Is keeping one's beliefs to oneself a viable option?

Discussion in 'Agnosticism and Atheism' started by Hoatzin, Jan 15, 2009.

  1. Hoatzin

    Hoatzin Senior Member

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    I'd say the most obvious one is: if me killing someone prevented that person from killing ten people, that would be a rational reason (assuming we believe survival is a valid goal).
     
  2. Hoatzin

    Hoatzin Senior Member

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    I'd say the most obvious one is: if me killing someone prevented that person from killing ten people, that would be a rational reason (assuming we believe survival is a valid goal).
     
  3. jumbuli55

    jumbuli55 Member

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    It is not necessary to kill someone to prevent that someone from killing ten other people.
    If the purpose was survival of the ten, then permanently isolating one from the rest would suffice.

    But if you were stranded on an empty island without anything whatsoever to eat (assuming there weren't a single fish to be caught in waters as well), and if there was only other human being on the same island, then the only way you could prolong your existence would be to kill and eat that other person.
     
  4. Hoatzin

    Hoatzin Senior Member

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    And if that's not actually possible?

    In that situation, I'm not sure if it would actually be worth it (so they'd probably eat me) because once you've eated them, you're still fucked.
     
  5. jumbuli55

    jumbuli55 Member

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    Actually, you do what is possible to achieve a goal.

    If the goal is to prevent killings then , as I wrote, it is not necessary to kill to prevent a killing. Of course if you have raging madman with the gun in his hand, shooting all over the place and trying to kill those around, then there may be necessity to kill him to stop the rampage. Although even in such case you could simply shoot with immobilizing non-lethal bullets, constrain such individual and take to the nearest mental ward to be locked up forewer.

    But if goal is killing, then it's a whole different subject. Usually those who say it's necessary to kill (when it obviously isn't) really like killing just for the fun of it , but don't have a courage to admit so. Hence all excuses.



    And do you have experience of being in similar situation to speak of ?
     
  6. pineapple08

    pineapple08 Members

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    When it comes to bad behavior, what about the cultural and institutional settings that people bind them selves into. We all know how badly church's', states and corporations or fascist movements for that matter can behave.
     
  7. heeh2

    heeh2 Senior Member

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    how many unborn fetus's do you think ask to be born in America, or Australia.

    how many of those fetus's now as men and women, asked for the conditioning required to accept a fascist movement, or asked for the conditioning required to accept the conditioning.

    how many people actually condone plutocracy past unregistered interest.

    people do not bind themselves to institutions, we are assimilated.
     
  8. pineapple08

    pineapple08 Members

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    Don t underestimate the value of agency and strategic conduct by both individuals and institutions. Both will commonly seek to alter the pre existing cultural and material environment in there favor.Particularly in the modern ideological world were life is always more than just about simple survival but more about getting ahead.
     
  9. heeh2

    heeh2 Senior Member

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    im not sure i understand

    can you give an example or re-write what you mean

    :confused:
     
  10. secret_agent_amanda

    secret_agent_amanda Member

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    I think it's absolutely possible. I'm atheist, my husband is christian. We are able to live together because we both keep our mouths shut about religion.
     
  11. jamesrock

    jamesrock Member

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    I think it is possible to steer clear of it all together. I hung out the other night with these two guys from work and we got high and hit a bar and while they were talking and ripping different religions apart i just sat there quiet. Finally the one dude asks if im offended by anything they have said. I just laughed and said " im high and im getting drunk Im catholic but i aint offended what you believe or dont believe." I couldnt care less weather they believed in god or not i was just there to chill. for the rest of the night i watched as this one dude tried to figure out where he stood in the whole religion thing and the other tried to justify to me how he came to be an athiest... And the whole time i was like ,,, hey what you do is cool and what I do is my thing,,, Im high mo fo LOL
     
  12. Maitreya

    Maitreya Member

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    I enjoyed jamesrock's story, and I agree.

    I believe that as long as humans have an altruistic view on the world than all will be ok. I have no problem with athiest although i am not one. Because many atheist actually care a lot about other people and thats actually the reason they are atheist in my opinion. They look at religion and spirituallity as detrimental to mankind. And i can respect that. Although i disagree.

    I believe its ego.
     
  13. heeh2

    heeh2 Senior Member

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    ego as in, "I am doing something in the name of religion for myself"?
     

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