As I sit here reading these posts, with my critical thinking robe on, and with my vessel of critical thinking water at my side, before I think my critical thinking thoughts before going to bed, I have decided to seek some critical thinking guidance.

Has anyone else noticed the critical thinking light, (bulb). Maybe would like to sing a critical thinking chant of some sort, something like, "this critical thinking thread, I want to see it die"!

Lets all critically think together! Maybe a critically thinking conclusion will happen!

TH: "You are welcome, Interbane, and since you are interested in genetics, I'd like to call your attention to this book by a theist geneticist:"

I'm familiar with the perspective. Basically, god creates the universe then withdraws to his den. This is satisfying to a theist since it adds a conclusive termination point to the ultimate causal riddle. For that very reason, it's not parsimonious. Are you willing to explain your views on virtues a bit more after reading my post? I'm curious.

TH
The inference is that you believe in critical thinking but have never examined its academic formulations and so have simply accepted it on faith.

Wrong… again… I guess I should be getting used to that by now… but somehow your distorted thinking keeps catching me off guard.

I have researched critical thinking in the past because I am not a lazy thinker… As Johnson1010 and I have said (repeatedly) critical thinking is not the thing you are trying to make it out to be.

I am beginning to doubt that you personally use critical thinking, but most people do and most are not atheists.

Just as a hammer can be defined in many ways so can a tool like critical thinking. Some people define it differently than others. And some put emphasis on different properties of it… and some definitions are better than others, but I find the simplest definitions to be the most accurate.

Geo describes critical thinking well when he states that it is merely thinking critically. Applying skepticism to a claim and withholding judgment until credible evidence is presented.

You on the other hand have searched many definitions with the sole purpose of finding material that supports your twisted world view, not realizing that your initial assumption is wrong.

It has been said by every person involved in this discussion multiple times… critical thinking is not a belief system or a creed, it is not propaganda or liberal, it only has users and people who believe that it works… we believe this because it has been demonstrated time and time again. Just as I believe a hammer works because I have used one, I believe that critical thinking works because I have used it and it works.

TH
Now, I'm not criticizing you for being a person of faith, because as I pointed out, checking is expensive.

You would love this to be true I am sure… but as I stated before I am not the lazy thinker that you are.

And do not think you are going to goad me into a tirade because you called me a person of faith…

I will not bite at that bait.

Suzanne
Lets all critically think together! Maybe a critically thinking conclusion will happen!

We can't TH will not think critically with us...

Later

TH
About the discrimination you have experienced as an atheist, surely you are aware that in the minds of many persons, atheism and its rebellion against tradition has been a main prop of atheistic totalitarianism. When you are considered to be part of such a horror, you should expect others to be punitive.

So as a theist you should expect to be penalized for the witch hunts, the inquisition, the dark ages, the crusades, human slavery and the hundreds of other religious crimes throughout history?

Can you actually hear yourself?

You seem to actually support injustice against atheists… that is bigotry and is more Nazi like than anything any atheist here has posted.

I suspected this about you already, but you seem to add evidence to my point with your every post.

But I will withhold judgment for now… maybe you are just dense and irrational.

Later

Frank 013 wrote:

Suzanne
Lets all critically think together! Maybe a critically thinking conclusion will happen!

We can't TH will not think critically with us...

As a Confucian, I believe in the value of ritual, and I think I could willingly suspend disbelief for a few hours, or at least I could pretend for the sake of the party. But Suzanne is right about the need to terminate this discussion. We apparently have run off nice MissBlake, new member etudiant has gone silent, and GentleReader has withdrawn again into the darkness of Cyberspace.

Tom

TH
But Suzanne is right about the need to terminate this discussion. We apparently have run off nice MissBlake, new member etudiant has gone silent, and GentleReader has withdrawn again into the darkness of Cyberspace.

Driven off by your negative vibe no doubt…

Later

I’m still around, though absent for a while on vacation.

I enjoy your posts Tom, as I think that you may have a unique sense of humour, and I think that you have extracted some merriment from your interactions here. You are articulate, yet contrary to an extent that suggests ulterior motives.

I could be wrong however. Communication by print is limited, and one misses out on a host of non-verbal cues that would otherwise be illuminating. It could be that you are dead serious.

I will throw in my two cents worth on critical thinking and the theist/ atheist argument. It has been my experience that individuals typically go through two permutations when contemplating broader existential issues.

One: they decide which system of beliefs will best support their hopes, desires, needs, fears, and insecurities.

Two: they then re-shape and modify the environment around them to fit with the system they have decided upon.

I would say that, to be fair, many people do this, even some of the very learned. And I also think the extremity of belief often corresponds closely with the extremity of need. For example, those with a particular horror of death may cling tightly to a religion that promises eternal life. Those with insecurities about their sexuality, or their ability to relate to the opposite sex, may strongly favor a religion that rigidly proscribes these roles in society. I think that we may see some extreme neediness underlying the behavior of some of the newsmakers in the world today. The violent imams in Iran, the Taliban in Afghanistan, the silly geriatrics in the Vatican, the Jehovah’s Witness canvassing door to door are all, I suspect, driven to reinforce their beliefs by acting out in some manor.

Really, we are all in the same boat. I think the Persian poet Rumi put it most concisely. He said “ I have no idea why I am here”, meaning, I would interpret, that if surrounded by darkness, he would certainly attempt to shin a light, but, if unable to see, would not make up a story about what was out there, even if that made him more comfortable. Some are comfortable with the unknown, others are anxious, to varying degrees.

etudiant wrote:I’m still around, though absent for a while on vacation.

Thanks for hanging around, etudiant. I don't know how you nice Canadians put up with all the squabbling that goes on south of your border. If there is strength in virtue, probably some day you will invade and pacify us.

Tom

"If there is strength in virtue, probably some day you will invade and pacify us."


We already have Tom, in 1814. Burned down Washington. Pacification is very hard to produce from the barrel of a gun however. I think our only real salvation is to keep reading, and hope that leads to some small degree of enlightenment.

I hate to admit it but I really do enjoy reading these kinds of threads. It's like a guilty pleasure! I am often impressed by the discourse and reminded of why I enjoy being in the company of BookTalk members.