I agree with Kevin that belief is insufficient for exclusion/rejection. Best I can tell, it’s not so much what you believe that matters here as what you say and do: if you sincerely seek to improve yourself and make this clear without hostility, you will be accepted no matter the gap (as you have found with this post and previous comments).
The difference between the beliefs Kevin cited lies in the effect they may have on the perspective from which you can contribute ideas. Jefferson’s deism had essentially no effect on his political and moral philosophizing (at least, his work could easily have been produced by an atheist). Pat Robertson’s religiosity has a great deal of effect on what he says and does, and that would cause a problem.
The fact that you wrote this post suggests you are in the former category, and I for one am glad you’re here.
Best I can tell, it’s not so much what you believe that matters here as what you say and do
I agree with the rest of your comment, but this seems very wrong to me. I’d say rather that the unity we (should) look for on LW is usually more meta-level than object-level, more about pursuing correct processes of changing belief than about holding the right conclusions. Object-level understanding, if not agreement, will usually emerge on its own if the meta-level is in good shape.
I agree with Kevin that belief is insufficient for exclusion/rejection. Best I can tell, it’s not so much what you believe that matters here as what you say and do: if you sincerely seek to improve yourself and make this clear without hostility, you will be accepted no matter the gap (as you have found with this post and previous comments).
The difference between the beliefs Kevin cited lies in the effect they may have on the perspective from which you can contribute ideas. Jefferson’s deism had essentially no effect on his political and moral philosophizing (at least, his work could easily have been produced by an atheist). Pat Robertson’s religiosity has a great deal of effect on what he says and does, and that would cause a problem.
The fact that you wrote this post suggests you are in the former category, and I for one am glad you’re here.
I agree with the rest of your comment, but this seems very wrong to me. I’d say rather that the unity we (should) look for on LW is usually more meta-level than object-level, more about pursuing correct processes of changing belief than about holding the right conclusions. Object-level understanding, if not agreement, will usually emerge on its own if the meta-level is in good shape.
Indeed, I agree—I meant that it doesn’t matter what conclusions you hold as much as how you interact with people as you search for them.