Reason vs. Religion
Do you agree the unrest in society today is contributed by our thirst to create outrage and the urge to counter with contempt? Have we lost our ability to reason as citizens of humanity? How much has religion contributed to our pathological way of thinking?
According to Harris, reason is self-correcting. Reason is the space in human conversation where you wonder whether you are wrong, self-deceived, or your wishful thinking is causing you not to honestly pay attention to the consequences of certain arguments. The ultimate case of this is the self-purifying mode of conversation in science.
When you compare that to what people do in the service of any religion or faith where your beliefs are infallible because the ancient books said so, the ways of thinking becomes pathological in any context outside of religion.
6
Be part of the movement!
Welcome to the community for those who value free speech, evidence and civil discourse.Create your free account
2 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I'm a little uneasy when Sam Harris focuses so much on religion/faith as though that's the only way that reason is subdued, as though some silly "vision from God" or what not is the primary way by which religious people try to persuade others. Yes, there are religious fundamentalists out there who'll "beat you over the head" with their unverified "truth", but that form of religiosity is dying in the West.
Today, the assaults on reason are coming from politicians, judges, and public intellectuals, and they come to us in the name of science. They'll fire professors who provide rebuttals to the "Climate Change" dogma or they'll arrest a father for referring to his trans child in the "wrong" pronoun, or they'll fire a tech employee for observing differences between men and women in the STEM field, etc.
Where is the "self-correcting reason" in these cases? Doesn't the shutting down of debate in the political, academic, and social arenas also qualify as "blind faith"?
CRBG
Level 7
Apr 29, 2019
0
CRBG:
@RichardPD Scientific debates are never finalized, and even if they were, you don't fire a professor for providing scientific evidence that questions the prevailing theory. If you have to resort to firing someone, then maybe "group think" is your problem, not "consensus".
Recent Visitors 65
Photos
Posted by RitBorgShould any IDW types celebrate the removal of people from the public discourse? I think Sam has made an error with this one.
Posted by GodlessHarris is refreshingly upfront about his argument: the subtitle of his book is How Science Can Determine Human Values.
Posted by ThomasSheedySam Posted this on his Instagram recently. What are your thoughts?
Posted by GeeMacSam Harris has unlocked all content on his meditation app, “Waking Up” from today to the end of the year.
Posted by postmaster“It turns out the IDW is mostly a collection of disillusioned liberals looking for a place to have honest conversation.
Posted by SpikeTalonGood questions...
Posted by ChadwickShould Sam Harris have Stefan Molyneux or Jared Taylor on his Making Sense pod cast to talk about Race?
Posted by SpikeTalonOne of my favorite quotes from Harris.