I want to believe...

"Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."
- Crash Davis

(May 26, 2014 at 5:48 pm)Rampant.A.I. Wrote: Unless you're one of the idiots that caption photos of sunsets as "proof of God"

Yay! I made a meme!

(May 26, 2014 at 11:18 pm)Severan Wrote: My meaning in life is to fulfill our purpose as a self-replicating chemical reaction.

Your reference to purpose inserts teleology into nature contrary to the tacit materialism of your post. It is a contradiction. That's okay. Nearly all the atheist here do that without realizing it.

(May 26, 2014 at 8:57 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: They believe in themselves.

I believe in a thing called love.

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(May 27, 2014 at 11:55 am)ChadWooters Wrote:

(May 26, 2014 at 11:18 pm)Severan Wrote: My meaning in life is to fulfill our purpose as a self-replicating chemical reaction.

Your reference to purpose inserts teleology into nature contrary to the tacit materialism of your post. It is a contradiction. That's okay. Nearly all the atheist here do that without realizing it.

Way to straw man the fucking hell out of a post that said literally, "to survive and reproduce."

Not that that's surprising form the guy telling other people what they believe.

(May 27, 2014 at 12:00 pm)Rampant.A.I. Wrote: [quote='ChadWooters' pid='676365' dateline='1401152255']
They believe in themselves.

I believe in a thing called love.

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They actually wrote a song about this.

I use the definition of 'belief' as defined by cognitive scientists, 'the psychological state in which one accepts a proposition or premise to be true'.

That being said, there are good reasons to believe, and there are bad reasons to believe.

Bad reasons;

Emotional or wishful thinking, faith, raised to believe.

Good reasons;

Demonstrable evidence, reasoned argument, valid/sound logic.

I am willing to believe something (accept a premise to be true) if it is supported to by the above criteria. Without meeting the above criteria, I have no justification to believe.

On a side note, I'm not sure why so many atheists have a problem with the word 'believe'. As stated above, it is nothing more than accepting a premise or proposition to be true. Having a belief does not mean it is faith based, by default.

(May 27, 2014 at 1:13 pm)Simon Moon Wrote: I use the definition of belief as defined by cognitive scientists, 'the psychological state in which one accepts a proposition or premise to be true'.

That being said, there are good reasons to believe, and there are bad reasons to believe.

Bad reasons;

Emotional or wishful thinking, faith, raised to believe.

Good reasons;

Demonstrable evidence, reasoned argument, valid/sound logic.

I am willing to believe something (accept a premise to be true) if it is supported to by the above criteria. Without meeting the above criteria, I have no justification to believe.

On a side note, I'm not sure why so many atheists have a problem with the word 'believe'. As stated above, it is nothing more than accepting a premise or proposition to be true. Having a belief does not mean it is faith based, by default.

It's because the word has been hijacked and redefined colloquially. Of course there are varying degrees of belief and how they're based on evidence (JtB), but on a discussion forum or elsewhere, it can be easily twisted into "See! YOU have beliefs too! You're religious too! My beliefs are just as valid! See! AH HA!"

(May 26, 2014 at 8:57 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: They believe in themselves.

(May 27, 2014 at 11:55 am)ChadWooters Wrote:

(May 26, 2014 at 11:18 pm)Severan Wrote: My meaning in life is to fulfill our purpose as a self-replicating chemical reaction.

Your reference to purpose inserts teleology into nature contrary to the tacit materialism of your post. It is a contradiction. That's okay. Nearly all the atheist here do that without realizing it.

It's always funny to see a Wooters post. Poor guy, he tries so hard.

There isn't a supernatural meaning in our coincidental existence. Our meaning is personal; based on our individuality of what we do and do not want to achieve in life.