Philosophy Now Forum

Reflex wrote:Why deliberately provoke people who do believe by insisting an an invalid comparison? Isn't that called "trolling"?

Okay. What was the provocation? I said that the comparison was invalid myself. So what was the provocation?

sthitapragya wrote:

Reflex wrote:Why deliberately provoke people who do believe by insisting an an invalid comparison? Isn't that called "trolling"?

Okay. What was the provocation? I said that the comparison was invalid myself. So what was the provocation?

Belief is to religion what a dwelling is to a home. They may look identical from the outside, but they are not the same thing. By insisting on the right to use an invalid comparison, you're throwing eggs on the believer's home. It's brutish and insensitive.

Reflex wrote:

sthitapragya wrote:

Reflex wrote:Why deliberately provoke people who do believe by insisting an an invalid comparison? Isn't that called "trolling"?

Okay. What was the provocation? I said that the comparison was invalid myself. So what was the provocation?

Belief is to religion what a dwelling is to a home. They may look identical from the outside, but they are not the same thing. By insisting on the right to use an invalid comparison, you're throwing eggs on the believer's home. It's brutish and insensitive.

You still have not explained what I said which was offensive. I explained that there is no comparison between God and santa. But the atheists disbelief in both is the same as the Theists disbelief in santa. I have no idea where I used an invalid comparison. If you are a theist who does not believe in santa, the only way for me to explain my absence of belief in God is to refer to your absence of belief in santa so that you do not confuse my disbelief in any way whatsoever. I find it brutish and insensitive when Theists point out to me how my disbelief is a belief. So it works both ways.

Reflex wrote:If you disbelieve, you disbelieve. So what? Why deliberately provoke people who do believe by insisting an an invalid comparison? Why throw eggs on a person's home? Isn't that called "trolling"?

Because the comparison is perfectly valid in terms of epistemology.

sthitapragya wrote:But the atheists disbelief in both is the same as the Theists disbelief in santa.

No, it's not. You see see the dwelling place, but not the home. A home is more than just a place. If you cannot see the difference, then you are like a fish that does not see the water in which it swims.

Hobbes' Choice wrote:
Because the comparison is perfectly valid in terms of epistemology.

No, it's not. Even in terms of epistemology, a home is more than just a dwelling. There is an emotional attachment to a home.

The attempt to rationalize the comparison is just arguing for the sake of arguing. It's infantile.

Reflex wrote:

Hobbes' Choice wrote:
Because the comparison is perfectly valid in terms of epistemology.

No, it's not. Even in terms of epistemology, a home is more than just a dwelling. There is an emotional attachment to a home.

The attempt to rationalize the comparison is just arguing for the sake of arguing. It's infantile.

What do you not understand about the word epistemology?

In any event, even given your own argument (ahem - such as it is), there is plenty of emotion and feeling connected with Santa as with God. What are you trying to say here? Do you even know?

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

Reflex wrote:

Hobbes' Choice wrote:
Because the comparison is perfectly valid in terms of epistemology.

No, it's not. Even in terms of epistemology, a home is more than just a dwelling. There is an emotional attachment to a home.

The attempt to rationalize the comparison is just arguing for the sake of arguing. It's infantile.

What do you not understand about the word epistemology?

In any event, even given your own argument (ahem - such as it is), there is plenty of emotion and feeling connected with Santa as with God. What are you trying to say here? Do you even know?

How old are you? 12?

Reflex wrote:

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

What do you not understand about the word epistemology?

In any event, even given your own argument (ahem - such as it is), there is plenty of emotion and feeling connected with Santa as with God. What are you trying to say here? Do you even know?

How old are you? 12?

If you can't answer the question, run along and find a dictionary you stupid p****.

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

Reflex wrote:

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

What do you not understand about the word epistemology?

In any event, even given your own argument (ahem - such as it is), there is plenty of emotion and feeling connected with Santa as with God. What are you trying to say here? Do you even know?

How old are you? 12?

If you can't answer the question, run along and find a dictionary you stupid p****.

I'll take that as a "yes."

Why the emotional attachment to a mere "disbelief"?

Question: are all the atheists here so emotionally attached to their disbelief? If so, why not just call atheism a kind of religion and be done with it?

Reflex wrote: Why the emotional attachment to a mere "disbelief"?

Check out the "who really is an atheist?" thread in this forum.
There are multiple annoying religious types on this forum who insist on labelling those of us who don't share their beliefs as child harming idolaters, sayers of "no" (your guess about that one is as good as mine) and many other pointless nonsenses.

Sthith is simply trying to make one of those idiots pay attention to a rational point, given that when they frame the debate they do so using loaded terms which they refuse to justify - except the one who speaks almost entirely in babble (the "no" guy), fuck knows what he is trying to communicate.

Reflex wrote:Question: are all the atheists here so emotionally attached to their disbelief? If so, why not just call atheism a kind of religion and be done with it?

Why do that? Cake and carrots are related objects with some shared properties, but cake is not a recognised variety of carrot.

Likewise, religion and atheism share a property -namely they both require one to have some form of opinion about God or something like that.
But atheism lacks the rest of the baggage necessary to qualify as a religion. I don't worship stuff, pray for anything, or get any tax exemptions as a result of my lack of belief in a thing that doesn't exist.

FlashDangerpants wrote:

Reflex wrote:Question: are all the atheists here so emotionally attached to their disbelief? If so, why not just call atheism a kind of religion and be done with it?

Why do that? Cake and carrots are related objects with some shared properties, but cake is not a recognised variety of carrot.

Likewise, religion and atheism share a property -namely they both require one to have some form of opinion about God or something like that.
But atheism lacks the rest of the baggage necessary to qualify as a religion. I don't worship stuff, pray for anything, or get any tax exemptions as a result of my lack of belief in a thing that doesn't exist.

I get that, but why debate the existence of water with a fish who perceives itself as swimming in water? Why use an invalid comparison?

Reflex wrote: I get that, but why debate the existence of water with a fish who perceives itself as swimming in water? Why use an invalid comparison?

I don't know. Why is this air breathing fish shouting at me about water all the time?
Was that comparison any more valid than the one in question?

Reflex wrote:Question: are all the atheists here so emotionally attached to their disbelief? If so, why not just call atheism a kind of religion and be done with it?

And this is why the comparison to santa becomes necessary. You brought up the emotional component. Are you emotionally attached to your disbelief in santa? See? There is no other way I can explain this to you because you guys keep making these offensive accusations. And then you find the comparison offensive. But you don't seem to get the complete lack of emotion in disbelief. And the only way to point it out to you is to bring your disbelief of santa into the picture.

Till you guys stop explaining to us what our disbelief is like, we have no option but to compare our disbelief in God with your disbelief in santa.