actual abusers.
And vice versa - there are countless examples, from barbarian conquerors to modern day suicidal jihadists, who exhibit the full range of empathy and emotion, while committing the most heinous of acts.
The operative word is feedback - if you've been raised to believe something is "good", and have always received positive reinforcement for doing it - no matter how violent and destructive it can be to people outside your social circle, tribe, clan etc. - you'll be able to do it without compunction. And in turn, if you were taught that something is "bad", regardless of the lack of practical evidence, and punished, often violently, for even talking about it, you'd need a considerable effort of will to go against this sort of programming - which can result in psycho-pathologies, regardless of the actual moral merit of the thing in question.
As for whether the alphabet agencies look for that when selecting operatives - it's not too likely. Actual psychopathy is debilitating when it comes to empathy and social awareness, which are essential qualities for intelligence work. The image of the suave and stylish psychopath is just as much a movie myth as that of the violent lunatic.
Instead, oftentimes it's actually something that comes after joining, simply because that's the nature of the job. You'll find similar symptoms and pathologies in many high-pressure professionals, from ER surgeons and paramedics, to firefighters - people whose work involves working under extremely harsh conditions and schedules, who sometimes need to overcome even their own survival instincts to get the job done. So if the alphabet agencies really are screening for that sort of thing, it's more of a way to see who'd work better under pressure, than just looking for the most evil emotionless bastards they can find.
There was a time when Judaism, Christianity and Islam were the new religions - and I dare say, they also overcomplicated things compared to the old ones. I mean, looking at the state of the world, it's far simpler to acknowledge that there are many gods, some benevolent, some malicious, a lot of them powerful but none omnipotent - as opposed to claiming there is only one omnipotent and benevolent god, and then looking for excuses as to why bad stuff happens anyway. Never mind the habit of blaming natural disasters on people's sins, which feels like a global-sized version of the "look what you made me do" line uttered by countless abusers.
You can even consider Buddhism, which attests that gods are irrelevant to one's own enlightenment, and morality - that is, karma - is inherent in one's actions and intentions, rather than determined by any god. Which again reduces the need for excuses for all the evils in the world, since in the Buddhist view, these evils stem from disharmony, and are an expectedl part of an already imperfect world.
Bear in mind, even in the Bible, there are explicit passages saying that following the rules has the chance of getting you to heaven, but there's no obligation for it on god's part. This is the sola fide doctrine, which Calvinism further develops - or twists, depending on your view - into the concept of predestination - that some people are inherently bound for heaven, others or hell, and there's nothing to be done about it. I mean, I'd prefer it if it was as you said - that your life decisions determined where you end up - but it's just not supported in Christian religious doctrine. As opposed to Buddhism again, where this is very much the case, and following the Noble Path does lead to a way out of the cycle of suffering.
Psychopathy like the type that you exhibit?
"And I'm sure he just so happens to be in complete agreement with your own views, down to the smallest detail. Ain't that a convenient coincidence - out of billions of people, both today and through history, the grand creator of the universe just happens to agree precisely with you. And even though there's been thousands if not millions of people with the exact same idea - that the creator agreed with them instead - it's you who really has it right, isn't it?
Now, if the OP focus is to have your own echo chamber, nowadays you can actually create your own sub for that. Some guys already have. Sure, nobody else really visits those subs, so the "echo" isn't too loud, but you have the freedom to try anyway. You know, freedom - that thing where you don't need to always follow somebody else's orders or plans. Feel free to think on that concept one of these days. Namaste."
So, care to address your own psychopathy?
But you are an NSA agent that is a psychopath...sooo...