Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by bobson381 on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @11:48AM
(#44877899)
There should be an extremist cult of people who are certain only that uncertainty is the only certain thing
[ Parent
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Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by rpcope1 on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @12:02PM
(#44878148)
More people should read Sextus Empiricus as he's basically the O.G. Phyrronist skeptic and goes pretty hard on this very train of thought.
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by bobson381 on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @12:09PM
(#44878252)
Cool. Any specific recs or places to start with him?
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by rpcope1 on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @12:25PM
(#44878509)
Probably the Hackett book, "Sextus Empiricus: Selections from the Major Writings on Scepticism"
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by bobson381 on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @12:40PM
(#44878743)
Thanks!
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by Telemakhos on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @02:41PM
(#44880213)
If I remember my Gellius, it was the Academic Skeptics who claimed that the only certainty was uncertainty; the Pyrrhonists, in opposition, denied that one could be certain about the certainty of uncertainty.
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by ameliaquining on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @11:53AM
(#44877989)
Like Robert Anton Wilson if he were way less chill, perhaps.
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by arwhatever on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @12:22PM
(#44878463)
“Oh, that must be exhausting.”
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by saltcured on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @12:49PM
(#44878850)
There would be, except we're all very much on the fence about whether it is the right cult for us.
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by hungmung on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @01:20PM
(#44879315)
What makes you so certain there isn't? A group that has a deep understanding fnord of uncertainty would probably like to work behind the scenes to achieve their goals.
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by cwmoore on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @02:22PM
(#44880006)
The Fnords do keep a lower profile.
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by dcminter on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @01:43PM
(#44879568)
One might even call them illuminati? :D
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by card_zero on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @01:23PM
(#44879344)
The Snatter Goblins?
https://archive.org/details/goblinsoflabyrin0000frou/page/10...
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by pancakemouse on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @02:03PM
(#44879788)
My favourite bumper sticker, "Militant Agnostic. I don't know, and neither do you."
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by bobson381 on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @02:32PM
(#44880127)
I heard about this the other day! I think I need one.
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by jazzyjackson on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @02:05PM
(#44879812)
A Wonderful Phrase by Gandhi
I do dimly perceive
that while everything around me is ever-changing,
ever-dying there is,
underlying all that change,
a living power
that is changeless,
that holds all together,
that creates,
dissolves,
and recreates
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by tim333 on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @02:21PM
(#44879998)
Socrates was fairly close to that.
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by freedomben on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @03:24PM
(#44880751)
My thought as well! I can't remember names at the moment, but there were some cults that spun off from Socrates. Unfortunately they also adopted his practice of never writing anything down, so we don't know a whole lot about them
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by JTbane on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @03:20PM
(#44880697)
"I have no strong feelings one way or the other." thunderous applause
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by tomjakubowski on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @04:22PM
(#44881365)
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by mapontosevenths on Tuesday August 12, 2025 @05:39PM
(#44882099)
There already is, they're called "Politicians."
Re:Why Are There So Many Rationalist Cults?
by Viliam1234 on Wednesday August 13, 2025 @06:16PM
(#44894528)
You mean like this? https://www.readthesequences.com/Zero-And-One-Are-Not-Probab...