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Old September 21st, 2006, 08:51 PM
Fred H. Fred H. is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 483
Default Re: Andrew Brown on Dawkins and Atheism

Quote:
[MM to Todd:] Finally, beliefs are the source of the most powerful emotions that guide our "cognitive" behavior choices. I can say that again and again - and you can agree and even say that it is (rationally) obvious. But, rationality is not knowing. Knowing is an emotional process. Rationality is worthless in terms of behavior choice. Only when rational conclusions become beliefs (and acquire the necessary emotional tags) - can rationality, imperfect as it is, influence behavior choice.

[Todd to MM:] I looked at this for over 2 hrs trying to figure it out. To my frustration, I couldn't discern anything radically different from our previous discussions. I agree with aspects, yet it goes into weird directions for me as well.

The best I can determine, you believe that there is such a thing as "rationality"….
Well, yeah, maybe, sort of, Todd, as long as you keep in mind that MM also believes that “rationality is not knowing,” that “knowing is an emotional process,” that “rationality is worthless in terms of behavior choice,” and that “only when rational conclusions become beliefs”—beliefs being, by MM’s reckoning, “the source of the most powerful emotions that guide our "cognitive" behavior”—“can rationality, imperfect as it is, influence behavior choice.” Got that?

So I’d say there’s really nothing to “figure out” here—these are merely MM’s obtuse embellishments on her circular notion (and perhaps also on her moral relativism) that all humans believe only whatever feels good to them and “use their brains to justify it”; and I think we have to conclude that for MM herself, that actually is more or less the case. And I also think that you, Todd, probably spent about 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds more than you should have trying to figure out whatever the hell it is that makes MM feel good and that she therefore believes.
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