I (and maybe you) have historically underrated the density of people with religious backgrounds in secular hubs. Most of these people don’t ‘think differently’, in a structural sense, from their forebears; they just don’t believe in that God anymore.
The hallmark here is a kind of naive enlightenment approach that ignores ~200 years of intellectual history (and a great many thinkers from before that period, including canonical philosophers they might claim to love/respect/understand). This type of thing.
They’re no less tribal or dogmatic, or more critical, than the place they came from. They just vote the other way and can maybe talk about one or two levels of abstraction beyond the stereotype they identify against (although they can’t really think about those levels).
You should still be nice to them, and honest with them, but you should understand what you’re getting into.
The mere biographical detail of having a religious background or being religious isn’t a strong mark against someone’s thinking on other topics, but it is a sign you may be talking to a member of a certain meta-intellectual culture, and need to modulate your style. I have definitely had valuable conversations with people that firmly belong in this category, and would not categorically discourage engagement. Just don’t be so surprised when the usual jutsu falls flat!
I (and maybe you) have historically underrated the density of people with religious backgrounds in secular hubs. Most of these people don’t ‘think differently’, in a structural sense, from their forebears; they just don’t believe in that God anymore.
The hallmark here is a kind of naive enlightenment approach that ignores ~200 years of intellectual history (and a great many thinkers from before that period, including canonical philosophers they might claim to love/respect/understand). This type of thing.
They’re no less tribal or dogmatic, or more critical, than the place they came from. They just vote the other way and can maybe talk about one or two levels of abstraction beyond the stereotype they identify against (although they can’t really think about those levels).
You should still be nice to them, and honest with them, but you should understand what you’re getting into.
The mere biographical detail of having a religious background or being religious isn’t a strong mark against someone’s thinking on other topics, but it is a sign you may be talking to a member of a certain meta-intellectual culture, and need to modulate your style. I have definitely had valuable conversations with people that firmly belong in this category, and would not categorically discourage engagement. Just don’t be so surprised when the usual jutsu falls flat!