AZPaul3 writes:
I would counter that unevidenced, irrational, illogical and absurd beliefs in the supernatural are only problematic if they enter the human mind ... at all.
And I would counter that people are different.
Therefore, speaking in absolutes about how people should think/believe is problematic... at all.
Being extremely rational and looking for evidence on everything can be... bland.
It can also be detrimental to certain people.
I see 3 basic levels of intelligence:
1. Ability to learn based on self-experience.
("I burnt my finger on the flame - don't touch a lit candle.")
2. Ability to learn based on other's-experience or manipulation of self-experience.
("I saw that other person burn their finger on the candle's flame - don't touch an exhaust pipe because sometimes flames come out and it could burn me.")
3. Ability to learn based on imagination.
-I don't have an example for this level, because I don't think I've ever imagined something that's not based on my previous experience in some way
-this would be people we describe as "genius"
-such people have the ability to think of things that no one else can, and no one else ever has before them
-they can be geniuses in art or science or almost anything, but the results are the same - they are capable of learning something that no one else has ever learned before, and no one (including them) has ever witnessed before, either
If what I state above has any connection to reality... how could a genius imagine something not based on their previous experience at all... therefore not based on evidence at all?
Pure genius REQUIRES the ability to have unevidenced, irrational ideas and then make judgements calls to see if they actually can fit into reality and are evidenced and logical.
I will happily admit that such circumstances for when unevidenced, irrational ideas should be used will be extremely rare and only handled by those who can make proper evidenced/rational judgement calls in applying them to the reality we all share....
But to say such things are problematic if they "enter the human mind at all" is just... well... shutting off one of the most amazing parts of being human that's available to us.
As I was saying, people are different.
Many people will think in many different ways.
Some think in text (reading words in their mind as they think about ideas.)
Some think in ideas (flashing images/feelings in their mind and then formulate words/language to express them.)
Some think with one inner voice.
Some think with two inner voices that argue/discuss options.
Some think with multiple inner voices to a level where those inner voices can almost be their own 'separate identity' within the same brain.
To think that because "evidence and rational ideas" lead to many, many good things... therefore "evidence and rational ideas" are the only path to good things, and everyone should only ever follow that path.... to me is just as bad as religious people saying we should all/only follow their ideas.
It's a box.
It's restrictive.
It's oppressing.
May very well be "better" than some other forms of oppression.
But there are still better ways beyond that.
™ Version 4.2
