Why I am an athiest

@FBM,

Quote:

I might reiterate that the point of adopting Pyrrhonism isn't to be right about anything. It's a soteriological endeavor, with the goal of experiencing ataraxia.

Ataraxia, which you are on record saying you're not sure is possible... Why oh why did you ever chose to travel on this seldom-traveled road, with such an unproven and uncertain destination? What's so bad about beliefs that you need to get rid of them like they were cockroaches? I doubt you even know.

In my world view, human brains are "designed" to worry about things. That's why human beings are never really happy for any long period: they are not "meant" to be. Ataraxia means bored to death.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

It's just an interesting experiment. That's about it. Doesn't bother me in the least that not many others are interested in it. Your ridicule and apparent insistence that everyone else conform to your worldview are ever so predictable and common among believers.

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

Quote:
That doesn’t solve the question of why you go about your day assuming there is something rather than nothing.

God, this thread is f*cking hilarious!

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb192/DinahFyre/f38d4ec5-6494-402a-889b-7f574685d161.jpg

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Yeah, but Olivier will continue to argue just because he can--not because he has a point, or a clue--but just because he can. Look for his further hijinks in a thread near you today!

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@Setanta,

Quote:

Yeah, but Olivier will continue to argue just because he can--not because he has a point, or a clue--but just because he can.

Hey Setanta! Obviously, this place is for discussions, isn't it? Now, if you don't like this particular thread, nobody requires that you participate in it, comment upon it, or even read it... If you are here, it's because you like it, for some odd reason. I would personally appreciate more frequent contributions from you, if you're willing and able to make some, but it's not mandatory.

And FBM is not required to participate in it either, mind you. In fact he doesn't really participate, e.g. he can't answer simple questions. So your vaunted rhetorical skills are indeed wanted!

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@FBM,

Quote:

It's just an interesting experiment. That's about it. Doesn't bother me in the least that not many others are interested in it. Your ridicule and apparent insistence that everyone else conform to your worldview are ever so predictable and common among believers.

I don't insist on anything, in fact I find you rather amusing as you are. But why are you interested in THIS experiment rather than another one? What's so interesting about this one?

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@Olivier5,

I have never claimed to have special or even ordinary rhetorical skills, i've just pointed out that yours are poor. Neither i nor anyone else has "vaunted" my rhetorical skills. So you're peddling another fallacy--the straw man fallacy, which seems to be one of your favorites. I look in here because i enjoy reading FBM's posts. I see no reason to disparage his contribution. If he fails to rise to the bait of your straw men, that's something upon which he should congratulated.

I will participate in any thread i choose, and without your approval. You are just like all the other childish philosophy tyros who show up here. You seem to think that life consists of only profound statements displaying great wisdom. That, of course is nonsense, and the more so as your confused maundering is neither wise nor profound.

You are, however, occasionally entertaining.

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@Setanta,

Quote:

I will participate in any thread i choose, and without your approval.

Just because you can, not because you have a clue.

Quote:

I have never claimed to have special or even ordinary rhetorical skills, i've just pointed out that yours are poor. Neither i nor anyone else has "vaunted" my rhetorical skills. So you're peddling another fallacy--the straw man fallacy, which seems to be one of your favorites.

Why, I for one have vaunted your rhetorical skills, which evidently must be so much better than my own. I can't wait to learn from you how to properly organize an argument and stuff...

Please oh please stop throwing all your strawmen at me, I'm all covered with straw already.

What you people need is not less straw men, but the courage to say what you really think rather than hide behind authority or ambiguity. The only reason I had to ask so many questions to FBM and try to reformulate what he says -- a useful process which he resists, attributes to "straw manship", and never uses himself because he does not actually pay that much attention to what others are saying -- is that he is very confused, ambiguous, and unclear about what he believes or not.

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@Setanta,

I have another story:

Alexander the Great is haranguing his troops, saying: “make no mistake, the Persians want to destroy us, so we need to destroy them!” Everybody cheers loudly, until Pyrro replies: “we shouldn’t make unnecessary inferences, really. For all we know, it’s possible the Persian do not even exist…” At this point, Alexander draws his sword and says: “I’ve never seen a complex problem that I couldn’t solve in one clear, nice cut.” Pyrrho quickly replied: “Wait wait wait… For the sake of convenience and comfort, let’s assume the Persians exist.”

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@Olivier5,

I have never once employed a straw man with you. When i have criticized what you post, i have quoted your post, and addressed the substance of it. You, on the other hand, make up unwarranted inferences from what other people have posted, and then defy them to defend a position they have never taken. That is the classic straw man fallacy, and you've employed it again and again with FBM.

The evidence of this thread is that you will never learn anything from anyone here. It appears to me that you think you know it all already.

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@Setanta,

Quote:

That is the classic straw man fallacy, and you've employed it again and again with FBM.

I asked him questions and tried to reformulate what I thought he was saying to better understand it, in spite of his calculated ambiguity and lack of responsiveness. But I should have guessed that he was not actually trying to say anything coherent. Rather he was trying to avoid saying something coherent.

Quote:

The evidence of this thread is that you will never learn anything from anyone here. It appears to me that you think you know it all already.

I have learned a lot on this thread, including from FBM on how to avoid an honest discussion. Or from John Searle. Brilliant guy. Too bad FBM never cared for what Searle said in that vid that FBM himself posted... Too bad you seem incapable of learning from one of the greatest American philosophers ever. I guess you don't appreciate his rhetoric, huh?

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@Olivier5,

In what way have I been dishonest? You commit logical fallacies and I point them out. That's standard procedure when someone presents a flawed argument, isn't it?

If I've avoided anything, I've avoided taking your bait, whether it be in the form of straw men, hasty generalizations, name-calling, etc.

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@FBM,

Quote:

In what way have I been dishonest? You commit logical fallacies and I point them out. That's standard procedure when someone presents a flawed argument, isn't it?

If I've avoided anything, I've avoided taking your bait, whether it be in the form of straw men, hasty generalizations, name-calling, etc.

You're just calling a straw man any question you don't want to answer, period.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

Quote:
In what way have I been dishonest? You commit logical fallacies and I point them out. That's standard procedure when someone presents a flawed argument, isn't it?

If I've avoided anything, I've avoided taking your bait, whether it be in the form of straw men, hasty generalizations, name-calling, etc.

You're just calling a straw man any question you don't want to answer, period.

Man, really. Straw men aren't even questions.

Are you really that ignorant of even the most basic of logical terms? You have Google? Search "list of logical fallacies," if you can be bothered to actually teach yourself something. I'm pretty sure you can find them in your native language. If you do bother to learn them, you'd stop sounding so foolish, repeating the same fallacy over and over and over again. Please. Learn something useful. You'll be glad you did. Wink

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@FBM,

Quote:

Are you really that ignorant of even the most basic of logical terms?

Ok, let's look at specifics now. What straw man did I pull? And stop insulting me please.

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@Olivier5,

Olivier5 wrote:

Quote:
Are you really that ignorant of even the most basic of logical terms?

Ok, let's look at specifics now. What straw man did I pull? And stop insulting me please.

a) I already gave you a short list.
b) The past several pages contain numerous insults, parodies, snotty condescending asides, etc, made by you towards/about me. Have you noticed how mildly, if at all, I responded to them? If either of us is being intentionally dishonest, it's you. That request to stop insulting you is dripping with hypocrisy.

Since you apparently refuse to educate yourself in the basics of rational discourse, and furthermore consistently make it a point to antagonize and belittle me, I'm going to put you on ignore. You've failed to prove what you dogmatically set out to prove and appear far too immature and stubborn to let it go and simply agree to disagree. If I see any more of your comments, it will be because someone else quoted them. I'll keep open to the possibility that you may yet develop the skills to discuss the topic rationally, maturely and with mutual respect. Good bye and good luck.

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@FBM,

a) you haven't given me any thing specific, only empty, unsubstantiate accusations.
b) you have been insulting me before I shot back.

You're not worth my time. Get lost.

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