(August 18, 2014 at 10:43 am)Mozart Link Wrote:(August 18, 2014 at 10:25 am)FatAndFaithless Wrote: Nope, sorry dude, you don't get to equate people with identifiable delusions with scientists. And I'd like to live in a society that conducts itself and makes decisions using methods that are as close to realtiy as possible (since that's where we are). If someone has a delusion that informs their decision-making, and I would argue that most of our beliefs inform out actions in some way, I'm not going to wait until they do harm to themselves or someone else to speak up.Explain how an innocent caring person would end up having negative consequences by having his/her delusions if the delusion is something without morals? I know that even innocent people with delusional beliefs in a God with the morals along with it would do something such as sacrifice others because they thought it was the right thing for God. But if you take away the morals and just have the delusional fantasy alone by itself, I do not see how there would be any negative consequences from it. For example, how would the delusional belief of there being heaven by itself without any morals have negative consequences if this belief is something that just brings this innocent person personal pleasure in life?
Because beliefs don't exist in a vacuum. Beliefs inform your actions, they can affect other beliefs, and can affect how likely you are to change your beliefs. And again, as a member of a community who is affected by the actions of others, I'd like to be as sure as possible that the community in which I am taking part is based on reality, and not some fantasy.
In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty.
- Thomas Jefferson
- Thomas Jefferson