From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Wed Jul 11 2001 - 10:02:49 MDT
Russell Blackford wrote,
> On the D.A.R.E. subject more generally, I yield to no one (except maybe
> J.R.) in my fire-breathing atheism. However, I am a bit less cynical about
> religious believers (as opposed to the belief) than some others in this
> forum.
Thanks for the accolade, but actually, I don't refer to myself as an atheist,
but rather as a non-theist, because it seems to me that belief is the problem,
not what is believed, and an atheist is one who believes that god (whatever
that means) does not exist. So, it's still a belief. As J. Krishnamurti used
to say, knowing truth (that which exists, that which ineffably abides) doesn't
require you to believe it, or even to understand it. But if you recognize,
acknowledge, and successfully interact with it, then you know it. IOW, seeing
accurately and correctly isn't believing, it's experiencing. This assumes we
can properly identify the experience of hallucination, especially drug induced
varieties.
("Are you experienced?" --Jimi Hendrix)
Of course some people say that experience is for people who can't learn any
other way. To which I reply, don't be satisfied learning about love and life
from a book.
There's nothing like the real thing. Accept no substitutes.
©¿©¬
Stay hungry,
--J. R.
Useless hypotheses, etc.:
consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind, free will, qualia,
analog computing, cultural relativism, GAC, CYC, and ELIZA
(Everything that can happen = more than anyone can imagine.)
We won't move into a better future until we debunk religiosity, the most
regressive force now operating in society.
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