From: Max M (maxmcorp@worldonline.dk)
Date: Thu Dec 12 2002 - 02:42:14 MST
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
> This topic came up at the most recent Transhuman Atlanta, during a
> discussion of whether the Santa Claus legend is mostly bad (teaches kids
> to believe in order to get rewarded) or mostly good (learning that Santa
> Claus is a big fat lie is a valuable lesson in skepticism).
As far as I am concerned, Santa Clause is a fairy tale. It is a piece of
fiction. By principle I believe that there should be no limits to
fiction at all.
Being a die hard sceptic I still find immense joy in christmas, horror,
ghost and vampyre stories. Don't know why, but I do.
I also enjoy telling my children about santa, and the little "nisse" (a
kind scandinavian christmas gnome) we have living in the attick. He
writes them letters, and they reply to them. Which is a fun christmas
activity. Sort of a christmas RPG.
And the fact that children so villingly gives up believing in Santa is a
good sign. It gives an important data point for a comming sceptic, when
they realise that there is no santa.
In fact my 10 year old son just became convinced this year, that there
is no santa. As he received a present from the "nisse" he told me to
thank the "nisse" and gave me a knowing wink. He didn't say anything, as
he didn't want to spoil the fun of belief for his little sisters.
So Santa is a little bit of harmless fiction. A game played between
children and adults. There is no reason to make a big fuss out of it.
-- hilsen/regards Max M Rasmussen, Denmark http://www.futureport.dk/ Fremtiden, videnskab, skeptiscisme og transhumanisme
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