Which doesn't change the truth value of what Bladesman said.

Reducing words to their most basic meaning in every instance just means we would need to invent more words.

Instead, most words have multiple meanings

Or...

Your vocabulary is just under-developed.

Why did religion need to be added to this question, it always sticks out like a sore thumb in logical debates.

I would say you missed out maybe the most important meaning of adulthood, engaging with reality and logic because its real, not believing something because its fun, comfy, or programmed in childhood.

Someone with there eyes open to reality can protect family and community.

...unless by acknowledging a higher power you mean the realisation of how little control and understanding we have over our universe, but you didn't mean that.

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"There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Almost inevitably some part of him is aware that they are myths and that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he dare not face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly, that his opinions are not rational, he becomes furious when they are disputed" - Bertrand Russell.

Russell's wrong here. Some Christians like to claim similar things about atheists: that they really do believe there is a god, but are in rebellion against god, a rebellion that manifests as putative disbelief. It's false when Christians say it about atheists, and it is false when atheists say it about religious people.

"Comfortable myths" is a lot broader than just 'religion'. People believe in all sorts of comforting and delusional myths. From this broader perspective, I think its a lot more applicable.

All the power to them in my perspective. Whatever floats your boat. Just so happens that my boat floats on a cocktail of dark humour, pain and relentless pragmatism. Comfort is simply not my cup'o tea.

I knows a few of them ten dollar words, but I feel that common plebe words are best for communication.

I'm glad you know what I meant better than I did. Thanks for your help. Oh and look up the word "or" in the dictionary

Surprised that no one mentioned that being an "adult" really should mean we put away childish things.

Religion is one of those.

Sorry, emotionally charged post and not very mature of me

My problem with that last point is the use of 'or' makes it sound like you are equating societal responsibility with being religious. As they aren't related and the second option is logically absurd (lets remember scientology is a religion here too), it looks more like you shoe-horned the possibility of religion being a trait of adulthood into the debate. This is how I perceived it anyway.

I think an important trait of adulthood is your beliefs and behaviour more closely follow sound logic, evidence and reason; and this makes us more socially responsable overall. Some examples of this kind of social responsibility might be:

- citing sources so we don't spread misimforation,
- giving little weight and response to conspiracy theories when other theories have more reason and evidence.
- treating the cause of problems, instead of venting at the result.

So to focus on the previous point, it's my view that being religious actually detracts from moving closer to adulthood and social responsibilty.

This doesn't mean religious people are wrong, they may be right, but it is CERTAIN that most religious people are basing their religious beliefs in complete disproportion to logic, evidence and reason present in the real world.

For example, a man convinced his lottery ticket is the winner is harmless, but what if he bought a new 5 bedroom house and spent his kids college fund that week because of this belief? He may still be right, he could have the winning ticket! But the weight he gives this belief is the difference between a harmless idea, and being irresponsible.

In short, I associate adulthood with basing beliefs and behaviour on logic and reason over emotion and feeling.

I think optimal strategy is to be child-like enough to have fun and enjoy life, but adult enough to call your own bull**** and protect others

In my vernacular what you are describing are standards for being a mature individual, rather than an adult. Adult is kind of a loaded term.

It's not reducing it to its most basic meaning nor is it in every instance. When you tell a child to act like an adult you're asking them to act maturely. But maturity and adult are not synonymous. A person can be mature but not an adult, or adult but not mature. That the two can be conflated or similar in a given context doesn't mean that the two become inextricably linked. Language is more complex than that.

So okay, I understand where you're coming from with the question, but I think it muddles the issue. Because what you want to address isn't connotations of biology or legality. What you want to ask is "What does it means to be a good person?" or "What does it mean for a person to be good for society?" or something on those lines.

It seems as though we already have better terms for what you're pursuing. Especially without muddling the issue by supposing that all adults must be religious.

Let this brew in your minds. There is being "legal" and being an "adult". If you've gone to college or university you should have a clear definition of the of the difference between them. Then you can delve further into "young adults".......

Being legal simply means you are now legally responsible for your actions and have access to more temptations. Being an adult means you can decipher good from bad and act accordingly. Acting accordingly is different on more continents than not. North America and Australia differs from the Middle East/Asia and Africa

So no criminal is an adult?

They are being held legally accountable, which doesn't translate to adulthood

Textbook definition of an adult is "someone who is fully grown or DEVELOPED". I can think of many undeveloped individuals over the age of 18 or 21

Well John Doe went to prison again. I guess he hasn't developed enough yet to survive in the free world. What a shame. How about all the children taken away from birth parents or fostered out? Were their parents adults or legal(without teen pregnancies)? Society is filled with development aids, such as, rehab, prison, counsellors, psychiatrists, big brothers and sisters inc, etc.

That sounds like a biological definition, not that I think dictionaries are all that useful here.

It certainly seems troublesome to shoehorn your own moral philosophy into the definition.

Well humans are biological, so uh, yah it kinda is. Please enlighten me to how I am shoehorning my morals here? It's about broader North America. Glad you can interpret contextual examples.

"fully grown or developed" I would interpret as physically developed. Which says nothing about a person's maturity in a social sense or their legal status. You're not interested with whether their balls have dropped, you're talking about their mental state.

And you said: "Being an adult means you can decipher good from bad and act accordingly.". So if someone doesn't identify with whatever moral philosophy you have for identifying good from bad, you wouldn't deem them an adult.

So a person goes to an 18+ stand up comedy show and gets offended by the comic, I would argue they can't decipher the good from bad. A developed adult would know to research the comic and or......not attend an event that they do not believe in, which is one's own good from bad. That same person may know their time and money is better spent at a restaurant, sporting event or theatre, more good from bad. As for crossing laws that are in place, anyone legal is held accountable. For contrast, was Conrad Black under-developed in moral senses? More bad from good here. A construction zone has huge, bold reflecting signs posting the speed limit and warning that fines will be doubled in this zone, well before the construction zone. Someone says ah **** it, I'm late and not slowing down, and get a hefty ticket to which they disagree. They were warned on every level not to speed but chose to, more good from bad. Enough examples to negate you from thinking this isn't about broader North America and is about me personally

Well you're the one that seems to be espousing that North American values are something worth following. And you're the one posting. So, yeah, it kind of is about the person making the argument - you.

I've done your first example and would again, so I guess I'm not an adult.

As for the rest, I find it all problematic. If people who sometimes act immorally or irrationally are not adults then I'm unaware of any examples of adults.