I Flew to Lagos and Got Beaten Up Because of a Nigerian Email Scam

Re:I Flew to Lagos and Got Beaten Up Because of a Nigerian E... by mikeash on Monday December 16, 2013 @07:41PM (#6918957)

My favorite quote on the matter:

"The president of the United States has claimed, on more than one occasion, to be in dialogue with God. If he said that he was talking to God through his hairdryer, this would precipitate a national emergency. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes the claim more ridiculous or offensive."

(Note: don't take my quoting of Sam Harris as an endorsement of him in general. I have no idea whether he's worth endorsing or not, having read essentially nothing of his beyond that quote.)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I Flew to Lagos and Got Beaten Up Because of a Nigerian E... by tedunangst on Monday December 16, 2013 @09:11PM (#6919196)

"everybody" knows God is omnipotent (and omnipresent). He can hear your prayers without the hairdryer amplification, which the President should surely know. Using a hairdryer to communicate implies that the President believes in a God that cannot hear unamplified prayers; i.e. the President doesn't believe in the "real" God.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I Flew to Lagos and Got Beaten Up Because of a Nigerian E... by mikeash on Monday December 16, 2013 @09:56PM (#6919314)

Right, so "magic" is acceptable as long as it's "magic we endorse".

Looking at it from the outside, there's no serious difference.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I Flew to Lagos and Got Beaten Up Because of a Nigerian E... by tedunangst on Monday December 16, 2013 @10:07PM (#6919348)

Sure. But now you know how the addition of a hairdryer makes the claim more ridiculous or offensive.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I Flew to Lagos and Got Beaten Up Because of a Nigerian E... by Crito on Tuesday December 17, 2013 @12:10PM (#6922201)

It doesn't make it any more ridiculous, that is the point. It only makes it into a form of magic that is not endorsed by mainstream christians, but it isn't actually any weirder.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I Flew to Lagos and Got Beaten Up Because of a Nigerian E... by leephillips on Monday December 16, 2013 @10:19PM (#6919390)

If you liked that I urge you to seek out more: it gets even better. I especially recommend his talks that can be found on YouTube - he's a scientist and philosopher with the timing of a standup comedian.

[ Parent | on HN ]