Mark welcomes you to our blog!
This is a place where three friends gather to philosophise and argue -- probably to a large extent about religion. We thought a blog would make it easier to keep track of our various thoughts and scribblings, so here it is! Of course, others may get involved. I really don't know how this is going to turn out but I expect it'll get pretty hairy. I should at least find it very interesting. I dunno about you... Anyway...
My name's Mark and I'm the agnostic in the title. I represent my own beliefs, thoughts and opinions. As far as I am concerned, the number of people who agree or disagree with me has no effect on the validity or otherwise of my thoughts. (Remember that before you blurt out something like, "What? Are you aware you're disagreeing with thousands of people?!")
Likewise, from my point of view the academic qualifications, achievements and popularity of other people do not add to or subtract from the validity of their beliefs. (Remember that when you try out that oh-so-convincing, "Einstein agrees with me on this one!" line of yours.)
Having said that, I do my best to remain open-minded and receptive to corrections and reasonable arguments. Much like a scientist, my beliefs are dynamic. If I encounter sufficient reason to change my beliefs I will do so. (I'd better warn you: It may take some time for the changes to sink in. If, for instance, you present me with proof of the existence of a particular deity, do not expect me to instantaneously join your religion. It'll take time for me to triple-check your reasoning and figure out what to do if I decide you are correct.)
I'm sure the other two would like to write their own introductory posts so I'll leave that to them. I think I'll go into more detail about myself in the next few posts. You see, I intend to lay some foundations so that others start off with as few misconceptions about me as possible. Ta!
posted by Pop! at 6:36 pm
8 Insightful insults:
Slightly aggressive in the first half, but cool, hehe. Look forward to hearing more.
Lucie
I suppose it could come across as agressive but I'm not sure what it is I do that makes it seem agressive. Should I dress it up in flowery language or something? Please advise.
It was more that you were already suggesting arguments from the other side... such as "Remember that before you blurt out something like, "What? Are you aware you're disagreeing with thousands of people?!"".
It's not the anticipation as such, it's more the implication that if you didn't warn them off such unhelpful arguments it'd be the first thing they'd say... Hehe, but then again I suppose as you've done quite a lot of debating in this field you have a right to be annoyed when people keep saying the same things.
Lucie (zykli)
Sparkle, I don't think that was what he was saying when he mentioned the Einstein part. Lots of intelligent people believe WITHOUT evidence, and just because they have achieved in one field doesn't mean that ALL their views are correct.
You don't have to have academic achievements to look through history and the evidence to come to your conclusions. To show it to others, however, you need to quote the evidence rather than just the intelligent guy who said the same thing.
I've really got to stop answering for other people... Kick me if I annoy you.
Lucie
I very much appreciate Lucie's comments and wish to "un-kick" her if such an action is possible.
However, with regards to her first comment: As this blog is available to the public, I am to a large extent writing on the assumption that Lucie, Carol and Sparkle are not the only people who'll end up commenting on this blog.
Besides which, even people whom I'd expect to be particularly good at arguing their case, such as religious leaders, have used said poor arguments on me... too many times.
It is often said that Einstein must have been religious because he once remarked "God does not play dice." I disagree. Such quotations do not prove his religiousness simply because he is clearly using the phrase "play dice" as a metaphor (for "act randomly") and therefore "God" could also be a metaphor (for "The universe".)
Besides which, as Lucie correctly points out in her second comment, fame or expertise in one field (such as physics) is of little relevance to other fields (such as religion.) Of course, I do understand that there is always some overlap between any two fields.
Perhaps more relevantly to Sparkle's comment, I wish to point out that anyone can make big mistakes in their reasoning. Anyone could, potentially, do lots of research into the existence of supernatural beings and yet still be unwittingly biased towards arriving at a particular conclusion. Bearing this in mind, a religious leader could be far more likely to conclude that such beings exist than, say, you or I.
Another issue I wish to raise is: Many religious people mistakenly believe that if a supernatural being can be proven to exist then it simply must be the one(s) they believe in, regardless of any further evidence or reasoning.
I now realise I have not yet directly answered Sparkle's original question, which was, "So if someone of immense intelligence went away and asked loads of questions and looked through istorical records and came to the conclusion that the existance of a God of some sortr is a logical conclusion to arrive at, then you would just disregard this as comp-letely wrong?"
My answer is, "No. I am generally critical of my own beleifs and any beliefs diametrically opposed to them. If said immensely intelligent person presented me with new evidence and reasoning I would do my best to take it into account. And I do actually mean it when I say that."
I need not point out that I do not regard anyone here as being immensely intelligent. However, I appear to have done so.
Indeed. I often think that my beliefs are more a set of questions than a set of answers... And if I ever write an introduction to email Sparkle, that's where I'll start!
Thanks for the un-kicking. =)
And no, we're not immensely intelligent. Nor are we wise. Got a few more decades to go before we can even HOPE to claim that.
Lucie
Wow. Zotoy.
Lucie
Post a Comment
<< Home