The problem I have with all these candidates is that they treat all social information as quantitative, a single number like “status”; they do not have semantic content. Praise/shame and reward/punishment do not specify what they are inculcating, so they are just as likely to push people to invent tactical means to avoid said shaming and ostracism.
As for the quote, sorry there was an ambiguity—I meant that rituals as a phenomenon are as present and important in every culture. But it is my contention that I, a completely atheistic professional scientist in a very secular and non-patriotic country, spend as much time on rituals as a Hasidic rabbi, though mine have nothing to do with patriotism or religion. I will soon write a post to clarify that point!
Try this interpretation grid: It’s almost possible for an individual to engage in zero physical activity. It will however almost always be an healthy choice, even if practicing physical activity is not a defining feature of who you are. Then, maybe rituals are in the same vein: atheists frequently don’t see much use for rituals, but they actually perform at least some (think flirting and cooking as borderline rituals, and burying loved one as prototypical case) and they may well benefit from performing more, at least for mental health and social signaling purpose. The latter can also stand alone as (uncharitable) interpretation grid for « rituals transmit values ».
People who don’t exercise at all are demonstrably unfit. Are people who don’t ritual demonstrably unaligned? Looking at it the other way round …. what is the typical background of anti social people?
I was saying rituals may well be good for health, but:
that doesn’t mean that the values (that may or may not be transmitted through the ritual) have any impact by themself (singing along is a painkiller even if you don’t believe any word you sing)
if it’s good for your health to put a plaster, that doesn’t mean plasters are so powerfull we should expect unplastered folks to need amputation. Similarly, just because it may be good for our mental health to practice (some?) rituals doesn’t implicate rituals are so powerfull we should expect most unritual (?) folks to need psychological services.
The problem I have with all these candidates is that they treat all social information as quantitative, a single number like “status”; they do not have semantic content. Praise/shame and reward/punishment do not specify what they are inculcating, so they are just as likely to push people to invent tactical means to avoid said shaming and ostracism.
As for the quote, sorry there was an ambiguity—I meant that rituals as a phenomenon are as present and important in every culture. But it is my contention that I, a completely atheistic professional scientist in a very secular and non-patriotic country, spend as much time on rituals as a Hasidic rabbi, though mine have nothing to do with patriotism or religion. I will soon write a post to clarify that point!
Huh? The degree of blame/praise might vary along a single axis, but what it’s about can be very complex.
To a non-zero extent? Even so, it’s quite possible for an individual to engage in zero of them.
Try this interpretation grid: It’s almost possible for an individual to engage in zero physical activity. It will however almost always be an healthy choice, even if practicing physical activity is not a defining feature of who you are. Then, maybe rituals are in the same vein: atheists frequently don’t see much use for rituals, but they actually perform at least some (think flirting and cooking as borderline rituals, and burying loved one as prototypical case) and they may well benefit from performing more, at least for mental health and social signaling purpose. The latter can also stand alone as (uncharitable) interpretation grid for « rituals transmit values ».
People who don’t exercise at all are demonstrably unfit. Are people who don’t ritual demonstrably unaligned? Looking at it the other way round …. what is the typical background of anti social people?
I was saying rituals may well be good for health, but:
that doesn’t mean that the values (that may or may not be transmitted through the ritual) have any impact by themself (singing along is a painkiller even if you don’t believe any word you sing)
if it’s good for your health to put a plaster, that doesn’t mean plasters are so powerfull we should expect unplastered folks to need amputation. Similarly, just because it may be good for our mental health to practice (some?) rituals doesn’t implicate rituals are so powerfull we should expect most unritual (?) folks to need psychological services.