[Hieroglyph]

...And back to the early morning radio phone in..."Your POINT caller?"
...which reminds me of Jack Lucas from 'The Fisher King'...
Dont go getting ideas, listeners :P

[Fantasyeatergal]

I think most people know they don’t possess the Knowledge. However, most people don’t have the leisure to philosophy on a daily basis about it. Accordingly, they live by what they think is right, which ultimately is the best we can do. Live with doubt.

I also think that to doubt is of an uttermost necessity. Someone who has stopped questioning his/her beliefs is potentially dangerous. There is nothing more frightening than an altruistic monster. Someone who can reach the far end of monstrosity with the unyielding assurance that it’s for the greater good. (Although I have to admit such character makes entirely too good fiction’s villain… :cool:)

I’m doing a major in history, so I work with doubts all day long. And guess what? I’m not on the edge of depression yet! :eek: The reason would be that I have the intimate conviction that doubts are positive little buggers.

But you know… I can be wrong… ;)

[Nepenthe13]

I don't think I know it all. In fact, I KNOW that I know very little.

I am very confident in the little I do know, though. Because I am confident in it, I have no reason or inclination to force it on others. Truth reveals itself with no help from me.

[killhus]

" I think those kind of issues of "how does society function?" or "what is the true relationship between my faith and God?", they take a backseat to survival at times, but when the people I come across think about it, they have almost always accepted that these questions may be beyond them, or beyond all of us, and the best thing to do is just muddle by the best you can."

Believing that we hold the truth in our hands, and that we are special (and, once we become parents, that our children are the most wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, ever) has survival value. At least it has for most of our history. And this truth is so obviously true that the fact that others don't see this truth proves our superiority.

Maybe that explains something about the second question as well. Most people think the truth is obvious, and should be taught. No need for the messy stuff about questioning our own beliefs.

Attitudes like the ones talked about here are attitudes that were possesed by the vast majority of people who argued and called people who thought the world was round idiots. When people claimed that the earth was not the center of the Universe, and the moon, stars, and planets are not gods they were called heretics. An attitude that i get alot from people is " Most people believe this, therefore its true", or "Everybody does it". With these kinds of attitudes we will never progress intelectually, and discover new things.

A lot of people I talk to despise the idea that history is relative. I was taught in school that the civil war was fought to free the slaves. A lot of germans dont even believe that the holocaust happened.
Our children are gonna be taught that the Campaigns in afghanistan and Iraq were fought against terrorists, and to free the muslim women, and to liberate kuwait from the wrath of a dictator.

Imagine, for instance, if we all suddenly stopped believing in the propriety of 'casual consumption'? Thing would deteriorate pretty damn quick! The last thing a society needs is millions of truly critical, individual thinkers, second guessing all the assumptions that entrench its existing hierarchies. The best thing for it to do, rather, is to cultivate the illusion of independent, critical thought. That way, it's members can convince themselves they have already done all the work required (which seems to land me back in the lap of your second point, Prunesquallor!).

I'm convinced that in our society we call this illusion 'INDIVIDUALISM.'
Indeed. Capitalism cannot thrive without deceit, The guy in store A isnt gonna tell you that store B next door has a better product for the same price. Or for that matter that you dont need to buy his product to be happy. He wont thrive if he tells you the truth.

Willful denial the single most dominating factor in how people think about the metaphysics of the world. We should never stop questioning everything thats shouved down are throats, and we should teach are children to question everything.

[killhus]

I find it funny that a lot of people say that they work and dont have time to discuss philosphy, yet they have the time to read this thread and post on it. I work 60 hours a week and I still have time to think about this stuff. Not having time and not wanting to think about perplexing questions are two different things.

I didnt interprets Scotts question as implying that he "knows whats what", I got the impression that he was saying we, him included dont know anything for certain. No one wants to believe something if its not flattering, therefore people get mad at the implication that nothing they beleive is certain. Then they say its a waste of time to even doubt things. Our own ego is are worst enemy.

[Seak]

We human beings like to simply have our beliefs, not challenge them. In fact, for a great number of us challenging beliefs is a stigma, taboo, or outright sin.



I read a study that said that the most deciding factor for Americans in which party they vote for is who their parents party is.

Do we seriously not think?

There's another study that says we no longer think because we don't matter. Because we can't really affect elections either way, we don't inform ourselves and hence pick mediocre (if that) politicians.

I'll try to find actual sources.

[Violent Emesis]

To me, it sort of seems like belief is not quite knowing. Belief implies faith, to me.Questioning beliefs and tradition is a diet soda form of rebellion for some people. People seem to have set patterns that can mimic original thought or free thinking, kind of like a cam system in a slot machine. More and more, I see the patterns in peoples' actions, speech, and formation of thought.
If we are ONLY products of our parents, then what is the point? It kind of says, "Your gene pool has done all it can do, so, DIE!"
Is there really an original point? Or is everything just a shuffled version of the same things? Are we just a bunch of self important, self indulgent Rubiks' Cubes? A finite amount of combinations shuffled around endlessly?
Am I typing this? I think I need a hug.

[Dimeolas]

This is a big scary existence. We as humans like to think we can understand and thus possibly control life. that is our security. Peoples are different so their cultures are different. perhaps for many if they accept that those differences may be valid, it invalidates their beliefs and takes away their security. They hold on to what they believe as if its a life preserver. They fight those who argue against them because they are trying to take away that security. How much of it all is instilled human nature that we can never change? How much of it is the nature of the world, if you believe in the inherent evil of the world. Big can of worms if you ask me sir.