Re:Questions you can't ask
by hugh on Thursday July 24, 2008 @08:57PM
(#256107)
I'm not saying that it's a scientific belief, I'm saying that it isn't a religious belief.
There are many other types of belief, including:
* belief based on incomplete experience (The traffic on I-80 is going to be terrible on Friday)
* belief based on wild-assed guess (oil is going to be under $100 a barrel by the end of the year)
* belief based on the fact that somebody told you it was true and you haven't bothered to check (The Nissan GT-R produces 480 horsepower)
* belief based on not having thought it out very well (We should invade China!)
* belief based on wanting to have that belief purely to annoy others (I think we should kill poor people!)
* belief based on personal prejudice (McCain sucks!)
* belief based on wanting to conform with the beliefs of your peer group (Lisp is awesome!)
"Purely religious beliefs" are characterised by things other than just being unsupported. A necessary but not sufficient condition is that they should be both unsupported and strongly held.
There are many other types of belief, including:
* belief based on incomplete experience (The traffic on I-80 is going to be terrible on Friday)
* belief based on wild-assed guess (oil is going to be under $100 a barrel by the end of the year)
* belief based on the fact that somebody told you it was true and you haven't bothered to check (The Nissan GT-R produces 480 horsepower)
* belief based on not having thought it out very well (We should invade China!)
* belief based on wanting to have that belief purely to annoy others (I think we should kill poor people!)
* belief based on personal prejudice (McCain sucks!)
* belief based on wanting to conform with the beliefs of your peer group (Lisp is awesome!)
"Purely religious beliefs" are characterised by things other than just being unsupported. A necessary but not sufficient condition is that they should be both unsupported and strongly held.