The Human experience is vast and wonderful, and that is why I despise religion
Think of the Human experience as a a giant building with many people inside of it. All of the lights are off and there are no windows. Several people have found flashlights and are trying to map out the corridors. Most of us are wandering around the two or three rooms we're familiar with in one big stupid looking group. There are quite a few people however, yelling out ridiculous things like "Just behind this locked door is a carnival", despite the fact there hasn't been any carnival in any of the rooms before. Perhaps I could tolerate religion and superstition if that were the end of it.
NOPE
To take the irritation a step further, there are still more asshats running around and shutting off the lights in the halls. These unstoppable geniuses discredit the people who are trying to find ways to understand this mystery house the rest of us are stuck in. They insist that all of this methodical exploration is completely the wrong way to go about it. Some of them even have the stones to convince people that they have the floorplan for the building. People who follow this floorplan often end up falling through unfinished floors or walking out open windows.
I for one have absolutely had it with these fools. There are plenty of people who are working very hard to figure out just what the hell is going on around here and I can't stand watching a bunch of morons ruining it for everyone. I won't stand idly by and watch you woo people into nonsense.
You're on notice.
Showing posts with label Silliness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silliness. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Stagnation
Its been a rough couple of years. Its been maybe five years since I felt like I was really moving forward in my life. I've been lacking in motivation to do much of anything. There have been sputters here and there where I've had energy and drive, and those were encouraging. But they've been far too infrequent. I'm sure there are quite a few people out there that can I identify. I won't let this rut get the better of me.
This is exactly the sort of life situation that makes me most uncomfortable. The stagnation makes maintaining my mood difficult. I often fear that the despair will get the better of me before I make it out. But I haven't given up hope yet. I'm sure I can make it. I know I will. And if I can get through this, I know I can handle whatever life throws at me.
This is exactly the sort of life situation that makes me most uncomfortable. The stagnation makes maintaining my mood difficult. I often fear that the despair will get the better of me before I make it out. But I haven't given up hope yet. I'm sure I can make it. I know I will. And if I can get through this, I know I can handle whatever life throws at me.
Monday, April 18, 2011
You (Probably) Aren't Agnostic
There is a huge growth in the number of people in this country who are not claiming any particular religion. This is a very good thing. In a country founded on secular ideas, it is good to have a large portion of the population who are secular in their private lives.
The problem is that a growing trend among this group is to consider themselves "agnostic". In general, the claim is that there is not sufficient evidence to prove that any certain deity exists, nor is there sufficient evidence to disprove any and all deities. This is what is known as a "false dichotomy". In layman's terms, "fucktard logic".
To begin with, there are not 2 potential options, prove or disprove. When someone presents a claim, you can take any position you want, but the default is to not believe what they say until they present evidence. If you are satisfied, you can accept the claim, or you can pursue your own evidence, or you can present a counter claim, etc. etc. At no point is it your job to disprove their claim, although you could present counter evidence if you like.
Even if those were the only 2 options, it would then be ridiculous to believe that you could opt out of the whole process by saying the jury is still out. That doesn't mean you're not in either camp. In fact, if you say there is no decision yet, that means you don't believe them, and you're probably going to continue acting as though you'd never heard that claim.
The misunderstanding can be illustrated quite easily through analogy. The misconception is that this is like two people are trying to convince you to go to one restaurant or another, and you just haven't decided yet. The reality is that one person is trying to convince you not to go out to eat, which is what you have been doing, and 9374329407234893 other people are trying to get you to come to their restaurant.
So why do people take this position? Mostly because being "atheist" has a negative social connotation. It was also historically defined as meaning that you knew that there were no gods, which makes no sense given the etymology of the word. That probably didn't really help. Also, some people just don't like to take strong positions on anything, so that they can feel superior to those who are "extreme" as understanding increases. But I don't know that for sure. Jury's still out.
The problem is that a growing trend among this group is to consider themselves "agnostic". In general, the claim is that there is not sufficient evidence to prove that any certain deity exists, nor is there sufficient evidence to disprove any and all deities. This is what is known as a "false dichotomy". In layman's terms, "fucktard logic".
To begin with, there are not 2 potential options, prove or disprove. When someone presents a claim, you can take any position you want, but the default is to not believe what they say until they present evidence. If you are satisfied, you can accept the claim, or you can pursue your own evidence, or you can present a counter claim, etc. etc. At no point is it your job to disprove their claim, although you could present counter evidence if you like.
Even if those were the only 2 options, it would then be ridiculous to believe that you could opt out of the whole process by saying the jury is still out. That doesn't mean you're not in either camp. In fact, if you say there is no decision yet, that means you don't believe them, and you're probably going to continue acting as though you'd never heard that claim.
The misunderstanding can be illustrated quite easily through analogy. The misconception is that this is like two people are trying to convince you to go to one restaurant or another, and you just haven't decided yet. The reality is that one person is trying to convince you not to go out to eat, which is what you have been doing, and 9374329407234893 other people are trying to get you to come to their restaurant.
So why do people take this position? Mostly because being "atheist" has a negative social connotation. It was also historically defined as meaning that you knew that there were no gods, which makes no sense given the etymology of the word. That probably didn't really help. Also, some people just don't like to take strong positions on anything, so that they can feel superior to those who are "extreme" as understanding increases. But I don't know that for sure. Jury's still out.
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