tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342559974155743085.post5777581845153536070..comments2023-10-20T14:22:04.370+01:00Comments on Pete Mc's Blog: Can We Fix It? (Yes We Can)Pete McAdamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01120630058084487397noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342559974155743085.post-703396082252050672013-05-17T14:50:47.362+01:002013-05-17T14:50:47.362+01:00That is integrity Andrew. I should hope to apply t...That is integrity Andrew. I should hope to apply the same standards myself.Pete McAdamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01120630058084487397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342559974155743085.post-54594970731607687362013-05-17T14:48:59.908+01:002013-05-17T14:48:59.908+01:00Belief is experiential. It requires logic too. I p...Belief is experiential. It requires logic too. I personally would love to believe in fairies (even though some would claim that I do)<br />There is also a level of risk in believing. A good gambler would fancy the odds of believing in the hereafter.<br />Truth does exist but there is an element that would disagree with the concept of absolute truth, preferring relativism instead.<br />Even though you may believe in your truth with all your heart, it does not make it true, even to you. Of course it could be true as well. It depends what it is you believe in. Phew.Pete McAdamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01120630058084487397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342559974155743085.post-25008674937892246452013-05-16T00:35:13.937+01:002013-05-16T00:35:13.937+01:00And, re "If there is a chance that truth exis...And, re "If there is a chance that truth exists, then we are obliged to find out what it is."<br /><br />Well of course we are. That is what scientific enquiry does, when properly conducted (which is far from always the case). But any search for the truth should not be guided by what we hope the truth will be, or at least it should be undertaken with a willingness to accept what we find rather than moulding it to what we would like to find. You are not seeking the truth unless you start out by being prepared to find that everything you believe in and everything you hope is true may turn out to be wrong.Andrew MacLaren-Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01275686573421308677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342559974155743085.post-66487628801052522542013-05-16T00:29:31.915+01:002013-05-16T00:29:31.915+01:00" We don't go out in the car unless we be..." We don't go out in the car unless we believe that the brakes will stop us safely."<br /><br />I profoundly disagree. We expect the brakes will stop us safely based on experience and some experimental knowledge, but we know and accept that on rare occasions they may not stop us safely, as we acknowledge that brakes can fail but we choose to accept the level of risk, based on analysis of its likelihood. This is profoundly different from believers in various faiths - they cannot accept that their faiths may be false (or at least most do not).<br /><br />And of course truth exists - the problem with believers is they just choose to believe what the truth is, and isn't it interesting they generally seem to choose to believe in benign and ultimately friendly "truths" containing promises of good times ahead, rather than harsh truths that may not care on bit about them?Andrew MacLaren-Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01275686573421308677noreply@blogger.com