- #1
runner
- 27
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Do you have any beliefs (non-religious) which you feel strongly about but which have not been supported or confirmed by facts?
Do you have any beliefs (non-religious)
- Thread starter runner
- Start date
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around personal beliefs that are non-religious and not necessarily supported by factual evidence. Participants share a variety of unconventional beliefs, skepticism, and reflections on the nature of belief itself, touching on themes of critical thinking, conspiracy theories, and personal anecdotes.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Debate/contested
- Conceptual clarification
Main Points Raised
- Some participants express whimsical beliefs, such as the existence of gnomes rearranging dinner trays or the evil powers of street-dwelling dentists.
- Several participants identify as skeptics, asserting that they only believe things that are true, while questioning the nature of truth itself.
- One participant reflects on their past belief in conspiracy theories, attributing it to emotional responses and selective thinking.
- A belief in critical thinking is presented as superior to magical thinking, with a participant humorously critiquing the circular reasoning behind this belief.
- Some participants discuss the implications of raising children to disbelieve in Santa Claus, highlighting the arbitrary nature of such beliefs.
- One participant shares a belief that world leaders conspire to prevent personal financial success, linking it to broader economic discussions.
- Another participant challenges the Uncertainty Principle, stating a belief that it is incorrect.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express a range of beliefs and skepticism, with no clear consensus on the validity of the beliefs discussed. The conversation remains open-ended, with multiple competing views and reflections on the nature of belief itself.
Contextual Notes
Some beliefs are presented humorously or as personal anecdotes, while others reflect deeper philosophical questions about truth and skepticism. The discussion includes a mix of serious and light-hearted contributions, with varying degrees of seriousness regarding the beliefs expressed.
- #2
brewnog
Science Advisor
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I believe in the evil powers of hoards of street dwelling dentists.
- #3
The Dagda
- 252
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I have a belief that the gnomes are rearranging my trays I use to eat my dinner as whenever I pick out 1 of 3 it's always the broken one. I believe that the Universe is fundamentally made up of tiny vibrating fairies too.
- #4
runner
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Lol. I have a hunch this is going to be a short thread.
- #5
Jimmy Snyder
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I'm a skeptic. That means that while most people believe some things that are true and some things that are false, I only believe things that are true.
- #6
The Dagda
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jimmysnyder said:
Ah but what is truth? *scratches beard then arse, then strokes beard*
- #7
Jimmy Snyder
- 1,137
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The OP is not asking for your hunches.runner said:
- #8
durt
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Yeah, I only believe things that are true, too...
- #9
waht
- 1,502
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I used to believe in many conspiracy theories, but realized that it was just my mind that was responding positively to certain thought patterns, such as a crashed spaceship in the desert. Sometimes emotions, or adrenaline was triggered by these thoughts, and I would also seek out external stimuli (such as reading) that fit this thought pattern and reject what was not.
- #10
moe darklight
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I firmly believe in critical thinking above magical thinking. I've arrived at the conclusion that the former is superior to the latter using critical thinking; which is to say, I believe in critical thinking because critical thinking has led me to conclude that critical thinking is the correct method for thinking about things, which is quite stupid, if you think about it critically.
Do absolute skeptics eventually become vegetables?
brewnog said:
of course. there are basic truths that simply must not be questioned!
- #11
Santa1
- 111
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I believe the man is reading this right now.
- #12
lisab
Staff Emeritus
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*-<|:-D=<-< said:
I believe in you, Santa.
- #13
The Dagda
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Pfft these Santaists get everywhere, where's your proof.
- #14
arunma
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I believe that physics is out to get me. Might just be because this has been a slow day, research wise.
- #15
runner
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jimmysnyder said:
But, isn't there a fine line between a hunch and a belief? Some people even elevate their hunches into personal theories when they make comments like, "Here's my theory on why Easy Ride lost the race."
- #16
drankin
I believe this kind of discussion creates interesting questions, most of which do not have scientific answers. As Frank Herbert wrote in Dune, science doesn't answer the really interesting questions.
- #17
BobG
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drankin said:
Yet, not once, in any of his books, did he ever answer the question about a plane trying to take off from a conveyor belt; nor did he ever answer whether a bullet shot straight up in the air could kill someone when it came back down.
Most importantly of all, none of his books ever answered how long it takes for a stadium filled with 100,000 angry soccer fans equipped with 1 meter square mirrors to boil the blood in a referee's head.
I believe science answers all of the really interesting questions.
- #18
drankin
BobG said:
Myth busters did the first two, but not the mirror idea. We should submit that one. Science does answer a lot of interesting questions.
- #19
arunma
- 924
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Speaking of Santa Claus...
I once got yelled at by my fellow grad students for saying that if I ever had kids, I would raise them to disbelieve in Santa Claus and to tell their fellow children at school that Santa doesn't exist. Of course it's just an arbitrary belief, as I've never been to the north pole.
- #20
mgb_phys
Science Advisor
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I was once asked at an interview if I had any convictions -
Well I did use to believe that it was wrong to lie to children about santa claus, but it's not a big deal.
- #21
Jimmy Snyder
- 1,137
- 21
Oh. I thought you were just going to edit your post to say:runner said:
Lol. I believe this is going to be a short thread.
As Roger Rabbit said "Only if it would be funny."
- #22
wolram
Gold Member
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I have a belief, that all the world leaders are conspiring to stop me becoming a millionaire,
every time i get a bit of extra cash the buggers put prices up.
- #23
The Dagda
- 252
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wolram said:
If you're English that would be about April 1st. They reduced VAT here recently to encourage us to spend. That should help a little at least. It's interesting that the best way out of this recession is to not be to thrifty but spend when you have the money, and for businesses to invest. That said many people have been ninja struck by the rising prices so it'll take a lot more to restore confidence. Banks won't lend to business, business lays people off, people worry about job security, people start to save and so on.
I sometimes think it might be best to let nature take it's course like the Torys advocate or let market forces absorb the problem, ie let the banks go bankrupt or get bought out, just like businesses who make stupid decisions do. But perhaps that's not realistic? I can see the logic in that, let businesses consolidate. Banks have massive assets (and are eminently viable and profitable) regardless of their inability to borrow, by drawing them closer perhaps generally the rise in stock prices this causes will lead to more investment and thus to more lending. It's an interesting idea, but risky as hell. I'm not sure the Conservatives were they in power would do what they suggest, ie nothing, but then they have the benefit of proposing other ideas, without the worry of implementing them.
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- #24
jobyts
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Uncertainty Principle - I believe it is incorrect