umirano Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Quote: Originally Posted by youngskywalker View Post There is a difference between a flying spaghetti monster and the origin of everything from nothing. I get your point but it's a bad analogy. There's really not much difference. Evidence for both is equally poor. That's not entirely true. There's absolutely zero evidence for the fsm. Current astronomical observations that can quite easily be reproduced with amateur equipment show that all visible celestial objects are moving away from a single point in space on a very grand scale). Proposing that all visible matter originates from that point isn't as far fetched as some may like to think. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
umirano Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) I consider myself agnostic, so I'm not here trying to defend belief in god. I think it's unknown and a leap of faith in either direction. Both extremes are likely wrong. No different than any other extremist viewpoint out there. Either god exists or he doesn't. Given the fact that no theist argument withstands real world testing and rational scrutiny calling agnostic atheism, i.e. atheism, extremist is kafkaesque. The current butchery in the near east isn't fueled by atheist doctrine, may I remind you. Nor has any butchery before been. Edited February 7, 2015 by umirano 2 Link to post Share on other sites
umirano Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I agree it takes faith to be an atheist Incorrect. Atheism is precisely the absence of faith. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
TaxAHCruel Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I myself do not identify with the terms Atheist or Agnostic. I find them useless words to me for the most part - and they just invite straw man and nonsense comments such as we see on this very thread trying to liken them to religions or faiths in and of themselves. So picking my "favourite Atheist" is simply a category error for me. Atheism is not a personality cult like - for example - Christianity or Islam. It is not about the people. It is about the ideas. Just like an ideal monarchy is not about the King - but the King is a representative of the throne and it is to the trone and what it means / represents that you really swear fealty to. The king is merely an incidental representative. We do not put speakers on a pedestal so much as ideas and arguments - and at any given time there are people who are usefully espousing those ideas. The argument about whether Dawkins is someone I enjoy or can not stand - like we see people doing on this thread - is irrelevant to me for example. Rather - the ideas he might be espousing at any given time are ideas I find useful or not - agree with or not. All that said - if I had to pick speakers who are consistently espousing ideas I find useful or wish to see espoused in the public sphere - are applicable ideas - and they are presenting them in useful ways - Neil Tyson and Sam Harris would jump instantly to mind. Christopher Hitchens was one too. But the great thing about taking an ideas based approach to it - rather than a personality cult one - is even when you have your favourites you at NO time think the speaker perfect or beyond reproach. Or the ideas beyond debate. We do not have our Jesus or our Mohammad who we think are simply right and perfect and pure by default. There are items - for example - I would love to have had a chance in my life to sit down with Harris, Dawkins, Tyson and Hitchens - and explain to them exactly how wrong - and why - I think they are on them. Link to post Share on other sites
cerridwen Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Schopenhauer. All day every day. “Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Haydn Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 (edited) Stephen Fry. Edited February 23, 2015 by Haydn typo Link to post Share on other sites
Pull n Pray Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I'll go top five: Oliver Sacks, Ron Reagan, Kevin Bacon, Brahms, and Sasha Grey. That's odd. Because I seem to remember seeing a video of Sasha where she was enthusiastically praising God. My favorite is John Stuart Mill. Link to post Share on other sites
Sheryl70 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Stephen Fry. +1 Stephen Fry Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts