Quoting Robert J. Cordingley circa 09-12-02 02:54 PM: > "Doubt is the antidote to fanaticism" but I don't recall who wrote it in > the NYT. So I guess fanatic = wacko.
I'd say that a fanatic is a specific type of wacko, an enthusiastic wacko that continually advocates for their pet beliefs. A wacko might be totally convinced that their pet belief is true but might not be very _enthused_ about that belief. Perhaps their commitment to the pet belief leads them to continual states of paranoia, depression, or isolation. Then they're not a fanatic; but they're still wacko. So doubt is the antidote to many types of wacko, not just fanaticism. It's also reasonable that a person can be a wacko without being totally convinced, convicted, committed to some belief. The most fun example would be the impredicative wacko (a wacko who is wacko because they're not wacko). In my insistence that doubt and skepticism are the only fundamental beliefs worth holding, you might be tempted to label me an impredicative wacko. But since I believe doubt and skepticism are _incomplete_ truths, I don't really qualify. OK. I'll stop, now. Sorry. ;-) -- glen e. p. ropella, 971-222-9095, http://agent-based-modeling.com ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
