RE: New Atheist Fundamentalism
Hiya Andrew
Flews: I'll reserve commenting on him until I get some reading under my belt first. I know I wouldn't be able to do the subject proper justice in my current state. I'm not concerned about the cost of a book (think I can stretch to that); I'm time poor and have many books on my to-read list.
If he thinks there's any intelligence behind this universe, then I disagree with him. It most certainly wasn't intelligently designed for life. Only a tiny fraction of 1% is capable of supporting any form of life. Most of the universe is hostile to it. I think life is a random fluke.
Atheist industry: what wrong tools? What did they just pull out of a hat, Ta-dah-style? I can't speak for others but I form opinions based on the things I read and personal experiences. The only tools I use are honest research into topics. Obviously, I prefer to read experts who have proven they are capable of genuine research using proper techniques, and am repelled by 'experts' as soon as they are shown to be dishonest or employ dishonest tactics to win at any cost.
I watched a Kent Hovind video the other day! He believes every word of the bible is true. His style of debate is slippery, evasive and dishonest. It's hard to respect people who pull tricks to 'win'.
Philosophy isn't really my cup of tea; it takes navel gazing to an expert level. I like solids. Facts. I feel more at home with stuff that can be measured and tested.
I think the history of religion is as relevant as the history of communism. If it was capable of inspiring such horrors, then it's important to unpack and interrogate it in the hopes of avoiding future catastrophes. Look at Islam. They're still in Crusade mode and it ain't pretty. All coz religion.
Love: yes, it's a philosophical concept and an emotion. These are hard to describe and quantify, I totally agree. But, everyone seems to agree it exists. It's integral, how humans bond with other humans, important to the survival of the species. It's universal.
God: not so much. Gods are not part of the human package. They were created externally for other purposes and, if we look at history, have not exactly been great for the species.
Stay with your facts - avoid Truth, Love etc - enjoy the life you have and focus on things you can understand
Have a good life ;-)
Ah, you've misunderstood me. I seek TRUTH and UNDERSTANDING. I love LOVE. It's not necessary to bend or warp reality to make a pre-existing belief work. It's about being real and honest.
I wish you well too
Peace :D
You can’t understand Truth or Love using science - you have to use philosophy - I have understood - it’s just that to be able to discuss something there needs to be a mutual understanding - where that’s not feasible then it’s like two foreigners meeting and trying to discourse - one with an open hand and the other with a sword and a spear - it can’t easily produce a good outcome
No offence but I need to leave the discussion for the time being - I’m happy to discuss science with you or dispute your assertion that religion has had no positive effect - the fact we are holding this discussion in the western world is due to religion, as one example. But I do like to deal with facts in discussions, not stuff that folk bandy around chat rooms etc and then self congratulate each other that it’s true - far better to leave that to self congratulate itself and forget about it in my humble opinion :-)
Have a good weekend ;-)
By the way @anjkara, you very kindly noted I was voting at 100% - I’ve spent ages trying to change it - it appears that everyone with low Steem ( newbies) votes with 100% until they reach enough Steem to get a slider - however I’m sure when I started it was at 50% so if you know anyway of setting it back I’d be eternally grateful :-)