RE: Do you wish there's a god?
March 30, 2019 at 3:41 pm
(This post was last modified: March 30, 2019 at 3:45 pm by Simon Moon.)
(March 30, 2019 at 3:01 pm)Acrobat Wrote:(March 30, 2019 at 1:29 pm)Simon Moon Wrote: One of my primary motivations in life, is to believe as many true things, and disbelieve as many false things, as possible.
It is not about what I 'want' to believe, it is about what is warranted to believe.
Why? Why would any biological creature desire truth as an end in itself? Unless truth is a conduit for some other end, like happiness, or fulfillment?
Why would you want to orient your desire for some immaterial goal, or end, rather than some material satisfaction? Why prioritize truth over happiness, contentment, health and prosperity, etc..?
Having true beliefs makes my happy. Having true beliefs makes me feel fulfilled.
Eliminating false beliefs does the same.
One of the things that makes me happy, is when I discover one of my beliefs is irrational or unsupported by evidence. When someone corrects me, I thank them for correcting my. Unlike the majority of theists I encounter, who try explain away corrections to their flawed thinking.
Not to mention, that by having my internal representation of the world, map as closely as possible to the external world has many other positive outcomes. If my epistemology is such that, I will only believe things that are supported by evidence and valid/sound logic, that makes me less susceptible to making bad decisions with regards to: finances, health, politics, career, etc.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.