I have known a few "true believers" who grew to question beliefs they
had once considered unshakeable. In retrospect, they agreed that if
their beliefs had really been all that unshakeable, they wouldn't
have felt such a need to stamp out the opposition. (01)
It is those whose beliefs are NOT unshakeable, but who WANT them to
be unshakeable because they are afraid of having their worldview
turned upside down, who have a psychological need to marginalize or
destroy those who don't agree with them. (02)
Truly unshakeable belief asks only for the opportunity for free and
open investigation and debate. The truth takes care of the rest. (03)
K (04)
At 4:21 PM -0500 8/8/07, Christopher Menzel wrote:
>On Aug 8, 2007, at 2:22 PM, Azamat Abdoullaev wrote:
>> There is a sorrowful example of my thesis; continue you emotional
>> statements:
>
>Good grief, John's statements weren't emotional at all. The
>following in particular is empirically verifiable:
>
>>> The 20th century was filled with disasters caused by people trying to
>>> ram their conception of the truth down other people's throats.
>>> And the
>>> 21st is starting off on an even worse footing.''
>>
>> All these devastations and destructions arose from and will arise
>> only from
>> ''different conceptualizations''.
>
>Rubbish. The mere existence of different conceptualizations hasn't
>in itself any power for good or ill; if anything, it indicates a
>healthy community in which competing ideas are allowed flourish. A
>mixture of conceptualizations becomes volatile only when combined
>with an unshakable belief on the part of the devotees of one or more
>of the conceptualizations that (i) theirs mirrors the One True
>Reality and (ii) others must be made to believe the same way or be
>marginalized or destroyed.
>
>It is one of the creepier aspects of human psychology that (i) seems
>to engender (ii). So when I encounter a True Believer I just smile,
>nod, and slowly back away...
>
>-chris
>
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
>Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
>Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
>Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
>To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> (05)
_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (06)
|