Comments on: T-shirt slogan (#9)

By: fotrkd

fotrkd — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 02:26:35 +0000

“‘nature abhors a vacuum’ . If there’s a void that craves illusions, and if you don’t tame it, someone else will seize the initiative. Or, in the alternative, why did religion get replaced so seamlessly instead of evaporate, if not this.”

This is why I’m (unfortunately ) drawn to this site – no easy answers. Nature obviously isn’t what craves the illusions (why would it?)… but equally the rehashing of religion is pointedly significant…

By: handle

handle — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 02:19:56 +0000

No, I’m not trying to sway you. I know your position and respect it, but if had to express my reservations briefly it would be ‘nature abhors a vacuum’ . If there’s a void that craves illusions, and if you don’t tame it, someone else will seize the initiative. Or, in the alternative, why did religion get replaced so seamlessly instead of evaporate, if not this.

As for fear and hnu, OK, the question is does fear produce lies (to hold invalid) or merely silence? My impression is that, sure, some liars are merely paying lip service under penalty of sanction, but most are happy warriors and conspicuously terror free.

Fear produces the presence of absence of the opposition.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 01:44:59 +0000

“Most people won’t be happy and socially functional in a world intent on eradicating illusions.” — You’re not expecting me to be swayed by this I hope! I’m philosophically committed to setting the weight of utilitarian considerations firmly at zero. (I like the Yudkowsky quote too, needless to say.)

The context for this slogan is HNU (and political correctness in general), btw. Your equivocation is doubtless sensible, but it’s the kind of subtlety that evaporates rapidly on a battlefield.

By: fotrkd

fotrkd — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 01:42:23 +0000

What are you on about? Basic historical analysis presumably. So any use of wrong; liar; truth; honest; independent verification (etc.) is bullshit.

By: Handle

Handle — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 01:33:15 +0000

Reminds me of Yudkowsky’s motto:

“That which can be destroyed by the truth should be.” — P.C. Hodgell

And both slogans are wrong. Most people won’t be happy and socially functional in a world intent on eradicating illusions.

And fear is just as likely to coerce a liar into telling the truth as it is to make an honest man lie. One should be skeptical of the results, and subject them to independent verification, but to dismiss them outright is moronic dogma.