RE: Why Agnosticism?
May 31, 2011 at 1:36 pm
(This post was last modified: May 31, 2011 at 1:37 pm by Chido-Wan Kenobi.)
Diffidus: Oh yeah? Well... I don't think so.
I hope you will not be offended if I summarize your argument thus:
1. We know a minuscule, negligible amount of all there is to know.
2. Hence, even the most enlightened scientist is, for all practical purposes, an ignorant person.
3. And now that we have established that we are all a bunch of ignorants, let us feel free to believe in whatever mythological crap people have decided to make up.
Ha! An argument like this on the same topic could have happened in the 12th century:
Doubter> "You know, I don't think it is true that the World is flat and that you can sail to the edge and fall into the void"
Believer> "Well, if you don't think that is true, what would you say is there, at the edge of the World?"
Doubter> "I'm telling you, I don't know."
Believer> "If you don't have a better story, then you are just being sacrilegious!"
Doubter> "Your momma wears woolen underwear!"
Believer> "Guards! Take this man to the stake and burn him!"
My point is that the burden of proof should obviously fall on the shoulders of the believers. I don't need the idea of a benevolent God waiting for me to croak, so that he can find me a nice cloud to sit on and worship him for eternity. But if the Pope, Harold Camping or Tom Cruise think they know better, let them show solid proof... or shut the fuck up. (I actually prefer the latter)
I hope you will not be offended if I summarize your argument thus:
1. We know a minuscule, negligible amount of all there is to know.
2. Hence, even the most enlightened scientist is, for all practical purposes, an ignorant person.
3. And now that we have established that we are all a bunch of ignorants, let us feel free to believe in whatever mythological crap people have decided to make up.
Ha! An argument like this on the same topic could have happened in the 12th century:
Doubter> "You know, I don't think it is true that the World is flat and that you can sail to the edge and fall into the void"
Believer> "Well, if you don't think that is true, what would you say is there, at the edge of the World?"
Doubter> "I'm telling you, I don't know."
Believer> "If you don't have a better story, then you are just being sacrilegious!"
Doubter> "Your momma wears woolen underwear!"
Believer> "Guards! Take this man to the stake and burn him!"
My point is that the burden of proof should obviously fall on the shoulders of the believers. I don't need the idea of a benevolent God waiting for me to croak, so that he can find me a nice cloud to sit on and worship him for eternity. But if the Pope, Harold Camping or Tom Cruise think they know better, let them show solid proof... or shut the fuck up. (I actually prefer the latter)
“Millions of New Yorkers are good with God. Are you good with God?"
Poster Ad in the Staten Island Ferry terminal
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"And if you are, are you also good with the Tooth Fairy? How about the Easter Bunny?"
My proposed addendum
Poster Ad in the Staten Island Ferry terminal
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"And if you are, are you also good with the Tooth Fairy? How about the Easter Bunny?"
My proposed addendum
