Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Frauds as Philosophers
not bad for mile 25
Sometimes a cigar is just a penis.
"That wasn't my belly button." "That wasn't my finger."
Hadn't thought of that joke since I was a little kid.
The Gomer Pyle joke. Ah yes.
That's one of those to remind us that little innocent 5th graders may not be so innocent about words and concepts.
infinite faith, which can only be achieved through infinite doubt. Best regards, a fraudulent philosopher
Best regards,
a fraudulent philosopher
Jeff, I think this view of faith rests on a rather suspicious definition of it, don't you think? It seems to imply that faith = believing something that you cannot know for sure, and the more unsure you are the more "faith" you have in it if you still believe in it??? I think this is a highly unsatisfactory view of faith. My son has a very high degree of faith that I am going to pick him up after cross country practice this afternoon because I have shown myself faithful to do so all season. So his faith is greater based on what he has already seen me do. I guess you might say that if I failed to pick him all season long then it would take "greater faith" to believe that I'm coming today, but I think the language betrays us here. We also would say we have "greater faith" in the things we are more sure of. E.g., "I have great faith in my employees because they have always performed before."
Kid A believes 99% that his dad will pick him up from practice and his dad always picks him up.
Kid B believes 99% that his dad will pick him up from practice but his dad frequently forgets.
A and B have the same "amount" of faith, even though Kid A has more rationale for his faith. I don't think that higher level of doubt "adds to" the amount of faith.
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
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Jeff, I think this view of faith rests on a rather suspicious definition of it, don't you think? It seems to imply that faith = believing something that you cannot know for sure, and the more unsure you are the more "faith" you have in it if you still believe in it??? I think this is a highly unsatisfactory view of faith. My son has a very high degree of faith that I am going to pick him up after cross country practice this afternoon because I have shown myself faithful to do so all season. So his faith is greater based on what he has already seen me do. I guess you might say that if I failed to pick him all season long then it would take "greater faith" to believe that I'm coming today, but I think the language betrays us here. We also would say we have "greater faith" in the things we are more sure of. E.g., "I have great faith in my employees because they have always performed before." Kid A believes 99% that his dad will pick him up from practice and his dad always picks him up. Kid B believes 99% that his dad will pick him up from practice but his dad frequently forgets. A and B have the same "amount" of faith, even though Kid A has more rationale for his faith. I don't think that higher level of doubt "adds to" the amount of faith.
What about Kid C, who has 99.5% faith that his dad will pick him up. Background -- his dad usually picks him up (more often than B, less often than A). Also he actually can see his dad's car turning into the school. So his percentage certainty is higher.
(That is, we suppose he actually has more certainty because he can actually see the car driving into the school.)
Does that mean he has more faith? Faith then is correlated more with what is actually seen before one, perhaps, as each kid's faith goes up as they see their dad's car drive up toward them?
(Not rhetorical; I'm not sure what I think, but I like your framework for considering angles of this.)
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
"run" "2" "eat"
true happiness is found through having no faith at all because if you have no faith, you can never be disappointed, and yet, you will be frequently pleasantly surprised.
i find the sunshine beckons me to open up the gate and dream and dream ~~robbie williams
Right on. I think kid C has the most faith. To me a "quantity" of faith is how much I believe something as evidenced by my willingness to put my trust in it. Kid C is the least likely to call mom as a backup plan because he sees dad pulling into the parking lot.
ppfth! pulling into the parking lot -- and then experiencing spontaneous combustion!! who's gonna pick you up now, kid c?
one should not confuse belief and faith -- belief is based in knowing while faith is based in not knowing.
It would be better if we could work out rationally, because it would be expensive and tedious to go dig holes all along the Via Aurelia and Appia...
Prince of Fatness
Hi Waffles!
Not at it at all.
hi, taterpants!
Why is it sideways?
I hereby nominate Waffles as the official Kierkegaard spokesperson.
ppfth! pulling into the parking lot -- and then experiencing spontaneous combustion!! who's gonna pick you up now, kid c? one should not confuse belief and faith -- belief is based in knowing while faith is based in not knowing.
Heh. Indeed, it ain't a sure thing until you are home, kid C!
"faith is based in not knowing." I know what you are saying, but absolute ignorance is not required for faith. Knowing increases faith.
I'm going to hate myself for asking the following absolutely sincere question. And I *am* being sincere.
What do YOU mean by "knowing"?
I'm going to hate myself for asking the following absolutely sincere question. And I *am* being sincere. What do YOU mean by "knowing"?
It's what smart people do when dumb runners try to incite them into signing up for marathons.
Good Bad & The Monkey
"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.""But," says Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves that you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED.""Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly disappears in a puff of logic.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby