Posts by Kracklite
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to Chris Waugh,
Faith seems to root itself in a darper, darker, irrational, emotional part of the psyche
I did call myself a pedant, so it's not obviously unnecessary nit-picking to ask whether by "darker" you mean "obscure"?
Apologies for ...
I think that we've established good and sincere intentions as a tacit rule? :)
I’ve spent three extremely hot, humid, windless days stuck in an office with no functioning aircon marking exams
You poor bastard. I know exactly how you feel. In my case it's underlit, cold and yet strangely humid.
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to Lilith __,
something I’ve thought and reflected about.
Likewise. Currently I’m struggling to empathise with someone whom I care about very much who is definitively not an atheist and professionally I’m having to deal with some very devout Muslims in a respectful and practical manner. I’m not ready to convert to anything, but I do need to understand all perspectives in order to work with them.
Anyway, all the best.
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Hi Lilith, thank you very much for that!
Yes, At the nitty-gritty level I think that atheism is "illogical" or rather that its logic breaks down at a certain event horizon, but I do think that it is is pragmatic and that it's the best working solution.
You're an atheist, I'm agnostic. I didn't think that it would be such a matter of contention, but there we are - and we CAN talk about it.
All the best, and I'm glad that this has been cleared up. I'd love to discuss this face-to-face. Peace :-)
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to Islander,
mythology can be personal or familial or tribal – it is storytelling, which, I rather think, is innate to our species…
To elaborate, Terry Pratchett said that we should be called Pan narans - "the ape that tells stories" instead of Homo sapiens . Narrative is to me what it is that makes us what we are, and narrative is how I characterise religion.
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to Islander,
mythology can be personal or familial or tribal - it is storytelling, which, I rather think, is innate to our species...
That's what I find fascinating!
Lilith,
I repeat, honestly, it is NOT my intention to belittle you. I have Asperger's and emotional nuances, especially in a medium such as this are completely obscure to me. What you say is is simply bewildering to me. Can we discuss this under the assumption that no-one wishes to cause offence? I do NOT think that you are ridiculous.
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to Lilith __,
I’m sorry, that’s too subtle for someone like me. All I can say is, (a) I used the word “absolute” and (b) please assume good faith on my part as I will assume it on yours – I’m not even adopting a position that I necessarily invest in. Instead, I’m interested in the ramifications of a set of possibilities. It is not my intention to offend or score points, so why do you want to take offence?
it is in fact logically impossible to prove a negative
This is an essential corollary of positivism. One can’t say otherwise without resorting to faith or, if you will, quasi-faith.
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to Lilith __,
And, speaking for myself only, I think it’s kinda rude the way you’re trying to define us out of existence. We’re here. We’re not stupid. Most of us have put a lot of thought into what we believe and what we don’t.
Sorry, that is certainly not my intention. I’m seeking definitions, but I am not seeking to “define you out of existence”. Definitions entail defining what someone or something is and what it or they are not but that does not mean that you are not anything at all. I think that you’re being a wee bit hypersensitive there. Can we please discuss this under the assumption of good faith? As has been implied in an earlier post by Russel, this is something that could easily be derailed into acrimony.
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to Lilith __,
Without gods, like Islander says.
I'm not sure if "everyone" on this blog can be so described, but be that as it may...
Eh, I wrote a long spiel about aesthetics, "spirituality" versus (no quotes) spirituality and the Sublime and decided that it was wayyyyy off-topic. In essence, is "spirituality" - quote used to suggest fuzziness - a strategy to articulate an aesthetic relationship at a deep level with the cosmos - um... "Cosmos" meaning not only the universe, but the classical meaning of a universe that has an order, the antonym of chaos... and blah blah blah - you see, I need to settle on terms and while this might be great fun for a tutorial-jacking, it's probably not workable here...
Anyway, I really think Johnnie Walker is a better whisky than John Barr. So there.
Now, on topic. I'm really, really, deeply depressed by the weasel language being used. The usual suspects on the right don't annoy me - I expect nothing more from them, but on the nominal progressive side, well... Is morality, principle now reduced in our public discourse to nothing more than market research, so that even the supposedly progressive Labour Party can't as a body make its mind up?
As Chaucer would say, PHUQUE!
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to Islander,
But without mythology though? I don’t mean to denigrate “myth”, but to highlight it, and attempt to move the conversation onwards.
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Up Front: The Up-Front Guides: The…, in reply to andin,
Shit do “we” have to wait that long?
That’s optimistic – if the Transhumanists/Singulatarians are right and the Rapture of the Nerds happens, that should about do it. Otherwise… ooh, a few million?
You seem keen to stick a label on me.
That's not such a bad thing - I'm trying to find a label. Labels are useful. They avoid having to clutter conversation with definitions and subclauses. People don't speak in hyperlinks to Wikipedia normally.
Cheerful Stoic probably not Nihilist seems more appropriate if you dont mind.
Fine, I’ll go with that. Cheers.
Mine’s “pedant.”