As it turns out, there’s an upper limit to the number of happy birthdays post-humans can have before they find the whole thing entirely too embarrassing. When the mass of their attics approaches the Chandrasekhar limit, simply from all the tacky gag gifts stuffed away where no one has to see them, most vigitilligenarians find something more interesting to celebrate. Until then, enjoy the cake!
KyleRudy
Karma: 35
How about a startup that requires you to pay a similar fee for paying any contractually-obligated fee without first taking it to civil court for trial or settlement? Just sneak an advertisement in between the pages of the bar exams, and you’re set.
I work for a company that resells and recycles used electronics. As we work with larger and larger suppliers, it’s become necessary to file for compliance with RIOS, R2, and other environmental certification organizations. A large part of what this entails is purposefully sacrificing our ability to handle hazardous materials in ways that are entirely legal, to gain credibility with other companies as being ‘green’. That reputation is worth a lot, to the point where we’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in time and fees for the certification, never mind the lasting cost to our operations standards. It’s not a perfect match for the scenario you’re suggesting, as the standards are targeted, and the certification organizations themselves do provide some services. Its intended effect is arguably closer to advertising than manipulation, but it still boils down to exploiting 3rd party verified limitations in negotiation.
I was raised to be a strong, convicted theist, and I’m still trying to shake off some nasty habits. Occasionally I see or participate in a conversation that trends towards something like SarahC’s interrogation: “If there’s no God, what’s your system of morality?” “How did the Universe begin?” “How do you explain the existence of eyes?” “How do you find meaning in life?”
I’ve learned that an effective response is, “See what sort of interesting questions you ask as soon as you consider that maybe ‘God did it’ isn’t a valid answer?” Then, you pick your favorite query and go into all the useful things humanity has learned as soon as they stopped treating scripture as a reason to stop thinking. Heliocentric astronomy is a favorite.
I cannot claim a lot of experience with other religions, but most Christians who ask questions of atheists are convinced they’re “equipped” to handle the situation. Anyone with doubts would rather not talk about the subject of atheism at all. For the would-be inquisitors, then, introduce atheism as a useful thought experiment first. Discovering our ignorance isn’t a “I don’t know, but so what?” scenario, it’s a “I don’t know, isn’t it great?!” sort of thing. While I’m still not completely convinced religion isn’t without its uses, its greatest flaw is that it allows people to live their lives without ever learning what they don’t know.