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Atheism / Agnosticism
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Post by
MyTie
Easy now. I'm going to arbitrarily take that as a no. Spurred on by your implicit claim that you'd like to get anywhere, my next question returns to what brought me into this thread: What about your understanding of love, death and morality do you think atheists reject?
I suppose that we could best approach that question by having a conversation about it. Are you atheist? If not, can you play advocate, and pretend you are an atheist?
Post by
168916
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
MyTie
But if it's a question of devil's advocate, I'm happy to speak as a strong atheist, a weak one, or indeed a staunch catholic if it will move things forward.
Anything you would consider an atheist would do.
Now, from your devil's advocate point of view, define love.
Post by
168916
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
MyTie
Anything you would consider an atheist would do.
Now, from your devil's advocate point of view, define love.
Is the fact that I'm speaking as an atheist supposed to make me reply with something other than what's in the dictionary? "A profound, passionate affection for another person. A feeling of warm personal attachment." Or feel free to assume I answered with a definition from any other common reference if that would lead into your point more clearly.
Stop asking me how your supposed to answer. You are the one playing devil's advocate. You figure it out.
Now then. Where does this "profound passionate affection" come from? I mean, WHY do we feel it?
Post by
168916
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
MyTie
Stop asking me how your supposed to answer. You are the one playing devil's advocate. You figure it out.
Conversation. Not contest.eh?
Now then. Where does this "profound passionate affection" come from? I mean, WHY do we feel it?
Are you asking what mechanism takes place when the feeling occurs, or why it is that the mechanism takes place? This winding road we're on of you trying to get me to say what you think I'm going to wind up saying is hardly necessary, there aren't that many destinations.
... Then if you know where this is going to end up, then why did you ask? Do you not see at least a
similar
conclusion as I do?
Post by
168916
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Post by
MyTie
considering you never answer anything I ask youPerhaps if you learned how to ask properly. In any case, we're done here.
Post by
168916
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Post by
asakawa
I've always been a bit on the fence about Tim Minchin but that was brilliant ^_^
Post by
168916
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Post by
TheVorago
8:20 of
this excellent video
.
Of course
"this"
is enough. I wouldn't dream of asking for more.
But see...now you atheists with mr. Tim in the frontline become much like the religious people you challenge. "Isn't this enough? This is so beautiful! Please, stay here, don't worry about all that...other stuff, it's not there, I promise!"
i.e. blind to potential alternatives :)
Post by
MyTie
Felt like talking to a cross between a Dadaist and a preteen.
You asked me. I started to have a conversation about it. You were passive aggressive and fought me every step of the way. Now you're just downright insulting. I don't want to have a conversation with you. Now, or likely ever. It's not that I don't think you're opinions are valid, I just think you have trouble expressing them without being an $%^&*!@ to me. What did you expect?
I don't hold grudges, and rarely remembers peoples screen names tied to arguments of the past, but the unsavory experience of speaking with you for less than 3 or 4 back and forth posts has given me incentive. You, fenomas, have made your way onto my "do not want to debate with" list. Congratulations. HsR could use the company.
Post by
168916
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
asakawa
8:20 of
this excellent video
.
Of course
"this"
is enough. I wouldn't dream of asking for more.
But see...now you atheists with mr. Tim in the frontline become much like the religious people you challenge. "Isn't this enough? This is so beautiful! Please, stay here, don't worry about all that...other stuff, it's not there, I promise!"
i.e. blind to potential alternatives :)
Mr. Minchin covers this actually. Not blind; entirely open to new sources of evidence which can, at a moment's notice, change one's mind entirely.
Sceptics and evidence-based thinkers will generally be the most open minded people you'll meet but being open to changing your mind based on the presentation or discovery of solid evidence is not the same as accepting anything until it is disproved (and often even well after it's been thoroughly debunked). A sceptical view on the world is a really useful thing to cultivate for things like looking at advertising or alternative medicine and I would recommend it at an approach even if you don't want to apply it to things like religion.
Post by
MyTie
A sceptical view on the world is a really useful thing to cultivate for things like looking at advertising or alternative medicine and I would recommend it at an approach even if you don't want to apply it to things like religion.
I agree with this entirely. I wish my grandma were more skeptical when it came to alternative meds. She's dumped all her money into every snake oil and foreign produced tincture she can get to cure her permanent disabilities. It's so sad to watch her, but I know that she'll never change her mind, and this will continue till she dies. I think the she is sacrificing reality for hope, but, in a way, it is a hope she needs.
Post by
168916
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
168916
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Squishalot
The echoes of the experiences of gays coming out of the closet are unavoidable - what a strange world we live in.
I think they can probably take some heart from the Jews - to this day I'm still unsure how a predominantly religious definition came to define everybody who hails from an ancestor who was a Jew. It'd be like calling everyone in the US Christians, regardless of belief.
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