Brace yourself for a rant.
Siquo,
I think you're throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
It is perfectly fine to speculate about the universe and the nature of a potential higher being behind it. And yes, and here some from "my camp", i.e. atheists, in this thread might disagree, I think there are certain things such as meaning/purpose that cannot be derived from science, but they can be philosophized about, and yes, certain things are worthwhile discussing even if they are neither veri- nor falsifiable. And if you have a certain spirituality that gives you the feeling that there is a higher purpose behind all of this, then good for you.
However, all this is compatible with having your thoughts being guided by reason.
Why not pick the best of both worlds? One can never know absolute truth, but that does not mean one cannot use the limited tools we have at our disposal, the limited amount of rationality we have, to try and make sense of the world as best as we can. From your perspective, if that omnipotent being gave you a brain to reason about the world, why not use it? To use reason and evidence to learn about reality, even if we can never fully comprehend it, is to try to learn the rules of that world this being has created for you.
I can sympathize with your desire for spirituality, although your way is not my way. For me, it has been an ongoing epiphany that I can take reality at face value, as bleak as it may seem, and realize that it does not actually interfere with notions of 'good', 'meaning' or 'happiness'. I have over the years rejected the notion of god, rejected a special role for humanity, accepted that feelings and thoughts are, in one sense, nothing but chemical and physical processes, have accepted that there is no external justification of morality, and finally, rejected the notion of a self, of the reality of a continuous 'me' that would be at the core of my thoughts and at the centre of 'my' continuous existence. And all of this was based on philosophical considerations (reason) and on what I know from being a scientist (evidence).
And after all of that, I can say that, for me, my view on meaning, ethics and life feels now as
coherent and satisfying as never before.
Earlier, you said something like you changed your view about reality because you found your original view depressing. My approach is radically different. I'm a sucker for reality. And I can still find meaning. It is possible.
We both might say that one cannot truly know reality. But for me, that means to be sceptical about my perceptions of reality, to question my intuitions, to be pragmatic about what I can know and not know, to be modest. I put evidence over my intuitions exactly
because I distrust my own limited mind. You, on the other hand, seem almost be willing to reject reality itself instead.
Now, I can accept your different viewpoint as such. However, what I cannot accept is ignorance that leads to suffering of others. Because, you see, in my world view, happiness and suffering are the only things that matter
at all. If your rejection of reality would go so far as not arguing against that
witches exist, then I cannot accept that.
As of 2006, between 25,000 and 50,000 children in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, had been accused of witchcraft and thrown out of their homes.[51] On April, 2008, Kinshasa, the police arrested 14 suspected victims (of penis snatching) and sorcerers accused of using black magic or witchcraft to steal (make disappear) or shrink men's penises to extort cash for cure, amid a wave of panic.[52] Arrests were made in an effort to avoid bloodshed seen in Ghana a decade ago, when 12 alleged penis snatchers were beaten to death by mobs.[53] It was reported on May 21, 2008 that in Kenya a mob had burnt to death at least 11 people accused of witchcraft.[54] In Tanzania in 2008, President Kikwete publicly condemned witchdoctors for killing albinos for their body parts which are thought to bring good luck. 25 albinos have been murdered since March 2007.[55] In the Meatu district of Tanzania, half of all murders are “witch-killings”.[42] In the Nigerian states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River about 15,000 children branded as witches and most of them end up abandoned and abused on the streets. In Gambia, about 1,000 people accused of being witches were locked in detention centers in March 2009 and forced to drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion, human rights organization Amnesty International said.[56]
Good night!
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Topic: Atheists (Read 393233 times)