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What is your most absurd belief?
Loren Michael
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Here's where I got the idea from.
What is your most absurd belief? By that I mean what is the belief you hold that, if you tell it to other people whom you respect, they would think is absurd?
I suppose I should go first.
I have many beliefs that I've glommed onto for, I think, various reasons. I'm a kind of introspective person and I like it when I'm able to find a trail that my intuitions have led me on, and then take a notably counter-intuitive rout. Many people think these are absurd. Some people may recall me talking about panopticons, plastic surgery, immigration, evolutionary psychology, and believe it or not, I used to be the go-to guy for anti-religion tirades (fortunately for this thread, too many people I respect agree with my orthodox position on that last one, so it's not absurd). A sneak preview of future absurdity from me is my belief that the current authoritarian Communist Chinese government is one of the most significant forces for good the world has ever seen. But that's just a sneak preview.
Main event:
I believe that science should be established as a religion. That's somewhat of a vague way to put it, but essentially, my view of religion is that, by and large they're not so hot, mostly because of the content and epistemology contained therein. That said, religions are compelling. They tap into some pretty primal intuitions that humans have, they provide communities, they provide ritual, and I see no reason that a perfectly reasonable faith* could be established. I believe that scholarship and reasonableness and skepticism are worth revering, but not in the way that Humanism goes about it. I think the fruits of science are things that adherents of science the religion can feel proud of.
In the sense of the myriad other faiths having the audacity to declare themselves as having a special relationship to truth, I believe scientific adherents should do the same.
*
Now, my absurd belief isn't really fleshed out. To be honest, I haven't thought about it for a while. I might come back and have a follow up post about it later.
But enough about me. What is your most absurd belief? And please, explain!
What is your most absurd belief? By that I mean what is the belief you hold that, if you tell it to other people whom you respect, they would think is absurd?
I suppose I should go first.
I have many beliefs that I've glommed onto for, I think, various reasons. I'm a kind of introspective person and I like it when I'm able to find a trail that my intuitions have led me on, and then take a notably counter-intuitive rout. Many people think these are absurd. Some people may recall me talking about panopticons, plastic surgery, immigration, evolutionary psychology, and believe it or not, I used to be the go-to guy for anti-religion tirades (fortunately for this thread, too many people I respect agree with my orthodox position on that last one, so it's not absurd). A sneak preview of future absurdity from me is my belief that the current authoritarian Communist Chinese government is one of the most significant forces for good the world has ever seen. But that's just a sneak preview.
Main event:
I believe that science should be established as a religion. That's somewhat of a vague way to put it, but essentially, my view of religion is that, by and large they're not so hot, mostly because of the content and epistemology contained therein. That said, religions are compelling. They tap into some pretty primal intuitions that humans have, they provide communities, they provide ritual, and I see no reason that a perfectly reasonable faith* could be established. I believe that scholarship and reasonableness and skepticism are worth revering, but not in the way that Humanism goes about it. I think the fruits of science are things that adherents of science the religion can feel proud of.
In the sense of the myriad other faiths having the audacity to declare themselves as having a special relationship to truth, I believe scientific adherents should do the same.
*
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.
Now, my absurd belief isn't really fleshed out. To be honest, I haven't thought about it for a while. I might come back and have a follow up post about it later.
But enough about me. What is your most absurd belief? And please, explain!
Loren Michael on
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Posts
You win the thread.
But no really, my most absurd belief is to always believe in the unreasonable because if we all agreed what's the point? But it gets me into trouble if I paddle against the stream a lot.
I'm not really clear what your belief is.
Show me your goods first, you fucking prude.
This, except the bad ones are causing so much damage it creates the illusion of many people.
I also believe your mom jokes are the funniest things in the world. especially when they make no sense.
Teleportation and time travel threads are always terrible.
No, OK, that's more of an absurd hope.
I believe humans can be the caretakers of life on Earth if we can find a way live on it without destroying it as much as we do today. We take wonder in the smallest and largest of creatures, and we have an (I think) instinctual desire to care for the babies and elderly of many many species.
I'm gonna live forever, you just won't be able to tell.
I have no issues with growing Russian influence in Central-Asia and believe it will do more to counter Islamic extremism than the already existing NATO-sanctioned missions in the region.
Also, Tupac is still alive.
RIP Biggie.
I mean they still call themselves the people's republic. That's just a mockery.
That I like pinacoladas. Isn't it clear?
They've lifted untold millions out of absolute poverty? I mean, it still sucks, and I wouldn't want to breathe the air in Beijing on most days, but things have been far worse for China.
Words like people's or democratic in the name of a country generally mean that the country is the exact opposite. It doesn't work the other way round, which is a shame because It's be cool to live in a country officially called "The fascistic hellhole of the Netherlands".
is the suppression of information and jailing of political dissidents necessary for that?
Although in my defence, it is pretty good practice and you do learn a lot. Although finding out you're wrong is always particularly galling.
Clearly freedom of the press, speech, & the like weren't necessary for it, though one could argue whether the extent to which it had industrialized would have been better with them than without.
As for beliefs, have to be polytheism. Mostly because it's way cooler than monotheism.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
That depends on the gods.
That's what makes it even more fun! You can have a whole pantheon that are separated on individual and specific categorizations of death, disease, destruction, terror, and suffering, rather than just one God that is responsible for all and lonely.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
That's pretty much it. Insofar as methods of fucking poverty's shit up, The Party has done a bang-up job of it on a scale and a speed that defies comparison, and as such may be worth adapting and emulating to fit other impoverished areas.
I've been doing it since Friday on a piece of a report that was supposed to be in today, of which I have written 1% so far. And as it happens the time we have to turn it in was postponed from today to Thursday. I guess that's proof that my belief is valid.
Oh come on, that's not absurd. I STILL do that shit, every damn time.
Mind can be explained with mathematical recursion applied to a parrallel interactive network.
*twitch twitch*
kakos
no
im gone
At some point they could be, when they're born. Beyond that then yea.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
My beliefs related to sexuality tend to result in instant pariahship. To sum them up, "Anything goes that doesn't cause harm". This includes non-abusive bestiality, and incest that doesn't result in children. And it's fine to fantasize about literally anything.
And for the one that generates less a squick response and more a 'Yeah right" response , I believe science
will achieve immortality of the mind before I die. Or at least good enough brain imaging that I can be brought back eventually.
Edit: To clarify, I figure that this immortality will me achieved by making a perfect image of the brain right down to the electrons, then just running a simulation of how the electrons interact, something we already, for the most part, know. All we need is that kind of imaging, and a fuckton of processing power.