John said to dmb:
Whatever we personally accept is the only real criterion for anything anymore.
Truth is relative, ideas are dime and dozen and if you don't like the
religious outlook you were raised in, well there's about a billion more to
choose from. It's all personal preference anyway, with no real meaning to any
of it.
dmb says:
So then your personal preference is to view life as cynical, sad, and
meaningless? The only real criterion is personal preference and THAT is your
choice? Jeez. If your taste in food is anything like your taste in philosophy
I'm gonna have to decline all future dinner invitations.
John said:
Well Dave, I'm sure it's fashionable in some circles to praise Marx, just as in
other circles it's the fashion to sneer at him. But I'm in favor of evaluating
ideas on their merit rather than dismissing or affirming just because it's
"marxist".
dmb says:
Did I say we ought to affirm or dismiss Postman? No, of course not. And, if
fact, I already stated by own view which was neither an affirmation nor a
dismissal. (It's not a crazy idea but it's overplayed and out of proportion,
I'd said.) But don't you think that your ability to evaluate his ideas would
only be improved and enhanced by also understanding the background and context
of those ideas? Yes, of course it will. But instead of saying "thanks, dave",
you just seem to resent it. I don't get that.
I think you're just angry at me because you're an anti-intellectual theist
while I am an anti-theistic intellectual. (This only refers to my point of
view, not my intelligence, status or achievements.) I'm everything you hate,
huh? The case against theism ruffles your feathers big time, doesn't it? That's
okay. It's only natural. I'd probably feel the same way if the situation were
reversed.
Generally speaking, I like to think that anger is just the initial reaction but
later, when things calm down and we have a chance to do some pondering, we
might actually change our views as a result of such challenges. That's how it
works for me, anyway. Takes time to change your mind. It's a process. And I
suppose a lot of the time this process never gets off the ground because the
challenged beliefs are just too central, too firmly entrenched so that an
alteration in them is very expensive. Altering such a central belief is too
costly in the sense that it supports a whole series of other beliefs in such a
way that they would come tumbling down too. Sometimes this is so dramatic that
one's whole world seems to be threatened. "No pain, no gain" is a slogan that
applies to more than just muscles, you know? A change of perspective is often
experienced as a crisis when you're in the middle of it but later, when you can
look back at it you can see that it was all quite worthwhile
. You've probably heard people say things like, "Getting fired from my job was
the best thing that every happened to me". Times like that have a way of
forcing us to hit the reset button, changes who we think we are and sends life
in a new direction.
I'm not saying this describes your situation. I'm not saying that you're more
challenged by me than I am by you. This is about anybody and everybody. But I
do get the sense that you're mighty pissed and that your new personality won't
allow you to properly vent about it, so it's sort of leaking out from the
cracks. I'm afraid you're gonna blow a gasket or something. Go ahead and vent.
Let me have it. It's alright. I'll get over it eventually. Besides, in
cyberspace no one can hear me cry.
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