If Mormonism is incorrect, do you want to know that?
It’s a very important question and one I need to think about more. In the next few days I’ll write a Discussion post addressing my beliefs, including why I’m planning not to lose my faith at the moment.
But you haven’t showed much willingness so far to discuss your reasons for your belief in which way the evidence falls or ours.
Perhaps it’s not fair of me to ask for your evidence without providing any of my own. However I really don’t want to just become the irrational believer hopelessly trying to convince everyone else.
rather than concluding from your experience with us that we’re rigid and closed-minded on the matter, you’ve taken it as a premise to begin with
I didn’t come here expecting people to be rigid. But when I asked people what the best arguments for theism were, they either told me that there were none, or they rehashed bad ones that are refuted easily.
Are you familiar enough with the evidence that we’re prepared to bring to the table that you think you could argue it yourself?
Yes, I definitely am. In an intellectual debate I could probably defend atheism better than belief; I was originally looking for good arguments in favor of theism and I thought that you guys of all people ought to know some. Suffice it to say that I was largely wrong about that.
I didn’t come here expecting people to be rigid. But when I asked people what the best arguments for theism were, they either told me that there were none, or they rehashed bad ones that are refuted easily.
I was originally looking for good arguments in favor of theism and I thought that you guys of all people ought to know some. Suffice it to say that I was largely wrong about that.
Sorry, I can’t tell you what I don’t know. All the arguments for theism that I’ve ever heard were either chock-full of logical fallacies, or purely instrumental, of the form “I don’t care if any of this stuff is true or not, but I’m going to pretend that it is because doing so helps me in some way”. I personally believe that there’s a large performance penalty associated with believing false things, and thus arguments of the second sort are entirely unconvincing for me.
I am looking forward to your discussion post, however. Hopefully, I’ll finally get to see some solid arguments for theism in there !
I am looking forward to your discussion post, however. Hopefully, I’ll finally get to see some solid arguments for theism in there !
Sorry to disappoint you there. As I’ve said, I have no hope of convincing all of you and I’m not going to try; I wouldn’t stand a chance in a formal debate against a dozen of you.
I was thinking more along the lines of why I think it’s best to take the conclusions of a certain way of thinking with a grain of salt no matter how right its members think they are. Being skeptical of skepticism, one could say. So yes, it’s likely going to seem like a long criticism of Less Wrong’s fundamental philosophy, and chances are it won’t be too popular—but you never know. I think it’s a very good practice in life, not to accept any philosophy too fully.
What gives me the authority to say such things? An outside perspective.
Oh, and since I currently have negative karma, I’m unable to directly respond to your other comments.
In response to this one:
It’s a very important question and one I need to think about more. In the next few days I’ll write a Discussion post addressing my beliefs, including why I’m planning not to lose my faith at the moment.
And this one:
Perhaps it’s not fair of me to ask for your evidence without providing any of my own. However I really don’t want to just become the irrational believer hopelessly trying to convince everyone else.
I didn’t come here expecting people to be rigid. But when I asked people what the best arguments for theism were, they either told me that there were none, or they rehashed bad ones that are refuted easily.
Yes, I definitely am. In an intellectual debate I could probably defend atheism better than belief; I was originally looking for good arguments in favor of theism and I thought that you guys of all people ought to know some. Suffice it to say that I was largely wrong about that.
How does this response mean that we’re rigid?
Sorry, I can’t tell you what I don’t know. All the arguments for theism that I’ve ever heard were either chock-full of logical fallacies, or purely instrumental, of the form “I don’t care if any of this stuff is true or not, but I’m going to pretend that it is because doing so helps me in some way”. I personally believe that there’s a large performance penalty associated with believing false things, and thus arguments of the second sort are entirely unconvincing for me.
I am looking forward to your discussion post, however. Hopefully, I’ll finally get to see some solid arguments for theism in there !
Sorry to disappoint you there. As I’ve said, I have no hope of convincing all of you and I’m not going to try; I wouldn’t stand a chance in a formal debate against a dozen of you.
I was thinking more along the lines of why I think it’s best to take the conclusions of a certain way of thinking with a grain of salt no matter how right its members think they are. Being skeptical of skepticism, one could say. So yes, it’s likely going to seem like a long criticism of Less Wrong’s fundamental philosophy, and chances are it won’t be too popular—but you never know. I think it’s a very good practice in life, not to accept any philosophy too fully.
What gives me the authority to say such things? An outside perspective.
An always open mind never closes on anything. There is a time to confess your ignorance and a time to relinquish your ignorance and all that...