JuliusCaesar wrote:Eh? Maybe he is maybe he isn't. Doesn't really matter as there is no way to tell. And if you want to pull some argument against truth and empiricism, I can simply say you are a solipsistic figment of my imagination trying to make me uncertain.
I am curious though, what are some examples in which personal ignorance is a plus?
There is a way to know who is the greatest asset to the world, of course. An enlightened realist such as yourself should realize that. It's just impractical to find it out.
As far as me being a figment of your imagination... How does that make me an unreal entity? I still exist. Besides, the validity of my arguments does not depend on me existing or not.
BTW, a fundamentalist theist would say I'm a demon of Satan trying to make him uncertain.
Full realization of the truth would make your puny brain explode. You're a mortal, flawed animal. Not a god.
JuliusCaesar wrote:
Well, the whole death thing is very subjective depending on the person involved, but I see your point there.
And it is true that religion does plenty of good for the world, but speaking in an individual sense, that is, a person to person basis, I think most people wouldn't like having their entire lifestyle or belief system grounded in falsehood. But, back to morality. I don't think a lack of religion would negatively affect society as a whole. Yes a lot of morality and "goodness" is grounded in religion, and much of that can be seen in such affiliated organizations today, but does this suddenly make those without religion evil or immoral? Do atheists do no good deeds? No, they simply take their motivation from somewhere else. Perhaps empathy, justice, a sense of right or wrong. There are plenty of other motivators out there which, once religion is removed from a person's upbringing, would serve the purpose fine. Think about it, most of the sensible religious moral guidelines stem from more basic grounds. Why do we not kill each other? Is it because the bible says not to, or because it is unfair (and illegal, for that matter) to do so? Does someone give to a charity because god tells them to do so, or because they -at some level- feel terrible whenever they hear of the thousands starving in africa.
This works conversely too, the old testament sure loves stoning people and similar eye-for-an-eye punishment. Is that how modern society dispenses justice? No, because at our moral center we feel it is detestable, but at the same time that is god's will. There is morality outside of god.
If you say that people who do not believe take their motivation to do good from somewhere else, then why does it seem you have an issue with religion? After all, if religion is just a justification to do good then surely it's just a justification to do bad?
I fully agree that religion is just a means to communicate ideas. Like a phone. So it makes no sense to attack the medium if what you're after is a certain interpretation of the message.
