"They are always reasons a belief should be subject to question..." I question whether particular religious practices or statements have any thing to do with the purpose of my life. When you judged me on my beliefs, did you know what my beliefs are?
I would like to know where I judged you on your beliefs. I was judging using the word certainty (again as an abstract notion representing a type of philosophical orientation, not even mentioning you per se). I could argue whether you are really alive, but you have already said you don't care to explore this type of existential examination of yourself. Since my only contact with you is through a keyboard and monitor, I'm not certain you are alive yet I deem it probable. You could be a 'bot, but I doubt it.
You said I judged the Taliban to be wrong. I said no such thing:
Taliban believes that it is doing the right thing. I don't think anyone typically goes around and thinks they do the WRONG thing unless they are a sociopath. Even the most devote true believer isn't what I'd consider a sociopath. They all believe they are going for a Greater Good, but have tenous evidence for this belief. It is through such purported "certainty" that they can do so many things to others of different minds.
How do people like me protect themselves from people who are certain that their behavior generates some unprovable greater good? Or certain that people are making judgements when they are questioning the notion of certainty itself?
What I do believe about Taliban is that they are certain in their views. They don't doubt that they are doing the right thing and are therefore, not circumspect. They are also applying their beliefs to people who don't share the certainty of these convictions.
So, how would you recommend structuring society so that these types of religious hegemonies don't occur here? My solution is keep beliefs out of the public purview, or at least when they are unavoidably introduced to treat them as unprovable or uncertain quantities. Surely we should exclude religious beliefs that are claimed to be held as "certain", because, as I pointed out to Neo, they aren't transferable to others. |
