MBS

Zora,

Thanks. I don't think education has a lot to do with it. I still have a lot to learn. I tend to naturally express ideas logically. Though, when it comes to other forms of expression I wish I were more articulate. It seems that the illogical people do better in this world. They tend to be more social.

I also don't know that much about Islam, but most of what I have read outside of the PC bullshit has been negative. I have looked at internet translations of the Quran, but the translations aren't very reliable. Some even sugar coat the harsher verses for potential converts. There are no "official" translations, like the Bible. Only the Arabic version is considered authentic.

MBS

Pyrrho,

I read through most of Clifford's essay and skimmed much of James'. I agree with Clifford that it is desirable to have sufficient evidence for any beliefs in general. I also agree with James in some parts. It isn't psychologically possible to be completely unbiased and rational about our beliefs, even scientific ones.

I wouldn't say that harmful ideas (fanatical religion or other) occur merely because people accept irrational beliefs. These are what I see as the "biggest sins"

1.) Refusing to consider evidence that could refute your belief or hanging on to belief despite negative evidence.

ex. A racist will isolate himself from people of "inferior" races because he doesn't want to see that they are not much different form him.

2.) Being socially coerced into belief, i.e. not thinking for yourself.

ex. Hitler would not have come to power if more people had questioned the popular surge of racist nationalism during that time period. Hitler would have been quite harmless as a lone nut case.

I have no problem with people having irrational beliefs based on a personal experience. The universe is far from understood and odd and unexplained things do occur. If someone feels they need an explanation, and come up with a seemingly irrational one, that’s just fine. The experience of someone who believes they have been abducted by a UFO could be very real to them -- even if it were a hallucination. The problem is when people who haven’t experienced anything blindly accept something as truth (or even form a cult around it).