Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Just Because You "Believe" It Don't Make It So

"I think religious diversity is particularly important, because it has more to do with the individual's mind. It's part of one's thinking, and legal analysis is thinking. Race and ethnicity might have an effect on your thinking — in that it may involve various personal experiences and feelings of identification — but it is not a characteristic that you have by deciding to have it or by believing you have it. Religion is different."

-- Ann Althouse, stating "legal analysis is thinking" - before admitting we may soon have "6 Catholics, 2 Jews, and 1 Protestant on the Court" - and religious belief is just a loopy form of simply making shit up, in her Althouse.

3 comments:

  1. I was going to rate your blog - I typed up the following text - and then blogger wanted me to register - so I cut and pasted the response here rather than do so.

    Just letting you know - you have a really great blog here.

    I don't give any blog a 10 unless it is based on extraordinary reporting, such as a war blog from someone risking their life to get the news out. So the 9.4 is the highest rating I normally give.

    And your blog deserves the highest rating. You write very well, you write truthfully - the truth as you see and feel it. You don't self censor your writing. And that is amazingly rare - both on and off the Internet.

    The graphics you deploy add immeasurably to the "feel" of your text.

    I particularly enjoy your willingness to hold Oprah accountable for the insanity of the views of her guests. Since when is autism caused by vaccinations? Yet no one calls her on the lies her guests spout - yet she chooses to give air time to those irresponsible fools.

    And french food? Hah. The best food I had in Paris was this Chinese Vietnamese place. (Of course, I was trying to eat at places that cost less than a $100/plate - but even lower Manhattan had better food for less than $30.)

    All in all - an awesome blog.

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  2. I also think your blog is great and I look forward to seeing alerts that you've posted pop up in my feed reader. Is it fair to also then say "Just because you don't 'believe' it doesn't make it not so?".

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  3. In response to Lou's question 'Is it fair to also then say "Just because you don't 'believe' it doesn't make it not so?".' I would suggest this:

    To NOT BELIEVE is the default position of human existence. Everyone is born believing absolutely nothing.

    In fact, you can experience the earth beneath your feet, the warmth of the sun, the wetness of rain or watching your surfing buddy get eaten by a shark without a single belief in anything.

    To NOT BELIEVE requires no effort, activity or energy of any kind. It is probably the only sane way to be, because what is, is and what ain't, ain't.

    The opposite of to NOT BELIEVE is not TO BELIEVE.

    The opposite of a belief is a
    conflicting belief.

    So if person 'A' believes the sun is a ball of ice, and person 'B' believes the sun is a burning cranberry, where does the question of 'fair' apply?

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